Red RC » Electric

April 12, 2024

1:28 Marka Euro Cup – Report

The inaugural 1:28 Marka Euro Cup took place last weekend in Cluses, France, with 15-year-old Samuel Verdan among the main winners over the five categories. Organised by the MZCS Club with support from Marka Racing, 91 drivers from 15 nationalities created a 180 strong Mini Z entry for the 3-day event that featured National and World Champions for a very high level of competition. The RCP track layout was popular with drivers, a lap covering 77 meters and its 18 meter long straight allowing racers to gain a good top speed. While French teenager Verdan won the Pro-Stock title, it was another French winner in Open 4×4 with Thomas Robin taking victory, while in Open 4×2 top honours went to Portugal’s José Pequito. Austrian Philipp Stadler would do a double with victory in Stock and F1.

View more images here

April 11, 2024

FEMCA EP Offroad Championship – Announcement

FEMCA, the governing body of RC racing that represents 15 nations in Asia and Australasia, has announced details of the 2024 FEMCA EP Offroad Championship. Following the Covid shutdown, FEMCA, under the guidance of Vice President Leonard Kee has been proactive in re-establishing its various FEMCA title deciding races with 1:10 Offroad the latest event to be announced for July 19-21 at the GDC Indoor track in Foshan, China. The track operated by well known racer Gavin Kwok, is no stranger to international visitors having hosted a very successful inaugural Foshan International Invitational RC Championship for electric touring car in December where former World Champion Ronald Volker took the victory. In addition to its touring car track, GDC also has a dedicated astro turf offroad track on which it will host the FEMCA EP Offroad Championship. A total of four FEMCA Champions will be crowned at the event including 4WD Modified & 13.5 Stock Buggy and 2WD Modified & 17.5T Stock Buggy. The race will also feature 2WD & 4WD Vintage Buggy support races. While the controlled tyre for each class is still to be announced, the schedule with see 5 rounds of qualifying with 3 to count and triple finals for everyone. Former FEMCA EP Offroad Champions include multi discipline World Champion Naoto Matsukura.

View GDC offroad track images here

April 8, 2024

Hebert & Hagberg win at Canadian Onroad Nationals

Keven Hebert and Xray team-mate Alexander Hagberg took the main wins at this year’s Canadian Onroad Nationals which took place over the weekend at Rose City Speedway in Ontario. In Touring Car, reigning Champion Hebert would secure the TQ with the fastest time in the fourth & final round of qualifying. Behind the Awesomatix of Douglas Shewfelt secured second with his Q3 time ahead of international visitor Alexander Hagberg. In 1:12 qualifying it was the Swede who claimed the TQ from Shewfelt with Hebert lining up P3 for his title defence. With the 13th edition of the event attracting a very healthy 349 entries, in the single A-Main encounters it was Hebert who took the Mod Touring Car win by 2.4-seconds over Shewfelt and Hagberg while the former 1:12 World Champion converted his TQ into a 1-lap winning margin over the 8-minutes from Hebert with Shewfelt completing the podium.

Image: Keven Hebert [Facebook]

April 8, 2024

Canas wins very poorly supported IFMAR 1:8 eBuggy World Cup

Sworkz and Juan Carlos Canas will go down in the record books as the winners of the IFMAR 1:8 eBuggy World Cup, a precursor to the inaugural eBuggy World Championship, but it was the fact that just 9 drivers contested the World Cup that was the main story from Portugal. Hosted by the Club ACDB “OS BEIROES” at their track in Guarda, the event was originally scheduled for last September but was postponed due to a lack of entries with the date just after the 1:10 Offroad World Championships in Arizona touted as a reason for the poor support. Rescheduled for April 5-7, while the event again failed to attract entries it went ahead with European 1:8 Nitro Buggy Champion Canas the only big international star to attend. While a clash with annual the Psycho Nitro Blast in Tennessee could be attributed to a lack of US drivers making the costly trip to Europe, the previous weekend’s rained off International Buggy Challenge also in Portugal looks to have been a big factor in a lack of top European entries. Winning 3 of the 4 10-minute mains, Canas took the win from the Mugen Seiki of fellow Spaniard David Todd while IBC race organiser João Figueiredo completed the podium with his Tekno.

Image: David Todd [Facebook]

March 29, 2024

Sweep officially confirmed as ISTC Worlds spec tyre

South Korean tyre manufacturer Sweep has been officially confirmed as the controlled tyre for this year’s IFMAR 1:10 Electric Touring Car World Championships which takes place at Finishline RC Raceway in Bakersfield, California, in November. Details of the spec D-36R3PGS (Part number 3036217) tyre were published in the latest Stage Report from the organisers together with confirmation of Mighty Gripper Yellow V3 as the spec additive. Sweep’s D series compound was developed following a raw material shortage issue early last year with the new compound made from totally new materials which are more stable and have a more consistent supply. The D series compound provides much more consistent laptimes between first and second run and even third runs. There is also improved durability on sidewall meaning less issues on high speed straight aways. The D compound was supplied as the controlled tyre at the recent TITC in Thailand with it having zero issues with the super hot weather and very difficult track conditions, many of the top drivers complimenting its performance. Another improvement is the wheel from Sweep which has a better fit with D series tyres making for a better balance. The tyres contain EXP-S soft thick inserts for longer lifespan and consistency. The D-36R3PGS tyre will be supplied for the 1UP Racing West Coast Invitational race at Finishline RC Raceway at the beginning of May with reigning World Champion Bruno Coelho confirmed for Mike Reedy Memorial Invitational Class at the event.

Source: Sweep Racing [sweepracing.com]

March 28, 2024

IFMAR ISTC World C/Ship Motor & Battery homologation

IFMAR has published details of its approval process for motor and battery manufacturers wishing for their products to be used at this 1:10 Electric Touring Car World Championships which will be hosted by Finishline RC Raceway in Bakersfield, California, in November. At last year’s IFMAR 1:10 Offroad World Championships in Arizona, a number of drivers were forced to switch motors and battery brands as their sponsor’s products while ROAR/EFRA approved had not completed the approval process with the World Federation. The most high profile case of this was 2WD World Champion elect Tater Sontag who while at the time sponsored by Fantom, had to use a motor from Hobbywing and batteries from Protek. Manufacturers with previous IFMAR approved batteries and motors do not need to re-apply for homologation once the product remains unchanged but with the Spec class moving to 17.5T this year all motors will need to go through the approval process. All applications must be made between March 25th and July 5th, 2024.

Source: IFMAR [Facebook]

March 26, 2024

Payne wins season finale, Harper takes RugRacers Series

The fifth & final round of the Hertford Radio Car Club run RugRacers Series saw Schumacher’s Ollie Payne take the win but it was team-mate Elliot Harper who took the overall 23/24 Series title. While four drivers had a chance at the title going into the season finale, other commitments meant winner of the previous round Alex Thurston, Harper and Hayley Eldridge where absent, the latter competing at the ETS in Vienna where she was making history in becoming the first ever female to make the Modified A-Main. In qualifying Payne took the top spot, 4-seconds ahead of the returning Olly Jeffries with Matthieu Dambrine securing 3^rd position on the grid. The first final saw a commanding win from Payne where he would pull away, managing the gap for the rest of the run to take a comfortable 3-second win over the Awesomatix of 16-time BRCA Champion Jefferies. A2 began with Jeffries chasing Payne and looking for an opportunity to get by but the Top Qualifier would stay out front to win the round and secure himself runner-up spot in the championship while her efforts over the previous rounds secured Eldridge third in the final standings.

Source: RugRacers [Facebook]

March 25, 2024

Toia doubles at New Zealand Offroad EP Nationals

Team Yokomo’s Logan Toia completed the double at New Zealand’s Offroad EP Nationals, the 16-year-old securing the 2WD Buggy title for the first time and successfully defending his 4WD championship. Hosted by the Taranaki Radio Control Car Club in New Plymouth, this year’s Nationals attracted 65 drivers for a total of 190 entries. In qualifying, it was three rounds per class to the best two deciding the grids with 2WD producing TQ runs from three different drivers. Kasey Dawson took the opener with Shane O’Connor topping Q2 before Toia TQ’d the third one and that was how the lined up for the final with Dawon the Top Qualifier. In 4WD Luke Duthie topped Q2 & 3 for the TQ from Toia who was fastest in the first round. The 2WD finals were a similar story to qualifying with a different winner in each of the triple mains and it coming down to a tie breaker between O’Connor, winner of A1, and Toia, winner of A3, the latter’s faster time giving him the title. Winning A2, Dawson completed the podium. In 4WD, Toia retained his title by winning A1 & 3, with Duthie winner of A2 finishing runner-up while fourth place qualifier Dawson completed the podium ahead of O’Connor.

Image: Logan Toia Racing [Facebook]