Red RC » Electric

May 15, 2023

Branson wins British Touring Car National opener

Xray’s Kyle Branson got his BRCA National Electric Touring Car title defence off to the best possible start over the weekend taking victory at the opening round in Stafford. In qualifying it was new Yokomo signing Alex Thurston who took the first round from the Schumacher of Zak Smith. Branson responding to go quickest in Q2 again with Smith second fastest. All to play for in Q3, multiple British Champion Chris Grainger popped up to take the final round with his Schumacher from the Xray of Ben Cosgrove. With Branson in third, that was enough for him to take the pole position. Cosgrove’s second place was enough to give him the tie-break for third over fellow Xray runner, Harley Eldridge. In the finals, it was Branson, who came, saw and conquered, taking all three legs of the final for the overall win. Behind him it was Smith with two seconds and a third, and Harley Eldrige took the third podium spot with a brace of thirds.

Read 13.5 & 17.5 Class reports here

May 15, 2023

2023 1:12 World Championship Stage 1 Report

The organisers of the 2023 IFMAR 1:12 World Championships have just published the Stage 1 Report for the 21st running of the title which will be decided at Beachline Raceway in Cocoa, Florida, from December 4th to 9th. The largest indoor racing facility in the state, this will be the seventh time these World Championships are hosted in the US and mark only the second running of the title since it separated from being part of the same World Championship week as 1:10 Electric Touring Car after South Africa in 2018. The most significant information from the Stage 1 Report is the tyre information with Jaco tires the official controlled foam for the event with their Magenta front and Pink rear. These tyres will be available to competitors for practice from late June. Beachline Raceway, which recently hosted the ROAR Electric Carpet Off-Road Nationals, will run a Warm Up Race on November 24-26. With the last 1:12 Worlds held in 2020 in the UK just before Covid hit the World, with Marc Rheinard taking the title for a second time, the return of the championships is set to be extra interesting following the news that reigning back to back Touring Car World Champion Bruno Coelho will make his first attempt at the title. Red RC will travelling to Florida in December to cover the unfolding of the fourth and final World Championship of the 2023 season.

View Stage 1 Report here

May 14, 2023

Orlowski takes TQ & 4WD Win at Euros Warm-up

Michal Orlowski took the TQ and 4WD win at the 1:10 Electric Offroad Euros Warm-up Race today at RACO2000. Having finished 2nd in Saturday’s 2WD action behind winner Bruno Coelho, today Orlowski ruled the astro turf track leading a Schumacher 1-2 at the Dutch event from team-mate Wesley van Helmond. In qualifying the 2015 Champion would top the times in 3 of the four qualifier with van Helmon the only other driver to TQ a round when he went fastest in Q4 ahead of Coelho’s Xray and Tommy Hall’s Team Associated. In the triple finals, the Polish ace opened proceedings with a win over Xray’s Martin Bayer before sealing the deal in A2 with victory over van Helmon. With both Bayer and Coelho finding a way passed van Helmond, the A3 win gave Bayer the runners up spot ahead of the Dutch driver with Coelho getting 4th. The 2023 EFRA European Championships will take place from July 17-22.

Image: Michal Orlowski [Facebook]

May 13, 2023

Coelho wins 2WD at Euros Warm-up

Bruno Coelho took the win in 2WD at the 1:10 Electric Offroad Euros Warm-up Race today in the Netherlands. With the RACO2000 astro surface track in Utrecht hosting the EFRA European Championships from July 17th to 22nd, the Warm-up Race attracted a strong entry of factory drivers including reigning champion Tommy Hall. In qualifying it was top Dutch racer Wesley van Helmond who became the Top Qualifier with two TQ runs from 4 rounds with team-mate Michal Orlowski making it a Schumacher 1-2 as he topped the final qualifier. Coelho’s Xray was fastest in Q3 putting him third on the grid in front of Hall’s Team Associated. In the triple finals Coelho would improve his buggy with the new pace allowing him to win A1 & 2 for the overall victory. With Orlowski winning A3, the podium was a reverse of the qualifying order with Van Helmond completing the Top 3 as Hall finished 4th and Xray’s Max Götzl fifth. Tomorrow drivers will battle it out for the 4WD win.

Image: Bruno Coelho [Facebook]

May 8, 2023

GDC Indoor Race Club opening race – Report

Over the Labour Day long weekend, the GDC Onroad Opening Race was held at the brand new GDC Indoor Race Club facility in Foshan City, Guangdong Province, China. Foshan, a city known for its culture, tourism and food, plays the perfect host for events that can be enjoyed by both racers and their families. GDC itself is located in Foshan Hongyu Cultural and Creative Park, which is also home to numerous restaurants, leisure and entertainment spaces, creative exhibition halls and other outlets. Over a hundred drivers from around the country and Southeast Asia took part in this event. This was the largest RC car race in China since the pandemic began 3 years ago, with more big races hopefully to come in the near future. In the premier TC Modified class, Xray Factory Team duo Dominic Quek from Singapore and local hero Gary Huang led the way throughout qualifying and finals. Quek took the TQ and overall victory ahead of Huang who qualified and finished in second place. Alfred Lao from Guangzhou City rounded out the podium in third place. content

May 8, 2023

Widmaier double at Austrian ‘Dirt’ Nationals

Fresh from his Truggy win and Buggy podium at the Philippine Masters in Manila last weekend, Sworkz’ Micha Widmaier was back in action in 1:10 Buggy completing a double victory at the Austrian ‘Dirt’ Nationals. In 2WD Widmaier would secure the TQ from LRP’s Moritz Lautenbach and his Schumacher buggy while in 4WD his closest challenger on the Max RC Racing track situated in Perg was the Team Associated of Lucas Grainer. In the finals, the defending champion would lay claim to both titles in grip dirt conditions after 2 of the 3 A-Mains with the 2WD podium completed by Lautenbach and Grainer while in 4WD Grainer got second with veteran Austrian offroad racer Peter Pinisch completing the Top 3.

Image: Micha Widmaier [Facebook]

May 8, 2023

Clements wins West Coast Onroad Nationals

Brandon Clements took the win at the West Coast Onroad Nationals over the weekend, the event the first major race to be hosted by Finishline RC Raceway. The impressive facility in Bakersfield, CA, which is a joint venture between Track Time Hobbies and Finishline Signs, attracted almost 200 entries with the grids set over 4 rounds of qualifying, with 2 to count. In Modified Touring Car, it was Clements who set the pace taking the first three rounds to secure the overall TQ with 1Up Racing’s Randy Caster hitting the top of the time sheets in the final qualifier for second on the grid in the triple A-Main ahead of David Mayhew, Lex Tyler and Aaron Lewis. From the front Clements was untouchable winning A1 from Jacob Cruz before wrapping things up with victory in A2 over Lewis. Having opened with a P5 and suffered a DNF in A2, Caster would win A3 but overall it was Lewis and Cruz who joined Clements on the podium.

Image: 1up Racing [Facebook]

May 5, 2023

Phend kicks off Silver State with TQ double

Team Losi Racing’s Dakotah Phend led the way on the first day proper of the Silver State Indoor Championships taking a double TQ in Las Vegas. This year’s Joey Christensen run event has attracted a record 1100 plus entries with Day 2’s action made up of qualifying for eBuggy and Nitro Truggy. Running 3 rounds of qualifying with the best two to count, it was Team Associated’s Spencer Rivkin who took the opening eBuggy round from Phend. The second time of asking it would be Phend at the top from the Xray of Ty Tessmann. Making it three different chassis manufacturers to post a TQ round but all running on JConcepts tyres, Mason Fuller set the pace in Q3 for HB Racing. Overall this secured Phend the TQ from Rivkin, Fuller and Tessmann. In Nitro Truggy, Phend sealed the No.1 spot for the A-Main with TQ runs in the opening two rounds ahead of Tekno’s Ryan Maifield. Having opened with two disappointing rounds, Sworkz Camden Lime hit the top in Q3 ahead Kyosho’s Ryan Lutz, but overall it Maifield who secured second spot on the grid ahead of the Kyosho of Portugal’s Joao Figeuiredo, Lutz and Rivkin. Next up for the more than 400 drivers is a long day of Nitro Buggy and eTruggy qualifying.

Image : Jconcepts [Facebook]