Red RC » Racing

November 3, 2023

Reunited after 15 years – Hara, Miura & the D8

15-years ago one of the icons of our sport claimed a race win that to this day he describes as the ‘highlight’ of his illustrious racing career. That driver was Atsushi Hara and the race in question was the 2008 IFMAR 1:8 Offroad World Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina. As anyone who races nitro well knows, it is very much a team sport. Today here in Japan, on the penultimate day of the 1:8 Onroad Worlds, that World title conquering combo of Hara, legendary race mechanic Masayuki Miura and the winning Hot Bodies D8 buggy were reunited for the first time in a decade and a half. As Red RC was in its infancy and didn’t cover its first 1:8 Offroad World Championship until 2-years later in Thailand, it was an opportunity to recreate the winning team photo of 2008 with our good friends Hara and Miura and do a ‘Retro Chassis Focus’ on the historic buggy.

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November 2, 2023

Kurzbuch is Top Qualifier in Japan

Eight years on from TQ’ing in Brazil on en-route to becoming the 2015 World title, Mugen Seiki driver Simon Kurzbuch is again the Top Qualifier at the IFMAR 1:8 Onroad World Championship. Four drivers, all World Champions, went into the sixth & final round of qualifying at the Infinity International RC Speedway in Japan with a chance of the overall TQ. Q1 winner Dario Balestri was the first driver to go by the wayside, his car coming to stop half way through the qualifier. Next it was Q2 pace setter Toni Gruber who came to a halt a minute later. That left just Kurzbuch and Shoki Takahata in the battle although the later wasn’t on a good run. All the while 17-year-old World Championship debutant Kouki Kato surprised them all snatching the TQ for the round ahead of Kurzbuch but with two TQ runs to go with his P2 it was the Swiss ace who goes into the history books as the Top Qualifier of the 23rd running of the sport’s original World Championship. With his TQ run, him being the fifth different driver to do so over the six rounds, Offroad racer Kato put his Infinity into the Super Pole. This was duly won by Dario Balestri who denied defending World Champion Takahata a direct spot in the final alongside Kurzbuch. First to go the Mugen driver ran a best lap of 13.633 which neither Kato or Toni Gruber could better but last to go Balestri needed just three laps to produce a 13.518 to win a feat he also achieved at the 1:10 World Championship in Thailand 12-months ago.

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November 2, 2023

Kurzbuch repeats in penultimate qualifier

Mugen Seiki’s Simon Kurzbuch has become the first driver to repeat a TQ run at the 1:8 Onroad World Championship as he made it two in a row in the penultimate round of qualifying in Japan. The Swiss driver managed the run perfectly as Infinity’s Naoto Matsukura pushed him for the TQ but on the last lap the Japanese driver once again ran out of fuel. This handed Dario Balestri the second fastest time, the Infinity driver just 3/10ths off. More than a second back, a big margin at these World Championships, Toni Gruber would complete the Top 3 just ahead of defending Champion Shoki Takahata with everything still to play for in the sixth & final round of qualifying at the Infinity International RC Speedway.

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November 2, 2023

JConcepts S2 Schumacher LD3 body

JConcepts has released its popular S2 body for the recently introduced Schumacher LD3 1:10 2WD Buggy. The S2 is a performer straight out of the package and includes the Carpet | Turf rear wing to help deliver results on any racing circuit. Slammed overall height allows the S2 to whisk through the turns with a low centre of mass while the progressive cab design provides plenty of front-end force for superior balance and steering. A channeled roof directs the flow through the center of the body while also increasing the rigidity of cockpit. The dual side-window design that has become famous on the JConcepts bodies remains to bring a traditional feel to the layout. The upper side-pods feature distinct vents used to help relieve hot air build-up inside the body for those high-powered runs or hot days at the track. Carved and detailed side-pods edge the body giving the highly aero unit a stylish look with a tight fit and finish.

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November 1, 2023

Takahata takes Q3 as Balestri holds overnight TQ

In a thrilling first day of qualifying at the 1:8 Onroad World Championship, Mugen Seiki’s Shoki Takahata has TQ’d the third round of qualifying becoming the third different driver/manufacturer combo to top the times in Japan. The reigning World Champion capitalised on the cooling evening conditions to set the fastest time of the day ahead of Infinity’s Dario Balestri with Capricorn’s Toni Gruber completing the Top 3. Opening qualifying with a TQ run, it is Balestri who holds the overnight TQ at Infinity International RC Speedway ahead of Gruber who topped the second round of qualifying. With Takahata holding P7 in the ranking, his day not starting out well with a crash in Q1 and DNF in Q2, it is 17-year-old Kouki Kato who is the top Japanese driver sitting in third following an impressive second fastest time run in Q2.

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November 1, 2023

JConcepts RM2 1:8 Offroad carbon bodyshell washers

Under the RM2 product line, JConcepts has released 1:8 offroad carbon fibre bodyshell washers. Adding carbon fibre never hurts, in the case of body mounts, you can protect the geometry of placement holes with the RM2 body shell washers. The thinly sliced carbon with adhesive backing is ideal to place in flat areas where additional reinforcement is needed. Due to the nature of carbon, it’s difficult to bend, so flat surfaces are recommended for application. Being a handy racer, the items can always be modified, cut, or relocated to better fit the needs. The inside diameter is set for an 8mm body post hole while the outer diameter is set to a much larger size to accommodate body geometry. Two of the pieces are slotted for movement and traditional chassis flex found on 1:8 offroad vehicles.

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November 1, 2023

Major IFMAR reshuffle in Japan

While most of the attention is on the track at the IFMAR 1:8 Onroad World Championship in Japan, in one of the track offices there was a major reshuffle of the sport’s governing body taking place yesterday at the IFMAR AGM. A heated and lengthy meeting, with a number of participants joining remotely via webcam, there was a major changing of the guard with only long time serving IFMAR representative Sander de Graff of EFRA giving some continuity. Current IFMAR President Jeff Parker together with Carlos Gomez and Frank Mostrey, the Belgian having announced his retirement prior to the meeting, will be replaced by Eric Anderson, Tim Caporal & Bob Ingersol, all of ROAR, and Clive Silva of FEMCA. With Parker’s role as President set to end with the conclusion of these World Championships in Japan on Saturday, it is widely expected that well known electric onroad racer Eric Anderson, who made the trip to Japan for the AGM, will become the new IFMAR President.

November 1, 2023

Gruber takes 2nd qualifier at World Championship

In another dramatic qualifier at the 1:8 Onroad Worlds in Japan, Capricorn’s Toni Gruber took the second round TQ. Having opened qualifying with a TQ run Dario Balestri wouldn’t even make the start of Q2, his engine expiring in the warm-up. Having led Q1 until he ran out of fuel on the final lap, Simon Kurzbuch would flame out very early on and then when it looked like Naoto Matsukura was on for the TQ of the second round he too ran out of fuel. All this allowed Gruber to take the TQ ahead of the Infinity of Kouki Kato and the Sahashi brothers who ran their times in the second fastest heat – Tadahiko faster than Yuya. After a strong first qualifier, finishing P3, Jessie Davis was on for another Top 3 performance but trying to make a pass on Serpent’s Andrea Catanzani, the Italian made contact with the Infinity driver ruining both their qualifiers and earning Catanzani a time penalty.

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