Red RC » Racing

January 4, 2024

Sontag to run Team Trinity electronics

As widely expected it has been announced that newly crowned 1:10 2WD World Champion Tater Sontag is to run Team Trinity electronics in his Team Losi Racing buggies. Having announced his departure from his previous electrics sponsor Fantom Racing just before Christmas, the move to the now Horizon Hobby owned brand was a logical one and sees the 16-year-old now running the same combo as TLR team-mate Dakotah Phend. In the rather low fanfare announcement on its Facebook page Trinity simply posted, ‘Tater Sontag, Current 2WD World Champion, Joins Team Trinity!’.

Source: Team Trinity [Facebook]

January 3, 2024

Team Associated RC10B7 2WD Buggy

Team Associated has released its latest incarnation of the legendary RC10 1:10 2WD Buggy with the new B7 Team Kit. Starting with the original RC10, Team Associated has been at the leading edge of 1:10 scale 2WD off road for the last 40 years and are proud to introduce this next generation RC10 to the world—the RC10B7. 40 years has seen a lot of development and changes, with each generation being a step forward from the last. The RC10B7 is no exception, boasting new long-arm suspension geometry, weight-centralised electronics layout, KPI adjustable steering blocks, and increased tunability throughout the whole chassis. These innovations have increased the potential for grip and corner speed, which leads to faster lap times and an overall easier-to-drive feel than the previous generation. The RC10B7 is the recommended starting kit for those who plan to race on carpet, astroturf, and some high-grip sealed clay tracks. This kit comes equipped with an all-new gear differential, front and rear anti-roll bars, and an optimised high-grip setup which includes stiffer springs and higher pack shock pistons. As with previous generations, the RC10B7 and RC10B7D feature fully interchangeable parts between the two kits, which allows the user to pick and choose what configuration they want to use depending on track conditions. Both versions come with the same durability, speed, and lineage of a champion that is found in any Team Associated race platform.

View Key Features and more images here

January 3, 2024

Sworkz confirm team for MIBO International debut

Sworkz has confirmed it will be sending its team to this year’s MIBO International Race in Czech Republic. The second running of the event that sees some of the World’s top offroad and onroad drivers race side by side on two large indoor carpet tracks, this will be Sworkz first time attending the 2 and a half day event. Taking place on February 16-18, with practice starting on the Friday evening, multiple European Champion Joern Neumann, Micha Widmaier and Antonia Kovalszki, who all attended the World Championships in Arizona in September, will represent the brand on its debut. A long time dream of former International Touring Car racer Michal Bok to host his own major international event in Hrotovice, the first edition of MIBO International last year saw multiple World Champion Bruno Coelho take double buggy honours at the Sport V Hotel venue while former World Champion Ronald Volker was crowned the Touring Car Champion. After the success of inaugural event, the 2nd edition looks set to attract an even stronger international team entry and Red RC will be there to bring you coverage from both tracks.

Source: MIBO [mibosport.com]

January 3, 2024

Euro Buggy Masters/Euros Warm-up – Announcement

The organisers of the annual Euro Buggy Masters in Sweden have announced that the indoor event will double up this year as the Warm-up Race for the EFRA 1:10 Offroad European Championships. A club based in the south of the country, Furulund RC Klubb has secured use of a massive almost 4000 seater indoor sport hall in the city of Malmo for the 2024 edition of the EBM. Taking place from February 23-25, the track will be built using completely new EOS carpet to create a bespoke track layout giving all drivers the same track time and opportunity for a close and fair racing. Last held in November 2022 when Michal Orlwski took the 4WD win and Jessica Pålsson took the 2WD honours, the race moves to the start of the season this year on February 23-25 as the club hosts the European Championships from September 23-28.

Source: Furulund RCK [frck.se]

January 2, 2024

Zanchettin joins Xray

Xray has announced that multiple Italian National Champion Alex Zanchettin is joining its team and will race their XB8 platform. Zanchettin had previously raced for the Mayako team signing for them at the beginning of 2022 but in 2023 made an appearance as part of the ongoing Infinity Offroad project when he joined lead driver Riccardo Berton for The Italian Race during the Summer. Commenting on the Xray announcement Zanchettin said, “I’m so proud to join such prestigious and ambitious brand like Xray. I always looked up to Xray for dedication to work and for their winning attitude and I’m sure that hard work and their top quality products will be the key to achieve our common goals. Can’t wait to see you all at the track again”.

Source: Xray [teamxray.com]

January 2, 2024

2024 EFRA Homologated Motor Lists

EFRA, the governing body for RC racing in Europe, has just published updated Homologated Motor lists for 2024 for all electric racing categories. Competitors looking to compete at Europrean Championship and EFRA GP events in 1:12, 1:10 Touring Cars and 1:10 Offroad classes can only use Brushless Motors that are included on the 2024 EFRA Homologation Lists, a procedure that began in 2016. When a motor (or rotor) has been approved and included on the relative list, the manufacturer must not change the technical specification, visual appearance or description. Any changes require a new part number and the motor (or rotor) will have to be resubmitted for approval. Drivers are also not allowed to make any changes to the motor, something that happened in Pro Stock at the 2022 European Championships when two driver’s motors were ‘found not to comply with the submitted samples to the EFRA Spec Homologation Lists’ promoting Olivier Bultynck to Champion. Homologation has caused a number of manufacturers issues recently with team drivers having to switch motors or batteries at recent World Championships as their sponsors’ where not IFMAR approved. ROAR, the North American governing body, has had a number of high profile cases where motors where randomly purchased and tested and found to not meet the specification of the original submitted motor that was approved for its sanctioned events. A standard many independent races run by, the offending motors had their motors removed from the approved list. View the full EFRA Motor Homologation lists here.

Source: EFRA [efra.ws]

January 2, 2024

Tessman calls time on career after 20-years of racing

2014 1:8 Buggy World Champion Ty Tessman has called time on an impressive career that puts him up there among the greats of offroad racing. The Canadian announced the decision to retire from the sport after 20-years of racing as he is set to become a father in 2024. Never an easy decision for any sports professional who has dedicate their live to achieving success, the decision by Xray to drop him at the end of 2023 after a 7-year partnership would certainly have played a factor in his departure from the sport. A driver who only represented two manufacturers during his extensive career, Tessman paid tribute to Hot Bodies for giving him the opportunity to turn professional in the sport with his father Gord and mother Leann a pivotal part of the ‘Team Tessman’ journey, the highlight of which was his World title win in Italy 10-years ago. Having witnessed and reported on many of Ty greatest wins over the years, Red RC would like to thank the Tessmans for the memories (late cold nights at the Dirt Nitro Challenge pitting in the Pro-Line tent particular stand outs!!) of some epic race battles and wish Ty all the best in his new family life. Who knows maybe the story will repeat itself in years to come.

Read Ty’s full announcement here

December 30, 2023

JConcepts Finnisher polycarbonate pre-trimmed 1:8 wing

JConcepts has introduced a new Finnisher polycarbonate pre-trimmed 1:8 offroad rear wing. Responding to the wing development, it has come up with a technically advanced alternative for 1:8 racing. The wing features a brand-new design incorporating a multi-height layout which allows the wing to sit in a lower stance. The side-dams feature a surface which has a recessed section for increasing rigidity. The pre-trimmed polycarbonate wing formed in heavy-duty material, has been in the JConcepts line previously as the “Hybrid” wing. Now, it has been refined with taller side-dams, and taller rear gurney. Angular sections blend nicely into the high-performance shape giving a location for that initial step and transition to the wing’s gurney position. At the rear of the wing rests 7 individual ribs which support the wing’s upper section as it transitions to the gurney. The wing is extremely light weight, formed in 1.5mm polycarbonate, the Finnisher has a lot of competition elements rolled into one.

View wing mounted here