Xray have announced the signing of multiple Chinese national champion, Gary Huang to their factory team. The PMTC, HKRCSA, AMA and Sanye Cup champion will campaign Xray’s T4 and RX8 platforms at races regional, national and international races such as the Chinese Nationals, AOC, OneTen Series, the Xray Racing Series China/Hong Kong and the TITC.
Source: Xray [teamxray.com]
The EFRA 40+ 1/8th Buggy European Championships were held in Fehring, Austria this past weekend. Sweden’s Robert Gustafsson took the overall TQ from UK’s Simon Reeves and France’s Stephane Deroch and Robert, racing an Agama prototype, would also score a near flag-to-flag win in the 45-minute A-main final to bring home the win from HB Racing’s Simon Reeves, who snatched the vice-championship some 32 seconds down on Robert. A lap behind the top 2 drivers it was Switzerland’s Marc Heim (Xray) with the 3rd place to round out the podium.
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The inaugural Buggy Summer Cup was held at the Italian Gli Archi track this past weekend with some of Europe’s fastest 1/8th off-road drivers in attendance. In the Nitro Buggy Invitational class it was HB Racing’s David Ronnefalk with the overall TQ while the E-Buggy class was lead by Team Associated’s Davide Ongaro. After the Nitro Buggy main final however it was Davide Ongaro who walked away with another high-class win this season as Mugen’s Robert Batlle and David Ronnefalk came in 2nd and 3rd overall.
The 29th German Pro10 Championships were held at the EVMC Velp club in The Netherlands this past weekend. The race was held in Modified and Sports classes and it was not only open to German drivers but also for entries from surrounding countries, making it an international event. The weather forecast for the weekend was mixed with only the practice runs and the first qualifier being held on a dry track. The opening Modified class qualifier was lead by Tim Altmann from Reinder Wilms and Tobias Weist while the Sports class saw reigning champion Andreas Dick, newcomer Dirk Elsebusch and local hero Mathijs Hermens on the top spots.
Dario Balestri is the 2018 Euro Nitro Series Champion, the Infinity driver lifting the title with victory ahead of team-mate Carmine Raiola at the season finale in Fiorano, Italy. The World Champion came into the weekend as one of three drivers in contention for the title but with reigning champion Simon Kurzbuch taking the TQ bonus point that eliminated Toni Gruber from the battle. With Balestri qualifying P2, the final would be a straight up battle at the front for the race win and the title. Pitting together Balestri would find a way passed Kurzbuch after the second round of fuel stops with a pass on the out lap and then began to gap his rival. Unfortunately for the Shepherd driver, his race was to go downhill, a sticking one-way bearing causing an off that would end his quest for a hat trick of titles. The worsening problem delaying him further later in the race and leading to his retirement just inside the final 10-minutes. With his rival in trouble Balestri took charge of the 45-minute race with the attention now on the battle for who would join him on the podium. Riola, Andrea Pirani and 3rd place qualifier Robert Pietsch all took part but there was cruel luck for Pietsch as he battled with Riola over second. Entering the pits together for their final stop, Pietsch led them out of the pits but at the other end of the pits Alberto Picco’s car was released and collected by Pietsch’s Mugen which from the opposite end of the pit was already running in 2nd gear. The impact destroyed Pietsch’s car ending his race on the spot, allowing Riola in to second for an Infinity 1-2 while Pirani inherited his second ever ENS podium finish.
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Dominic Greiner did exactly what was asked of him at the season finale of the Infinity Euro Nitro Series securing the TQ and the win in Fiorano but a strategic drive to second place by Jilles Groskamp sees him crowned the 2018 Champion. The Infinity driver came into the weekend leading the points with Greiner his only challenger for the overall title. The Serpent driver’s first obstacle was the bonus TQ point which he needed to have to go into the 45-minute A-Main in contention for the title. He did that in style, his pace one notch above everyone while Groskamp found himself P4 on the grid. A track that has played into the hands of the Dutch driver’s skill of playing the long game, his 2015 title coming about thanks to doing to final without a tyre stop that secured him second place which was enough for the overall win, he again played that card today getting the second place which gives him the title on tie-break. There would be a dramatic start to the final as second place starter Teemu Leino tried a move down the inside of Greiner into the second corner that result in contact and the World Champion going flying off the track. Cutting the track, Greiner was then forced to wait dropping him back to the back but the German quickly proved why he is the benchmark for 1:10 racers as he needed just 10-minutes to get back to the front where were he took total control of the race. A single side tyre strategy, that came early in the race, was Groskamp’s strategy and knowing he didn’t need to finish ahead of Greiner he drove a title winning race to second. Leader for a time after the first corner clash, engine tuning issues ended former winner Alessio Mazzeo’s bid for glory with contact with a slower car then finishing any hope of getting by Groskamp for second with the Xray driver eventually finishing in the final podium position, half a lap back.
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Simon Kurzbuch will defend his Euro Nitro Series title tomorrow at the Season Finale in Italy from pole position. The Shepherd driver made it a clean sweep of qualifying for the 2018 season as he wrapped up his fourth TQ from the championship’s four races. Having suffered a broken front belt in Q3 and title rival Dario Balestri getting the TQ for that round, Kurzbuch had to wait until the final round to bag himself the extra championship point which could prove vital at the end of tomorrow’s 45-minute final. He took the final qualifier ahead of Robert Pietsch and Toni Gruber after a hard pushing Balestri had a mistake in the second half of the qualifier. The Italian will start 2nd with Pietsch third while Andrea Pirani makes it four different manufacturers at the head of the grid. Kurzbuch’s TQ today eliminates Gruber from the title fight, the WRC driver at best being able to equal the leaders points tally with a win but losing out on the tie break. Between himself and Balestri, however, if the Italian wins he must be sure to finish on the podium with a 3rd place giving him his 3rd consecutive title on tie break with the only driver who has previously denied him becoming champion.
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Dominic Greiner’s hopes of a first Euro Nitro Series title are ‘still alive’ after the Serpent driver secured the overall TQ in the fourth & final round of qualifying in Fiorano, Italy. Needing the bonus championship point so as to start the final with a chance denying championship leader Jilles Groskamp his second title, Greiner took Q4 by over 1.3-seconds from Alessio Mazzeo. The only driver who could potentially start on pole having TQ’d Q3, Teemu Leino couldn’t match Greiner ending up third quickest ahead of his Infinity team-mate Groskamp. Overall the result means Leino will start second with Mazzeo moving ahead of Groskamp to start third with Erik Dankel completing the Top 5 on the grid. In order for Greiner, the championship’s most winning driver, to secure the title he first must win and then hope that Groskamp is third or lower.
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