November 23, 2024

Sahashi title defence back on track in Thailand

Tadahiko Sahashi’s 1:10 Nitro World Championship title defence is back on with the Infinity driver booking his place in final at Huge RC Circuit after finishing second to team-mate Dario Balestri in the second of the two Semi Finals.  Having topped seeding, Sahashi then struggled throughout qualifying and found himself scrapping his way onto the back of a direct spot in the Semis.  In the early stages of the final it looked like the Japanese driver’s quest to become the first back to back Champion of the class was over, however by the 10-minute he was up to third, helped in part by 2012 Champion Meen Vejrak and Takaaki Shimo both running out of fuel.  Up front a flip by pole sitter Balestri allowed Chavit Saligupta to lead but shortly after third way distance his car came to a permanent stop ending his hopes of repeating his 2022 final appearance.  Looking like he was safely into the final as he lapped in 3rd position there was a heartbreak for Australian Jessie Davis.  With three minutes to go and having just exited pit lane his car came to a stop and with his engine refusing to restart his Worlds was done.  Capricorn’s Thilo Diekman would finish 3rd to book the German’s first World Final start.  In the other Semi, Naoto Matsukura looked like he was out for a Sunday drive, the 2018 World Champion lapping the entire field with a flawless drive that has the Infinity driver highly motivated for the final.  Having started on pole, Capricorn’s Toni Gruber came home 2nd as he continues to challenge the might of Infinity here in Bangkok but the 1:8 GT World Champion admitted himself that his Semi performance was not a Title contending performance and they need to improve for the final.  On the road it would be Viktor Wilck that would complete the Top 3 but his car would be deemed to be too wide in post race technical inspection and Charlee Phutiyothin was promoted to the final.  The final two places on the grid would be decided on fastest times which went to Milan Holthuis and Sinnosuke Yokoyama.

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November 22, 2024

Sworkz to defend MIBO International title

Having made their debut at MIBO International last year and claimed the 2WD Buggy title with Joern Neumann, Sworkz is the first team to confirm its participation in the third edition of the annual Czech Republic based event.  Taking place on February 07-09, with practice starting on the Friday evening, multiple European Champion Neumann and Micha Widmaier will travel to Hrotovice to represent the manufacturer at the indoor event once again.  MIBO International brings together both electric offroad and onroad racing on two tracks build side by side in the Sport V Hotel by the team from Mibosport.  With entries for the event having opened this week, the Offroad track will cater for 2WD and 4WD Buggy and ‘Offroad Kids’, while on the onroad track the racing action will cater for Modified, Stock & FWD Touring car with a 1:12 GT 13.5T class as well as ‘Onroad Kids’ being introduced for 2025.  With a capped entry limit the relaxed schedule means plenty of time in the evening to wind down and socialise over dinner after each day’s racing.

Source: MIBO [mibosport.com]


November 22, 2024

1:10 Onroad WC Manufacturer Statistics

IFMAR, the World governing body of RC racing, has released official manufacturer statistics from this year’s 1:10 Onroad World Championship in Thailand, 2024 marking the 10th running of the championship for the nitro touring car category. In terms of equipment being used by the 58 racers from 16 countries completing here at the Huge RC Circuit in Bangkok, reigning back to back World Champion manufacturer Infinity is a clear leader in terms of choice of car of the six different brands being used.  Italy’s Capricorn is the second most popular chassis.  In the power stakes it is Japan’s O.S. that has over half the engine share when Thai engine tuner Aood Racing versions are taken into account. The brand of one of the categories former World Champions Daniele Ielasi is the next biggest provider of power with his Ielasi Tuned engines making up 18% of the entry. Controlling the cars, it is Sanwa that makes up almost half the field followed closely by fellow Japanese manufacturer Futaba whose servos are most popular choice over Sanwa and Savox. With drivers having to choose between two official suppliers it is Thai fuel maker Maxima that has 90% of the users. With 1:10 Onroad running a handout tyre everyone is running on Matrix.

View Statistics Charts here


November 22, 2024

JConcepts RC10B7 Option Parts

JConcepts has just dropped a range of new option parts for the World’s most popular 2WD 1:10 Buggy, the Team Associated RC10B7.  First up is a Standard & -4mm hard anodised 7075-material chassis that maintains many of the critical and standard mounting geometry but features black hard anodising and additional pocketing in a progressive pattern.  The -4mm length chassis weighs in at approximately 122g and with the addition of the angular pockets provides racers with another tuning option for the B7.  JConcepts are also offering 7075-aluminium machined front bulkheads in both 0-degree, that allows the vehicle to maintain its original kick-up angle, and 2.5-degree variants that allows the racer to alter the kick-up angle of the buggy.  Both are available in blue or black finishes.  A steel electronics plate set and steel servo weight plate set which provide the ability to add or remove weight in a race car is the adjustability racers lust for. The steel servo weight plate is adjustable and features 2 pieces. The main body of the plate weighs 9.5g making it slightly heavier than an aluminium option. Adding the included optional insert of 8g boosts the weight to a combined 17.5g making it a hefty and adjustable item.  The main body of the plate electronics weighs 18.6g while adding the included an optional insert of 16.7g boosts the weight to a combined 35.3g.  Finally JConcepts has designed a user friendly and light-weight titanium axle specifically for the B7. The blooming flower design offers individual pads to support the wheel.  This allows the part to reduce even more rotating weight on the axle and with the titanium material supporting the load, offers great durability.  The titanium material axle anodised in either burnt blue or stealth black has performance and aesthetic advantages.

View more parts here


November 21, 2024

2025 Asian Buggy Championships Calendar

Scotty Ernst’s Asian Buggy Championships has announced confirmed dates for the first three rounds of the 2025 Championship with dates for the season finale, Round 4, set to be confirmed soon.  Kicking off once again in New Zealand on March 19-23, entries will open on December 1st for the Counties RC Car Club hosted round which has a 250 entry limit.  The Championships, of which Sworkz driver Christian Wolhuter is the of newly crowned overall 2024 Buggy Champion, head north for the legendary race that is the 2025 Philippine Masters on April 30 – May 4.  This is an event that attracts some of the very best racers not just from the Asia-Pacific region, but across the globe.  Pine Hills in Brisbane, Australia is the next stop for Round 3 on July 16-20.  The technical, high grip challenges of the PHDR circuit that made this the biggest ABC event of 2024.  New to the calendar in 2024 and presenting a proper dirt track that attracted world wide attention, the 2025 Asian Buggy Championships will wrap up at the stunning West Side RC Raceway in Jakarta, Indonesia.  The beautiful racing surface, amazing facility and impressive hospitality make it a perfect way to round out the third season of the Asian Buggy Championships with the date set to confirmed as soon as possible.

View 2025 Calendar herr


November 21, 2024

Ielasi Tuned to power Berton

A driver who is set for a completely new race package going into the 2025 season, Kyosho bound Riccardo Berton is to use Ielasi Tuned engines to power his offroad race program.  The Italian engine tuner who was represented in the 1:8 Offroad World Championship final in Spain in September with Joao Figueiredo, announced, ‘We are super happy to have one other top driver with us. He will use our TERRA offroad engine with the 2186FT combo in the upcoming seasons.  Together we will keep good results, good luck Ricky.’  Reacting to his new engine deal, Berton, who was also in the final in Redovan with former chassis sponsors Infinity and former engine sponsor O.S. Engines, said, “I am very happy to join Ielasi Tuned for 2025 and 2026, I always admire their attitude on and off the track and I really look forward to start the new season with them, let’s go!!”

Source: Ielasi Tuned [ielasituned.com]


November 20, 2024

2026 1:10 Nitro Worlds return to Gubbio, Italy

IFMAR has announced that the next 1:10 Nitro World Championship has been awarded to the former host track of Gubbio in Italy.  With the 10th edition of the World Championship for the nitro touring car class currently taking place at Huge RC in Bangkok, Thailand, in a similar repeat of history to the current event, the 2026 Worlds will mark the return to the same track one decade on from it last staging the greatest prize in racing.  The always excellently presented track of Club Automodellistico 5Colli, which is located in the picturesque medieval town of Gubbio in the centre of the Country, also staged the 2022 IFMAR ISTC World Championship.  In 2016 it was Serpent’s Dominic Greiner who took the win ahead of Alessio Mazzeo and former 1:8 World Champion Simon Kurzbuch.


November 20, 2024

Balestri just edges out Leino to take Q2 in Bangkok

Dario Balestri has taken the second round of qualifying at the 1:10 Nitro World Championship after just edging out Infinity team-mate Teemu Leino in the closing laps of the 7-minute encounter.  After both himself and Leino DNF’d the opening qualifier, both drivers needed to get their first points on the board.  With Toni Gruber, who took everyone by surprise with his TQ in Round 1, having a slower Q2, and second fastest man Jilles Groskamp unable to start after suffering an engine failure in the warm-up for his second quali run, it was Leino who lead out the top heat.  However, hitting traffic at the end of the run as Balestri set his fastest lap on his penultimate lap it was the Italian who took it by 13/100ths of a second from the Finn.  Behind the Europeans Australia’s Jessie Davis bettered his Q1 P6 with the third fastest time with Francesco Tironi again in the mix at the front after his opening P3 effort.  While Gruber would set the 6th fastest time for Q2 the Capricorn driver would have his time deleted as his rear wing was deemed to be too high in post tech inspection.

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