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June 24, 2024

Balestri European Champion with dominant 200mm win

17-years on from when he last held the title, Dario Balestri is once again the EFRA European 1:10 Nitro Touring Car European Champion after a dominant win in France over the weekend. Having secured the TQ ahead of Infinity team-mate Jilles Groskamp at the Le Model Club Thionvillois track, the Italian would win the 45-minute final from the Dutch driver by over a lap. With Balestri’s main challenge in the final coming from the Capricorn of the defending Champion Toni Gruber, the only glitch in the race for Balestri came with just under 10-minutes left on the clock when he had a moment and his car put all four wheels on the grass. 9-seconds up on Gruber at the time, the German couldn’t capitalise because at the same time he would flip his car and on low fuel with a scheduled fuel stop just 2-laps out he suffered a flame out. Rejoining in fourth behind Carmine Raiola, he would recover and get back passed the Italian Champion to complete the podium behind Groskamp as Balestri took the title for a third time making him the most successful champion of the category.

Image: EFRA [Facebook]

June 21, 2024

Balestri Top Qualifier at 1:10 200mm European C/Ship

Dario Balestri is the Top Qualifier for the 2024 EFRA 1:10 Nitro Touring Car European Championship, the Italian heading an Infinity 1-2 in France from team-mate Jilles Groskamp. Racing at the Le Model’Club Thionvillois in northern France, where rain has effected the action, Balestri topped the opening three qualifiers to secure pole position for Saturday’s title race which is the 18th running of the championship. A former double champion of the category, reigning 1:8 Onroad World Champion Balestri last held the 1:10 European title in 2007 having successful defended his 2006 win. Fastest in Q4 & 5, Groskamp will start second ahead of the Capricorn of defending Champion Toni Gruber. Enjoying a very strong season in his National 1:8 Onroad Championship with wins at the first three rounds, British driver Alex Thurston locked in the final direct qualifying spot in the Main taking his Mugen Seiki to P4. Top French nitro onroad racer Quentin Leroux just missed the cut ending qualifying P5 despite being second fastest in Q5 and he will have to progress from the Semi Finals.

Image: EFRA [Facebook]

June 17, 2024

Tironi & Johansson winners at Oslo Open Nitro Race

Infinity pairing Francesco Tironi and Alexander Johansson claimed the wins at the 2024 Oslo Open Nitro Race held at the impressive Hverven Raceway located south of the Norwegian Capital over the weekend. Organised by the Oslo Modellbilklubb, the race attracted a strong international entry and after 4 rounds of qualifying it was Italian Tironi who secured the overall 1:8 TQ honors from Finland’s Teemu Leino, the team-mates recording two TQ runs each. The Serpent of Italian Jonathan Gandin completed the Top 3 ahead of the ARC of Swiss driver Silvio Hachler and Capricorn of Germany’s Thilo Diekmann. In the rain delayed half hour final, Tironi would lead from start to finish, setting the fastest lap of the race to finish almost a lap up on Hachler . With Leino an early retirement Fabian Vernersson completed the podium. In 1:10, it was Viktor Wilck who secured the TQ from Norway’s Tom Erik Haaversen with Johansson P3. A problem for Wlck at the start allowed Haaversen to lead early but it was Johansson who took the win as Haaversen hit issues. Second would got to øyvind Stusdal with Wilck recovering to complete the podium.

Image: Francesco Tironi [Facebook]

June 10, 2024

Pavidis back for Brisbane round of Asian Buggy C/ships

After a successful debut in the Asian Buggy Championships at the Philippine Masters back in April, Sparko team driver Ryan Pavidis is to return for the third round in Brisbane, Australia, next month. Pavidis claimed a podium at Round 2 in Manila in only his second ever international race with the 22-year-old finishing second in between reigning World Champion Davide Ongaro and former World Champion Atsushi Hara. Commenting on his entry confirmation for the penultimate round of the Scotty Ernst promoted 4 round Championship at Pine Hills Dirt Racing on July 11-14, the American said, “I’m looking forward to touching down in Brisbane and getting up to speed on the masterpiece of a track Zac (Ryan) and the PHDR crew have built for us. Round 2 of the ABC in Manila was arguably the best event I’ve attended and I have no doubt this will be right up there as well.”

Source: Asian Buggy Championships [Facebook]

June 5, 2024

Veseli wins European Large Scale Series Round 2

The second round of the European Large Scale Series took place at Lostallo in Switzerland over the weekend where MCD Racing’s Dario Veseli took the win. In qualifying it was the Mecatech of Emanuele D’Amico winner of the season opener in Bologna in March who took secured the TQ. The Italian set the fastest time in the 3rd round of qualifying with reigning World Champion Markus Feldmann second fastest ahead of fellow German Veseli. With the Top 2 locked into the half hour final, reigning European Champion Veseli would win his Semi final to secure P3 on the grid while World Championship Top Qualifier Marius Hetland won the other putting the Norwegian fourth on the grid for the main event. In a rain effected final, the rain arriving as the race enter the second half, a decision to switch the wet tyres would pay dividend for Veseli allowing him to take the win by almost a lap from D’Amico with Hetland getting passed Feldmann to complete the podium.

Image: MCD Racing [Facebook]

June 4, 2024

Canas wraps up National title with 3 from 3

Factory Sworkz star Juan Carlos Canas has wrapped up the Spanish 1:8 Nitro Buggy National title early with his third win of the season in as many races. The reigning European Champion, who this year has the potential to consecutively hold a National, European and World title, secured the TQ and win at the third round which was hosted at the Circuito de Alhaurin de la Torre over the weekend. Winner of the Silver State Indoor Championships in the US last month, starting from pole after winning his Semi Final in the fastest time, Canas was chased home over the 45-minute final by the Tekno of João Figueiredo, who after qualifying P18 after a tough five rounds of heats, started 4th on the grid. Posting the fastest lap of the race, in the end he would finish just 4.7-seconds back from Canas. Despite a bad tyre choice, Daniel Pariente made it a second Tekno on the podium as he finished third.

Image: Sworkz [Facebook]

June 2, 2024

Senesi crowned 1:8 GT European Champion

Natanaele Senesi is the new EFRA 1:8 GT European Champion claiming the title for the very first time at the Naxos World track in Sicily, Italy. Lining up P5 for the 45-minute title decider, the World Championship finalist took his Senesi Motorsport S21 GT car to victory by a 10-second margin from the Xray of Top Qualifier Edoardo Repetti with Serpent’s Andrea Catanzani completing the nitro podium. Only the third running of the European Championships for the category, there was plenty of drama at the start of the final. Set to start P3 on the grid for the 45-minute encounter, Capricorn’s Alessio Mazzeo called a technical timeout in the warm-up which put him to the back of the grid. On the race start Repetti suffered a flame out. Taking the lead of the race after a few laps, during his first fuel stop Senesi would flame out handing Catanzani the lead. Chased down by a recovering Senesi, with three minutes to go Catanzani would lose 2nd gear allowing Senesi back to the front where he would stay to the finish to end Bernard-Alain Arnaldi reign over the category. Arnaldi would give up his back to back title finishing P6. In the 1:8 GTE title race, Top Qualifier & Schepis Model team driver Rosario Giaimo was able to complete the job and wrapped up the championship with wins in A1 & 2 of the triple finals with Senesi and 2023 Champion Mazzeo completing the Top 3.

Image: Natanaele Senesi [Facebook]

May 31, 2024

Repetti is 1:8 GT European C/Ship Top Qualifier

Italy’s Edoardo Repetti is the Top Qualifier at the 2024 EFRA 1:8 GT European Championships which are underway at the Naxos World track in Sicily, Italy. The former European Large Scale Champion took his Ielasi Tuned powered Xray to the TQ honours with TQ runs in Q3 & 4 together with a P2 in the fifth & final round. Also registering two TQ runs and a second, but losing out on the tie-breaker, Schepis Model driver Rosario Giaimo, winner of the recent Italian National Champion round at the same track, qualified 2nd having taken the Electric GT overall TQ earlier in the day. Former 1:10 Nitro Touring Car Champion Alessio Mazzeo completed the Top 3 for Capricorn. Top Qualifier at last year’s European Championship in Croatia, Serpent’s Andrea Catanzani ended qualifying P4. Only the third running of a European Championship for the category, defending back to back Champion Bernard-Alain Arnaldi took his Genius Racing chassis to 6th as the fastest non Italian driver.

Image: Xray [Facebook]