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July 17, 2025

Kato takes Q1 in Brisbane

The first round of qualifying is in the books at the third round of the Cayote backed Asian Buggy Championships and it was Infinity’s Kouki Kato who came out on top in Brisbane. The Japanese driver claimed the first TQ run of the weekend ahead of last year’s Australian round winner Caleb Noble, the Tekno driver benefitting from mistakes by a number of key contenders. Winner of the opening round of the championship in New Zealand back in March, Jayden Edmunds completed the Top 3 as the top Mayako, his team-mate Pekko Iivonen, having topped seeding, having a run he summed as ‘bad’. The Finnish driver said his tyres just didn’t feel right and he struggled ending up with a P12. Suffering a number of mistakes, Team Associated’s Alex Bernadzik had good speed but ended up P4 while having TQ’d the first round of eBuggy, Sparko’s Tyler Jones opened with a P5, the American another with a costly mistake in the run.

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July 17, 2025

Iivonen tops seeding at Asian Buggy C/ships Australia

Mayako’s Pekko Iivonen has got his first ever visit to Australia off to a strong start, the Finn topping seeding for Round 3 of the Cayote backed Asian Buggy Championships in Brisbane. Racing on the oil treated Pine Hills track, Iivonen set the fastest 3-consecutive laps of the two seeding rounds ahead of another track first timer Kouki Kato, the Infinity driver 3/10th of a second off his rival. Heading the local challenge was last year’s Top Qualifier, the Team Associated of Alex Bernadzik just 8/100th off the Japanese visitor with the Tekno of fellow Aussie Jackson Beale fourth fastest. With 2025 the attracting Australian round of the championship’s biggest international entry, it was another visitor who completed the Top 5 with American Sparko team driver Tyler Jones travelling 29-hours for his first ever race outside of the USA. With a threat of rain showers tomorrow, the oil treated surface being very slick in the damp, drivers are in for a busy first official day of action in Brisbane as Race Director Scotty Ernst pushes to get two rounds of qualifying in the books today in case.

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July 6, 2025

Ronnefalk takes 4th European 1:8 Nitro Buggy title

David Ronnefalk is the new EFRA 1:8 Nitro Buggy European Champion, the Swede taking his fourth title in the category and bringing it back to Xray whose last title in the category also came in Portugal back in 2018. Racing at the upcoming eBuggy World Championship track of Barcelos Buggy Arena, it was defending back to back Champion Juan Carlos Canas who secured the TQ topping three of the 5 qualifiers. Chasing his first ever European Nitro title, reigning World Champion opened qualifying with a TQ run before ending up P2 ahead of Ronnefalk, who was fastest in Q4. Behind Mugen Seiki’s Berkan Kilic secured P4 with former 2-time Champion Elliot Boots completing the Top 5 for Sworkz. Winning the faster of the two Semi Finals it was Ongaro’s Team Associated which lined up on pole for the final ahead of Canas, winner of his Semi, and Robert Batlle, the Sworkz driver having a good Semi final to finish 2nd behind Ongaro having qualified 10th. Recovering from a bad start to his Semi, Ronnefalk would line up P5 behind Burak Kilic. In the final a mistake by Ongaro while under pressure from the fast starting Ronnefalk, handed the former World Champion a lead he wouldn’t give up. Towards the end Ongaro put in a charge setting the fastest lap but he was 3-seconds shy of the elusive first European title as Ronnefalk added a record fourth title, his last having also been at the Barcelos track in 2022. A mistake by Canas ended his hopes of three in a row, the Spaniard completing the podium 7-seconds up on fellow countryman Batlle.

Image: EFRA [Facebook]

July 2, 2025

Jones set for international debut at Asian Buggy Champs

US Sparko team driver Tyler Jones will make his international race debut when he travels to Round 3 of the the Cayote backed Asian Buggy Championships in Brisbane, Australia, later this month. With wins under his belt in some of the biggest US races including Wicked Weekend, Silverstate, and Pyscho Nitro Blast, Jones raises the competitive level even further at what promises to be a spectacular weekend of racing as Scotty Ernst’s high profile 1:8 Offroad championship returns to the Pine Hills Dirt Racing track for another year. On the announcement Jones said, ‘I’m pumped to be heading to Australia for the 3rd round of the Asian Buggy Champs! It’ll be my first time out of the US, and I’m stoked to race at Pine Hills!’

Source: Asian Buggy Championships [Facebook]

July 2, 2025

Repetti wins Euro Large Scale Series Round 2

The second round of the Euro Large Scale Series (ELS) took place in Luxembourg over the weekend where Edoardo Repetti took the win for Mecatech. With the race attracting 74 entries, qualifying at Mini Circuit “Ville de Luxembourg” would see the former European Champion Repetti secure the TQ honours ahead of fellow Mecatech driver Rick Van der Bol, the Italian setting the fastest time on his Q3 run while his Dutch rival’s best run came in the second round. Cedric Prevot from France completed the Top 3 at the end of the four rounds of qualifying. After Super Pole it was Norway’s Sindre Undheim who lined up P2 for the half hour final but setting the fastest lap of the race Repetti kept Undheim at bay to win by 1-lap with Prevot making it an all Mecatech podium.

Image: GRP [grpgandini.it]

June 28, 2025

Balestri retains European Nitro Touring Car title

Infinity’s Dario Balestri has retained his 1:10 European Nitro Touring Car title, the Italian claiming his 10th EFRA European Championship career win today at the iconic Apeldoorn track in Netherlands. The reigning 1:8 Onroad World Championship took the win ahead of team-mate Carmine Raiola with 2023 Champion Toni Gruber completing the podium for Capricorn. In qualifying it was reigning World Champion Jilles Groskamp who secured the TQ ahead of Raiola, Balestri and Polish driver Jakub Rozycki – the Top 4 going directly to the 45-minute Main final. With Gruber and Melvin Diekmann winning their Semi finals they completed the top half of the grid. Topping 3 of the 5 qualifiers, Groskamp continued his form in the final setting a very fast pace out front and the fastest lap but a flameout on lap 69 would end the Dutch ace’s challenge. With tyre strategy proving critical, while Raiola took over the lead he would run out of tyres allowing Balestri to take the lead which he would hold to the finish. Taking over lead for a number of laps as the pit stops played out, Gruber looked like he had a strategy that could pay dividends but he would suffer a flameout. Finishing on the same lap as Riola, the German still completed the podium. A steady race from Rozycki saw him finish fourth ahead of the Mugen of British Champion Alex Thurston.

Image: Infinity [Facebook]

June 25, 2025

2025 IFMAR 1:8 Onroad World C/ship – Stage 1 Report

The Stage 1 report for the IFMAR 1:8 Onroad World Championships which take place in Santiago, Chile, later this year has been published by host club Club of Aeromodelos of Chile (CACH). The 24th edition of IFMAR’s original World Championship takes place at country’s very impressive CACH facility which houses a variety of RC tracks and airfields and which will also host the 1:8 GT Worlds 2-months earlier. Infinity and Dario Balestri are the defending 1:8 Onroad World Champions with Simon Kurzbuch the last World Champion to be crowned in South America when he won in Brazil in 2015. Officially set to start on November 28th with IPD, the race will run over a ridiculously long 9-day period with December 6th (Sunday) reserved as a rain day. The length of the IFMAR Onroad Nitro World Championships is an issue that has been raised for years as a barrier to participation yet it has still not be addressed by the governing body. While we wont be there for the 9-days, Red RC look forward to making the trip to Chile to report on how the race unfolds.

View Stage Report here

June 12, 2025

IFMAR confirm Thornhill as ’26 1:8 Offroad Worlds track

IFMAR, the World governing body of RC racing, has officially confirmed that the hosting of the 2026 IFMAR 1:8 Offroad World Championship will be hosted by the Thornhill Racing Circuit in Texas. Posting details of the 2026 calendar, IFMAR confirmed the widely expected news that the home of the annual ‘The Dirt’ Lonestar Challenge and this year’s ROAR Nationals will welcome the best drivers in the World to battle it our for the biggest prize in the sport from September 26th to October 3rd 2026. The Thornhill Racing Circuit complex is situated on 13.9 acres with the dirt track having the unique feature of being fully covered. Las Vegas was the venue on the World Championships last visit to the US when David Ronnefalk took the 2016 title.

View 2026 IFMAR World Championship Calendar here