As suggested yesterday, Spanish racer Robert Batlle has been confirmed as the 3rd member of the International Axe Rossi team for the 2007 season, lining up alongside Richi Gomez and Raul Daras to make a very strong off road team.
Source: Buggy-Sport [buggy-sport.info]
Multiple Spanish National Champion Richi Gomez has been confirmed as the latest signing to the Italian Axe Rossi engine squad for 2007. Signing a 2 year deal, Richi was a suprise member of the team having just joined RB Products 4 months ago. Richi joins previous signing and fellow Spaniard Raul Daras who was confirmed last week with the 3rd signing expected to be Robert Batlle but we will have to wait for confirmation of this.
Source: Neo Buggy [neo-buggy.net]
Chris Doughty has a report on his site on the successful shake down of his new ride, the Atomic Carbon S4 that we have shown you here previously. The race took place at the Kidderminster track and although only a regional race, the competition was tough and included a World Champion, a Worlds A finalist, a Euros A finalist and 2 of the best 3 racers in the National series.
Chris managed to put the car 4th on the grid behind Neil Cragg (TQ), Tom Yardy and Paul Bradby. Chris managed to get up to 3rd off the line, get into the lead mid-race then hold onto the lead to cross the line to take the win.
Source: Doughty UK [doughtyuk.net]
World Championship finalist and all round fast driver Robert Pietsch has left Mugen, a manufacturer he has raced with for many years, to work and race for Shepherd Racing. Shepherd racing took over the old Picco 1/8th scale car project a few years back and the car has only had minimum development since. Pietsch’s position at his new employer will involve designing and developing the car further as well as being its top team driver along with, son of Shepherd owner, Patrick Schäfer. We heard that issues over what engine Robert could run whilst racing last year for Mugen prompted his decision to move.
Image: RC Tech [rctech.net]
Our partners Buggy Sport are reporting that 2 times German Vice Champion Timo Engelstatter has switched over to the Team Losi for the 2007 season. Staying with the Graupner team, that recently signed Sonke Matz to also race Losi, Timo last year raced with the HoBao Hyper8 which is also imported by the same company.
Source: Buggy-Sport [buggy-sport.info]
Serpent are reporting that multiple Dutch National Champion John Ermen has signed to race for Serpent Netherlands in the 2007 season. Returning to the Dutch manufacturer after a number of years away racing for Mugen, John will be seen as one of the favourites for the Dutch title this year.
The current 1:8 Dutch National Vice-Champion, Ermen will head Serpent’s challenge for 1:8 success in its home country. Racing since 1990, Â having caught the bug for rc racing from his father and older brother, Â John has an impressive racing CV which includes three World Championships appearances including the 2001 event in Australia.
Source: Serpent [serpent.com]
Just before christmas RB ran a competition on their site to guess the identity of their new World Champion driver. Well in what has turned out to be a great anti-climax for us news hounds it appears that that drivers identity is 10 time World Champion mountain biker Nicolas Vouilloz. I wont even pretend to have heard of him before but apart from his skills on a mountain bike it turns out that he is pretty nifty in a rally car too.
You can find out more about Nicolas Vouilloz here.
Source: RB Products [rbproducts.com]
According to our site partners Buggy-Sport, Former Euro B Champion Sonke Matz has agreed to race for Team Losi in 2007 having left Kyosho at the end of last year. Driving for the German Graupner team he will stay with CMB engines, Red Alert Fuel and Eck-Tec parts.
Source: Buggy-Sport [buggy-sport.info]
