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May 9, 2025

2025 Philippine Masters – Chassis Focus Index

Last weekend we attended the world class 1:8 Offroad race that is the Philippine Masters. Asia’s premier annual offroad event akin to what the TITC is to the world of Electric Touring Car, 2025 marked the biggest edition of the Manila based race yet in terms of total entries, the number of countries represented, and the dept of top level team drivers. The second round of the Cayote backed Asian Buggy Championships, it was Philippine Masters regular Davide Ongaro who took the TQ from first time visitors Burak Kilic and Kouki Kato. In the 1-hour main however Ongaro suffered a rare mechanical (receiver failure) while fuel tank issues also ended Kilic’s race early. Putting in a super consistent drive Infinity’s Kato took the win, the Japanese talent making it 2 from 2 in the Asian Buggy Championships adding to his win at the season finale in Indonesia last year. In eBuggy, A1 proved the entertainment highlight of the weekend as Ongaro, having being passed for the lead by Pekko Iivonen, tried to retake the lead on a thrilling final lap. With Iivonen holding on for a hugely popular win, Ongaro took A2 before Ryan Lutz took the third however overall it was Ongaro’s victory. During our time at the Circulo Verde Track we got the chance to photograph 9 buggies from 6 different manufacturers including Mayako’s all new prototype eBuggy. In case you missed any of the Chassis Focus’ during our coverage of the race, we have compiled them all in our latest Chassis Focus index.

View Chassis Focus Index here

May 9, 2025

Hara confirmed for Asian Buggy C/ships visit to Brisbane

With two hugely successful rounds of the Cayote backed Asian Buggy Championships already in the books, Round 3 hosts Pine Hill Dirt Racing in Brisbane have received the exciting news that they will get to welcome legend of the sport Atsushi Hara to their track for the July 16-20 event. The former 1:8 Buggy and Electric Touring Car World Champion, who has for the last 2-years attended the Philippine Masters round of the championship, will make his first ever trip to Brisbane thanks to his sponsor Cayote. Having not raced 1:8 Buggy regularly in recent years, his racing programme more focused on electric touring car outings, the Japanese driver is relishing the opportunity of back to back ABC outings after his double Top 10 finish in Manila last weekend. With the last two visits to Australia sell out races, entries for Round 3 at Pine Hills Dirt Racing (PHDR) track open May 10th. Just like Hara, Red RC are excited to be making our first visit to Brisbane in July to cover the latest action from the Asian Buggy Championships.

Source: Asian Buggy Championships [Facebook]

May 7, 2025

Morganti wins KO Propo Grand Prix

Diego Morganti took the big win at the 15th annual KO Propo Grand Prix which took place at Homestead RC Raceway in Miami over the weekend. One of the majors on the US onroad nitro racing calendar, this year’s race attracted 111 entries and in 1:8 Onroad it was the Serpent of reigning US National Champion Bryce Butterfield who took the overall TQ on tie break. With two of the 5 qualifying rounds to count, the Shepherd of Lazaro Alonza Jr also TQ’d two rounds but ended up P2 while topping Q2 Morganti’s Capricorn completed the Top 3. In the final rain would see the race red flagged and on resuming action it was Morganti who chased leader Butterfield. Unfortunately Butterfield would encounter transmission issues that ended his quest for another KO Propo Grand Prix win with Morganti able to cruise to victory ahead of Joachim Bruneau, who qualified 4th, and Alonza Jr. In 1:10 Touring Car it was Infinity’s DJ Apolaro who took the TQ and win while in 1:8 GT Serpent’s Jose Almonte came from P8 to win the final from top qualifier Carlie Lopez.

Image: Diego Morganti [Facebook]

May 4, 2025

Kato wins PM25 as Ongaro & Kilic fail to finish in Manila

It was only his second Asian Buggy Championships appearance but Infinity’s young Japanese prospect Kouki Kato made it 2 from 2 with the biggest win of his career taking victory today at the famous Philippine Masters which is Round 2 of the Cayote backed championship. Having won last year’s season finale in Indonesia, Kato would line-up third on the grid in Manila behind Mugen Seiki’s Burak Kilic and Top Qualifier Davide Ongaro, the Team Associated driver chasing three in a row at Asia’s biggest annual 1:8 Offroad race. With the 1-hour final underway Ongaro and Kilic would establish a lead with Kouki driving his own calculated race in 3rd. With a change coming up front after a mistake by Ongaro allowed Kilic to go to the front unfortunately the Turkish driver’s Philippine Masters debut was to come to a premature end as he suffered the first of two flame-outs 15-minutes into the race. It would turn out that the pick-up in his fuel tank had shifted and was longer positioned in the bottom of the tank hence the reason he was flaming out after just 5-minutes of running. With the demise of Kilic allowing Ongaro back to the lead, it wasn’t to be the World Champion’s day either. With 24-minutes remaining he too looked to flame out but the problem was more terminal. Doing a battery pack change as the car’s radio was not responding it turned out that his receiver had failed and the 26-year-old was out. In all the drama Kato was getting on with his race and took over the lead which he would hold until the finish, the crowd being entertained by the battle for the other podium places. The Sworkz of Asian Buggy Championships Champion Christian Wolhuter and Mayako’s Pekko Iivonen went at it with Sworkz Mattia Polito also in the mix. Looking on target to repeat his impressive P2 eBuggy result, Iivonen would cruelly run out of fuel on the penultimate lap allowing Wolhuter to claim second 14-seconds back on Kato. While also running out of fuel, but on his last lap, Polito took third as Iivonen was classified fourth ahead of Kyosho’s Ryan Lutz with Alex Bernadzik completing the Top 6 as the dust settled on the biggest edition of the Philippine Masters yet.

Continue reading report here

May 4, 2025

Lutz wins A3 as Ongaro takes eBuggy in Manila

Kyosho’s Ryan Lutz delivered on his ever building speed throughout the Philippine Masters with a victory in the third & deciding A-Main of eBuggy, but overall it was Davide Ongaro who successfully defended his title in Manila. The eBuggy mains kicked off on Saturday afternoon with a thrilling A1 final in which Mayako’s Pekko Iivonen saw off an intense last lap charge from Top Qualifier Ongaro. A2 on Sunday morning wouldn’t quite serve up the same level of excitement as the first one with Ongaro taking the win by just shy of 1-second over Iivonen with third place qualifier Alex Bernadzik completing the Top 3. This set the stage for a shoot out between Ongaro and Iivonen, however with his A2 win the faster of the races the Italian had the advantage with Iivonen needing to take his all new MX8E LCG prototype eBuggy to the win in a faster time. With Ongaro struggling with his Team Associated’s handling and in particular the picking up wind throwing it around over the jumps, Iivonen got to the front but it was short lived as Lutz arrived to the party and soon eked out a lead. In the closing stages Iivonen, having got by Team Associated’s Hyunkyu Jung-J, tried to chase down the American setting the fastest lap of the race on his penultimate round but he ran out of laps and finished 8/10ths back. On tie break it was Ongaro with the overall win from Iivonen with Lutz’s win securing him the final step on the podium from Bernadzik.

May 3, 2025

Iivonen wins A1 eBuggy thriller at Philippine Masters

Mayako’s Pekko Iivonen pulled of one of the highlight drives of his career today in Manila as he took the opening round of eBuggy at the Philippine Masters after an epic final lap showdown with Top Qualifier Davide Ongaro. Having started the day by claiming a TQ run in the fourth & final round of qualifying at Round 2 of the Cayote backed Asian Buggy Championships, the Finn would like up P2 on the grid sandwiched between the two Team Associated’s of Ongaro, in front, and Alex Bernadzik, behind. At the start Iivonen and Bernadzik would come together and it looked like Ongaro was on for an even easier win than expected but the Italian would have a moment on lap 4, that for him proved costly. For the race’s record entry all watching on it would lead to them being entertain by a thrilling final lap, Scotty Ernst rising to the occasion on the mic and adding to the intensity. After Ongaro’s error at the end of the straight dropped him behind Iivonen, the two making contact, Bernadzik found his way to the lead to the cheers of the huge Australian contingent. It was short live however as a roll at the end of the straight allowed Iivonen to go to the front chased by Ongaro. As the clock ticked down, on starting their final lap Ongaro would go all out in on the front jump section sending it and jumping over the leader but at the next corner Iivonen made the inside line to hold the lead with a moment from the World Champion allowing hm to breath again if only momentarily. As they reached the back jump section Ongaro again tried tp pass in the air but contact sent the two tumbling. With Ongaro waiting for the leader to get turned around again in the right direction, they resumed for a 7-second dash to the line with Iivonen managing to stay in front to take a hugely popular win.

Continue reading report here

May 3, 2025

Kilic takes final qualifier at Philippine Masters

Burak Kilic has taken the fourth & final round of qualifying at the Philippines Masters, the Mugen Seiki/Nova Engines driver finally ending Davide Ongaro’s reign at Asia’s biggest annual 1:8 Offroad race. While yesterday threatened the possibility of rain, the record entry of drivers from 21 countries arrived Saturday morning to a dry & very hot track for one last qualifying effort and it would prove to be the fastest and most exciting of the four. With Ongaro having already secured the overall TQ in the penultimate round yesterday, an early mistake from the World Champion gave his rivals the chance to go the top with Infinity’s Kouki Kato topping the timing screens and looking like he might finally deliver on the outright speed he has shown over the last two days. It wasn’t to be however as he had a bobble on his sixth lap of 9. This promoted Mayako’s Pekko Iivonan to the top of the timing screens but a bad lap dropped him off the top spot before a bobble on the last lap ended the prospect of a TQ run. Having lost over two & a half seconds in the first half of the heat with a bobble, bobble the word of Q4, a recovering Kilic took over from Iivonan and laying down the fastest lap managed to get the TQ by half a second over Ongaro with Ryan Lutz only a further 4/10ths back after putting in his best run of the 4. With Ongaro and Kilic the only two drivers to make 9-laps yesterday, today the Top 6 all broke that barrier. Overall the result means Kilic starts directly behind Ongaro for tomorrow’s 1-hour Main with Kato lining up P3 ahead of his Infinity team-mate Naoto Matsukura, Lutz and the Sworkz of Mattio Polito.

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May 2, 2025

Ongaro is Philippine Masters Top Qualifier

Team Associated’s Davide Ongaro will go for a third consecutive win at the Philippine Masters as the Top Qualifier, his main rival in Manila Burak Kilic unable to force the battle for the overall TQ to go to tomorrow’s final qualifier. Originally two qualifiers were scheduled to make up Friday’s timetable but with a chance of rain effecting the rest of the weekend, race control pushed through with getting a third round in the books. With Ongaro having taken the opening 2 qualifiers, Kilic had to deliver a TQ run having come close in the previous round, but it wasn’t to be. The Mugen Seiki would get caught out on his penultimate lap by light rain that started as the third round concluded. Going off the track, Kilic would retire to the pits as Ongaro took the round ahead of Infinity pairing Kouki Kato and Naoto Matsukura. Behind them, despite a mistake, Ryan Lutz maintained his run of Top 5 times taking his Kyosho to the fourth fastest time ahead of Team Associated’s Alex Bernadzik and last year’s podium finisher Atsushi Hara. With the TQ settled the focus of Q4 will be on the battle for second between Asian Buggy Championship debutant Kilic and last year’s season finale winner Kouki.

Continue reading report here