Red RC » National

September 2, 2024

Sontag claims ROAR 1:8 eBuggy title

Team Losi Racing’s Tater Sontag is the new ROAR 1:8 eBuggy National Champion, the 1:10 2WD World Champion claiming the title at G’s RC Raceway in Pennsylvania over the weekend. In qualifying it was the Team Associated of Spencer Rivkin who secured the overall TQ topping 3 of the 5 rounds of qualifying. Fastest in Q1, Sontag would line up second with the Xray of Chase Lemieux completing the Top 3 with a TQ run in Q3. In the triple finals, A1 would see Sontag make a pass on Rivkin on the opening lap before the Top Qualifier went out of the race after an early off that left a rear wheel hanging off his buggy. Winning by over 5-seconds from Lemieux, in A2 Sontag would again took the early lead which he held for the 7-minutes to wrap up the title, last year won by the absent Ryan Maifield. With Horne winning A3, the Team Associated driver would finish runner-up with Tekno’s Spencer Heckert completing the podium. In Electric Truck (eTruggy), it was Sontag who took the TQ from Rivkin. A1 saw Sontag convert but Rivkin would win A2 and 3 to take the title. The pair where joined on the podium by the Associated of Lee Setser.

Image: Team Trinity [Facebook]

August 26, 2024

Lutz big winner at LCRC Mugen Challenge

Ryan Lutz was the big winner at this year’s annual Mugen Challenge in Pennsylvania, the Kyosho driver taking three victories at the LCRC Raceway hosted event. In 1:8 Nitro Buggy it was the Tekno of former Mugen Challenge winner Ryan Maifield who secured the TQ ahead of Lutz. Over the half hour final the pair switched the lead a number of times with Lutz eventually coming out on top by 14-seconds with Xray’s Chase Lemieux coming through from P11 on the grid to complete the podium. In Nitro Truggy Lutz took the TQ ahead of Sworkz’ Joe Bornhorst before going to take the win by a lap from the Teknos of Jared Wiggins and Maifield. An event that attracted 477 entries, Lutz triple victory weekend also included the TQ & victory in eTruggy. The only defeat of the weekend for Lutz came in eBuggy. Having secured the TQ ahead of Maifield, it was third place qualifier Wiggins who got by for the win finishing 1.1-seconds ahead of Lutz at the end of the 10-minute encounter. Bornhorst claimed the final podium place 3-seconds up on Maifield.

Image: Ryan Lutz [Facebook]

August 22, 2024

Niko Saarinen crowned Finnish 1:8 Onroad Champion

Mugen Seiki driver Niko Saarinen is the 2024 Finnish 1:8 Onroad National Champion, the title being decided at the fourth & final round which took place in Hyvinkää over the weekend. Three drivers went into the final race still with a chance of the overall with drivers counting 3 from the four races with Pekka Koivula leading the standings from Niko Saarinen and the defending Champion Jere Saarinen. The race was run in tricky conditions with the track changing from wet to dry. Practice was run on a drying track but luckily when qualifying came around the track had dried up allowing for 2 rounds in the dry before the rain returned. Based off the dry runs it would be Niko Saarinen who took the TQ, from Panu VehniäinenI and Jere Saarinen. The main final was driven in drying conditions meaning everybody had to be very careful to not push over the limit. Niko took the early lead followed by VehniäinenI while there was a collision on the straight between Jere, Joona Lempiäinen and Koivula, which forced the Champion to change tyres due to a broken rim and while Lempiäinen required a bodyshell change. After 20 minutes Niko was till leading followed by Vehniäinen until the second placed driver ran into transmission problems and was forced to retire. Allowing Niko to take the win ahead of Jere with Lempiäinen completing the podium, overall Niko’s Max Power engined Mugen took the title ahead of the similar O.S powered car of Koivula. Also driving a Mugen, fitted with a Max Power engine,the outgoing champion complete the Top 3 ahead of the Infinity of Lempiäinen with Vehniäinen’s Mugen 5th.

Source: Teemu Saarinen

August 19, 2024

Hall adds 2WD to 2024 BRCA National titles

Having successfully defended his BRCA British 4WD Buggy National Championship title with his fourth consecutive race win at Round 4 at the end of June, Team Associated’s Tommy Hall has added the 2WD title to his 2024 tally at the championship’s 6th & final round over the weekend. Racing at Boughton Raceway, Hall and defending 27 time British National Championship Neil Cragg came into the final round equal on points following Cragg’s win at the penultimate round. In qualifying it was Hall who took the TQ over his main rival with Schumacher’s pairing of Ben Smith and Lee Martin lining up P3 & 4. Taking A1 & 2 ahead of Smith, Hall claimed his third win of the season allowing him to complete the title double, something Cragg was the last driver to pull off in 2019. Overall Smith would end the season as the 2WD Championship runner-up from Cragg, Martin and Holdsworth brothers Josh and Luke. In Sunday’s 4WD action Cragg would claim his first win of the season ahead of 13-year-old Daniel Pole to finish runner-up to Hall in the final standings.

Image: Schumacher [Facebook]

August 19, 2024

Hamon completes clean sweep at QLD Champs

Serpent’s Jeff Hamon completed a clean sweep of the Modified Touring Car class at the RC Maker RCRA EP Queensland State Titles over the winning, adding the title to the NSW State Titles he won earlier in the year. With the Bayside Radio Control Car Club hosted event attracting just shy of 100 entries, Hamon would secure the overall TQ after topping 3 of the 5 qualifiers. Making the trip from Singapore, factory Yokomo driver Nicolas Lee would be fastest in the other two qualifiers putting him second in the A-Main ahead of team-mate & defending Champion Simon Nicholson. Setting a new track record in qualifying, Hamon would wrap up the title by taking the first two A-Mains. Lee would win A3 to finish runner-up with Nicholson completing the podium after winning out on the tie breaker with new ARC signing Brayden Stanley. In 13.5T, Awesomatix’s Marcus Askell took the title.

Image: Jeff Hamon [Facebook]

August 19, 2024

Neumann adds 15th German 4WD National title

Sworkz’ Joern Neumann added yet another German National title to his CV over the weekend, the multiple European Champion taking the 1:10 4WD Buggy title for the 15th time at the distinctive blue surface ESV Bischofsheim outdoor track. Winning the title for the first time in 2005, in qualifying Neumann topped all 5 rounds to secure the TQ ahead of the Schumacher of 2021 Champion Marcel Schneider and Xray of Elias Jordan. In the triple finals that order would stay the same for the final podium line-up. Also racing in 2WD Stadium Truck, the results of both qualifying and the final was a repeat of 4WD Buggy, giving Neumann the double. The 2WD Buggy Nationals are held separately with Neumann the reigning Champion.

Image: Joern Neumann [facebook]

August 15, 2024

Dai crowned Chinese Touring Car Champion

Xray’s Jerry Dai is the new 2024 CMAC 1:10 Modified Electric Touring Car Chinese National Champion. With a weather storm washing out practice, drivers faced into very low grip conditions at FSR International Race Track for qualifying the next day. At the conclusion of the 3 rounds of qualifying it would be the Yokomo of Fong King from Hong Kong who took the TQ ahead of Dai. Over the triple A-Main, the first encounter would see King make an aggressive move that resulted in contact with Dai that saw them finish 3rd and 2nd respectively. In A2 King would retire after the first minute as Dai took the win from the Xray of Ren Jing Feng who qualified 5th on the grid. While King finally converted pole position into the win in A3 on this occasion from Feng with Dai P3, overall however second in A1 and the win in A2 was enough for Dai to take over the title of Chinese National Champion from Fangzhou “Rocket” Zhang who won on the return of the Nationals last year after a 3-year absence of the event. One point behind, King took second on tiebreaker from Feng who completed the podium.

Image: Jerry Dai [Facebook]

August 12, 2024

Rönick wins German 1:8 Nitro Buggy Nationals

Aaron Rönick is the new DMC German 1:8 Nitro Buggy National Champion, the Team Associated driver claiming the title for the first time at the 2-time European Championship host track of Sand am Main. In qualifying it was defending champion Berkan Kilic who took the TQ after 5 rounds of qualifying but on completing the Semi Finals it was his brother Burak who lined up on pole for Mugen Seiki followed by Berkan, Rönick and the Sworkz of Joern Nuemann. At the start of the 45-minute final Berkan would hit problems on lap one before eventually retiring just after the 10-minute mark. After their 1-2 finish last year, 2-time German Champion Burak was the next to retire with his race coming to an end just before 1/3 distance. Having taken the lead early on Rönick would stay out front to take his Ruddog Racing engined RC8B4.1 to the victory & title by almost a full lap from Nuemann with Sworkz team-mate Max Hesse completing the podium.

Image: Ruddog [ruddog.eu]