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April 10, 2024

2024 IFMAR Large Scale World C/ship – Stage 1 Report

The organisers of this year’s IFMAR Large Scale World Championship which is set to take place in Sydney, Australia from October 21-27, has just published the Stage 1 Report for the event (link here). Having organised & executed an excellent 1:8 GT World Championship last year at its John Grant International Raceway, New South Wales Radio Control Racing Car Club are the hosts of the 12th running of the World Championship for 1:5 scale Touring Car. The third time the track has welcomed the World’s best drivers having hosted the 2001 1:8 Onroad WC, together with the host country’s governing body Remote Control Racing Australia (RCRA), the club is seeking expression of interest from all international and Australian racers to better understand the expected attendance at the event. Racers interested in attending – or who perhaps have already decided they are definitely attending are being asked to please complete the form (link here) to assist with host planning. The previous Large Scale World Championship took place at Steel City RC Raceway in Fontana, USA, in 2022 where Germany’s Markus Feldmann became the categories first ever repeat winner driving for Mecatech. Having travelled to Sydney last year to cover our first ever 1:8 GT Worlds, Red RC intends to return to this great city to report on our first ever Large Scale race.

Source: NSWRCRCC [nswrcrcc.org.au]

April 9, 2024

Hara ‘excited’ for Philippine Masters return

A former winner of the Philippine Masters, legend of the sport Atsushi Hara will make his return to the famed Manila based 1:8 Offroad event next week (April 18-21). The offroad and onroad World Champion, last contested the race in 2019 and will return to the Circulo Verde track at the controls of an Sworkz Buggy, a decade on from when he raced for manufacturer full time during the 2014 season. Joining the international entry that includes reigning World & Philippine Masters Champion Davide Ongaro, multiple Worlds finalist Kyle McBride, Asian Buggy Championship points leader & PM debutant Ryan Lutz, and another PM debutant Joern Neumann, on his return to the Asia’s biggest annual 1:8 Offroad race former FEMCA Champion Hara said, “I am so excited to be back at Philippine Masters, because Philippine Masters is one of the best organizers in the world. This time, Sworkz and Cayote have helped me to enter the race! I am also looking forward to seeing my many friends and fans in the Philippines! See everybody at the track!”

Source: Asian Buggy Championships [Facebook]

April 8, 2024

Maifield doubles at Psycho Nitro Blast

Ryan Maifield took his Teknos to a double victory at the annual Psycho Nitro Blast over the weekend winning the Nitro Buggy and Nitro Truggy at the 17th edition of the Tennessee based indoor race. With just two rounds of qualifying per class, Maifield would secure the TQ from Brandon Rose when he went faster than the Sworkz driver’s opening round TQ run. In Nitro Truggy it was a similar story with Maifield topping the second round to secure the TQ ahead of the Q1 winner & team-mate Seth Vandalen. In the half hour Truggy A-Main Maifield came away with a 13-seconds winning margin over Vandalen for a Tekno 1-2 with the TLR of third place qualifier Dakotah Phend completing the Top 3 as last year’s Champion Mason Fuller finish P5 behind Ryan Lutz. After 30-minutes of racing Maifield took Nitro Buggy title away from 2023 Champion Phend as he finished 6-seconds clear of his rival with Vandalen again completing the Top 3 as he did last year. In eBuggy last year’s double Truggy Champion Mason Fuller took the win while the eTruggy victory went to Top Qualifier Lutz by just 1.6 seconds over Mason.

Image: JConcepts [Facebook]

April 8, 2024

Canas wins very poorly supported IFMAR 1:8 eBuggy World Cup

Sworkz and Juan Carlos Canas will go down in the record books as the winners of the IFMAR 1:8 eBuggy World Cup, a precursor to the inaugural eBuggy World Championship, but it was the fact that just 9 drivers contested the World Cup that was the main story from Portugal. Hosted by the Club ACDB “OS BEIROES” at their track in Guarda, the event was originally scheduled for last September but was postponed due to a lack of entries with the date just after the 1:10 Offroad World Championships in Arizona touted as a reason for the poor support. Rescheduled for April 5-7, while the event again failed to attract entries it went ahead with European 1:8 Nitro Buggy Champion Canas the only big international star to attend. While a clash with annual the Psycho Nitro Blast in Tennessee could be attributed to a lack of US drivers making the costly trip to Europe, the previous weekend’s rained off International Buggy Challenge also in Portugal looks to have been a big factor in a lack of top European entries. Winning 3 of the 4 10-minute mains, Canas took the win from the Mugen Seiki of fellow Spaniard David Todd while IBC race organiser João Figueiredo completed the podium with his Tekno.

Image: David Todd [Facebook]

April 4, 2024

Kanai brings RC to Japanese F1 Grand Prix once again

Former 1:8 Buggy World Champion and now legendary chassis designer Yuichi Kanai has once again brought RC into the Formula 1 spotlight with Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri taking the controls of Kyosho Inferno buggies on the main straight of the Suzuka circuit which hosts this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix. Kanai is no stranger to the F1 paddock having brought the noise and smell of Nitro RC racing to last year’s Grand Prix where Ocon and 7-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton ran two Infernos together. Ocon and Piastri’s RC driving experience ahead of the start of the Grand Prix weekend was shared in an official F1 video posted on their Facebook page, which with 13-million follows offers huge exposure for the sport of RC Racing and the hobby in general. Both drivers also shared the experience on their social media, Piastri being a former Australian Stock Electric Touring Car Champion. Well done Yuichi, lets hope they return the favour and give you a go in one of their F1 cars!!

View more images here

April 4, 2024

Ongaro late confirmation for Philippine Masters

Having originally looked set to miss this year’s Philippine Masters due to Warm-up Race commitments for the IFMAR 1:8 Buggy World Championships, the cancellation of Brazil hosting the Worlds means reigning back to back World Champion Davide Ongaro will return to Asia’s biggest annual 1:8 Offroad race for a fourth time. A winner of the event event prior to Covid, the Team Associated star successfully returned to the famous 3D layout Circulo Verde track located in the heart of Manila last year as the Philippine Masters made its return to the international stage after the forced 2 year break. Taking the TQ ahead of the Mayako of former World Champion Robert Batlle and the win ahead of Sworkz’ Micha Widmaier 12 months ago, this year the Italian’s competition for the April 18-21 event is set to come from an entry list that includes Kyosho pairing Ryan Lutz & Kyle McBride and Sworkz’ Joern Neumann. The 12th running of the Philippine Masters, the race is also the second round of the ambitious four round Asian Buggy Championships which is currently lead by American Lutz who won the opening round in New Zealand in February.

Source: Asian Buggy Championships [Facebook]

March 29, 2024

Sweep officially confirmed as ISTC Worlds spec tyre

South Korean tyre manufacturer Sweep has been officially confirmed as the controlled tyre for this year’s IFMAR 1:10 Electric Touring Car World Championships which takes place at Finishline RC Raceway in Bakersfield, California, in November. Details of the spec D-36R3PGS (Part number 3036217) tyre were published in the latest Stage Report from the organisers together with confirmation of Mighty Gripper Yellow V3 as the spec additive. Sweep’s D series compound was developed following a raw material shortage issue early last year with the new compound made from totally new materials which are more stable and have a more consistent supply. The D series compound provides much more consistent laptimes between first and second run and even third runs. There is also improved durability on sidewall meaning less issues on high speed straight aways. The D compound was supplied as the controlled tyre at the recent TITC in Thailand with it having zero issues with the super hot weather and very difficult track conditions, many of the top drivers complimenting its performance. Another improvement is the wheel from Sweep which has a better fit with D series tyres making for a better balance. The tyres contain EXP-S soft thick inserts for longer lifespan and consistency. The D-36R3PGS tyre will be supplied for the 1UP Racing West Coast Invitational race at Finishline RC Raceway at the beginning of May with reigning World Champion Bruno Coelho confirmed for Mike Reedy Memorial Invitational Class at the event.

Source: Sweep Racing [sweepracing.com]

March 29, 2024

IFMAR announce 1:8 Offroad Worlds return to Redovan

IFMAR has made the somewhat surprise decision that 2022 World Championship hosts Redovan in Spain will again host the 1:8 Offroad World Championship in 2024. With it a week since it was announced that originally selected hosts Brazil would be unable to run the event for the FAMAR Bloc, alternative host countries quickly surfaced keeping hopes alive of the Championships remaining in South America. Bolivia was quickest off the mark followed by Mexico and then former hosts Argentina. However on discussing the situation the IFMAR Board of Directors have made the somewhat controversial decision to revert to the previous host bloc EFRA, with the well known Baldo brother’s family owned track given the task of once again hosting the sport’s biggest race. Executing an excellent World Championship in 2022, where Davide Ongaro defended his title win from four years earlier in Australia, last year the track also hosted the European Championships for a second time. IFMAR’s own rules stipulate that a new acceptable host must be received from the Bloc within one month of notice of the originally selected venue no longer being in a position to host the race which was the case. With this in mind IFMAR’s decision is one that is sure to divide opinions and alienate the RC community in South America but it also raises questions about the process for selecting World Championship hosts going forward. In our opinion while the ultimate goal of any World Championship is to crown the best driver in the World it should also be an opportunity to showcase RC Racing in its best light to new audiences, something we believe is often missed or over looked.

Read full IFMAR announcement here