Red RC » Racing

June 24, 2025

Wins for Sawada and Coelho at SIGP Onroad Grand Prix

Sunpadow Batteries’ annual SIGP International Onroad Grand Prix took place over the weekend in Xiamen, China, where Infinity pairing Jin Sawada and Bruno Coelho took the big wins. In 1:10 Electric Touring Car it was Japanese driver Sawada who took the TQ ahead of the Xray of Singapore’s Nicolas Lee with Kouki Kato’s Infinity in P3. As the defending SIGP Champion, Coelho would line-up 5th for the triple finals. Fending off Coelho in A1, Sawada was able to win again in A2 to take the victory while winning A3 Coelho secured P2 with Lee completing the podium at the impressive 3-circle ARC International RC Racing Track. Making a return to his roots after a long absence from the category, in 1:8 Nitro Onroad Coelho would secure the TQ ahead of his Australian team-mate Jesse Davis and Andy Moore with former 1:10 Nitro Touring Car World Champion Meen V in fourth. After the Semi finals it was Capricorn driver Meen V who would start P2 behind Coelho but the Portuguese ace had lost none of his nitro skills and setting the fastest lap was able to take the win by 4-laps from Davis and Moore with Meen missing out on the podium in P4.

Image: Sunpadow [sunpadow.com]

June 23, 2025

Trio of ROAR 1:8 titles for Phend

Xray’s Dakotah Phend has pulled of a trio of ROAR National Championship titles ending a successful week of racing at the 2026 World Championship host track Thornhill Racing Circuit by taking the 1:8 Nitro Buggy title. Having won Nitro Truggy and eBuggy earlier in the week in Texas, getting to the big one Phend would secure the TQ ahead of Tekno pairing Seth VanDalen and Ryan Maifield, the defending 2024 double 1:8 offroad Champion. In the 1-hour final, the first 30-minutes saw Phend lead comfortably but then a flameout during a fuel stop promoted Maifield into the lead. On Phend’s return to the track, he chased down Maifield but mistakes prevented a pass, that was until the final 3-minutes. Maifield got the triple wrong and ended up on his roof allowing Phend back into a lead he would not relinquish. With Phend re-taking the title he last held in 2023, outgoing Champion Maifield took second 1.5-seconds back with the podium completed by VanDalen.

Image: JConcepts [jconcepts.net]

June 23, 2025

Beretta crowned new 1:8 GT European Champion

Genius Racing’s Filippo Beretta is the new EFRA 1:8 GT Nitro European Champion. Racing at the MRC Leipzig track in Germany, the Italian topped the opening three qualifiers to secure the TQ ahead of team-mate and 2022 & 2023 Champion Bernard-Alain Arnaldi. Topping the fifth & final qualifier Daniel Schepis secured third ahead of Andrea Catanzani, the Serpent having topped seeding. Missing the cut of directly qualifying for the 45-minute title deciding final, the Raptor of Alessio Mazzeo qualified P5 ahead of Capricorn’s Alex D’angelo. In the final it was very much Beretta who was in control however Catanzani found a way passed his fellow countryman with 5:30 on the clock. Crossing the finish just half a second ahead it looked like Catanzani was the new European Champion however in post race technical inspection his fuel tank failed and Beretta was declared the Champion of the 4th running of the European Championships. It would be an all Genius Racing podium with Leonardo Valente second and Arnaldi third. Travelling to Germany as the reigning Champion Natanaele Senesi would finish P4 having had issues in qualifying and ended up P11. Reigning World Champion Toni Gruber qualified 9th and like Senesi had to come through the Semi finals eventually finishing P7. In 1:8 Electric GT it was Xray’s Adam Izsay who the new Champion ahead of 2023 Champion Mazzeo with Schepis completing the podium.

Image: EFRA [Facebook]

June 23, 2025

Moto Obscura 8-32 Serrated Wheel Nuts

New from vintage racing accessories brand Moto-Obscura come these 8-32 serrated wheel nuts. Compatible with all vintage kit releases that use 8-32 threaded axles, the wheel nuts are machined from 7075 Aluminium Alloy and are completed with a sleek black anodised finish. Thanks to its sharp serrations, these wheel nuts are more secure than other types of locking nuts. You don’t need to crank down for them to grip the wheel and stay tight. Less torque on the nut also puts less thrust pressure on your bearings, which means they’ll spin freer and last longer too. Sold as a set of four, these serrated nuts require an 11/32 nut driver and fit any vehicle that uses standard 8-32 axles.

Source: Moto-Obscura [moto-obscura.com]

June 20, 2025

Sweep official 1:8 GT World Championship tyre supplier

As Chile continues its preparation for hosting the IFMAR 1:8 GT World Championships in September, the organisers have announced Sweep as the official tyre supplier. Racers will use the recently released D-SPEC GT 40 tyre. The organisers have been testing the tyre in various conditions with their advisors since January and ultimately made the decision after a comparison test with other options at the Club de Aeromodelos de Chile (CACH) in the past 2 weeks when weather conditions were similar to those expect in September. The main focus was performance, durability, quality and how long they took to reach optimum performance (considering that EP racing cannot afford to have a lengthy warm up period and tire warmers are not allowed).

Source: IFMAR Worlds Chile 2025 [ifmarworlds2025.com]

June 17, 2025

Kaerup doubles at NXC Grand Prix

Team Associated rising talent Marcus Kaerup had a successful weekend in his home country with a double win at the NXC Grand Prix. Hosted by Hillerød RC Racing at their track north of the Danish capital Copenhagen, the event has double in size since 2021 with this year’s edition attracting a record 188 entries drivers from Sweden, Norway, Germany, Iceland, England, and Denmark. As the defending Champion Kaerup secured the TQ after topping 3 of the 4 nitro qualifiers with Xray’s Hampus Berg second having topped Q4. Hampus would book his position directly into the 45-minute after winning Superpole. The Mugen Seiki of Pelle Culmsee line up 3rd having win his Semi final while winning the other Semi 15-year-old Oscar Berg’s Xray started P4. Kaerup carried his form into the final but was kept honest by Culmsee, the separation at the finish 8-seconds. Having dropped down the order early on Berg set the fastest lap of the race as the Swede recovered to complete the podium. In eBuggy Kaerup also took the TQ and win with Berg second and Culmsee third.

Image: Marcus Kaerup [Facebook]

June 16, 2025

Wins for Hall & Holdsworth – BRCA Nationals Round 3

Round 3 of the BRCA British 1:10 Offroad Nationals took place at Southport over the weekend where Tommy Hall and Josh Holdsworth took the wins. 2WD qualifying would see Team Associated’s reigning Champion Hall secure the TQ honours ahead of Schumacher’s Ben Smith, Xray’s Lee Martin and Associated’s Neil Cragg. In the finals Hall won the opening two encounters from Smith for his second win of the season with Martin completing the podium. In Sunday’s 4WD action, it was again Hall who secured the TQ but the defending champion, who opened his 2025 campaign with a win at Round 1 at Herts, wouldn’t complete the weekend double in the finals on the B74.2’s final outing. Qualify P2 it would be Cragg who took A1 after Hall rolled out of the lead. A2 would see P3 qualifier Smith win from Josh Holdsworth as Hall again struggled and finished down in P8. It was all to play for in A3 with Josh Holdsworth grabbing the win from Martin and with it his first National 4WD win on tie break with Championship Round 2 winner Smith. Cragg would complete the podium. The BRCA National Championship next moves to Bury Metro on July 12/13th.

Image: Schumacher [Facebook]

June 12, 2025

IFMAR confirm Thornhill as ’26 1:8 Offroad Worlds track

IFMAR, the World governing body of RC racing, has officially confirmed that the hosting of the 2026 IFMAR 1:8 Offroad World Championship will be hosted by the Thornhill Racing Circuit in Texas. Posting details of the 2026 calendar, IFMAR confirmed the widely expected news that the home of the annual ‘The Dirt’ Lonestar Challenge and this year’s ROAR Nationals will welcome the best drivers in the World to battle it our for the biggest prize in the sport from September 26th to October 3rd 2026. The Thornhill Racing Circuit complex is situated on 13.9 acres with the dirt track having the unique feature of being fully covered. Las Vegas was the venue on the World Championships last visit to the US when David Ronnefalk took the 2016 title.

View 2026 IFMAR World Championship Calendar here