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September 18, 2025

Mazzeo leads way in inaugural eGT World title fight

In contention for the overall TQ in the established IFMAR 1:8 GT Nitro World Championship, Raptor’s Alessio Mazzeo leads the way in the inaugural Electric GT World title race which is also running in Chile. While just 10-drivers make up the entry list for the quieter class, it is again proving to be an all Italian battle at the front. EFRA’s inaugural eGT European Champion back in 2023, Mazzeo would post three TQ runs today with the only other driver to top a round being Natanaele Senesi when he took Q3. Behind them it is Capricorn’s Alex D’Angelo who sits third in the overnight ranking. With the final two qualifiers set to run tomorrow, potentially Senesi still has a shot at becoming the Top Qualifier in Santiago but he’ll need the perfect day to deny Mazzeo the TQ starting position.

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September 17, 2025

Catanzani takes control in Q2 & 3

Serpent’s Andrea Catanzani has taken control of qualifying at the IFMAR 1:8 GT World Championships in Chile, the Italian producing back to back TQ runs as he topped the times in the second & third rounds of qualifying as things warm-up a little in Santiago. With a cold start to qualifying this morning, the sun finally burned it’s way through the earlier fog with the snow capped mountain in the distance making up the back drop to the track as Q3 completed the first half qualifying. Complaining of the cold after Q1, Catanzani would outpace Top Seed and Q1 winner Alessio Mazzeo by 1.1-seconds at the second time of asking, this time three drivers managing to put together 20-lap runs, the third of those being Capricorn’s Alex D’Angelo. With Mazzeo having to pit during Q3 for an engine adjustment, D’Angelo would get a P2 for that round but Catazani’s advantage was now 2.2-seconds as he improved by almost 3-seconds over the 7-minutes despite feeling his car’s performance faded in the later part of the run. Natanaele Senesi completed the Top 3 ahead of the WIRC of Brazilian nitro onroad racing stalwart Elias Flavio which overall means as it currently stands at the half way stage it is an all Italian line-up in the all important Top 4, direct to final, qualification rankings.

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September 16, 2025

Awesomatix confirm Urbain for MonTech NYGP

Awesomatix has confirmed that their factory driver Lucas Urbain will travel Stateside for next month’s MonTech New York Grand Prix, the seventh edition of the high profile US indoor race taking place at 360v2 RC in New Rochelle from October 16-19th. The French Touring Car driver, who secured the TQ and a podium at the most recent round of the ETS in Luxembourg, is the first international entry announcement for this year’s edition and will be looking to take the fight to North America’s leading drivers. Last year it was Awesomatix’s Kemp Anderson and Xray’s Keven Hebert who came away as the big winners securing victory in Mod 1:12 and Mod Touring Car respectively. The vision of long time 1:12 racer Donny Lia, the NYGP is the nearest thing RC will get to having a race in Time Square, the track just a 20-minute train ride from the centre of the City That Never Sleeps. Counting multiple World Champions Marc Rheinard (2022 NYGP Winner), Ronald Volker (2019 NYGP Winner), Alexander Hagberg, reigning 1:12 Stock World Champion Max Mächler and Ollie Payne as previous participants, 360V2 is one of the biggest indoor tracks in the US with racing takes place on a track layout covering an area of 105 X 48 feet.

Source: Fordham 360 Hobbies & Raceway [Facebook]

September 15, 2025

Lee wins Hudy Series Australia

As 1:8 GT drivers descend on Santiago, Chile, this week for the IFMAR World Championships, the venue of the previous GT Worlds hosted the Australian Hudy Series over the weekend where it was Nicholas Lee who took the Mod Touring Car win. Racing at the New South Wales Radio Controlled Racing Car Club’s track in Sydney, Lee would take his Xray to the TQ ahead of ARC’s Brayden Stanley on tie break as the pair recorded two TQ runs each over the four qualifier. The only drivers to go 20 laps (in Q3) around the John Grant International Raceway, it was Lee who got the pole position with his faster time. Behind them RC Maker’s Jeff Hamon completed the Top 3 in front of team-mate Damon Davis-Perry. In the finals Lee took the first one with Stanley winning A2 after a DNF in the A1. Unfortunately local star Stanley would again fail to finish in A3 and with Lee taking it it was the Singapore driver with the overall winner down under. Hamon got second with Schumacher’s Simon Nicholson, from 8th on the grid, grabbing the final step on the podium ahead of Davis-Perry. Hamon would take the win in 13.5 Stock ahead of Cristian Silva and Top Qualifier Markus Askell. In FWD, John Puse took the TQ and win while in 1:12 Michael Stone was the winner having started from the TQ.

Image: RC Maker [Facebook]

September 15, 2025

Feldmann wins EFRA GP at Lostallo

Reigning 1:5 Touring Car World Champion Markus Feldmann enjoyed a perfect weekend in Switzerland as he took the TQ and win the concluding EFRA GP for Large Scale at the iconic Lostallo circuit. With the 3rd GP of the season attracting 91 entries to the 2026 World Champion host track, qualifying would see the German driver take his GRP Tyres shod Mecatech to pole position with the fourth round of qualifying proving fastest. Behind him, 2024 European Champion Emanuele D’Amico was second fastest followed by France’s Cédric Prevot and 2022 European Champion Edoardo Repetti. In Super Pole it was Repetti who booked his direct spot into the final behind with D’Amico winning his Semi Final to line-up 3rd with Prevot winning the other Semi to carry No.4. In the half hour, despite setting the fastest lap Repetti couldn’t deny Feldmann the win. With D’Amico having issues, it was Belgium’s Giovanni Verbrugghe who completed the podium ahead 2023 European Champion Dario Veseli from Croatia.

Image: GRP [grpgandini.it]

September 15, 2025

Tavernon claims Euro B title with last lap pass

Mugen Seiki driver Hugo Tavernon is the new EFRA 1:8 Offroad European B Champion, the French driver pulling off an impressive comeback drive at the Ospyteam R/C Off-Road Circuit in Italy to snatch the win from Top Qualifier Erik Lykke on the final lap. In qualifying it was the young British racer Lykke who impressed taking his Agama to the top of the times in 3 of the 4 qualifiers. Fastest in the final qualifier, Italian Dario Gabrielli would finish qualifying in P2 with his TLR ahead of Tavernon and Riccardo Masaggia. With Lykke winning his Semi final ahead of Samuele Senese and Thomas Musso with the fastest race time that would secure him pole for the Main ahead of Austrian Julius Siklodi who won the other Semi from Mirko Carrettin and Gabrielli. Racing in the same Semi as Lykke, Tavernon would suffer a DNF meaning he would have to win the Last Chance Final to progress and that is exactly what he would do. Lining up 13th & last for the title decider, over the 45-minutes Tavernon worked his way to the front and on the very last lap forced a pass on Lykke to become the 20th European B Champion. With the Top 3 all finishing on the same lap and covered by less than 3-seconds, Gabrielli completed the podium.

Image: Hugo Tavernon [Facebook]

September 14, 2025

Sobue wins Hongyu GDC opening race

Marking the official opening of the brand new Hongyu GDC track in Foshan, China, Axon driver Akio Sobue claimed victory at the 2026 IFMAR ISTC World Championship host venue. In qualifying the Japanese driver secured the TQ ahead of team-mate Hayato Ishioka, the latter claiming the first of the four qualifiers before Sobue went fastest in Q2 & 3. Schumacher’s Pekko Iivonen, the eBuggy World Championship finalists a late entry after the cancellation of the Asian Buggy Championships finale in Indonesia, would top the final qualifier to secure third on the grid ahead of top Chinese racer Alfred Lao. In A1 as the two Axon drivers pulled clear, Sobue’s car would come to a stop 3-minutes in allowing Ishioka to cruise to the win ahead of Iivonen and Lao. In A2 and 3, Sobue ran trouble free to win both encounters and locked in the overall win at the hugely impressive multi-track facility with Ishioka and Iivonen completing the podium. In Stock it was RC Maker driver Zaccheus Lam who secured the TQ and win ahead of Awesomatix’s Max Machler with fifth place qualifier Wang Haifeng claiming the final step on the podium. In the nitro categories, the 1:8 Onroad TQ and victory went to Infinity driver Poon Ray while Xray driver Hudson Hu claimed victory in the 1:8 GT class.

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September 14, 2025

1:8 GT World C/ship coverage presented by Sweep, Energy, and Hong Nor

Having covered our first ever 1:8 GT World Championship in Australia 2 years ago, Red RC is excited to be travelling to Santiago, Chile, for the next chapter in IFMAR GT class history. Drivers will not only battle it out to become the 3rd Nitro GT World Champion but also the inaugural eGT World Champion as the electric class gains World Championship status in 2025. Taking place at the very impressive Club de Aeromodelos de Chile (CACH) facility, our coverage of how these championships unfold is being made possible thanks to Sweep Racing, Energy Fuel and reigning GT World Champion chassis manufacturer Hong Nor. Sweep Racing are the official controlled tyre supplier for the event while Italian fuel manufacturer Energy is the controlled fuel for not only the 1:8 GT Worlds but also the 1:8 Onroad Worlds which also take place at CACH later in the year. Red RC is looking forward to travelling to South America, our last trip to this part of the world being for the 2012 1:8 Buggy Worlds in Argentina. Chatting to the winner of that World title, Robert Batlle, at the recent inaugural 1:8 eBuggy Worlds in Portugal about the upcoming GT Worlds, the Spaniard described CACH as the best facility he has ever visited – and he has raced at a lot of tracks around the world! Our coverage of the 2025 IFMAR 1:8 GT World Championships will, after a full day of travel, begin this Wednesday, September 17th, with the first round of qualifying. We hope you enjoy following our coverage as we get to tell the story of how the sport’s latest World Champions are crowned.