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October 19, 2023

Peru set to host 2025 1:8 GT World Championship

After a very successful second running of the IFMAR 1:8 GT World Championship in Sydney, Australia, last week, the third edition of the race is to travel to South America in 2025 with Peru set to be announced as hosts. Headed up by Michael Stone, New South Wales Radio Controlled Racing Car Club did a superb job of hosting the 2023 event helping to raise the profile of IFMAR’s newest World Championship considerably compared to the inaugural event held in Florida in early 2020. With the raised profile, Peru looks set to bolster the class further given the large following for the category in the region. The Miniautodromo Polo Bracale in Lima, Peru, is lined up as the host circuit and already has a strong track record having hosted the recent RCtarget backed COPA America race. Located in the Magdalena del Mar district, next to the beach and very close to the most popular districts of Lima, the track length is 280 meters, with a 50 meters straightaway and an average width of 5 meters with the surface a fine grade asphalt. Speaking to RCtarget/IGT8 boss Paolo Morganti during his participation at the Worlds in Sydney, the highly experienced international racer believes the track is a perfect setting for a Worlds and has the people required to put on a World class event. He also said costs associated with being at a race such as eating out are low. An official announcement on the host of the GT Worlds is expected from IFMAR shortly.

Image: APERCAR [Facebook]

October 16, 2023

Branson wins EWS season opener

Xray’s Kyle Branson took the win at the opening round of the Essex Winter Series presented by Ruddog over the weekend. The opening round of the popular British indoor series which runs over 5-rounds, the race attracted a capacity entry with back to back Champion Branson leading the Modified Touring Car entry. In qualifying the Champion stamped his authority on proceedings with TQ runs in all five rounds. Behind Yokomo’s Alex Thurston, winner of the last season’s finale, would secure P2 on the grid ahead of the Schumacher of racing returnee Elliott Harper and Hayley Eldridge. With a single A-main, Branson would convert his pole position into the win with the Top 5 remaining unchanged over the 5-minutes. In Pro Stock, Zak Finlay took the TQ & win from Tony Broad while in FWD it was also a win for the Top Qualifier with Ben Moorey taking max series points ahead of Aaron Rose.

Image: Kyle Branson [Facebook]

October 16, 2023

IFMAR 1:8 GTe World Cup Podium revised

IFMAR has issued a statement regarding the revision of the podium result of the A-Main of the 1:8 GTe World Cup which ran alongside the alongside last week’s 1:8 GT World Championship in Sydney, Australia. With Joern Neumann taking the overall victory with wins in all three finals, there was a penalty issued for A3 by the Race Director following the race which saw Peter Jovanovic docked a lap for ‘Un-sportmanship’ for failing to re-address early race contact. This promoted Top Qualifier Natanaele Senesi to the final step of the podium as at least he thought. On Saturday morning unknown to any of the drivers, the penalty was removed by IFMAR as the Race Director had incorrectly applied his discretion to penalise the offender by removing a lap for the alleged offence. Upon further discussion with IFMAR, clarification of the rules showed that there was no provision or does it permit the use of video’s as a retrospective evidence to apportion wrong doing and hence apply penalties. Disappointingly, Senesi only found out some 28-hours later when he was called out to collect the trophy for fourth place. Herfried Pucher was just as surprised when he got called to collect the third place trophy with the crowd even calling that there was an mistake in the results. While the presentation of the 1:8 GT World Championship continued, there was ongoing discussion between an understandably frustrated Senesi, the Race Director, IFMAR officials and club representatives that when on until close to midnight. IFMAR have now issued a statement on the incident which they agreed ‘resulted in disappointment and dissatisfaction for both drivers’ leading the governing body to make the decision ‘to award the 3rd place to both participants as a tie in the race.’ The matter highlights the need for IFMAR to establish a formal method of communication with competitors such as the use WhatsApp Channels.

Read IFMAR Statement here

October 13, 2023

Neumann wins 1:8 GTe World Cup

Sworkz’ Joern Neumann has won the IFMAR 1:8 GTe World Cup in Australia repeating the feat he achieved in Miami almost 4-years ago. Qualifying second for the race in Sydney behind the Xray of Top Qualifier Natanaele Senesi, the German would have a terrible start to A1 going off onto the grass in the first corner as his team-mate & nitro mechanic Herfried Pucher from fourth on the grid took the early lead. Half way through the 6-minute encounter Neumann would take the lead before going on to win by a comfortable 5-seconds as Pucher just held off Senesi for second. In A2, Neumann nailed the start getting the holeshot on Senesi but Senesi would make a late charge in the race closing the gap until he was hit by a backmarker allowing Neumann to cruise to the overall win. While the title was won, as the reigning Nitro GT World Champion which he will try to defend tomorrow, Neumann wasn’t going to get the opportunity of track time pass him by and appeared with a different bodyshell in A3 to test it for his nitro Semi final. On the track Neumann took the win narrowly from the Capricorn of Peter Jovanovic but the Australian was later handed a 1-lap penalty for ‘Un-sportmanship’ for failing to re-address early race contact. This gave Senesi second for A3 but overall Jovanovic was runner-up with the Italian completing the podium.

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October 9, 2023

Isaacs does double at MonTech NYGP

The annual MonTech New York Grand Prix took place over the weekend where Awesomatix driver Sam Isaacs stamped his authority on the fifth running of the event with victory in both Mod 1:12 and Touring Car. Held at 360v2 RC in New Rochelle, New York, 1:12 qualifying would see Isaacs secure the TQ with his Q4 run from Donny Lia, Kemp Anderson and Keven Hebert. With a single 8-minute final to decide the winner, Lia would find a way passed the pole sitter after 16-laps holding it for 20-laps before going out of the race which allowed Isaacs to win by a 2.4-seconds margin from Anderson and Hebert. In Touring Car, Isaacs was also the Top Qualifier and in the single 5-minute final led from start to finish to win by almost one & a half seconds from ROAR Champion Herbert and Anderson, the Top 3 remaining unchanged to how they qualified.

Image: 360v2 RC [Facebook]

October 6, 2023

Hall brothers 1-2 at Essex Carpet Clash opener – Report

Last weekend saw the first round of Essex Carpet Clash Season 6 with all drivers greeted to the start of the winter season on a sizeable track that had some nice flowing corners with technical chicanes that made for a quick lap, when getting it correct. From the fore rounds of qualifying Team Associated’s Tommy Hall looked quick at the start and likely to take the 2WD pole position, however his brother Jamie managed to take the overall pole position with a quicker lap time, due to both being joint on point. Last season’s Champion Harley Eldridge was quick all day and would line up third with her Xray with Kyle Moon in fourth and Ellis Stafford lining up fifth. The two wheel drive A finals were exciting to watch and came down to the third leg where it was a battle between Tommy and Jamie who had both taken a leg win each. Tommy managed to pass his brother in the third leg and although Jamie tried his best, made a couple of mistakes resulting in the pole man finishing second on the podium. Harley Eldridge was consistent and finished third in each leg rounding off the podium position.

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October 4, 2023

Joe Pillars World Championship debut replica TLR

While Red RC’s first encounter with Joe Pillars was in 2010 when he was Team Manager for Kyosho and mechanic for the Japanese company’s star driver Jared Tebo, he was also a very capable driver. To mark it being 20-years since he made his World Championship debut he has just completed a personal project of building a replica of his TLR 1:10 2WD Buggy which he put into the A-Main. Sharing photos of the buggy on social media, Joe outlines the story behind the build, ‘2023 marked 20-years since I attended my first IFMAR World Championships at MINNREG in Largo, Florida. At the time I was 21 yrs old and working for Team Orion/Peak Racing building motors for the team and was also sponsored by Team Losi. I went onto qualify 7th and finished 8th overall, being my best result in R/C as a driver. A few months ago I had the idea to build a replica car like what I ran and today it’s finally finished! A big thank you goes out to Larry Doe for most of the help sourcing parts! Thanks to Kris Norlock for helping with the LRP Q2 ESC! Thanks to David Goss for the red Matt Francis ball cups that were impossible to find! I only had 1 Team Orion V2 Motor left after all these years, no better place to have it! Cavalieri Edition.’

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October 3, 2023

Mackie takes South Australian State Title

ARC driver Jeffrey Mackie is the 2023 Speedy RC South Australian State Titles Champion for Modified Touring Car. Racing at the Radio Racing Cars SA track in Littlehampton, which is located half an hour from Adelaide City, Mackie was in dominant form taking all five rounds of qualifying to secure the overall TQ from the Awesomatix pairing of Damon Davis-Perry and Jordan Hunting. In the finals, A1 would see Davis-Perry pile the pressure on the Top Qualifier but Mackie managed to keep him at bay as the pair crossed the line separated by 0.566 of a second. A2 saw a more convincing win from the Sydney driver, the winning margin 3.7-second which secured him the overall title that he celebrated with the clean sweep by also winning A3. Managing P2 in the third encounter after bad luck saw him qualify P4, Team Yokomo’s Antoni Caretti would complete the overall podium behind Davis-Perry. In Pro Stock, Rhys Marshall took the title for Awesomatix ahead of Top Qualifier Richard Groncki with Jordan Isergin third.

Image: Antoni Caretti [Facebook]