Red RC » International

February 4, 2024

Wins for Kaerup & Orlowski at EOS Daun

Reigning European 1:10 Offroad Champions Marcus Kaerup and Michal Orlowski were the winners at EOS Daun, Team Associated’s Kaerup securing the TQ & win in 4WD after 2WD honours went to Schumacher’s Michal Orlowski. As the defending Champion, having won the three round 2022/23 series, Orlowski completed a clean sweep of reduced 2 round 2023/24 series by backing up his Hann. Munden win in November with another dominant TQ & win performance in 2WD. While Orlowski maintained status up front, the weekend would see fellow countryman Bartosz Zalewski showcase his impressive talents as he qualified second ahead of the returning Joona Haatanen. With Orlowski sowing up the overall win in A2, Haatanen would take his Team Associated to the win in A3 to secure second ahead Zalewski’s Xray with Kaerup finishing just off the podium in fourth having started P6. As the event moved onto 4WD, Kaerup opened qualifying with a TQ run following that up with another in Q3 making the Dane the Top Qualifier. Orlowski topped Q2 to start second ahead of Zalewski who was fastest in the fourth & final qualifier. With Kaerup taking A1, and A2 going to Orlowski, it all came down to the third encounter but with the former laying down the fastest lap to keep Orlowski a bay he took the overall win. The podium in Daun was completed by Zalewski with Haatanen fourth ahead of fellow Scandinavian’s Elias Johansson and Alexander Landen while World Champion Davide Ongaro ended up P7.

Image: EOS [eos.racing]

February 1, 2024

Red RC TITC coverage presented by Hobbywing

Red RC is excited to announce that we are returning to the TITC in Thailand with our coverage of this legendary touring car race being presented by Hobbywing. We first attended this Bangkok based race in 2017 and having missed its return after Covid last year, we a delighted to be able to return on this the 20th edition of the race. On our previous visits to the Infinity Addict Circuit we covered Alexander Hagberg, Akio Sobue and Bruno Coelho attempting to defend their titles. As the reigning Modified Champion, Coelho will be looking to join a certain Atsushi Hara as the races most winning driver with four victories. The race that has become one of the most significant Modified Touring Car Races in World after the IFMAR ISTC World Championship and always see manufacturers & drivers bring their A-game as they look to add a TITC title. A long time sponsor of the race, Hobbywing has a 15-year relationship with the Thailand International Touring Car Championship, to give it its full title, and this year their popular Justock ESC & motor is the handout spec combo that will power the FWD class. Our coverage from Thailand will start on February 29th through to March 3rd when the next champions enter the TITC’s history books.

View history of TITC Champions here

January 28, 2024

Orlowski adds ETS Daun win

Having kicked off 2024 with victory at the electric touring car season opening GP3F in France last weekend, Schumacher’s Michal Orlowski has made it two from two with victory at ETS Daun in Germany. Having dominated Round 3 of the ETS at Andernach back in September but missed Round 4 due to Florida Carpet Championship offroad commitments, Orlowski returned to the championship in dominant fashion topping all four qualifier with his prototype chassis. The Polish ace secured the TQ ahead of the Awesomatix of Round 4 winner Lucas Urbain with Xray’s Adam Izsay putting in an impressive performance to line-up third ahead of Marc Rheinard. In the finals, Orlowski’s form continued and he took A1 from Izsay after a mistake from Urbain dropped him down the order. In A2, Orlowski wrapped up his third victory of the ETS season when he lead home Rheinard. While Urbain would win A3 from Izsay and Rheinard it was later two would complete the overall Modified podium. Orlowski will being aiming for three major touring car wins in a row when he takes on MIBO International in the Czech Republic in 3-weeks time. In Pro Stock it was Awesomatix’ Olivier Bultynck who took the TQ and win ahead of Izsay, the Hungarian coming away with two runners-up trophies from the weekend. Lukas Ellebrock completed the Pro Stock podium. In a busy weekend for Izsay he would get his win in the FWD class having started from the TQ.

Image: Schumacher [Facebook]

January 24, 2024

2025 IFMAR World Championship Calendar

With all of the 2023 IFMAR World Championships producing new winners, a picture of where those drivers will defend their titles is starting to come together with 2025 a year that will also see the number of World Championship titles awarded increase from 6 to 8. With the 2-year cycle never long coming round, already confirmed is the 1:10 Offroad World Championships which was awarded to Australia after last year’s indoor event in Arizona where David Ongaro added a first Electric World title and Tater Sontag joined the elite club of World Champions. Another event to be confirmed during the running of the 2023 edition was the 1:8 GT World Championship. In Australia it was announced that South America would be destination with Toni Gruber set to defend his title in Peru. Set to be only third running of the 1:8 GT World Championships, there will be two IFMAR World Championships up for grabs as Electric moves from two years of World Cup status to a full World Championship category. After one of the most intense finals of the year in Japan, 1:8 Onroad is going to the FAMAR Bloc with Chile expected to bid to host the sport’s original World Championship. Wrapping up the 2023 IFMAR World Championship season in Florida, where Michal Orlowski and Max Machler took the titles, 1:12 moves to the FEMCA Bloc with China widely expected to host the 22nd running of IFMAR longest running electric World Championship. New to the calender for 2025 will be the 1:8 Electric Offroad World Championship. Portugal will host an IFMAR World Cup this coming April for eBuggy with the host Federation expected to apply to run the inaugural World Championship for the category one year later.

View 2024 and provisional 2025 calendar here

January 22, 2024

2024 Desert Classic – Announcement

World Championship hosts Hobby Action have announced that entries for the 2024 Desert Classic from February 28th to March 3rd are now open. The 8th edition of the annual Chandler, Arizona, event, the Desert Classic has established itself as an early season fixture on the international 1:10 Offroad calendar filling the void left after the iconic Cactus Classic came to an end after loosing its outdoor track. Continued to be sponsored by Stickit1 Racing, who ensured the superb presentation of the indoor venue for 1:10 Offroad Worlds last September, the race schedule will consist of 4 rounds of qualifying with the best three to count with triple finals for all 2WD and 4WD classes and 10-minute Mains for Truck classes.

Source: Hobby Action RC Raceway [Facebook]

January 19, 2024

SIGP International Grand Prix registration opens

Sunpadow Batteries has announced that registration is now open for the return of the SIGP International RC Car Grand Prix Onroad with the event set to take place on March 20-24. Having established itself as one of the leading annual international RC events in China and attracted many of the sport’s top drivers, World Champion Bruno Coelho was the winner of the last onroad edition in 2019. The event takes place at the 2017 IFMAR Electric Offroad Championship venue in Xiamen where both an onroad and offroad track are built side by side next to Sunpadow’s production facility and overlooked by one of the World’s biggest driver stands. The SIGP will continue to offer one of the biggest prizes in the sport with total prize money of $20,000 on offer over the categories which include 1:8 GP onroad, 1:8 EP onroad, 1:10 Modified Touring Car and 1:10 Stock Touring Car. Having attended previous editions of the SIGP, Red RC will be travelling to Xiamen to cover the return of international competition on the Sunpadow Circuit.

Source: Sunpadow [sunpadow.com]

January 18, 2024

MIBO Champions Volker & Mugen back to defend title

With the electric touring car season about to kick off in France this weekend with GP3F, Mugen Seiki has confirmed their lead driver Ronald Volker is to defend his MIBO International title next month. Taking place this year on February 16-18, the former World Champion won the inaugural running of the new international event in 2023 and will return to the popular Sports V Hotel race location in Hrotovice aiming for 2 from 2. The German faces strong opposition with newly crowned 1:12 World Champion Michal Orlowski confirmed to head Schumacher’s official team debut in the event with Yokomo’s Christopher Krapp returning after a tough 2023 encounter. Organised by former international touring car racer Michal Bok, the race brings together both electric onroad and offroad racing on two tracks build side by side by the team from Mibosport. With everything from the track, restaurant, bowling alley and hotel rooms all under one roof, the venue was a hit with racers who travelled from 13 different countries last year. With a capped entry limit the relaxed schedule also means plenty of time in the evening to wind down and socialise over dinner after each day’s racing. With the onroad track catering for Modified, Stock & FWD Touring cars plus Formula, the Offroad track will see action for 2WD and 4WD Buggy as well an open class of ‘Offroad Kids’ that gives the future stars of racing an opportunity to be a part of this international event. Red RC is looking forward to making the return trip to Czech to kick off our 2024 season of race coverage.

Source: MIBO [mibosport.com]

January 18, 2024

Historic Crystal Palace track needs your help

Having been around since the 1970 and witnessed decades of racing to become one of the UK’s most historic RC track, the Crystal Palace Model Car track in South London is now in need of the RC Communities help to ensure its future existence. Proposed regeneration plans threaten to replace the track with a football pitch but the BRCA, the British Governing body for radio control car racing, are looking for your support in signing a petition to try and have the track saved within the regeneration plans. European body EFRA has also got behind supporting the petition in the knowledge that local tracks at a vital future lifeline for RC Racing. Our own journey here at Red RC into RC racing came about when with our father we accidentally came across an RC track and immediately told him ‘we want one of the them’. One less track is one less opportunity for people to go racing so show your support for the track by signing the petition here.

Source: BRCA [brca.org]