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October 9, 2023

Hamon sets early pace at GT World Championship

Serpent’s Jeff Hamon is the early pace setter in practice at the IFMAR 1:8 GT World Championship in Sydney, Australia. Winner of the Worlds Warm-up Race back in April when the final was rained off, the Australian set his fastest 3-consecutive laps ahead of Hong Nor’s Toni Gruber – Hamon’s best run coming in the cool conditions of the morning first practice while Gruber’s best came in the 31 degree heat of the fourth of the 6 rounds on today’s schedule. IGT8 boss Paolo Morganti sits third fastest with European GT Champion Bernard-Alain Arnaldi making it four different manufacturer at the top of the timing sheets driving his Genius Racing chassis. With visiting drivers trying to get their heads around the low grip levels at the John Grant International Raceway track, which hosted the 1:8 Onroad World Championship back in 2001, European GT Championship Top Qualifier Andrea Catanzani sits fifth fastest ahead of the Sworkz of reigning World Champion Joern Neumann, who like fellow countryman Gruber found improvement in CP4.

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October 9, 2023

Kato adds Japanese 1:8 Nitro Buggy National title

Kouki Kato is the new JMRCA All Japan Champion for 1:8 Nitro Buggy. Racing at the RC Land 23 track in Matsuzaka City, rain forecast for Sunday meant the race was brought forward and run on Saturday. In qualifying it was business as usual for multiple defending Champion Yusuke Sugiura as he secured the TQ with his Mugen. The reigning 1:10 4WD Japanese National Champion, Kato would qualify fourth but in the final he took the fight to Sugiura and at the end of the 40-minutes he took the win by just 1.5 seconds from Sugiura ending his run of four back to back titles. Kenji Tsuruta also driving a Mugen would complete the podium ahead Juriya Kajiwara, Shin Adachi and Yuichi Kanai.

Image: Kouki Kato [Facebook]

October 9, 2023

IFMAR release 126 strong 1:8 Onroad Worlds Entry List

With IFMAR’s newest World Championship 1:8 GT getting underway this week in Sydney, Australia, the World governing body has released the entry list for the upcoming edition of its oldest and original World Championship, 1:8 Nitro Onroad. Scheduled to take place from October 27th to November 5th at Infinity International RC Speedway in Japan, the 23rd running of the categories biggest prize has attracted a strong 126 entries lead by reigning Champion Shoki Takahata. With 24 countries represented, the host nation has come out in force to support the race making up just shy of 50% of the entry. In addition to Takahata, who won the title for Mugen in California in 2019, his three title predecessors Dario Balestri (2017), Simon Kurzbuch (2015) and Tadahiko Sahashi (2013) will also compete. The third time Japan will host the 1:8 Onroad Worlds, on the last visit it was a home win for then Serpent driver Sahashi. Nine years later he would become only the second driver ever to be both a 1:8 and 1:10 Nitro Onroad Champion when he was crowned the 1:10 World Champion with Infinity in Thailand last year. Red RC will be making the trip to Japan to cover the event.

View entry list here

October 8, 2023

‘Of course goal is to keep the title’ but ‘the class has changed a lot’ – Neumann on 1:8 GT World title defence

Think Joern Neumann and you think World class offroad racer. The German is a multiple offroad European Champion, a multiple offroad World Champion Finalist and the only European to ever to win the legendary Reedy Offroad Race of Champions. Ironically his biggest win in the sport didn’t involve navigating any jump sections, and this coming week the factory Sworkz driver will defend that title despite not having raced in the category since adding the IFMAR World title to his CV. It’s January 2020 and the World has no idea of two major things that are about to happy – Neumann is going to become an onroad World Champion and a thing called Covid is going to shut down the World just afterwards!

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October 5, 2023

EFRA seeks support on EU nitro fuel petition

EFRA, the federation for RC racing in Europe, is seeking the support of racers and the industry with a petition submitted to the European Parliament to amend the rule regarding nitro fuel for model car racing. The petition is titled “Petition No 0519/2023 by Markus Dirks (German) on amending Regulation (EU) 2019/1148 on the marketing and use of explosives precursors” and is opposed to the reduction from 25 % nitromethane content to 12% in the fuel used by model sport pilots and model sport car drivers. The petitioner claims that this would lead to thermal problems in engines and prevent European or World Championships from being held in Germany and calls for exemptions and for paragraph 10 of Regulation (EU) 2019/1148 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on the marketing and use of explosives precursors to be adapted.

View & sign petition here

October 4, 2023

1:8 GT Worlds Live Broadcast by RC Race Media

The second of this year’s four IFMAR World Championships takes place in Sydney, Australia, next week where Sworkz’ Jorn Neumann will try to defend his 1:8 GT World title and our friends at RC Race Media will be broadcasting all the action live. Live video coverage will be available from Wednesday 11th to Saturday 14th October bringing you all the action from qualifying and finals. Commentary will be shared between the venue and the stream with Leonard Kee making the trip over from Malaysia to look after announcing duties. Tony Firth who is known in Australia for his RC Racer Chat interviews will be bringing viewers all the post race chats, interviews and pit walks throughout the event. You will be able to watch the live stream on a number of Facebook and YouTube channels, and thanks to a special collaboration with RC Racing TV you can also watch all the action on their YouTube channel and Facebook page. Red RC will of course be making the trip Down Under to tell the story of how only the second ever running of the World Championship for the 1:8 GT class unfolds at John Grant international Raceway, starting Monday 9th October. With the first Worlds held in Florida in 2020, this will be Red RC’s first ever 1:8 GT event to cover and we are excited to witness first hand the stacked manufacturers battle between Sworkz, Serpent, Xray, Hong Nor, Genius Racing and Capricorn, each of whom are fielding drivers capable of becoming World Champion.

Source: RC Race Media [Facebook]

October 1, 2023

Ongaro does double at Buggyland X

Davide Ongaro claimed the buggy double at Buggyland X in Madrid, Spain, by steering his Team Associated buggies to both the 1:8 Nitro and 1:8 eBuggy titles at the tenth edition of the international race. The World Champion’s first win of the weekend came when he would win the eBuggy title ahead of the Mugen Seiki of Berkan Kilic with Sworkz Elliot Boots completing the podium. Securing the TQ for the triple finals, defending Champion Juan Carlos Canas would win A1 only to retire from A2 and dropping to P8 by the end of third 10-minute encounter ended up 4th overall. Also qualifying P2 for the 1-hour Nitro Buggy Main, this time behind Top Qualifier Berkan Kilic, Ongaro would come out on top again after a great battle that saw a very fast Boots take the lead before having issues at the 2/3rd distance mark. The British driver’s team-mate Canas also lead the way for a time but in the end Ongaro completed the Buggyland double by 6.2-seconds from the Spaniard with Burak Kilic, coming from P9 on the grid, completing the podium on the same lap as the two ahead of him. Making his WIRC debut at the event, Marco Baruffolo would finish fourth on the same lap as TQ man Berkan Kilic in fifth while Boots eventually took the finish in p9.

Image – Davide Ongaro [Facebook]

October 1, 2023

Salemi wins ENS Italy, Gruber takes title

Capricorn driver Mirko Salemi has won the season finale of the Euro Nitro Series where team-mate Toni Gruber was crowned the new 1:8 Champion. Racing at the Leno track in Italy, the Italian claimed his first ever win of the series with victory over team-mate & defending Champion Dominic Greiner with just 8-seconds separating them at the end of the 45-minute final. Completing the podium at the third round would be Serpent driver Andrea Catanzani who lined-up 6th on the starting grid. Securing the overall TQ from Dominic Greiner, Mugen Seiki’s Simon Kurzbuch lead early on before hitting problems and would eventually retire at the 30-minute mark. Taking over the lead from Kurzbuch, ENS Germany winner Greiner enjoyed a long stint at the front before 4th place qualifier Salemi moved to the front in closing stages of the race which he described afterwards as ’45-minutes of racing at the limit’. Despite retiring from the final after 17-minutes, ENS Netherlands winner Toni Gruber would clinch the overall ENS title by a single point from Greiner with Infinity’s Jilles Groskamp completing the Top 3. In 1:10, Top Qualifier Kyle Branson took his Xray to the win by the narrowest of margins over new Champion Melvin Diekann who made it title double for Capricorn RC. The 1:10 podium in Leno was completed by France’s Quentin Leroux.

View Overall Championship podiums here