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August 12, 2022

Balestri takes TQ at 1:8 Onroad European Championship

Reigning 1:8 Onroad European Champion Dario Balestri will start the defence of his title from pole after he secured the overall TQ in Spain today. After a 2 year forced break, the European Championship returned to Almussafes near Valencia, the track having previously held the championships in 2008. On that occasion Jernej Vuga took a dramatic last last victory when leader for much of the race Daniele Ielasi crashed three corners from the finish due to a flat receiver battery. Heading the Infinity team charge, Balestri opened qualifying yesterday with a TQ run but former champion Robert Pietsch was fastest in Q2 meaning they shared the provisional overnight TQ. Opening a very hot second day of qualifying, it hitting almost 40 degrees, Balestri was back on top in Q3, as his Mugen rival posted the 3rd fastest time. The Italian then secured Top Qualifier honours when he again set the pace in the penultimate round. While it was job done for Balestri, it didn’t deter the former World Champion from making it four TQs out of 5 rounds in the final qualifier. Behind Pietsch in second in the final quali standings, two P2 runs gave Shepherd’s Simon Kurzbuch third, followed by Capricorn’s Dominic Greiner and Shepherd’s Toni Gruber, all four getting to shoot it out for a direct place in the Main final beside Balestri. With each driver getting 6 laps to set a time, that battle went to Pietsch for posting the fastest lap on his final attempt to knock Gruber, who was first to set a time, off the top spot.

Image: EFRA [efra.ws]

August 4, 2022

IFMAR releases 1:8 Offroad WC entry list

With just one month to go until the 1:8 Offroad World Championships, IFMAR have today released the entry list of who will be travelling to Spain at the beginning of September for the week long intense racing action. Originally scheduled for Brazil in 2020, the 18th running of the World Championship now takes place at the RC-Redován track where, after a long four year wait, Davide Ongaro will aim to defend his title. Winning in Perth, Australia, for Team Associated in 2018, the Italian became the youngest ever winner of the sport’s highest accolade taking over the crown from fellow European David Ronnefalk. The Swede denied the powerhouse nation of offroad racing, North America, a home win when he took the win ahead Spain’s Robert Batlle in Las Vegas in 2016.

The question is can the European’s make it three in a row or can the American’s or a certain Canadian bring RC’s biggest prize back across the Atlantic. The last time Europe hosted the Worlds, that’s exactly what happened when Ty Tessmann took the win with Ryan Cavalieri and Carson Vernimont making it an all North American podium in Sicily, Italian, in 2014. While house hold names, the title has so far eluded Ryan Maifield, Spencer Rivkin but to name a few of the US team announced by ROAR, so you can be sure they will be making the trip with their sights firmly set on becoming the ROAR Blocs fourth driver to become the World No.1. Either way, following its 2 year pandemic induced delay, it is going to be one very exciting Worlds and as they have proven before the Baldo’s family who own the track are sure to provide a great stage for the return of the sports biggest battle.

To view entry list as published on the IFMAR Facebook page click here

August 1, 2022

Greiner retains European title after 2 year wait

Forced to wait two extra years due to the pandemic, 2019 1:10 200mm European Champion Dominic Greiner was able to successfully defend his title over the weekend with victory ahead of arch rival Dario Balestri. Returning to the Gubbio circuit in Italy, the venue of his 2016 World Championship victory, retaining his European title comes as a huge boost for the German given 2022 is a World Championship year (Red RC will be travelling to Thailand to bring you extensive coverage from title battle).

After a successful & lengthy stint at Serpent, Greiner had switched to Patrizio Rossi’s Capricorn squad for the 2020 season but just as the world was forced into shut down due to Covid. Having to wait so long to make his first major championship appearance for the Italian manufacturer, Greiner kicked off the 16th running of the EFRA European Championship with p4 in practice as Balestri set the pace for Infinity from up & coming Xray star Filippo Domanin and Dutch veteran Jilles Groskamp.

It wasn’t long however before Greiner hit the front to take the opening qualifier. With some mistakes in Q2, Balestri going on to take that qualifier, he was back on top in Q3 & 4 to secure the overall Top Qualifier honours. With 2 time EC champion Balestri booking his spot directly in the main 45-minute final by taking the Super Pole, he would be Greiner’s main challenger. After initially applying pressure before making an early tyre stop, this would give Greiner an advantage he wouldn’t relinquish. Posting the fastest lap of the final, he would win by over 10 seconds from the Italian. Capricorn would enjoy a podium double with Thilo Diekman claiming third ahead of the Infinity of Carmine Raiola.

Image: Dominic Greiner RC [facebook.com]

July 25, 2022

Krapp wins ETS Rd2 in Austria

Last weekend, ETS Rd2 took place at the beautiful facility of the MAV Aigen-Schlägl in Austria. A well-known track from many ENS races in the past, and this time the electric elite of the ETS stopped in Austria to crown six race winners in the different racing classes at the Euro Touring Series. The weather was challenging, as the temperatures reached values above 30 degree Celsius every day. As always at the ETS, the race included 4 rounds of qualifying followed by triple mains for everybody. In the Matrix Modified class we saw spectacular racing with top speeds up to 120 km/h on the straightway. After the four rounds of qualifying, it was Yokomo`s Christopher Krapp starting from the very important pole position into the finals. Right behind Krapp, Axon driver Akio Sobue and Mugen Seiki`s Ronald Völker took second and third on the grid while Awesomatix driver Marc Rheinard and his teammate Lucas Urbain lined up fourth and fifth.

Continue reading the race report here

June 22, 2022

MonacoRC Race of Champions #2 – Announcement

MonacoRC are happy to announce another Race of Champions event. This event will be held at the beautiful Club Automodellistico 5 Colli in Gubbio, Italy during the weekend of August 13-14. The event will be the perfect opportunity for final preparations for the upcoming IFMAR World Championships, which is to be held in September. MonacoRC’s 2nd ever Race of Champions will be run with the official IFMAR controlled tire and additive from Hot Race, to try and simulate the conditions of the WC event. They are welcoming drivers in the categories of TC stock and modified, as well as Formula. More info at the below link soon.

Source: Race of Champions [monacorc.com]

June 13, 2022

Ahn Jung Hyun wins AC Speedway Invitational race

AC speedway in Busan, South Korea held their Invitational race race last weekend. The asphalt track was well prepared with sugar water to offer consistent grip for racers. Three classes were run, Modified, 13.5T Boosted and 13.5T Nonboost. The race consisted of 4 rounds of qualifying followed by triple mains for the A finalist on this amazing track. In the Modified class, Yokomo’s factory driver Nicholas Lee from Singapore would take 3 out of 4 rounds in qualifying, earning him the TQ spot ahead of Ahn Jung Hyun (AC speedway owner) and Kang Jung Mug. In the finals, Ahn showed great composure to take the win with his BD11 ahead of Kwon Chanu (BD11) and Nicholas lee, who suffered with technical issues will, rounding out the podium.

Continue reading the report here

June 7, 2022

Prümper wins ETS Rd1 in the Netherlands

Season #15 of the Euro Touring Series kicked off this past weekend with AMCA Apeldoorn in the Netherlands playing host to Rd1 of the series. The race saw 198 entries in six classes and the event started with a free practice day on Thursday. A solid weather forecast for the weekend made all drivers looking forward for great ETS racing action. As always at the ETS, the race included 4 rounds of qualifying followed by triple mains for everybody on the amazing racetrack in Apeldoorn. During the weekend, the forecast for Sunday was changing and showing the possibility of rain on the radar. The ETS crew changed the schedule and raced two complete rounds of finals on Saturday, and only one on Sunday and it paid off with all races in dry conditions.

Continue reading the report here

April 6, 2022

Kaerup & Orlwoski win EOS Season #10 opener

After a couple of years of disruption caused by the pandemic, the Euro Offroad Series reignited in an epic way to provide some of the closest and most high-paced 1/10th Offroad racing Europe has seen in a very long time. The first of five race meetings planned for the tenth edition of the Euro Offroad Series (EOS) was hosted by a new club – ORC-B – in Göttingen, Germany on April 1st to 3rd 2022. Located on a former indoor football pitch,the permanent track looked small and tight in the pre-event social media posts, but it was larger in the flesh than expected and proved to be a very good battle ground for extremely tight racing with few overtaking opportunities. The artificial grass circuit was quite “3D” and had a very good range of jump styles including an undulating back straight which was elevated nearly a metre above ground level. Many of the drivers who initially thought the track was too small and too tight later reported that the track flowed extremely well and had a great range of features, and, in fact, it was quite adequate for an EOS event – lots of happy racers.

Continue reading the race report here