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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

August 10, 2025

Kilic 1-2 at German 1:8 Nitro Buggy Nationals

Mugen Seiki’s Kilic brothers took at 1-2 finish at the DMC German Nationals for 1:8 Nitro Buggy, Burak winning ahead of Berkan to claim his third German Championship title in the category. Racing at Landshut in southern Germany, qualifying who see Burak’s Nova Engines powered MBX8R secure the TQ on the tie breaker with his brother, the 2023 Champion. Team Associated’s Joona Haatanen, who now lives in Germany where he works for Ruddog Racing, secured P3 ahead of team-mate defending Champion Aaron Rönick. With both Kilic’s retiring from last year’s final, this time round they both enjoyed a trouble free final to complete 67 laps over the 40-minutes with Burak’s advantage over Berkan at the finish just under 15-seconds. Behind them Kyosho driver Tim Kraus would get the better of Haatanen to complete the podium line-up while Rönick finished P5.

Image: Burak Kilic [Facebook]

August 7, 2025

2025 IFMAR 1:8 GT World Championship – Stage 2 Report

The organisers of next month’s IFMAR 1:8 GT World Championships in Santiago, Chile, have published the Stage 2 report for what is building up to be an exciting title battle. Hosted by Club of Aeromodelos of Chile (CACH), the 3rd edition of the GT Worlds takes place at country’s very impressive CACH facility and has attracted all of the leading 2023 title contender with the strong entry led by reigning Champion Toni Gruber. The Stage 2 report details Sweep as the controlled tyre with their GT2-D40WP tyre. Priced at US$40 per set for practice, the Mandatory Race Package (3 sets) costs US$120. Also detailed in the Stage 2 report is the controlled 16% fuel supply. Italy’s Pepe Group will supply their Energy Flame GT with a can costing US$75 while Mandatory Race Fuel will be charged at US$60. Among those confirmed to take the title fight to Gruber & Hong Nor is 2023 Top Qualifier Alex D’angelo who this time leads the charge for Capricorn. 2023 podium finisher & newly crowned Italian National Champion Andrea Catanzani will front Serpent’s efforts while the Genius campaign is headed by Bernard-Alain Arnaldi. A World Championship podium finisher in 1:10 Nitro Touring Car, Alessio Mazzeo will put Raptor in the mix. Running his own car Natanaele Senesi adds further to the great variety of manufacturers represented. One interesting name on the entry list is Burak Kilic. The factory Mugen Seiki Offroad driver has used this year’s Italian GT National Championship to prepare for the trip to Chile and he will drive with Schepis Model. Red RC will be in Chile to report on how these World Championships unfold with our coverage starting on the opening day of qualifying which is scheduled for September 17th with the World Champion to be crowned on September 20th. Click here to view Stage 2 Report

Source: IFMAR Worlds 2025 [ifmarworlds2025.com]

August 4, 2025

Malaysia to host 2026 Asia 1:8 Offroad Championship

Malaysia will host the 2026 Asia 1:8 Offroad Championship, with FEMCA announcing the Putrajaya Offroad RC Park track located south of the capital city of Kuala Lumpur as the venue. Recent hosts of the Round 2 of the 2025 Malaysia National League, the track is scheduled to host the Asia Championship on August 27-30th, 2026. Formerly known as the FEMCA Championship, and the biggest title on offer to the 15 nations in Asia and Australasia that make up the FEMCA Bloc, the previous two 1:8 Offroad titles were decided in Vietnam with young Kyosho star Phi-Long Nguyen successfully defending his title this year at Huỳnh Vĩ ‘s L.A track. With new FEMCA President Leonard Kee announcing a rebranding of the FEMCA Championship to the more relatable title of Asia Championship in April, the new title will be awarded for the first time later this year. Due to officially open in September, the brand new Hongyu GDC facility in Foshan hosts the 1:12 & Touring Car Asia Championships this December which are also the official Warm-up race for next March’s IFMAR 1:12 & ISTC World Championships.

View Putrajaya Offroad RC track image here

August 2, 2025

Keller wins rain affected 1:5 TC European Championship

Germany’s Carsten Keller is the new EFRA 1:5 TC European Champion, the SCS M2 driver taking the win at Mini Circuit “Ville de Luxembourg” from 7th on the grid after rain arrived with just over 8 minutes left to run in the final. Having secured the TQ, reigning World Champion Markus Feldmann led away the 30-minute final closely followed by the Genius of 3-time Champion Bernard-Alain Arnaldi with defending Champion Emanuele D’amico from P5 on the grid moving up to third as the Top 3 quickly gaped the field. At half way distance the order remained unchanged with Keller running in P6. With drivers struggling for traction as the rain arrived with just over 8-minutes to go on 7-minutes there was a rush to pit lane for wets as the rain increased. With heavens opening up it would be Norway’s Marius Hetland who led until his car soon came to stop on the front straight. This promoted Keller, whose team made a super quickly & important call to pit first for wets, to the lead ahead of D’amico and Feldmann but the two chasers both hit problems allowing Keller to take his GRP shod Mecatech to victory by a winning margin of almost 14-seconds from Feldmann with Arnaldi completing the podium after a late crash with D’amico in the chaos of the rain.

Image: SCS M2 Engineering [Facebook]