Red RC » International

August 16, 2025

Balestri defends European title to go 3-in-a-row

Dario Balestri has successfully defended his EFRA 1:8 Onroad European Championship title, the Infinity driver going 3-in-a-row when he clinched the 2025 title at the Halifax track in the UK today ahead of Top Qualifier Simon Kurbuch and Carmine Riola. Qualifying 2nd, Balestri would make the pass for the lead on Kurzbuch coming onto the main straight as the race approached the 8-minute mark and once in front the Italian controlled the 45-minute encounter to win by over 9-seconds. While Balestri established his lead, the only time the reigning World Champion relinquished that lead being when he was the first driver to pit for a full tyre change, the main entertainment came from the battle between Kurzbuch’s Mugen Seiki and Riola’s Infinity as they swapped position. In the dying moments of the race Riola was all over the back of the Swiss driver but attempting a pass with half a minute left on the clock he went off the track rejoining a distance third to complete the podium ahead of Capricorn’s Mirko Salemi. The fourth of the direct qualifiers Serpent’s Andrea Catanzani would fail to finish due to engine issues, Teemu Leino would crash out just after 5-minutes, and a difficult day for Capricorn’s Toni Gruber would end with a DNF, the German having had issues in his Semi and had to come through the Last Chance Final to line-up P11 on the grid. For Balestri today’s title win means he is again the double nitro onroad European Champion having won the 1:10 Nitro Touring title in the Netherlands in June and brings his EFRA European Championship tally to 11.

Image: RC Racing TV [rcracingtv.com]

August 15, 2025

Kurzbuch is European Championship Top Qualifier

Mugen Seiki’s Simon Kurzbuch is the Top Qualifier at the 2025 EFRA 1:8 Onroad European Championship in England, the Swiss driver topping 3 of the 5 qualifiers to secure pole position ahead of the Infinity of defending Champion Dario Balestri. With Balestri holding the overnight TQ, both drivers having posted a TQ run each on Day 1 of qualifying at the challenging Halifax track, today Kurzbuch kicked things off by taking his Energy fuelled Ielasi Tuned powered prototype Mugen to the fastest time in Q3 ahead of Capricorn’s Mirko Salemi as Balestri DNF’d. With the penultimate qualifier lastingt less than a minute for Kurzbuch, it was Infinity’s Carmine Riola who took that TQ ahead of Balestri. The fifth & final round however Kurzbuch just got the better of reigning World Champion Balestri, the separation 4/10ths of a second, to lock in the overall TQ. With the Top 4 going directly through to tomorrow’s 45-minute Main 3rd and 4th on the grid went to Raiola and Serpent’s Andrea Catanzani. Top British contender Alex Thurston just missed the cut and he will lead out the first of the Semi Finals while Toni Gruber is on pole for the other Semi.

Image: Ielasi Tuned [Facebook]

August 14, 2025

Balestri holds overnight TQ at 1:8 Onroad Euros

Infinity’s defending Champion Dario Balestri holds the overnight TQ at the 2025 EFRA 1:8 Onroad European Championship which is taking place at the Halifax track located in the centre of the UK. The 23rd running of the championships, the Italian posted the fastest time of today’s opening two qualifiers after a mistake led to a P8 run in Q1. The first of the five scheduled qualifiers would see Mugen Seiki’s Simon Kurzbuch top the times ahead of Top Seed Carmine Riola, the Infinity driver the most consistent as he posted the second fastest time for both rounds. While Balestri set the pace in Q2, a moment for Kurzbuch in the second half of the 4-minute qualifier meant the former World Champion ended up 14th fastest but with 1 of 2 counting he sits second, his Q1 TQ time over 2-seconds slower than the reigning World Champion’s Q2 effort. Riola sits third going into tomorrow’s three remaining qualifiers ahead of Capricorn’s Toni Gruber, counting a P3 from Q2, and Serpent’s Andrea Catanzani, who was third fastest in Q1. Reigning British Champion Alex Thurston completes the Top 6 with his Mugen Seiki with 3 of 5 set to count for the final qualification ranking.

Image: Red RC File

August 10, 2025

Lutz crowned RC Bike World Champion

Germany’s Marc Lutz is the new RC Bike World Champion, the two time Vice Champion finally taking the top step on the 1:5 Superbike podium at the 19th running of the championships which took place in Brisbane, Australia. Hosted by Queensland Radio Circuit Car Racing Association at England Park Raceway, this being the first time the World Championships was held outside of Europe, qualifying would see Lutz secure the TQ honours for Italian manufacturer RG Evolution ahead of Melbourne’s David Varricchio as he topped 4 of the 5 rounds. With his Jabber Two prototype, Andy Bishop completed the Top 3 on the grid ahead of former IFMAR 1:8 Onroad World Champion Kenji Osaka from Japan. In the triple finals, Lutz would win A1 and A2, coming under late pressure in the second encounter from Varricchio, to secure the title while a win in a rain delayed A3 promoted Osaka to Vice Champion. A 2nd in A1 and 3rd in A3 secured Bishop the final step on the podium ahead of Varricchio, the owner of the World Championship title sponsor Holeshot Hobbies. In Stock Bike, it was Singapore’s EZ Apandi Ismail who secured the TQ but from 2nd on the grid it was Italian Massimiliano Ciccacci who became the new World Champion after a battle with defending Stock Bike Champion Bernhard Renner from Austria. While Ciccacci won A1, third place qualifier Renner took A2 meaning it all came down to A3. Ciccacci’s Jabber delivered win ahead of Singapores’s Andrew Ting, the final podium order being Ciccacci, Renner and Ting, the latter two using RG Evolution bikes. The next RC Bike World Championships will be hosted by the A.S.D Model Drivers Arezzo track in Rome, Italy, in 2027.

View Stock Bike podium here

August 9, 2025

2025 IFMAR 1:8 Elec. Offroad Worlds – Stage 2 Report

IFMAR has published the Stage 2 Report for the upcoming inaugural 1:8 Electric Offroad World Championship which takes place in the northern Portuguese city of Barcelos. Beginning with 7 rounds of practice on Tuesday, August 26th, the event will see the first ever eBuggy World Champion crowned on Saturday, 30th of August, with the final entry expected to reach just over 120 drivers. While a predominantly European entry, one new addition is 4 time 1:10 Offroad World Champion Ryan Cavalieri who joins a relatively small team from the Offroad powerhouse nation that is the United States. Among those making the trip from Stateside are former 1:10 Offroad World Champion Ryan Maifield and reigning ROAR National Champion Dakotah Phend. With an official entry list due to be published next week by IFMAR, on the European side triple back to back reigning Nitro Buggy World Champion and back to back European eBuggy Champion Davide Ongaro heads the list of title favourites. That list also include Juan Carlos Canas, winner of the Barcelos track’s annual signature International Buggy Challenge race, and David Ronnefalk who just won took his fourth European Nitro Buggy Championship title there last month having also won his previous title at the track in 2022.

View Stage 2 Report here

August 8, 2025

Asian Buggy C/Ships Finale, Indonesia – Announcement

Making its debut on the Asian Buggy Championship last year with its completely natural dirt track proving a huge hit with visiting drivers, West Side Raceway in Indonesia is ready to conclude the biggest season yet of the Team Cayote backed 1:8 Offroad championship with entries for Round 4 now open. Located just 30-minutes from Jarkarta’s main airport and a 15-minute drive from the official race hotel, the season finale is limited to a 135 racers who will compete for honours in Nitro Buggy, Electric Buggy, and 45+ Nitro Buggy. Last year would see Infinity’s Kouki Kato take the win on his Asian Buggy Championship debut which the Japanese driver has since backed up with a win at Round 2 of the 2025 championship, the famed Philippine Masters, and a second place in Brisbane last month, where he also took a debut win in eBuggy. For drivers looking to experience the West Side Raceway dirt and enjoy their first experience of Scotty Ernst’s Asian Buggy Championships, the race hosts have put together this nice information pack on race.

View Race Information pack here

August 7, 2025

2025 IFMAR 1:8 GT World Championship – Stage 2 Report

The organisers of next month’s IFMAR 1:8 GT World Championships in Santiago, Chile, have published the Stage 2 report for what is building up to be an exciting title battle. Hosted by Club of Aeromodelos of Chile (CACH), the 3rd edition of the GT Worlds takes place at country’s very impressive CACH facility and has attracted all of the leading 2023 title contender with the strong entry led by reigning Champion Toni Gruber. The Stage 2 report details Sweep as the controlled tyre with their GT2-D40WP tyre. Priced at US$40 per set for practice, the Mandatory Race Package (3 sets) costs US$120. Also detailed in the Stage 2 report is the controlled 16% fuel supply. Italy’s Pepe Group will supply their Energy Flame GT with a can costing US$75 while Mandatory Race Fuel will be charged at US$60. Among those confirmed to take the title fight to Gruber & Hong Nor is 2023 Top Qualifier Alex D’angelo who this time leads the charge for Capricorn. 2023 podium finisher & newly crowned Italian National Champion Andrea Catanzani will front Serpent’s efforts while the Genius campaign is headed by Bernard-Alain Arnaldi. A World Championship podium finisher in 1:10 Nitro Touring Car, Alessio Mazzeo will put Raptor in the mix. Running his own car Natanaele Senesi adds further to the great variety of manufacturers represented. One interesting name on the entry list is Burak Kilic. The factory Mugen Seiki Offroad driver has used this year’s Italian GT National Championship to prepare for the trip to Chile and he will drive with Schepis Model. Red RC will be in Chile to report on how these World Championships unfold with our coverage starting on the opening day of qualifying which is scheduled for September 17th with the World Champion to be crowned on September 20th. Click here to view Stage 2 Report

Source: IFMAR Worlds 2025 [ifmarworlds2025.com]

August 5, 2025

2025 EWS International – Announcement

Headed up by well known race announcer Oli Meggitt, the team behind the EWS International has announced details for the 2025 edition of the Electric Touring Car race. Now established as one of the UK’s premier independent events on the European Touring Car calendar, the race returns on its established weekend of 6-7 December, 2025, with entries set to open on September 15th. Catering again for Modified Touring, Stock Touring and Front Wheel Drive, interest from overseas drivers is already high as drivers will compete against the best from the UK. In addition to EWS International they also announced details for their popular five-round Essex Winter Series. The series will feature an un-changed format across the one-day events and there is also consistency in the race classes, with Modified and Stock (17.5) Touring continuing to use the Rush 30CPM tyre, whilst the Front Wheel Drive class uses the Ride TR09 tyre and the latest Hobbywing electronics combo.

View Essex Winter Series Calendar here