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August 4, 2024

D’Amico new European Large Scale Champion

Large Scale Touring Car racing has a new EFRA European Champion after a dominant performance in Switzerland from Italian Emanuele D’Amico. Having secured the TQ by going fastest in all 5 rounds of qualifying at the Lostallo circuit, the Mecatech driver would lead the half-hour final from start to finish setting the fastest lap of the race in the process. With second place qualifier & 2016 Champion Giovanni Verbrugghe suffering a bad start and later becoming the race’s first retirement approaching the 20-minute mark, in the closing stages of the race it did look as though World Champion Markus Feldmann might be able to make a late challenge on D’Amico. As the German reduced the gap on the leader, unfortunately just inside the final 5-minutes his car would come to stop on track. This promoted the MCD of the defending Champion Dario Veseli, who started P5, to second but such was the gap D’Amico could back right off the pace and cruise to his first European title. The podium would be completed by the Genius of 2003 World Champion Hessel Roskam from the Netherlands.

Source: AMSCI [Facebook]

August 2, 2024

D’Amico Top Qualifier at European Large Scale C/ship

Mecatech driver Emanuele D’Amico has secured the TQ at the EFRA Large Scale Touring Car European Championship in Switzerland with a dominant performance. Already a winner this year in the European Large Scale Series and an EFRA GP winner, the Italian topped all five rounds of qualifying at the iconic Lostallo circuit. Behind it was the similar car of Belgian Giovanni Verbrugghe who ended up P2 locking his place in the A-Final alongside D’Amico. Qualifying P3 was reigning World Champion Markus Feldmann who will have race his way from the Semi-Finals to the main event with defending European Champion Dario Veseli joining him in the same Semi, the MCD driver having only managed P5 with a best run of the second fastest time in the second qualifier. With the 27th running of the European Championships attracting 78 Touring Car drivers, last year’s Top Qualifier and 2022 Champion Edoardo Repetti also races in the Semi A Final having ending qualifying 9th.

Image: Emanuele D’Amico [Facebook]

July 30, 2024

2024 SIGP International Offroad GP – Announcement

Counting Germany’s Joern Neumann and American Ryan Lutz as past Champions, the SIGP International Offroad Grand Prix returns in 2024 with the announcement that the 3-circle ARC International RC Racing Track in Xiamen, China, will host the race from December 11-15. The same venue that hosted the 2017 IFMAR 1:10 Electric Offroad World Championships, the SIGP International Offroad Grand Prix had been one of Asia’s major international offroad events pre-Covid gathering RC drivers from across Asia and the world. The return of the Grand Prix, after its forced break since 2019, the event will give the new generation of Chinese drivers the opportunity to compete with top drivers from home & abroad and show as well as further develop their skills. The classes that will make up the 2024 edition are 1:8 Nitro Buggy, 1:8 Electric Buggy, 1:7 KM Citroen C3 GP Rally, 1:7 Citroen C3 EP Rally, and 1:4 EP Offroad Motorbike, with a total prize fund of RMB 150,000 ($20,000) up for grabs.

View provisional schedule here

July 30, 2024

Urbain joins quality eSIC entry

This year’s Electric Singapore International Challenge (eSIC) continues to attract an impressive line-up of top international touring car drivers with Lucas Urbain the latest to be confirmed for the September 14-15th event. The French driver, who turned full time professional with Awesomatix just ahead of the TITC earlier this year, brings the number of factory team’s represented at the 2nd running of the event to 6. As the reigning champions with Ronald Volker, Mugen Seiki will face challenges for the title from official factory entries from Yokomo, Express, ARC and now Awesomatix. Hosted by the Marine Parade Radio Control Modellers Club, the first running of eSIC in 2023 had the goal of bringing back high profile racing in Singapore with the creation of one big exciting weekend for the onroad racer and 2024 looks set take that goal to a new level.

Source: eSIC [Facebook]

July 28, 2024

Canas retains European title with dominant win

Sworkz’s Juan Carlos Canas has retained his EFRA 1:8 Nitro Buggy European Championship with a dominant win at the OngaroRing in Italy. Having secured the overall TQ ahead of Mugen Seiki’s Burak Kilic after topping three of the five qualifiers, the Spaniard went on to win his Semi Final to secure pole position for the 45-minute. With Burak retiring from the lead of his Semi, behind Canas on the grid it would be Burak’s brother Berak Kilic who lined up second followed Xray’s David Ronnefalk and Team Associated’s Davide Ongaro. Leading from start to finish it was a dominant display from Canas who has clearly marked himself as a favourite for the World Championship in just 6-weeks time in his home country. A late charge from 2018 Champion Bruno Coelho, who started P5, would see the Xray driver get by his team-mate Ronnefalk to finish within 6-seconds of Canas. Former World & European Champion Ronnefalk completing the podium ahead of the WIRC of Marco Baruffolo. Racing at his family owned track, current back to back World Champion Ongaro would see any chances of a first European title dashed when he ran out of fuel having just passed Ronnefalk for second with 15-minutes left on the clock.

Image: Sworkz [Facebook]

July 26, 2024

Canas Top Qualifier at European Championship

Sworkz’s Juan Carlos Canas is the Top Qualifier at the EFRA 1:8 Nitro Buggy European Championship at the Ongaroring in Italy. The defending Champion, secured the overall TQ after topping 3 of the 5 qualifiers at the home track of reigning World Champion Davide Ongaro. It would be the Italian who got qualifying underway on Thursday with his Team Associated fastest from the Mugen of Burak Kilic and Bruno Coelho’s Xray. Round 2 would Canas hit the top, the Spaniard fastest from Kilic and Ongaro. Making for a interesting first day in Sicile, after his two strong opening showings Kilic then delivered a TQ run in Q3 ahead of Canas, Coelho and Ongaro. With everything still to play for, Day 2 of qualifying would see Canas get the better of his two main rivals in the first encounter taking Q4 by just 4/10th of a second from Kilic with Ongaro third. Now a two way battle for the overall TQ between Canas and Kilic, on an increasingly grippy track Canas, pushed intensely by Coelho, posted the fastest time of qualifying to seal the overall TQ – just 6/100ths of a second separating the Top 2 Q5 times. Overall Kilic would end up second followed by Ongaro with Coelho fourth ahead of team-mate David Ronnefalk with the Top 6 rounded out by Berkan Kilic.

Image: Sworkz [Facebook]

July 22, 2024

Xu Xi doubles at FEMCA EP Offroad Championship

Xray driver Xu Xi completed the double at the FEMCA EP Offroad Championship which took place at the GDC track in Foshan, China, over the weekend. FEMCA, the governing body of radio-controlled car racing in Asia and Australasia and which represents 15 nations, brought back the race this year after a long absence with the aim of building back up the race, which like other FEMCA Championships crowns the official Champion of Asia. With 4WD attracting the largest entry, in qualifying it was leading Chinese international touring car driver Marco Ma who secured the TQ for Xray ahead Xi after topping 4 of the 5 rounds. In the triple finals however after a poor start in A1, Xi was able to get the better of his team-mate and win A2 & 3 to lift the overall title. With Ma second, Liu Hai Feng completed the podium. In 2WD, Xi had the perfect race securing the TQ and wrapping up the overall win in A2. Second would go to the Team Associated of Ashton Witte with Zhao Ji Chen rounding out the Top 3.

Image: GDC Indoor Race Club

July 21, 2024

Another win for Orlowski at ETS Round 2

Defending ETS Champion Michal Orlowski has made it two from two as the Schumacher driver continued the perfect start to his title defence with victory at Round 2 in Aigen, Austria. With World Champion Bruno Coelho returning the series as part of his title defence preparations for the Worlds in California later this year, the Xray driver and Orlowski where in a league of their own. While Coelho topped seeding ahead of Awesomatix’s Lucas Urbain, in qualifying it was Orlowski who went fastest in 3 of the four rounds as Coelho secured P2 on the grid with a TQ run in Q4. In A1, while Coehlo set the fastest lap, it was Orlowski with the win by a 1.6-seconds margin. A2 was a closer affair but again the Pole took the win to secure maximum points for the weekend to extend his lead in the standings. Coelho would dominate A3 winning ahead of the Serpent of former Nitro Touring Car World Champion Dominic Greiner who took advantage of a number of incidents, the result giving the German P4 overall. The podium would be completed by the Awesomatix of TITC Open Brushless Champion Simon Lauter, the former ETS Pro-Stock Champion’s efforts in moving up to the premiere class again paying dividends as he equalled his best finish from last year’s season finale. In Pro-Stock, defending Champion Olivier Bultynck dominated proceedings with the Belgian securing the TQ and win ahead of the Xray of Adam Izsay with Round 1 winner Lukas Ellebrock taking the final podium step.

Image: ETS [Facebook]