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September 2, 2019

Tim Wood wins at British Open

The annual British Open Championship took place over the UK bank holiday weekend at the Halifax racetrack in the north of England. Glorious sunny weather for 3 days greeted 87 drivers across the 1/8th and 1/10th IC Track classes. Hot weather made 5-minute qualifying runs difficult for the top heat with many drivers running out of fuel on numerous occasions. Andrew Hastings took the TQ, having successfully managed the full 5 mins without stopping. Finals took place on Monday. The 1/8th main final saw a 7-car train at the start. Andy was battling Karl at the front whilst Tim Wood was working his way through the pack. After seven minutes Tim took the lead which was never relinquished. A smooth drive saw Tim take another convincing victory. Karl Dransfield finished 2nd with Andy North taking the final podium position after a tight battle with John Carr who finished 4th. With this victory, Tim has not only won the first British Open title for his chassis sponsor. With 601 points from six races, Tim has also done the trick of taking the title of the BRCA 8th Circuit National Champion second time in a row.

Source: Shepherd [team-shepherd.com]

September 2, 2019

Asian Nitro Championship Rd3 – Report

The third round of this year’s Asian Nitro Championship was held at the new Infinity International RC Speedway this past weekend. The newly built track is located near the famed Suzuka Raceway in Japan and in the premier 1/8th Open class the main was stacked with talent and with the current 1/8 World Champion thrown into the mix, anything was possible. Carmine Raiola captured the pole position and clearly he was aiming to keep the position for the win. The top two qualifiers, Tadahiko Sahashi and Chavit Saligupta set the pace early for the front runners as the pair were always within striking distance of each other for a large duration of the race. Behind them it was a totally different story as much of the field was jockeying for position. Current 1/8 World Champ Dario Balestri claimed the third position from past World Champ Naoto Matsukura for a bit as he had his sights set on the leaders preparing. By this time though, all cars were approaching pit stop time and how good your pit person is was going to start to determine if you can hold your position or not. If you had trouble following the order in the closing stages of the main, you weren’t alone. Race announcer Scotty Ernst called the action and kept things straight for the watching audience. By the sound of the end tone, second qualifier Sahashi managed to grab the big win with Chavit Saligupta coming all the way from the sixth qualifying spot to take second with TQ Carmine Raiola rounding out the top 3.

Continue reading the report here

September 2, 2019

Swiss IC Track Championship Rd4 – Report

Round 4 of the Swiss IC Track Championship was held at the AMCS Herblingen track. Qualifying went perfectly for Simon Kurzbuch who secured the pole position. However, every run was very close between him and Silvio Hächler and both drivers had to go to the very limit. After qualifying however it was Oliver Krähmann who was able to jump ahead of Silvio in the final round. Thus, Silvio had to go through the Superpole in which he secured a direct final spot. The finals were held on Sunday under very hot weather conditions. Tire wear was very high, and a good strategy was the key to success. The start went smoothly, and Simon was able to pull away a bit from Oliver and Silvio after the first pitstop at the 5 minute mark. After refuelling Silvio would pass Oliver and started to hunt after Simon. After 15 minutes, the first tyres were changed, but unfortunately Silvio had an engine stop which cost him dearly. When Oliver suffered a technical, Simon would drive home to victory in front of Silvio Hächler and Tobias Kerler. The championship is still open, with the title being decided between Simon Kurzbuch and Luca Martinelli at the final round in Langenthal.

Source: Shepherd [team-shepherd.com]

August 28, 2019

2019 Romanian Nationals – Report

The Romanian Nationals for 1:8 and 1:10 IC & electric (super stock & touring / juniors and seniors) concluded last weekend on the beautiful asphalt track in Frumusani, just 25 km away from Romanian’s Capital, Bucharest. Hot weather raised the air temperature above 35 degrees and the sun warmed the track over 55 degrees Celsius. Track layout favoured high speed under high grip conditions with the busy schedule starting Friday and allowed only 3 qualifications for each class. From day one till the end, drivers confronted changing grip conditions and cars needed setup changes frequently.

Continue reading the report here

August 27, 2019

2019 Mugen Challenge – Report

The 2019 Mugen Challenge was held at the LCRC Raceway in Central Pennsylvania, attracting 389 entries from across the country. The event kicked off on Wednesday with the ‘Mechanics Clinic’ presented by Pat Risser & Kevin Mummah. This brand new 10 entry clinic taught 1/8 Drivers & Crew good maintenance practices, and how to setup their cars. Once again this year, on Thursday, Mugen Seiki’s Adam Drake hosted the Annual Drake Clinic, and worked with 20 drivers to improve their cars and their driving skills. Friday kicked off open practice, which was delayed by some early morning rain, but perfect weather followed for the remainder of the race. Throughout the weekend, 21,389 laps were put on the new LCRC layout, which featured an over/under obstacle.

View the different class results here

August 27, 2019

David Loppini joins WRC racing team

WRC have announced that front running Italian National driver David Loppini has joined their team. David is a former Italian vice Champion in the 1/10th 200mm class as well as a multiple Euro Nitro Series main finalist, having raced for Xray prior to this most recent move to the Italian manufacturer.

Source: WRC [wrc-racing.com]

August 27, 2019

Max Gotzl double at 2019 Czech Open series Rd7

The penultimate round of the 2019 Czech Open series was held in Horni Jeleni last weekend. Following free practice on Friday, the race started on the Saturday morning with qualifying. Xray driver Max Gotzl was able to take the overall TQ in both Nitro and EP classes, after winning all 4 qualifying rounds. Jiri Mara and Tomas Kapicka took 2nd and 3rd in the Nitro class, with Marek Ornst and Jiri Dvorak took 2nd and 3rd with E buggy. In Nitro it was again Gotzl who was fastest in the Semis, followed by Tomas and Jiri Benes in 3rd on the main final grid. The start went ok for the pole man but a long stop to adjust the engine lost him some time in his first pit stop, but was able to make it back. In the end Max was able to cross the finish line with the win, with a gap of two laps over 2nd placed Jiri Mara, followed by Tomas in 3rd.

Continue reading the report here

August 26, 2019

Milan Holthuis wins Rd5 of Dutch 1/10th nats

The tight and twisty track at Gouda played host to round 5 of the Dutch 1/10 IC national series. The weather was glorious with the high temperatures stressing the engines to the max. Saturday saw a busy track with everyone searching for a stable setup for the low grip, but the track also demands a lot of steering in the many hairpins. Not an easy balance. Sunday started with the qualifiers and it would be Milan Holthuis that edged out Julius Kolff for Pole. With tire wear on the high side, the final was tight on tires. Some elected for a tire change where others tried to get through the half hour with one set. After the B final provided the two bump ups, one of which was one of the youngsters Merijn Schipper that drove a consistent race to earn his place in the A main. The A final saw Milan streak away from pole. The challenge from Julius never came as he broke a driveshaft in the 2nd minute. That left the fight for second to be the highlight of the race. It was Jurmin Etnel that would claim the second step on the rostrum as Dave de Ruyter put his car over the curb onto the grass in the last lap to lose his second spot. The last round will be in September on the superb AMCA track at Apeldoorn.

Thanks to Julius Kolff for the report.