Red RC » Racing

November 3, 2025

Payne to no longer race CRC

Top international 1:12 racer Ollie Payne has announced he will no longer be running cars from World Championship manufacturer CRC. Switching from reigning World Champion Schumacher to the American manufacturer for 2025, Payne enjoyed plenty of success with Frank Calandra’s cars including Stock class titles at this year’s European Championship, Montech NYGP and the recent Masters of Foam race. The eagled eye however would have noticed that while he used CRC for his most recent Spec win at the high profile annual 1:12 Belgian event, he used an Excelerate Prodigy to win the Modified title. On completing the NYGP in New York two weeks ago, the British driver tested Excelerate designer Josh Cyrul’s car on the 360V2 track. On leaving CRC, Payne said, ‘I would like to announce that I will no longer be racing CRC cars. Although I wasn’t an official CRC sponsored driver I would still like to thank Frank for his support during my time running his cars. We achieved some great results in a short period of time.’ In response Calandra posted, ‘Lots of fun, good memories and killer results Ollie. Maybe we can win some more races together in the future. See ya at the track.’

Source: Ollie Payne [Facebook]

November 2, 2025

Ronnefalk doubles at Hongyu GDC opening Offroad race

The Offroad track at the impressive new Hongyu GDC multi track facility in Foshan, China, hosted its opening race over the weekend where Xray’s David Ronnefalk completed the double winning both 1:8 Nitro and 1:8 Electric Buggy. The first race on the roof covered dirt track, the layout the work of Spanish track builder Miguelo Izquierdo Rodriguez, it would attract a number of international entries with Ronnefalk the benchmark in qualifying. In Nitro, the Swede took 3 of the 4 rounds to secure the TQ ahead of the Infinity of Asian Buggy Championships Champion Kouki Kato, the Japanese driver fastest in the opening qualifier. Finland’s Pekko Iivonen would secure third with his Mayako ahead of the Team Associated of Korea’s Jung Hyunkyu with Infinity’s Bruno Coelho rounding out the Top 5. With 2016 World Champion Ronnefalk locked-in for pole in Main final, a Semi win for Coelho lined him up P2 while winning the other Semi Kato started P3 ahead of Hyunkyu. Leading from start to finish over the 45-minutes, Ronnefalk would win by over a lap from Coelho while finishing on the same lap as the Portuguese driver Hyunkyu took the final podium step ahead of Iivonen. Problems for Kato saw him retire and classified P9. Setting the fastest times in all 4 rounds of eBuggy qualifying, Ronnefalk was the Top Qualifier ahead of Iivonen and Kato. He would go on to secure the overall win after taking the first two 5-minute encounters. Winning A3, Kato took second overall ahead of Coelho.

Image: Hongyu GDC [Facebook]

November 2, 2025

Lee & Stone crowned Australian Touring Car Champions

Xray’s Nicholas Lee and Michael Stone are the new RCRA Speedy Australian National Champions in Electric Touring winning the Modified and Stock titles respectively. Singapore’s best known international racer, Lee would secure the TQ at West Coast Model RC in Perth as he topped 3 of the 5 qualifiers. Fastest in Q4, ARC’s Brayden Stanley would qualify second ahead of the RC Maker of Jeffrey Mackie who TQ’d the second round of qualifying. Team-mate Damon Davis-Perry and Yokomo’s Antoni Caretti completed the top half of the A-Main grid. In the triples finals Lee opened with a win ahead of the RC Maker of Jeff Hamon who qualified 6th. Hamon would go one better in A2 to take the win ahead of Stanley as Lee finished third. In the decider, Lee managed to stay out front when it counted most to secure the overall win. While a bad A3 for Hamon, the Brisbane driver would finish runner-up, with 2nd in A3 giving Caretti the final step on the podium ahead of 2024 podium finisher Stanley. In Stock, after a bad start to the finals, Stone was able to win A2 & 3 to claim the title ahead of the ARC of A1 winner Marcus Askell with the RC Maker of 2024 Champion Lincoln Codd completing podium.

Image: Nicholas Lee [Facebook]

October 31, 2025

Asia Championships ’25 – 1:12 & Touring Car Information

With the first of FEMCA’s newly rebranded Asia Championships title deciders just over a month away, the Bloc that represents 15 nations in Asia and Australasia has published details for the 1:12 and Touring Car events that will take place at the 2026 World Championship venue of Hongyu GDC in Foshan, China. With no official Warm-up Race for the World Championships, which move from the traditional end of year date to the early part of the season, December’s Asia Championships is attracting a strong international entry. Unlike some IFMAR’s other Bloc title races, the Asia Championships, formerly know as the FEMCA Championships, allows international drivers to compete for the title with current IFMAR Touring Car World Champion Bruno Coelho also the reigning FEMCA ISTC Champion. FEMCA has published the details for the of both 1:12 event, which caters for Modified and Stock classes and runs from December 5-7th, and Touring Car Event, which has classes for Modified, Stock, and Youth, and runs from December 12-14th.

View Championship information for each category here

October 29, 2025

FEMCA announce Youth Class for Asia Championship

With youth the future of every sport, we love to see initiatives that give young racers an opportunity to develop & hone their skills and FEMCA has just announced a new Youth Class for the upcoming Asia Touring Car Championship. FEMCA, the governing body for RC racing that represents 15 nations in Asia and Australasia, will host the first rebranded Asia Championship, formerly known as the FEMCA Championship, at the new 2026 1:12 & ISTC World Championship venue Hongyu GDC in Foshan, China, from December 12-14. In addition to racing for Modified and Stock touring car, FEMCA has teamed up with Chinese manufacturer ZT Model and electronics brand Team ORCA to supply a controlled chassis, ESC and motor to racers 15-year-old and younger and all as part of the $200 entry fee. On making the announcement FEMCA said, ‘In the spirit of promoting the hobby and getting the younger generation into the sport, with the assistance of our partners and sponsors, ZT Model and Orca, we are happy and proud to present the ZT Orca Youth Class. Open to 10 International drivers age 15 and under as of January 2026. They will join a list of young up and coming drivers in china to race in the company of some of the world’s top drivers. Entry fee of USD200 includes the complete kit, Orca Totem ESC and their top of the range Blitreme 13.5T motor.’

Source: FEMCA [Facebook]

October 27, 2025

Polito crowned Italian eBuggy National Champion

Sworkz’s Mattia Polito is the 2025 AMSCI Italian eBuggy National Champion after taking victory at the single race title decider at the Pista Offroad Campogalliano track in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Also hosting the fourth & final round of the 1:8 Nitro Buggy National Championship, that title wrapped up for a 10th consecutive time at the previous round by World Champion Davide Ongaro, qualifying for the eBuggy title would see Turkish driver Burak Kilic and his Mugen Seiki secure the overall TQ honours head of Ongaro’s Team Associated after the championship visitor topped 3 of the 4 qualifiers while Ongaro went fastest in Q3. Polito would line-up 3rd ahead of Berkan Kilic’s Mugen Seiki and the Kyosho of Riccardo Berton. In the triple finals there would be three different winners, the Xray of 7th place qualifier Alex Zanchettin a surprise winner of A1 ahead of Polito and Berton. A2 would see Burak convert the TQ into a win after he failed to finish A1. With Polito getting the better of Burak to win A3 by a 1/10th of a second, both ended up on the same points but it was the Italian who took the win on tiebreak. Berkan made it a podium double for the Kilic brothers to finish third ahead of Ongaro. In the Nitro encounter, Ongaro completed the perfect season with win number 4 from 4. It was Polito who claimed the TQ from the Kyosho of Marco Baruffolo, Berkan, and Ongaro. With Polito a DNF in his Semi, and having to win the Last Chance Final to make the Main, it was Ongaro who started the 45-minute encounter on pole. Working his was from 13th on the grid, Polito would finish second with Berkan completing the Nitro podium.

View Round 4 Nitro Buggy Podium here

October 27, 2025

Nitro Party 2026 China – Race Announcement

The brand new world class Hongyu GDC RC facility in Foshan, China, has announced an exciting new annual race for Nitro Onroad racing which it has titled ‘Nitro Party’. Scheduled for January 24-25, 2026, and with categories for 1:8 Nitro Onroad, 1:8 Nitro GT, 1:10 Nitro Touring Car, and Spec Kyosho FW06 Nitro Touring Car, the timing of the race is the perfect opportunity for European nitro racers to break-up the traditional Winter off season and compete at an event that the track intends to build up into a major annual event on the international nitro onroad race calendar. Racing will take place on the facility’s main 80m X 43m asphalt circuit on which the next IFMAR ISTC World Champion will be decided next April. With China lifting Visa entry requirements for many European countries and Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN) one of the country’s main international airports attending the race is very accessible. The Hongyu GDC facility is also within walking distance of a number of hotel options for visiting drivers.

View track images here

October 27, 2025

Mason crowned ROAR Paved Champion

Awesomatix’s Stuart Mason is the new ROAR Modified Touring Car Paved Champion, the Seattle driver taking the TQ and win at CenCal Speedway Fresno in California over the weekend. With this year’s title race attracting 100 entries, Mason would secure the TQ as he topped 3 of the 4 rounds of qualifying. Opening qualifying with a TQ run, Serpent’s Bryce Butterfield would claim the second spot on the grid ahead of the 2025 ROAR Carpet National Champion Sam Isaacs, Xray’s Chris Adams, Canadian Champion Keven Hebert, and multiple Offroad World Champion Ryan Cavalieri. In the first of thre triple finals Mason would just hold off Isaacs, fresh from his NYGP win, by 0.074 with Adams completing the Top 3 as Butterfield dropped to fourth. From the front Mason would again win in A2, this time from Hebert and Cavalieri, to secured the title. With Butterfield winning A3 from the Team Associated of Cavalieri, this is how they would like up finish on the podium behind Mason with Isaacs finishing 4th overall. In 17.5 Stock, Adams would secure the TQ and win however with Lex Tyler winning A2, the title fight went to A3, the Texan securing the crown with a 3.2-second winning margin. Tyler would finish runner-up with the Awesomatix of Billy Spence completing the overall Top 3. In 21.5 Touring it was Awesomatix’s Craig Xavier who took the win.

Image: Lex Tyler [Facebook]