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February 13, 2023

2023 Philippine Masters track build revealed

The organisers of the Philippine Masters have after much hard work revealed the new Circulo Verde Race Track which will host one of Asia’s most high profile 1:8 Offroad events from April 27-30th. After a two year break due to Covid, 2023 will be 11th running of the event and 5-weeks of very hot work has resulted in the creation of this impressive sculpted track on the site which is located in the centre of the country’s capital Manila. This year will see reigning back to back World Champion Davide Ongaro and former World Champion Robert Batlle return to the Philippine Masters and lead the capacity 120 entries under the watchful eye of Race Director Scotty Ernst.

View more track images here

February 12, 2023

Ongaro dominates Montpellier GP

Davide Ongaro has opened the 2023 1:8 Offroad season proper in Europe with a dominant performance at the Montpellier GP in France. The Italian secured the overall TQ on Saturday and kicked off Sunday’s finals action with a win of his 20-minute Semi Final over Juan Carlos Canas that secured pole for the Main event. Winner of the other Semi Final, Elliot Boots would line up third on the grid behind his Sworkz team-mate Canas but they would be no match for the World Champion over the 1-hour decider. Setting the fastest lap of the final, the Team Associated driver would go on to lap the entire field at Circuit du MBM. Boots managed to get the better of Canas to finish half a lap up on the Spaniard as they lined up either side of Ongaro on the podium. Finishing fourth would be Infinity’s Riccardo Berton, the Italian have a lap over new Mayako signing Robert Batlle in fifth.

Image: RCMag [Facebook]

February 12, 2023

Orlowski wins 2023 Charity Race

Michal Orlowski has won this year’s ‘Charity Race’, the 2023 edition of the Italian race marking the 12th running of the annual event that has raised thousands of euros for local charities. Racing at the RC Landia indoor carpet track in Scandiano, the Schumacher driver took the TQ from team-mate Mattia Collina, both drivers notching up two TQ runs each from the four rounds of qualifying but with his Q2 pace the fastest time recorded it was Orlowki who would line up on pole position. In the finals, the Polish driver completed a clean sweep of wins while behind Collina and Luca Romagnoli had a close battle for P2. In the end it would be a Schumacher 1-2 with Collina getting the tie breaker to secure second with Romagnoli’s Xray completing the podium ahead of Germany’s Marco Kaufmann.

Image: Michal Orlowski [Facebook]

February 11, 2023

Ongaro Top Qualifier at Montpellier GP

The European 1:8 Offroad season kicks off this weekend with the traditional running of the Montpellier GP in France where Davide Ongaro is the Top Qualifier. The World Champion took the top spot in qualifier with TQ runs in Q2 and Q3 after the Team Associated driver opened proceedings with a P5. The opening qualifier would be topped by Sworkz’ Elliot Boots, the multiple European Champion backing that up with 3rd in the final round to secure 2nd overall. Boots’ team-mate & former Montpellier GP Champion Juan Carlos Canas ended qualifying third overall thanks to being 2nd fastest in Q1 and 3rd fastest in Q2. Kyosho’s Joao Figueiredo was next up ahead of Infinity’s Riccardo Berton with HB Racing’s Thomas Musso, who leads the French charge, completing the Top 6.

Image: File Image

February 5, 2023

Orlowski caps of double EOS title success with 4WD win

Michal Orlowski has capped off a double EOS title victory with the 4WD Buggy win at the season finale in Germany. The Schumacher driver had struggled in Saturday’s 2WD action as team-mate Broc Champlin took a debut win in the series in style from the TQ but still secured the overall title. Switching to 4WD however it was business as usual for the Polish driver as he topped all three rounds of qualifying. Starting the triple A-Main as Top Qualifier, he wrapped up his second 4WD victory of the season with wins in A1 & 2. Completing a very successful debut in the carpet surface series, American visitor Champlin made it a 1-2 for the British manufacturer. Taking the win in A3, Bartosz Zalewski from Poland completed the Round 3 podium for Xray.

Image: Michal Orlowski [Facebook]

February 3, 2023

Champlin impresses to take TQ on EOS debut

One way to impress your sponsors when they fly you half way across the World is to perform well and Broc Champlin has exceeded that by securing the overall TQ at the season finale of the Euro Offroad Series in Germany. Making his debut in the series, the American took his LRP powered Schumacher to the fastest time in all three rounds of 2WD Buggy qualifying on the carpet track. In Q1, Champlin topped the times from new team-mate and former series Champion Lee Martin and Sworkz Micha Widmaier. In the second round, the visitor was even quicker, this time fastest from Widmaier and European Champion Tommy Hall. Wrapping up the first day of action in Daun, Champlin made it three from three becoming the only driver to record 18 laps. Behind, Team Associated’s Marcus Kaerup posted the second fastest time of Q3 with reigning EOS Champion Michal Orlowski third fastest. With the 20-year-old from Las Vegas making his EOS debut from pole position, behind him Widmaier starts second with Martin 3rd followed by Orlowski, Kaerup and Hall.

Image: Jurgen Lautenbach [Facebook]

February 3, 2023

1:8 GT World Championship Stage 1 Report

New South Wales Radio Control Racing Car Club has published its Stage 1 for the IFMAR 1:8 GT World Championships it will host later this year in Australia. Only the second running of a World Championship for the category, the event takes place from the 8-15th of October at the ‘The John Grant International Raceway’. Renowned as the most technically challenging and fast flowing RC racing track in Australia, it is located approximately 28km from Sydney International Airport. The World Championship will have both controlled fuel and tyres with both being provided by Italian companies. The 16% nitro fuel will be supplied by RunnerTime while PMT will supply their Rally 1:8 Q03 tyre to competitors. While designated a Nitro World Championship, the host Country, with support from IFMAR, may, if sufficient interest is found, accommodate an Electric Powered GT class into the event. Joern Neumann is the reigning inaugural 1:8 GT World Champion, taking the title for Sworkz in Florida in January 2020. 1:8 GT has proven a growth area for a number of manufacturers with it enjoying strong levels of racing in certain countries. With plenty of different manufacturers with interests in the class, it is hoped that there will be strong support for the World Championship in Australia so the event can showcase the category. Red RC plan to be on hand to report on all the racing news from Down Under. To view Stage 1 report document click here.

Source: IFMAR [imfar.org]

February 3, 2023

Coelho to contest 1:12 World title

In a major boost for the IFMAR 1:12 World Championship, reigning Touring Car World Champion Bruno Coelho has announced his intentions to travel to Florida for the 21st running of the IFMAR’s second longest running World Championships. The factory Xray star unveiled his intentions at the famous Snowbirds National which is taking place this week when he revealed that in addition to racing Touring Car he would be also contest 1:12 at the iconic Florida race. Known for his ultra successful relationship with Francesco Martini of MonacoRC as his mechanic in Touring Car, the Portuguese driver has teamed up with 1:12 expert Paul Ciccarello to guide him through his first foray into the pan car category. Known for his versatility that includes being the reigning 4WD Buggy World Champion, Coelho has had no trouble adapting to 1:12 as he claimed a TQ run in the opening round of qualifying together with a TQ run in Touring Car. In the past 1:12 kicked off the week of onroad electric World Championships action and most of the touring car stars raced for the title but after South Africa in 2018, where Alexander Hagberg was the only touring car front runner to take on the event, which he duly won, it became a standalone event. In 2020, touring car legend Marc Rheinard took the title in England for a second time. With the US, where Marc won his first 1:12 title in 2014 ending Naoto Matsukura’s 6 year reigning of the category, a hot spot for 1:12 and now Coelho committing to the event, the category looks set to garner plenty of additional attention in 2023. Red RC will as part of our extensive 2023 World Championship coverage be travelling to Florida to tell the story of how the race unfolds.

Image: Xray [Facebook]