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August 22, 2025

Orlowski takes Q1 at EFRA European TC Championships

Schumacher’s Michal Orlowski has opened his quest for a first EFRA Electric Touring Car European Championship title in the best way possible by ending Day 1 in the Netherlands with a TQ run ahead of current World Champion Bruno Coelho and defending European Champion Marc Rheinard. In practice it was the Infinity of Coelho that set the pace at the Raco2000 track in Ultrecht ahead of Rheinard and Mugen Seiki’s Ronald Volker, with Euros Warm-up Race winner Orlowski seeding P4. The 24th running of the championships, as Coelho led away the 9-car top heat he had a spin on his second lap allowing Rheinard’s Awesomatix to go to the front and set the pace for the first half of the run before Orlowski took over as the pace setter. The 1:12 World Champion would hold on for the TQ ahead of a fast charging Coelho who laid down the fastest lap, the separation just 0.09 despite the almost 2-seconds Coelho lost as a result of his spin. Rheinard would record a P3 ahead of Volker with Awesomatix’s Lucas Urbain completing the Top 5. In Pro Stock, Awesomatix’s Max Mächler took the opening qualifier ahead of team-mate Olivier Bultynck as the Xray of Top Seed Adam Izsay opted to sit out Q1. TITC Open Brushless Champion Sören Sparbier completed the Top 3 for Mugen Seiki.

Image: Schumacher [Facebook]

August 18, 2025

Neumann retains German 1:10 Offroad titles

Sworkz’s Joern Neumann has successfully defended his two DMC German 1:10 Offroad National titles winning 4WD Buggy and 2WD Truck at the ORC-B Göttingen indoor carpet track located in Lower Saxony. In qualifying it was Team Associated’s Joona Haatanen, the Finn now living in Germany, who secured the TQ in 4WD Buggy topping 4 of the 5 qualifiers. Fastest in Q2, Neumann would line up P2 followed by Julius Stein and Marcel Schneider. In Truck, Neumann’s claimed pole with four TQ runs while taking the final qualifier the Schumacher of Sören Sparbier claimed second. While Neumann wrapped up the Truck title with wins in A1 & 2, the podium completed by Sparbier and Pierre Theuerkorn, the Buggy title would go to the wire. In A1, each race 7-minutes long, Haatanen would see off pressure from Neumann to take the win but when they resumed their battle in A2 a small bobble by Haatanen was enough for Neumann to go to the front. As Haatanen tried to find his way back to the front he would hit the outside wall of the track resulting in him breaking a rear corner off his buggy. With the title coming down to A3, it looked like a mistake coming up on 2-minutes had ended Neumann’s quest. With the Top Qualifier having a huge lead, Neumann set about a charge and with 2-minutes to go was back on the rear wing of Haatanen. On the last lap Neumann attempted an inside pass but contact sent Haatanen’s buggy tumbling and as Neumann waited Schneider came through for the win ahead of Haatanen creating a three way tie for the overall win. After the tie-break it was Neumann who was declared the Champion, this his 15th National title in 4WD Buggy, with Schneider the runner-up and Haatanen third.

View 2WD Truck Podium here

August 18, 2025

Hongyu·GDC Offroad Track Opening Race – Announcement

With the brand new 2026 IFMAR 1:12 and ITSC World Championship host track Hongyu·GDC in the final stages of completion, details have been announced for the opening race on the offroad track that is part of the very impressive new RC facility located in Foshan, China. The FIRC (Foshan International RC) Offroad Race will take place Oct 31 – Nov 2nd, with the organisers hoping drivers will combine it China’s well established annual SIGP Offroad Race which takes place one week later at the former 1:10 Offroad World Championship in Xiamen. Hongyu·GDC’s roof covered dirt offroad track is the work of Spanish track builder Miguelo Izquierdo Rodriguez, many drivers knowing his work from races such as Buggyland, both in Madrid, Spain and California in the US, as well as Barcelos in Portugal which recently hosted the 1:8 Nitro Buggy European Championship and will stage the inaugural 1:8 Electric Buggy World Championship next week. The FIRC race will cater for 1:8 Nitro Buggy, 1:8 eBuggy, 1:8 Nitro Truggy, and 1:10 4WD Buggy.

View more image & race poster here

August 18, 2025

Double title defence for Champlin at ROAR Carpet Nats

Schumacher’s Broc Champlin completed the double at the ROAR Carpet Offroad Nationals to successfully defend both his 2WD and 4WD buggy titles. Racing at the Island Speedway Offroad track in Iowa, Champlin kicked off the event by securing the TQ for both classes, his biggest rival being Thomas Rinderknecht who secured the No.2 spot in both 2WD and 4WD. With the National Championships attracting 144 entries, from the front Champlin needed just the first 2 of the 3 A-Mains to wrap up each title. In 2WD a win in A3 secured Rinderknecht second spot with Xray’s Chase Lemieux, who qualified P4, completing the podium ahead of the Team Associateds of Davey Batta & Spencer Rivkin. In 4WD, it was a repeat Top 2 this time with Brennan Schimmel securing the final podium step ahead of Batta, Rivkin, Aydin Horne and Dakotah Phend.

Image: JConcepts [jconcepts.net]

August 18, 2025

Noble crowned 2025 Australian National Champion

Caleb Noble is the new RCRA Australian 1:8 Nitro Buggy National Champion, the Tekno driver declared the winner based on his pole starting position after rain brought an early halt to the main final at the oil treated Batemans Bay track in the South East of the country. In qualifying it was 18-year-old Noble who secured the TQ after topping 3 of the 5 qualifiers. Behind him having taken the opening qualifier, 2023 Champion and recent Asian Buggy Championships Brisbane race winner Alex Bernadzik would end qualifying in P2. The only other driver to post a TQ run, Mayako Youth Mentoring Program driver Jayden Edmunds completed the Top 3 ranking ahead of Ari Bakla. With Noble winning the first of the Semi Finals in the fastest time, that would prove critical as reigning Asian Buggy Championships Champion Christian Wolhuter won the second of the Semi’s to secured second on the grid third. A third place in that same Semi meant Bernadzik’s Team Associated would start the scheduled 1-hour from P5. With the final getting underway, an early mistake from Noble allowed Wolhuter to go by and lead the field around briefly with Bernadzik in third. With Noble making a pass back to the lead, the arrival of rain turned the oiled track surface into icy conditions. With Noble and Bernadzik locked in battle for the lead, Bernadzik the leader at the time, the race was stopped after just 13-minutes. After much deliberation, and marshal safety a concern, the race wouldn’t restart with the result declared on the starting grid order meaning Noble is the new Champion from Wolhuter with the Associated of Jarod Ment completing the 2025 podium.

Image: Caleb Noble [Facebook]

August 16, 2025

Balestri defends European title to go 3-in-a-row

Dario Balestri has successfully defended his EFRA 1:8 Onroad European Championship title, the Infinity driver going 3-in-a-row when he clinched the 2025 title at the Halifax track in the UK today ahead of Top Qualifier Simon Kurbuch and Carmine Riola. Qualifying 2nd, Balestri would make the pass for the lead on Kurzbuch coming onto the main straight as the race approached the 8-minute mark and once in front the Italian controlled the 45-minute encounter to win by over 9-seconds. While Balestri established his lead, the only time the reigning World Champion relinquished that lead being when he was the first driver to pit for a full tyre change, the main entertainment came from the battle between Kurzbuch’s Mugen Seiki and Riola’s Infinity as they swapped position. In the dying moments of the race Riola was all over the back of the Swiss driver but attempting a pass with half a minute left on the clock he went off the track rejoining a distance third to complete the podium ahead of Capricorn’s Mirko Salemi. The fourth of the direct qualifiers Serpent’s Andrea Catanzani would fail to finish due to engine issues, Teemu Leino would crash out just after 5-minutes, and a difficult day for Capricorn’s Toni Gruber would end with a DNF, the German having had issues in his Semi and had to come through the Last Chance Final to line-up P11 on the grid. For Balestri today’s title win means he is again the double nitro onroad European Champion having won the 1:10 Nitro Touring title in the Netherlands in June and brings his EFRA European Championship tally to 11.

Image: RC Racing TV [rcracingtv.com]

August 15, 2025

Kurzbuch is European Championship Top Qualifier

Mugen Seiki’s Simon Kurzbuch is the Top Qualifier at the 2025 EFRA 1:8 Onroad European Championship in England, the Swiss driver topping 3 of the 5 qualifiers to secure pole position ahead of the Infinity of defending Champion Dario Balestri. With Balestri holding the overnight TQ, both drivers having posted a TQ run each on Day 1 of qualifying at the challenging Halifax track, today Kurzbuch kicked things off by taking his Energy fuelled Ielasi Tuned powered prototype Mugen to the fastest time in Q3 ahead of Capricorn’s Mirko Salemi as Balestri DNF’d. With the penultimate qualifier lastingt less than a minute for Kurzbuch, it was Infinity’s Carmine Riola who took that TQ ahead of Balestri. The fifth & final round however Kurzbuch just got the better of reigning World Champion Balestri, the separation 4/10ths of a second, to lock in the overall TQ. With the Top 4 going directly through to tomorrow’s 45-minute Main 3rd and 4th on the grid went to Raiola and Serpent’s Andrea Catanzani. Top British contender Alex Thurston just missed the cut and he will lead out the first of the Semi Finals while Toni Gruber is on pole for the other Semi.

Image: Ielasi Tuned [Facebook]

August 14, 2025

Balestri holds overnight TQ at 1:8 Onroad Euros

Infinity’s defending Champion Dario Balestri holds the overnight TQ at the 2025 EFRA 1:8 Onroad European Championship which is taking place at the Halifax track located in the centre of the UK. The 23rd running of the championships, the Italian posted the fastest time of today’s opening two qualifiers after a mistake led to a P8 run in Q1. The first of the five scheduled qualifiers would see Mugen Seiki’s Simon Kurzbuch top the times ahead of Top Seed Carmine Riola, the Infinity driver the most consistent as he posted the second fastest time for both rounds. While Balestri set the pace in Q2, a moment for Kurzbuch in the second half of the 4-minute qualifier meant the former World Champion ended up 14th fastest but with 1 of 2 counting he sits second, his Q1 TQ time over 2-seconds slower than the reigning World Champion’s Q2 effort. Riola sits third going into tomorrow’s three remaining qualifiers ahead of Capricorn’s Toni Gruber, counting a P3 from Q2, and Serpent’s Andrea Catanzani, who was third fastest in Q1. Reigning British Champion Alex Thurston completes the Top 6 with his Mugen Seiki with 3 of 5 set to count for the final qualification ranking.

Image: Red RC File