Red RC » International

August 20, 2016

Matsukura tops opening day at 12th Worlds

Naoto Matsukura has topped the opening day’s action of the 1:12 World Championship in China where the biggest story is the lack of traction. Setting his fastest time in the fourth of the 8 rounds of free practice around the large technical indoor track in Beijing, the Japanese driver was fastest from Alexander Hagberg and Marc Rheinard with none of the top three able to improve over the second half of the day. The final practice would see slight improvement from Akio Sobue ad Keven Herbert, Sobue maintaining fourth and Hebert moving up to fifth but it was JJ Wang who would find the most time with a strong time in the penultimate practice that saw him complete the Top 6.

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August 20, 2016

Matsukura sets early pace in China

3-time 1/12th World Champion Naoto Matsukura set the early pace in free practice at the 1:12 World Championships in Beijing, China. With 6 of the 8 practices runs that make up the opening day of the 18th running of the championships completed, the Roche driver was fastest over three consecutive laps from reigning European Champion Alexander Hagberg and defending World Champion Marc Rheinard. While the track layout is proving popular with drivers, the big complaint is the lack of traction something that isn’t being helped by the low 56 entry count.

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August 17, 2016

Ralph Burch departs Xray

2010 IFMAR 200mm Sedan World Champion, Ralph Burch has announced his departure from long-term sponsor Xray. The veteran on-road racer gave Xray a maiden World Championship title along with many national victories. Leaving Xray and US distributor RC America behind, Ralph will now focus on new challenges and opportunities.

I would like to thank RCAmerica and Xray for the last 15 years. Together we celebrated our first world title and many national titles. I would like to also thank the team drivers and retailers for there support over these years. With that being said, I have decided to take on a new challenge and explore other opportunities.

US Xray distributor RC Amerika has this to add:

RC America would like to thank Ralph Burch for his tremendous contributions over the last 13 years. We feel privileged to have celebrated so many great and special moments with Ralph and all of his successes both on and off the race track. We wish “WG” all the best.

August 15, 2016

Ben Sterling part of Dragon Stone Champs line-up

The organisers of the 2016 Dragon Stone Asian Nitro Buggy Championship in Liaoyang City, China, have announced the confirmation of Australia’s Ben Sterling to be part of the international drivers line-up. Ben is a multi-State Champion and is ready to join some of the World’s best in China from September 1st to 4th. Full event details are available here.

August 15, 2016

Video – 2016 IFMAR 1/10th 200mm Worlds Final

All the action from the 60 minute Main Final at the 2016 IFMAR 1/10th 200mm World Championships in Gubbio, Italy. With full race commentary from the legendary Oli Meggitt.

August 15, 2016

Greiner deserving World Champion after faultless race

Dominic Greiner is the new Nitro Touring Car World Champion. Widely regarding one of the world’s fastest 200mm drivers the German finally took the sport’s biggest prize heading a Serpent 1-2 in Gubbio, Italy. Starting 3rd on the grid, he quickly made the race his own with a faultless drive eventually crossing the line one lap up on his rivals for a much deserved win. With Top Qualifier Dario Balestri’s race lasting just 9 laps due to diff failure, Super Pole winner Alessio Mazzeo would briefly take over the lead when the problem sent his fellow countryman’s Capricorn on the grass with only 2-minutes on the clock. Staying out front for 2-laps, Alessio couldn’t match the pace of his team-mate and once Greiner went to the front the attention of the race was on who would fill the podium. With less than 10-minutes to go, that would be decided in an epic three way battle between crowd favourite Mazzeo, Simon Kurzbuch and Bruno Coelho. On the last lap it looked like Mazzeo would throw away 2nd but while Kurzbuch would get him into the corner the Italian had better traction to the line snatching the runner-up spot by 6/100ths of a second and sending the large attendance into a frenzy. Covering a race distance of 209 laps of the fast Miniautodromo Internazionale M.Rosati track, a bad last lap would result in Coelho missing the podium by 1.7-seconds. The best non-European finisher Takaaki Shimo would complete the Top 5 with only one car failing to finish the race.

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August 13, 2016

Grid set for 7th Nitro Touring WC decider

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The 10 drivers that will battle it out for the honours of becoming the Nitro Touring Car World Champion is decided with the line-up including one former champion in Meen Vejrak, the 2012 Champion coming through the second of the two 30-minute Semi finals. The seventh running of the World Championship, where for the first time two drivers directly qualified for the final, joining Top Qualifier Dario Balestri and Super Pole winner Alessio Mazzeo are only two 2014 Finalists in Vejrak and Dominic Greiner. The 2014 Top Qualifier, Greiner would book his place in the 1-hour final with a win over Bruno Coelho and Carmine Riola in the first encounter. In the second, Simon Kurzbuch controlled the race throughout to book the 1:8 World Champions first 1:10 Final start. The Shepherd driver would take a comfortable win over 2010 Top Qualifier Robert Pietsch with Vejrak seeing off a last lap charge from Takaaki Shimo to complete the Top 3. Shimo would still make the final, together with Semi B fourth place finisher Kyle Branson, the British driver surviving a last lap spin to claim the last spot with the second fastest time of the non Top 3 finishers. Dramas for those that didn’t progress include a flame-out during his tyre stop for Team Infinity’s Jilles Groskamp. The 2012 Electric Touring Car World Champion said afterwards, ‘unbelievable, the bad luck continues. I felt I was driving a controlled race’. Team-mate and 2012 Top Qualifier Teemu Leino would crash out of his Semi while battling for second spot.

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August 13, 2016

Semi line-up complete in Gubbio

The 7th running of the Nitro Touring Car World Championship is down to the final 22 with most significant driver to bump up from the 1/4 finals being 2014 runner up Yuya Sashashi. The Serpent driver bumps up on to the back of the Semi B final grid after finishing third 3-seconds behind Capricorn driver & pole sitter Kyle Branson who in turn was 3-seconds back on the 1/4 B Final winning Team Infinity of Carmine Raiola. Unfortunately for 2014 Finalists JJ Wang his attempt at the third bump up felt short as he finished 4th, half a lap back on Sashashi. In the 1/4 A Final Toni Gruber would book his place in the Semis going one better than in 2014 as he took the win ahead of 2010 Worlds runner up Takehiro Terauchi. There was dramatic finish to the second of the encounters as 1/8 final winner David Loppini ran out of fuel on the last lap while holding third, gifting Dirk Wischnewski the final spot in the Semis.

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