Red RC » International

April 9, 2023

Bermudez wins inaugural Montpellier GP Brushless

Having won SuperPole yesterday to become the Top Qualifier, Rémy Bermudez has won the inaugural Montpellier GP Brushless in France. Xray’s young talent had a tough start to finals day at Circuit du Mini Bolide Montpellierain as the first of the four A-Main Legs resulted in a DNF while the HB Racing of Theo Lemaire took the win from the Infinity of Riccardo Berton. Resetting for Leg 2, Bermudez resumed normal service winning the 10-minute encounter by 1-second from Berton. Having had issues of his own in qualifying yesterday, leaving him 9th on the grid, Bruno Coelho would come through for the Leg 3 win but in the decider it was Bermudez who delivered the win to secure the overall title ahead of Berton with Coelho completing the podium. Behind, Lemaire took fourth ahead of Mayako’s David Ronnefalk and Tekno’s Marco Baruffolo.

Image: Xray [Facebook]

April 8, 2023

Bermudez Top Qualifier at Montpellier GP Brushless

Young French talent Rémy Bermudez will lead away the A-Mains at the Montpellier Brushless GP tomorrow after the Xray driver won the SuperPole battle from Marco Baruffolo to be declared Top Qualifier at the inaugural running of the event. With the Nitro edition of the Montpellier Grand Prix holding the long standing honours of being the event to kickstart the annual outdoor buggy racing season in Europe, the first electric edition has attracted a strong international field with the Infinity of Italy’s Riccardo Berton topping the ranking after the four rounds of qualifying. Topping Q2 & 3 he was followed the Tekno of fellow countryman Baruffolo, fastest in Q4, with Bermudez ending up third overall having topped the opening qualifier. Two time European eBuggy Champion David Ronnefalk would take his Mayako to P4. In Superpole Bermudez would be the only driver to record a 33-second lap topping the battle from Baruffolo. The A-Mains will be run over four legs with each driver’s best three to count.

Image: Circuit du MBM [Facebook]

April 4, 2023

Hamon wins 1:8 GT Worlds Warm-up Race

Serpent team driver Jeff Hamon took the win at a rain effect 1:8 GT World Championship Warm-up Race over the weekend. The 1:10 and 1:8 Nitro Onroad World finalist, would top 4 of the 6 rounds of qualifying at the John Grant International Raceway in Sydney to secure the overall TQ ahead of another of Australia’s international nitro racers and World finalists Peter Jovanovic. The Capricorn driver topping Q2 with the Xray of Michael Stone the only other driver to top a round when he was fastest in the final qualifier. Posting three Top 3 runs Tim Moylan’s Mugen would qualify third and unfortunately the arrival of rain meant racing couldn’t progress passed the Semi Finals and so the result was declared on qualifying. As well being the official Warm-up Race for the second running of the IFMAR 1:8 GT World Championships which are scheduled for October 08-15, the race was also the NSW Onroad State Title decider. In 1:10 Brayden Stanley took his Infinity to the win in the 30 minute final ahead of David Chen and Tate Firth while in 1:8 Jovanovic took the title based off qualifying from Leigh Dytor and Tim Moylan.

Image: NSWRCRCC [Facebook]

April 3, 2023

Phend & Fuller double at 2023 Psycho Nitro Blast

Dakotah Phend was the big winner of the Psycho Nitro Blast over the weekend, the TLR driver taking the top prize in both Nitro and Electric Buggy. The 16th running of PNB, the Tennessee indoor event attracted 767 entries meaning just two rounds of qualifying with Phend topping both Nitro rounds from Spencer Rivkin to secure the overall TQ. Third in both qualifiers Brandon Rose secured 3rd ahead of Ryan Maifield and Jared Tebo. In eBuggy, Rivkin and Phend took one round each but on tie break it was the Team Associated driver who was the Top Qualifier with defending champion Mason Fuller 3rd from Ryan Lutz. In the single 10-minute eBuggy final, Phend found his way to the front after four laps after both he and Rivkin lost position early on. In the end Phend would finish 2.8-seconds clear of Rivkin with the Tekno of 10th place qualifier Seth VanDalen coming through for third. Concluding the 2023 Psycho Nitro Blast, the 45-minute Nitro Final saw Phend capitalise on his TQ to take the win by 10-seconds from Fuller and Rose with Maifield 4th. Fuller would do the double in Truggy, the HB Racing driver taking the Nitro win from the TQ ahead of Phend and in eTruggy he lead a Fuller 1-2 from Kaden who had taken the overall TQ.

Image: JConcepts [Facebook]

April 2, 2023

Tironi & Branson winners at Ielasi Tuned Trophy

Francesco Tironi and British visitor Kyle Branson were the winners of the 2023 Ielasi Tuned Trophy. First hosted by former World Champion Daniele Ielasi in 2O15, the annual Ielasi Tuned Trophy again attracted a quality international field to the Northern Italian Leno track. Unfortunately rain meant no finals could be run with the final results being declared on the outcome of qualifying. In 1:8, it would be the Infinity of Tironi that had the edge over Mugen’s Robert Pietsch over the 4-minute qualifiers. Former Trophy winner Toni Gruber managed P3 with his Capricorn just ahead of team-mate Mirko Salemi. In 1:10, it was the Xray of Branson who set the pace in qualifying to be the Top Qualifying ahead of the Serpent of Matteo Passetti and Capricorn of Stefan Chodzynski.

View 1:10 Trophy presentation image here

March 30, 2023

IFMAR World Cup 1:8 Electric Buggy – Announcement

IFMAR has announced details of the first ever World Cup for 1:8 Electric Buggy. While 1:8 nitro has enjoyed World Championship status since 1986, the World Cup will be the first step for the electric category to become a World Championship category in 2025. The World Cup event will take place on September 22-24 and be hosted by the Club ACDB “OS BEIROES” at their 310m track in Guarda, Portugal. The track previously hosted the 2010 EFRA European 1:8 Nitro Buggy Championship when Reno Savoya took the third of his European titles. While taking place only one week after the 1:10 Offroad World Championships at Hobby Action in the USA, the 1:8 Electric Buggy World Cup is still expected to be well supported by the industry given the growing future importance of the category. View Stage 1 report here.

Source: IFMAR [imfar.org]

March 21, 2023

Tebo announces ‘2023 will be last year as a ‘professional driver’

Jared Tebo has announced that 2023 will be his last year racing as a professional driver. One of the true stars of the sport enjoying a very lengthy reign as as one of the best offroad racers in the world, the American has said 2023 will be his ‘farewell tour’. The now 36 year old arrived on the RC scene at the age of 13 and since then has lived the ultimate dream of any young kid starting out in racing. Making the ‘tough decision’, he said he is ‘fully content’ with his racing career and feels that he has nothing else ‘left to prove’ but mentally he is not enjoying the mindset needed to race competitively at the elite level. Having had the opportunity to work with Jared for over half of his racing career, the first time being when he was Top Qualifier at the 2010 IFMAR 1:8 Offroad World Championship in Thailand, Red RC congratulations Jared on his racing achievements and would like to say thank you for all the racing entertainment over the years. We look forward to working with him in his future journey in the industry.

Read Jared’s full announcement here

March 19, 2023

Jeff Wang crowned FEMCA 1:8 Buggy Champion

Taiwanese driver Jeff Wang is the 2023 FEMCA 1:8 Buggy Champion, the Ming Yang team driver winning the prestigious Asian title from the Xray of young Korean talent Hyunkyu Jung. Hosted by Taiwan Radio Control Car Association at the 66 RC Racing Track, named after its location under the No.66 highway bridge, the event attracted an entry of 142 drivers representing 10 countries from the FEMCA Bloc. In qualifying 23-year-old Wang would secure the overall TQ after topping three of the 6 rounds with Hyunkyu Jung classified second with two TQ runs. The only other to top the timing sheets, Taiwan’s Wang Guan Ling would complete the Top 3. Wining his Semi final from Thailand’s Witsarut R., 13-year-old Hyunkyu Jung would be on pole for the 50-minute final with a faster winning time than that of Wang who won his 30-minute encounter from the Sparkco buggy of 11-year-old Huang Han Ping. In the 50-minute Main Final, it would be Wang who would come out on top with his SH Engines powered MY1 having 2-lap margin over Jung. Winner of the separately run 20-minute ‘Teenage Final’ held earlier in the day, Jung crossed the finish just 1.1-seconds ahead of Wang Guan Ling who completed podium in Taoyuan.

Image: Tiger Chang Lien Sheng