February 27, 2024

Lucas Urbain – ‘Hiring Marc pi$$€d me off’

While racers are not known for always agreeing, one thing all the professional team drivers do agree on is that the TITC is the most difficult race in the world!  After the World Championships, this annual Bangkok based race has become the most significant electric touring car title drivers can secure.  Racing at the TITC you are putting yourself on a World class stage with the best in the business with the additional unique element of every driver having had the opportunity to complete days of pre race practice, something that eats into your excuses when the race doesn’t go your way.  So for these reasons it might not be the first race of choice at which to make your international race debut as the newest member of the full time professional driver ranks but that is exactly what Lucas Urbain will do later this week.  At the age of 34, Urbain will tell you himself that the opportunity to become a full time professional racer ‘came out of the blue’ adding ‘the idea was never a topic we talked about’.  An announcement on February 2nd however from Awesomatix changed all that and now this popular French racer switches from a decade of working in signalling with the French railway network to living every young RC racers dream of travelling the world racing and getting paid for the privilege.  Lucas’ journey to becoming a ‘Pro’ is an interesting one that started in 2000 when a certain Adrien Bertin came to his home town of Longwy and gave a demo with a 1:8 Nitro Onroad car.  That was the moment Lucas was ‘blown away’ by radio controlled cars and with his parents getting him his first RC car from a local hobby shop for Christmas that year, the seed was sown for his 24-year long road to obtaining the job description of Pro RC Racer.

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February 26, 2024

Pålsson & Ronnefalk win at Euro Buggy Masters

Schumacher’s Jessica Pålsson and Xray’s David Ronnefalk took the spoils at the annual Euro Buggy Masters in Sweden, this year’s event also doubling up as the Warm-up Race for the EFRA 1:10 Offroad European Championships.  In 2WD it was the Xray of Hampus Berg who took the TQ after taking two of the five qualifiers.  Behind the Swede it was Pålsson fastest in Q2 who would start second ahead of Sworkz’ Joern Nuemann, Ronnefalk and the Associated of reigning European Champion Marcus Kaerup.  In 4WD it was Ronnefalk was Top Qualifier over  Kaerup, both drivers recording two TQ runs each.  Fastest in the final round Pålsson would complete the Top 3 on the grid from Berg.  In Sunday’s finals it was Pålsson who took the first A-Main as Berg had a DNF.  Berg would bounce back to take A2 and leading A3 with with 30 seconds to go he taken out from behind dropping to fourth handing the overall win to Pålsson as the A3 win secured Ronnefalk the final podium placing at the Malmo based event.  In 4WD, Ronnefalk failed to capitalised on starting out front in A1 with a mistake ending his challenge and allowing Kaerup to take the win.  He would reset for A2 however and convert pole into wins in A2 and 3 to claim the overall ahead of Kaerup and Pålsson.

Image: Jessica Pålsson Motorsport [Facebook]


February 26, 2024

Ryan Maker – ‘Using this World stage as a test ground is both the most exciting and nervous thing I have done.’

Growing up I was a huge fan of Formula 1 and always tended to supported the underdogs. Pre-qualifying was my favourite part of the Grand Prix weekend and my favourite team was Zakspeed.  That interest in the German team stemmed from an article in an F1 Magazine that compared the Zakspeed team and its budget to that of the all conquering McLaren.  In the article it covered how the high cost of wind tunnel testing meant Zakspeed’s small budget forced them to come up with an alternative and they used a water tunnel that was used by boat manufacturers to test hull designs.  Racing 1:8 Onroad nitro at the time, in the form of a very basic Team Associated RC250, I was inspired by the Zakspeed story I wanted to build my own R/C car and become a ‘Constructor’.

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February 24, 2024

Hills Offroad RC announced as 1:10 Offroad Worlds host

RCRA, the governing body of RC racing in Australia, has announced the Hills Offroad RC track as the host venue for the 2025 IFMAR 1:10 Electric Offroad World Championships.  With it the turn of the FEMCA Bloc to host the championships, Australia was awarded the 20th running of the category’s biggest prize during the 2023 World Championships in Arizona, with a number of tracks emerging as candidates for the event.  Based in the Castle Hill suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, the hosting of the WC will coincide with the 40th anniversary of the Hills Offroad RC club which was founded the same year as IFMAR hosted the first ever 1:10 Offroad Worlds – 1985 in Del Mar, USA.  One of the premier offroad track in the country, the club has hosted the Australian Nationals and will do so again this year along with the NSW State titles.  While Worlds dates have still to be confirmed but expected to be between September & November, making the announcement RCRA posted, ‘It is now with Great Pleasure we can announce that Hills Off Road RC has been formally selected as official venue of the 2025 IFMAR 1:10 Off Road Electric World Championships on behalf of FEMCA as the Host Bloc!  We would like to extend a big congratulations to Peter Couper and the rest of the Hills Off Road Club for presenting a very strong submission that will form the basis of the Stage 1 Report to be presented to IFMAR for Final Approval.’

Source: Hills Offroad RC [Facebook]


February 18, 2024

Neumann takes surprise 2WD win at MIBO

Joern Neumann came out the surprise winner of 2WD Buggy at MIBO International, the Sworkz driver having lined up 5th on the grid for the three action packed A-Mains at the Czech Republic race.  With team-mate Micha Widmaier leading the challenge of the Sworkz team in qualifying, holding the overnight TQ and one of four drivers to go into Sunday morning’s fifth & final qualifier in contention for pole position, Neumann was running well under the radar.  The first of the finals changed all that as the multiple European Champion picked up the pieces as those ahead cracked under the pressure and he took the win, even the German himself having a smile of surprise on his face as he went to out marshal afterwards.  A2 was a similarly incident filled race, this time Neumann following home the Xray of fourth place qualifier Martin Bayer to finish P2 helped by late contact between the top 2 qualifiers Daniel Kobbevik and Joona Haatanen.  Top Qualifier Kobbevik would finally deliver in A3 taking his Schumacher to the win ahead of Widmaier but a late incident between Bayer and Haatanen who define the outcome of the podium.  Running second at the time and with a faster winning time than Neumann, the incident cost Bayer the overall win as he finished 3rd on tie break with Kobbevik as Neumann became the Champion of the second edition of the MIBO International.

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February 18, 2024

Orlowski adds MIBO International to tally

Schumacher’s Michal Orlowski has added the MIBO International race to his 2024 winning tally with victory ahead of 2023 Champion Ronald Volker.  The current benchmark in both onroad and offroad carpet racing but unable to do offroad  at the unique Czech event due to a lack of mechanic, Orlowski dominated proceedings in Modified Touring Car.  Taking TQ honours after 3 round of qualifying, but completing the clean sweep by taking Q4 & 5,  in the opening A-Main he checked out early his prototype Schumacher finishing 2.5-second clear of Volker’s Mugen.  A2 would start with Volker looking a lot more of a challenger and running close enough to give Orlowski the first bit of pressure of the weekend.  A tyre additive driven improvement, unfortunately the advantage faded in the second half of the race and Orlowski again cruised to win and the overall MIBO International from Volker with Xray’s Jan Ratheisky completing the podium in Hrotovice.

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February 18, 2024

Kobbevik & Zalewski secure TQ honours at MIBO

Schumacher’s Daniel Kobbevik and Xray’s Bartosz Zalewski are the buggy Top Qualifiers at MIBO International.  While the TQ honours on the onroad track were settled yesterday with Michal Orlowski dominating proceedings, it was an intense fifth & final qualifier this morning on the offroad track with four drivers vying for pole position.  In 2WD Buggy it was Sworkz’s Micha Widmaier who led away the decider from Xray’s Martin Bayer, Kobbevik and Team Associated’s Joona Haatanen.  Under pressure, with Kobbevik quickly on his rear wing, it was Bayer who was first to bow out with a mistake.  Shortly after Widmaier’s challenge was over with the two Scandinavians continuing the battle with Kobbevik getting it done by 6/10th as P2 secured Haantanen second on the grid ahead of Widmaier and Bayer.  In 4WD,  it was a three way battle which quickly became two as Kobbevik pulled up after a mistake.  A mistake from Bayer then took the pressure off Zalewski and last year’s 2WD Top Qualifier took the round and a 4WD pole position this time round.

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February 17, 2024

Bayer on provisional MIBO TQ in 4WD

Martin Bayer is the provisional Top Qualifier overnight at MIBO International, the Xray driver being denied locking in the overall TQ with a mistake that allowed Schumacher’s Daniel Kobbevik to top the fourth round and be part of the battle for pole position tomorrow morning in Q5.  Posting a TQ run in Q1 and Q3, Bayer was on target for a third in Q4 but keying an eye on the very fast Sworkz of Micha Widmaier and distracted by a mistake from the overnight 2WD TQ holder, Bayer made a mistake that cost him more than 3-seconds allowing Kobbevik to grab max points.  With Bayer still managing a P2 2.6-seconds off Kobbevik, the Top 3 would be completed by Team Associated’s Joona Haatanen but the Finn won’t contend for the overall TQ in Q5, instead it will be Bartosz Zalewski who is part of the three way fight.  The double runner up here last year to Bruno Coelho, the young Polish talent was on a competitive Q4 run until be popped a steering link.

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