March 9, 2024

Phi-Long Nguyen TQ at FEMCA Championship

Kyosho’s Phi-Long Nguyen is the Top Qualifier at the 2024 FEMCA 1:8 Nitro Offroad Championship which is taking place at the L.A Track in Vietnam.  The federation race crowns the Champion of Asia with this year attracting an impressive entry of more 110 drivers from across the largest continent in the World.  Counting Atsushi Hara and Kyle McBride amount its past champions and this year it appears to be a battle of the future stars of the sport in qualifying.  Over the six rounds 12-year-old Nguyen topped four qualifiers to secure the overall TQ with 17-year-old Australian Christian Wolhuter getting P2 after topping Q2 & Q3 with his Sworkz.  Completing the Top 3 for qualifying would be new Team Associated signing Hyunkyu Jung, the Korean teenager having finished runner-up at last year’s championship in Taiwan.   With reigning FEMCA Champion Jeff Wang not present in Vietnam the race will decide a brand new champion.

Image: Martin Wolhuter


March 7, 2024

Introducing the ‘Michal Orlowski Column’

We have had the pleasure of following his career from his early days of racing a Tamiya TT02 and all the way through to being in Florida last December to finally witness him become a World Champion.  Last year on the way to the 1:10 Offroad World Championships in Arizona, we both endured a lengthy 4-hour delay to our connecting flight in Washington and it was during that conversation and the sharing of many stories that the idea was born for a regular column from one of the most travelled racers in the business.  To be honest, not expecting a great reaction to asking any driver to commit to writing regularly about their racing adventures both and off the track, we got Chris Ashton of his main sponsor Schumacher to ask the question, and, he jumped at the opportunity.  So with out further a do we’ll hand you over to the newest member of the Red RC editorial team (well so sort).  Michal Orlowski take it away……

Click here to read Michal first of hopefully many columns


March 7, 2024

2024 TITC Chassis Focus Index

Last weekend thanks to the support of Hobbywing, Red RC made a return to the TITC for the 20-edition of this legendary Bangkok race.  The biggest one yet, it has truly become the most significant annual electric Touring Car race in the World.  It was extremely positive for the category to see so much manufacturer support for the race.  Of all the major car brands, only Schumacher had no official team presence but here’s hoping the British manufacturer gives us the opportunity to see Michal Orlowski take on the challenging RC Addict track conditions for the first time next year.  Such was the quality of the field, the B-Main was full of World Championship Finalist drivers and it was great to see six different manufacturers represented in the A-Main of Modified.  Call us old school, but putting the iconic Tamiya logo in our results graphic was a nostalgic moment.  In another positive for electric touring car we had three new cars at the race.  We had the latest prototype from Yokomo, the Japanese brand going for a name change as the BD name is dropped in favour of MS for Master Speed.  Nicolas Lee did try to get us permission for a chassis focus but we couldn’t get it across the line.  Kyosho had two prototypes of what is expected to be their TF8.  That news generated massive excitement, so much so Kyosho requested we take down the story we ran on their return to the category.  Finally Ryan Maker debuted his exciting new SP1 that will see him realise the dream of his RC Maker brand becoming a fully fledged car manufacturer.  While both RC Maker and Kyosho allowed us to look at their new creations, we were not granted permission to photograph them for a Chassis Focus which we fully understand given the cars’ designs are still to be fully finalised.  Over the event we did however photograph 12 cars from seven different manufacturers and we have compiled them all here in our latest Chassis Focus index.

View Chassis Focus Index here


March 3, 2024

Record equalling 4th TITC win for Coelho

Bruno Coelho has taken a record equalling fourth TITC win but his victory at the 20th edition of the race is set to be remembered for incidents rather than the result equalling record achieved in Bangkok.  Having qualified second behind Top Qualifier Ronald Volker, the Xray driver would make contact with his Mugen Seiki rival in the opening two A-Mains resulting in a wide open race going into A3.  This time however Volker would spin on his own early on allowing Coelho to take the leg ahead of team-mate Alexander Hagberg, winner of A2.  Giving Xray an overall 1-2 in the legendary touring car race, it also sees Coelho join Atsushi Hara as the races most winning driver.  The benefactor of the Top 2 qualifiers’ clash in A1 but retiring from A2, Marc Rheinard would complete the podium at RC Addict for Awesomatix with a P3 in the final encounter ahead of Volker.  For Volker, the high of taking the TQ honours after his B-Main appearance last year was overshadowed by the disappointment of being classified 6th overall.  As a race that has become the most significant in the World for touring car racing & its manufacturers, and which is on par if not exceeding the dept of competitiveness of the World Championship, going forward it might be time for ‘the World’s biggest local race’ to consider appointing a referee to ensure the amazing atmosphere that surrounds the TITC is not overshadowed by incidents on track.

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March 3, 2024

Coelho & Volker clash again handing Hagberg A2 win

Having made contact in A1 and handed the win to Marc Rheinard, A2 at the TITC once again saw a clash between Bruno Coelho and Ronald Volker only this time it was Alexander Hagberg who was there to pick up the pieces.  A result that leaves the 20th edition of the legendary Bangkok based race wide open going into A3, the second encounter saw Top Qualifier Volker and Coelho again the class of the field with a much improved Hagberg able to hang with them as they pulled clear.  Watched on by a huge crowd at RC Addict, as the race approached the final minute mark, Coelho was putting huge pressure on Volker who ran wide in a number of corners.  As they exited the S section on the right side of the track on Lap 15, Coelho attempted a pass on the inside of the German with a tighter line but as they got on the power contact was made sending both cars into a spin.  While Coelho again allowed Volker to resume position, with Hagberg going by to take lead, another broken anti tuck rod meant Volker’s race was done.  Pulling up in front of the drivers stand the former World Champion vented his anger & frustration at Coelho, the current World Champion and defending TITC Champion continuing the final to finish P2 ahead of Infinity’s Naoto Matsukura.

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March 3, 2024

Rheinard wins A1 as Volker & Coelho tangle at TITC

Marc Rheinard has taken the win in the opening A-Main at the TITC, the Awesomatix handed the lead after Bruno Coelho made contact with Top Qualifier Ronald Volker as he challenged the Mugen driver’s lead.  With the Top 2 quickly pulling clear off the field, Rheinard’s passage to the front started when he capitalised on a mistake from a struggling Alexander Hagberg to go to third.  Starting third on the grid, Hagberg afterwards described his car as being ‘like driving on ice’ before contact from Naoto Matsukura put him out of the race with a broken car.  With Volker and Coelho still locked in battle at the front as the race passed the half way distance, Rheinard would be gifted the lead as Coelho ran into the rear of Volker after the chicane.  With enough of a gap to resume racing in the lead, unfortunately the impact had broken the anti tuck on Volker’s car and as the German tried to turn around having been spun his car flipped.  As Coelho waited on Volker, Rheinard went to the front where he would stay finishing 1.6 seconds ahead of the Infinity of Matsukura.  Battling their way back up through the order Volker would finished 3rd with Coelho right behind in 4th.

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March 2, 2024

Volker is TITC Top Qualifier

Having found himself lining up for the B-Main 12-months ago, Mugen Seiki’s Ronald Volker has bounced in style to become the Top Qualifier at the 20th edition of the legendary TITC in Thailand.  Opening Day 2 of qualifying in Bangkok with a TQ run after a mistake from defending Champion Bruno Coelho, Volker added a second TQ in the slower than expected fourth & final ‘Rocket Round’ on Saturday evening.  With the huge entry of drivers from around the world watching on in anticipation of a thrilling conclusion to qualifying from the top heat, the showdown between Coelho and Volker would all be over in a matter of seconds.  As Volker led out Q4, Coelho would make a false start going off at the same time as team-mate Alexander Hagberg.  Backing off the throttle after realising his error, getting back on the power he traction rolled his Xray in the first corner.  With the Portuguese driver who took both of yesterday’s qualifiers now out of contention for Q4, the pressure was still on Volker to TQ the round in order to deny his rival pole for tomorrow.  With Infinity driver Kouki Kato putting in an impressive run in the fourth fastest of the five Modified heat group, Volker couldn’t let up and in the end delivered a second TQ run followed by Kato with Hagberg third from the Awesomatix pairing of Marc Rheinard and Lucas Urbain.  That finishing order his how they line up on the grid behind Volker and Bruno with Kato, a C finalist on his TITC debut last year, completing the Top 6.

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March 2, 2024

Volker takes Q3, TQ to be decided in ‘Rocket Round’

Ronald Volker has taken the third round of qualifying at the TITC, meaning the final ‘Rocket Round’ of qualifying in Bangkok will decide the Top Qualifier for the 20th running of the famed race.  Top Seed for the event, the Mugen driver would take his first TQ run as Bruno Coelho traction rolled his Xray with 1-minute to go while on TQ pace.  This promoted Volker to the top of the timing screens followed by Alexander Hagberg as Coelho ended up with a P3.  Behind the leading trio Awesomatix’s Lucas Urbain finally posted a strong run after a difficult first day of qualifying at RC Addict yesterday.  Behind the Frenchman was team-mate Marc Rheinard with Axon’s Hayato Ishioka completing the Top 6 in today very humid afternoon conditions.

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