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February 28, 2024

Lutz confirmed for Philippine Masters debut

With the best electric touring car drivers in Asia this week for the legendary TITC in Bangkok, its offroad equivalent, the Philippine Masters, has confirmed Kyosho’s Ryan Lutz will make the trip to Manila for the April 18-21 event. Having established itself as Asia’s biggest annual 1:8 Offroad race, this is the 12th edition and will be Lutz’s debut appearance at the Philippine Masters which is famed for its truly unique vibe that lives up to the nations tourism tagline ‘It’s More Fun in the Philippines’. This year the race will count as the second round of the Asian Buggy Championships with Lutz the current standings leader having won the season opener in New Zealand recently. Commenting on the news Lutz said, “After a fantastic first round in New Zealand I am blessed to continue the journey to round two in Manila, Philippines at the Philippine Masters ‘24. Edward Sio has been after me for so many years to attend and finally, the schedule allows this year. I can’t wait to battle it out on what has always looked like one of the most amazing R/C tracks on the planet. And I have heard nothing but amazing things about the track, facility, and the Philippines themselves from everyone who knows I’m coming. I’m excited for the adventure to start!”

Source: Asian Buggy Championships [Facebook]

February 15, 2024

Track prep underway for 1:8 Buggy Worlds in Brazil

It might not be until September but work has already begun in Brazil on preparing the track for this year’s IFMAR 1:8 Offroad World Championship. Hosts São Paulo Automodeling Association has completely cleared the existing Casa Raceway track in the city of São Paulo and have started work on creating a new track that will be used to decide the 19th running of the most important race in the sport. Scheduled for September 08-14, it is sometimes overlooked the amount of advanced work that goes into putting on a World Championship race. This is the first time 1:8 Offroad has returned to South America since Argentina in 2012. Robert Batlle was the winner on that occassion but it was a controversial event over shadowed by poor organisation and customs issues so it is good to see the 2024 hosts already at work. The championship’s only back to back Champion, Team Associated’s Davide Ongaro will chase a hat trick in São Paulo and Red RC are already excited about attending the event and reporting on how his quest unfolds.

View start of new start work here

February 12, 2024

Groskamp wins 48th annual Florida Winternats

Infinity’s Jilles Groskamp has won the 48th annual Florida Winternats. The iconic US nitro onroad, now hosted annually at the Nuggets Ranch RC Raceway in Arcadia which was built in 2010, attracted 170 entires this year with 1:8 Open the biggest class with 46 drivers. With five rounds of qualifying, each driver counting their single fastest 4-minute run, it was the Dutch driver who took the TQ with Q3 run ahead of the Capricorn of Germany’s Thilo Diekmann and Mugen Seiki of former 1:10 Nitro World Champion Ralph Birch. In the 30-minute final, Groskamp lead early before Burch had a stint at the front until hitting problems and dropping to fourth at the half way distance. This allowed last year’s Top Qualifier Diego Morganti’s Capricorn to lead briefly before Groskamp resumed the lead again. Swapping position with Diekmann over pitstops, Groskamp’s Picco powered IF18 took the win by 3.1-second as Burch recovered to complete the podium. With the fastest lap of the race Morganti finished 4th while 2023 Champion Eric Dennett came home P6. In 1:10 Nitro Touring Car, Serpent’s defending Champion Bryce Butterfield topped qualifying from team-mate Jose Almonte but at the end of the half hour final it was Almonte who came away with the win. Butterfield lead initially but was out just as the race reached 1/4 distance. Behind Almonte it was John Hodges and Franco Machado who completed the podium. In 1:8 Nitro GT it was IGT8’s Paolo Morganti who secured the TQ ahead of 2023 Champion Amonte. Setting the fastest lap of the race, Morgani would go onto to win from Lazaro Alonso after Almonte retired in the early stages of the final.

Image: Jilles Groskamp [Facebook]

February 11, 2024

Berton wins Montpellier GP

Infinity’s Riccardo Berton has won the Montepellier GP, the Italian winning the 18th running of the French classic ahead of reigning European Champion Juan Carlos Canas and reigning World Champion Davide Ongaro. In qualifying it was the Sworkz of Canas that secured the TQ topping two of the 4 rounds after rain forced the cancellation of Q5. Fastest in Q3, Berton took 2nd followed by the Xray of David Ronnefalk who mastered the Circuit du MBM in Q4. Aiming his third Montepellier GP win in a row, Ongaro’s Team Associated ended up 4th. Winning his Semi B Final, the top 3 setting faster times than the winning time Canas in the Semi A, it was 2016 winner Berton who lined up on pole position for the 1-hour 14 buggy final ahead of Ongaro, Jonny Skidmore with Canas P4. In an exciting final Canas would be the long time race leader but with his OGO tyres equipped pre-production IFB8, Berton went to the first in the last third of the race to secure the win by just over 1-second from his Spanish rival. After a rough start that left him at the back of the pack, Ongaro set the fastest lap of the race to recover and complete the podium at the European 1:8 Offroad season opener. Making it four different manufacturers in the Top 4, Mugen’s Burak Kilic finished fourth ahead of Elliott Boots and Theo Lemaire.

Image: Circuit du MBM [Facebook]

February 11, 2024

Lutz opens Asian Buggy C/ships campaign with NZ win

Kyosho’s Ryan Lutz got his Asian Buggy Championships campaign off to the perfect start with victory at the season opener in New Zealand. After the inaugural ABC in 2023, the expanded four round 2024 season has been upgraded to full championship status with Lutz taking maximum points from Round 1 which was hosted by the Counties RC track in Auckland. Putting his Alpha powered MP10 on pole for the 45-minute Nitro Buggy Final ahead of Tekno’s Caleb Noble and Kyosho team-mate Kyle McBride, Lutz would go on to dominate the race. McBride had managed to stay with Lutz until the first round of pitstops but as the second stop approached ran out of fuel and lost a lap as a result something that would happen again to the Aussie later in the race. Early drive shaft issues put Caleb out of contention with his race over at 25-minutes and so it was the HB Racing of top New Zealand qualifier Logan Toia that came through to finish second. Recovering from his fuel dramas, McBride complete the podium just ahead of the Xray of Jayden Jamieson. In eBuggy, Lutz made it a double clean sweep winning from the TQ spot ahead of Noble and McBride. In Nitro Truggy, Top Qualifier Jamieson got the win ahead of Shane O’Connor while eTruggy honours went to the Xray of Kenley Brown. Round 2 of the Asian Buggy Championships travels to the Philippines in the middle of April for Asia’s biggest and most famous offroad race the Philippine Masters where Lutz will be aiming to extend his championship lead. Red RC will be returning to Manila again in 2024 to coverage all the action from the always impressive Circulo Verde track.

Source: Asian Buggy Championships [Facebook]

February 10, 2024

Lutz TQ at Asian Buggy Championships opener

Kyosho’s Ryan Lutz is the Top Qualifier at the opening round of the Asian Buggy Championships in New Zealand. The first international 1:8 Offroad event to be held in the country, the American secured the overall TQ in nitro buggy in dominant fashion his Alpha engined MP10 topping all four rounds of qualifying at the Counties RC in Auckland. The first of the four rounds on the extended 2024 ABC calendar, with stops in the Philippines, Australia and Indonesia making up the rest of the ambitious championship, Lutz’s main challenge was to come from Aussie pairing Caleb Noble and Kyle McBride. Driving his Tekno, Noble posted three P2 runs two of which were just a second off the TQ pace. Returning to his first international since the World Championship in Spain in 2022, McBride took his Kyosho to a P2 run in the final qualifier. Heading the local charge was Jayden Jamieson, the New Zealander taking his Xray fourth at the end of qualifying ahead of fellow Kiwi Logan Toia. In eBuggy it was also Lutz who secured the TQ while in Nitro Truggy it was Jamieson top came out on top.

Source: Asian Buggy Championships [Facebook]

January 29, 2024

Maifield & Rivkin win at TNR Fuels Amain Challenge 2024

Ryan Maifield and Spencer Rivkin took the big wins at the annual TNR Fuels A-Main Challenge which took place over the weekend at The Dirt at Perris track in SoCal. In qualifying it was the Tekno fleet of Maifield that led the way as he secured a TQ triple with pole position in Nitro Buggy, eBuggy and Nitro Truggy. As last year’s Truggy Champion Maifield would kick off finals day with victory in the 30-minute A-Main after a great battle with Tekno team-mate Spencer Heckert. Behind Rivkin completed the podium. In eBuggy Maifield won both A-Main encounters for overall win No.2 of the weekend, the first leg ahead of Frankie Contreras and the second ahead of Rivkin but a P4 and P5 was enough for Cole Odgen to finished runner up with Contreras claiming 3rd overall. Attracting over 400 entries, in the concluding races of the event it was to be 2023 winner Rivkin who again took the Nitro Buggy victiry after getting passed Maifield who had lead the first half of the 45-minute encounter. Qualifying P2, Kyosho’s Ryan Lutz would complete the podium ahead of Sparko Racing’s Ryan Cavalieri.

Image: AMain Hobbies [Facebook]

January 19, 2024

SIGP International Grand Prix registration opens

Sunpadow Batteries has announced that registration is now open for the return of the SIGP International RC Car Grand Prix Onroad with the event set to take place on March 20-24. Having established itself as one of the leading annual international RC events in China and attracted many of the sport’s top drivers, World Champion Bruno Coelho was the winner of the last onroad edition in 2019. The event takes place at the 2017 IFMAR Electric Offroad Championship venue in Xiamen where both an onroad and offroad track are built side by side next to Sunpadow’s production facility and overlooked by one of the World’s biggest driver stands. The SIGP will continue to offer one of the biggest prizes in the sport with total prize money of $20,000 on offer over the categories which include 1:8 GP onroad, 1:8 EP onroad, 1:10 Modified Touring Car and 1:10 Stock Touring Car. Having attended previous editions of the SIGP, Red RC will be travelling to Xiamen to cover the return of international competition on the Sunpadow Circuit.

Source: Sunpadow [sunpadow.com]