Red RC » International

May 27, 2017

Vejrak leads Reedy Race after Day 1

Meen Vejrak leads the points at the end of the opening day of racing at the Reedy Race of Champions, the Yokomo driver notching up his third win in the day’s fourth & final round of racing. Having started out with a fourth place from 6th on the grid, the Thai driver would mark himself as one to watch in Round 2 with victory from the second row before taking easy wins in Rounds 3 & 4 from front row starts. Ending the day on the same points as Meen but having one less win, Akio Sobue came to within one corner of holding the overnight lead. Heading into the final corner of the race with his Infinity team-mate Marc Rheinard on his rear bumper, he would roll allowing Rheinard through for a third win however a DNF in Round 3 leaves the 5-time champion fourth going into Day 2 behind Reedy rookie Bruno Coelho. For defending Champion Ronald Volker a frustrating day for the Yokomo driver would end on somewhat better as he finally registered his first win of the 20th running of the legendary race with victory in the closing race of the day.

Continue reading this report here or view our complete event coverage here.

May 27, 2017

Rheinard DNFs Round 3 as Vejrak & Sobue add 2nd wins

Having had the perfect morning at the Reedy Race of Champions, Marc Rheinard’s fortune’s changed in Round 3 as Tamiya Raceway’s infamous kink put an end to the German’s race after just 4-laps. Running in Heat 3, Rheinard lined up 5th for the start with Infinity team-mate Thomas Pumpler on pole. With the field bunching up behind Pumpler making it anyone’s race, it was Round 1 & 2 race winner Rheinard who was to be the first fall out of the high speed train. On the landing from his contact with the kink curbing he would break a mounting screw on his car’s ARS, the race done for the 5-time Champion. Explaining his off, Rheinard said, ‘I was just being patient but then had one shitty lap and it left the car loose. Then I hit the kerb in the kink and the ARS screw broke’. With Pumpler managing to hold on to his lead for a number of laps his race would also come undone in the kink as the Austrian got out of shape and collected second place Juho Levanen. This allowed Bruno Coelho and Viktor Wilck, the back row starters, to go to the front and battle for the win but the kink wasn’t done yet, with it tripping up Coelho for the second time in three races. While Coelho would hang onto his Xray he went wide which was enough for Wilck’s Serpent to slip through to register his first win of the 2oth running of the Reedy Race.

Continue reading this report here or view our complete event coverage here.

May 26, 2017

A perfect morning for Rheinard as he takes another win

It has been a perfect morning for Marc Rheinard at the Reedy Race of Champions in California with the Infinity driver making it two wins out of two races. With Round 2 his only front row start for the day, lining up alongside team-mate Naoto Matsukura while he would fail to get the jump off the start he would go to the front when the kink put an end to Matsukura’s race, the battery coming out on the landing after the Japanese driver’s short flight. In the other two encounters, while Yokomo drivers Nicholas Lee and Meen Vejrak enjoyed their first wins it was a less fruitful race for reigning champion Ronald Volker. The most heavily loaded race of the round, Heat 3 had Volker starting from the back behind team-mate Christopher Krapp, Bruno Coelho and Round 1 winner Akio Sobue. While Vejrak took the win after Kevin Hebert threw away the chance to become the first pole sitter to convert their starting position into the win, Volker would get caught up in a mistake by Krapp. Getting out out shape coming onto the straight Krapp would tag Volker as he tried to go by leaving the World Champion with a P5 result he will be hoping is one of his two permitted drop outs.

Continue reading this report here or view our complete event coverage here.

May 26, 2017

Rheinard, Cavalieri & Sobue open Reedy Race with wins

Marc Rheinard, Ryan Cavalieri and Akio Sobue have opened the 20th running of the Reedy Race of Champions at Tamiya Raceway with wins, with reigning champion Ronald Volker opening his quest for a 4th title with a second behind Cavalieri. In the first of the Round 1 encounters, it was Reedy Race debutant Bruno Coelho who lead the way after a bad start for pole sitter Viljami Kutvonen. Leading from Rheinard, Coelho had the 5-time winner on his rear bumper with their proximity leading to contact in the sweeper which would spin out the Xray driver. Resuming the lead as Rheinard waited, Coelho’s chancing of opening with a win were short lived as the track’s infamous kick launched him into the barriers allowing Rheinard and team-mate Naoto Matsukura to the front for an Infinity 1-2 finish as Coelho finished a distant 3rd. In the second leg Offroad star Ryan Cavalieri got the jump on the front row and despite Volker trying to use the kick to make an offroad pass on the Team Associated driver he would hold on to take the win by more than half a lap as Volker pulled an impressive pass on Juho Levanen through the chicane on the final lap. Wrapping up the first of the 12 rounds, Ralph Burch was looking like he would be the only pole sitter to pull off the win but half way through the race clipped the curbing in the chicane allowing Akio Sobue, Naoki Akiyama and Christopher Krapp through which is how they finished, Burch’s race however going backwards as he finished last of the 8 cars that make up each race.

Continue reading this report here or view our complete event coverage here.

May 26, 2017

Volker sets practice pace ahead of 20th Reedy Race

Ronald Volker set the pace in practice today ahead of the 20th running of the Reedy Race of Champions. The defending champion set the fastest 3-consecutive laps of the Tamiya Raceway track ahead of 2015 Champion Marc Rheinard with Reedy Race first timer Bruno Coelho completing the Top 3. While the heads up racing format means today’s time count for little, probably the biggest news from the four practice run was the low traction. This has left drivers slightly unsure of what to expect going into the first of the 12 rounds of racing tomorrow morning. With a newly laid top surface to contend with, clouds prevented the California sun from bringing up track temperatures with the cool conditions leaving drivers unsure of what to expect tomorrow.

Continue reading this report here or view our complete event coverage here.

May 22, 2017

Coelho becomes first driver to pull off double ENS win

Having dominated the earlier 1:10 A-Main in France, Bruno Coelho has gone on to also win the 1:8 A-Main at the opening round of the Euro Nitro Series. The feat makes the Xray driver the first in the championship’s history to win both finals on the same day and further highlights the Portuguese ace’s amazing ability to drive anything RC. Having shown great form in 1:8 qualifying, a class in which he has previously never featured, he would carry that form into the 45-minute A-Main putting it up to World Champion Simon Kurzbuch. Unfortunately the showdown was to last only 15-minutes as Kurzbuch’s chances of making it six ENS wins in a row would end with a flame out on the in-lap for his first scheduled tyre stop. While the Shepherd driver would push hard to try salvage a podium, while having a great battle for 2nd with Jilles Groskamp he would again run out of fuel on the last lap, his eventual classification 7th. Having bumped up from the B-Main, Groskamp would be delighted with second with Toni Gruber benefiting from Kurzbuch running dry to complete the podium on what has been a hugely successful first visit for the ENS to the Mulhouse track.

Continue reading this report here or view our complete event coverage here.

May 21, 2017

Coelho unassailable as he takes ENS France win

Bruno Coelho was unassailable in the opening round of the Euro Nitro Series today in France, the Portuguese ace leading an Xray 1-2 on the championship’s first visit to the Mulhouse track. Top Qualifier for the 45-minute encounter, Coelho was quickly able to establish a lead and taking control of the race, the lack of pressure meant he could even switch from his originally pit strategy after the first refuelling. His second ENS career win, Coelho would finish over two laps up on new team-mate Alessio Mazzeo, the Italian having a battle over second with the Mugen of Eric Dankel for a time with the German having to settle for third in the end. Unfortunately for Leo Arnold he couldn’t pull off a home podium finish, tyres issues at the start of the race dropping up from his P2 starting position to 10th. Once on new tyres however he would do well to recover to fourth. For reigning champion Teemu Leino his weekend wasn’t to improve in the final with the Infinity driver crashing out at the 20-minute mark leaving him 12th in the final classification.

Continue reading this report here or view our complete event coverage here.

May 20, 2017

Coelho on pole for ENS season opener

Bruno Coelho will again start a new season of the Euro Nitro Series from pole. Having TQ’d Round 1 in Italy last year, the Xray driver is the 1:10 Top Qualifier on the championship’s first visit to Mulhouse in France. The Portuguese driver was somewhat helped by his team-mate Leo Arnold, as the French driver took the fourth & final round of qualifying ahead of the Shepherd of Eduardo Escandon. Having TQ’d the second qualifier, the Spaniard was the only one who could deny Coelho the overall TQ and he came close to jumping position at the top of the timing screens with Arnold. Setting the fastest lap of the heat, Arnold would get the job done to secure second on the grid for his home race with Escandon third. Behind, Kyle Branson, Eric Dankel and reigning champion Teemu Leino complete the top half of what will become a 12 car grid once the Top 2 in the B-Main get bumped up.

Continue reading this report here or view our complete event coverage here.