Red RC » Racing

November 6, 2024

Practice underway at Worlds, Coelho sets early pace

After of months of preparations & testing by manufacturer & drivers, the IFMAR 1:10 Electric Touring Car World Championships are finally underway in California with defending champion Bruno Coelho setting the early pace at Finishline RC Raceway. With 5 rounds of practice on today’s schedule the biggest take after the opening two rounds of practice was grip, or more specifically the lack of it, the track completely different to what drivers had expected after previous visits to the track. With the first practice round very much a systems check for drivers, issues with noise on the timing loop caused by a 7000 volt electric fence resulted in over an hour of a delay before drivers resumed with the second practice run. With Coelho’s Xray fastest in both rounds, his 3-consecutive laps of the second practice a 33.146, it was Worlds Warm-up Race winner Akio Sobue who was closest on pace running a best time of 33.379 with Axon team-mate Hayato Ishioka completing the Top 3. One of the favourites coming into this World Championship Schumacher’s Michal Orlowski set the fourth fastest pace ahead of Mugen’s Ronald Volker, Xray’s Alexander Hagberg and the Awesomatix of Marc Rheinard.

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November 6, 2024

SuperRad 1:12 LMP bodies

US competition body shell manufacturer SuperRad has released two new 1:12 LMP bodies. The SR-06X (Turquoise colour scheme) is recommended for 13.5 and 17.5 racing while the SR-07X (Pink/Grey colour scheme) features a low-drag designed that makes it best suited to 17.5 spec racing. Meeting ROAR, BRCA, and EFRA specs, both bodies are available in XtraSuperLite .010”, SuperLite .015” and Lite .020” polycarbonate and each includes headlight decal sheet and window mask.

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November 5, 2024

Mugen brings new MTC3 to World Championship

Mugen Seiki has brought two of its all new MTC3 1:10 Electric Touring Cars to the IFMAR World Championship which gets underway tomorrow (Wednesday) with the first day of track action. The very close to final production prototypes will be raced by former World Champion Ronald Volker and top US racer Jacob Cruz, both drivers getting their very first feel for the car on asphalt when they joined a number of other manufacturers for a final shakedown over the weekend at the Exeter RC Speedway, that track about a one hour drive from the WC venue. While the Japanese manufacturer is currently working on the planning of parts production for the new car, the MTC3’s designer Robert Pietsch, who has travelled out to California with Volker, says that no release date has yet been set for the car adding that from a design aspect what they are racing is very close to the final product. Making the decision to not yet allow any detailed photograph of the cars as it looks to keep the design under wraps, speaking to Volker during today’s registration and tyre prep day here at Finishline RC Raceway here in Bakersfield, the German said the new car is a big step forward, the new design bringing the car in line with the latest design trends in the category. Having had four bodies painted in his trademark colours for the World Championship, unfortunately we wont be seeing much of Volker’s MTC3 in his scheme as the bodies failed to arrive in time for his departure to the US.

November 5, 2024

RugRacers Round 1 – Report

Popular British indoor touring car series Rug Racers returned for another season last weekend with racing over 3 classes with Schumacher’s Elliott Harper coming away with the Modified win. In qualifying Bailey Graves proved his impressive pace on track by bringing the fight to the defending Rug Racers and national champion, where Graves held the TQ spot through the second and 3rd qualifiers until Harper was able to take pole in the last qualifier by one second on fastest time. Harper was able to find the space to stretch his legs in both finals, taking the overall win while Matthieu Dambrine was able to find his way through to second in leg 1. Leg 2 allowed everyone to find their own space easing to the top 4 finishing where they started.

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November 4, 2024

Berkan Kilic wins IBR Padova Winter Cup

Berkan Kilic took the double win at the IBR Padova Winter Cup over the weekend, the Mugen Seiki driver taking the eBuggy win ahead of Riccardo Berton who made his unofficial return to Kyosho at the race. In qualifying at the impressive Italian indoor dirt track, it was Berton with his plain white bodied Kyosho who took the overall TQ in electric but after some very close racing with Kilic it was the later who came away with the victory. Sworkz driver Marcel Trieb would complete the podium. With the Winter Cup attracting almost 200 entries, Kilic would also give Mugen success in the Nitro Buggy category securing the TQ and win.

Image: Riccardo Berton [Facebook]

November 4, 2024

Pequito double World Champion at PNWC

RC Atomic driver Jose Pequito completed a title double at the PNWC to be crowned World Champion of 2WD Mod and Pan Open classes at the 1:28 scale event. Taking place in Vélizy Villacoublay, France, the 2024 PNWC attracted 270 entries made up of 130 drivers from 19 counties, but it was Portuguese driver Pequito who came away the biggest winner. In 2WD Mod, he would take the title ahead of French RTRC driver Guillaume Loie with American John Dickson completing the podium. It was the same trio who would make up the podium also in Mod Open, Dickson managing 2nd ahead of Loie. Close to a hat trick of titles, Pequito would finish 2nd in AWD Mod, with that title going to RTRC driver Thomas Robin from France with Clement Coquel completing the podium.

Image: MOD Media [Facebook]

November 4, 2024

2025 EFRA European Championship Calendar

Hosting its AGM over the weekend in Brussels, Belgium, EFRA, the governing body for RC racing in Europe, has released a provisional 2025 race calendar of which the European Championships are the highlights. Made up of 13 European Championship deciding events, it will all kick off with the 1:12 EC in Belgium at the end of March and concluded with the only remaining European B Championship for 1:8 Buggy which takes place at the end of September in Italy. EFRA also announced the awarding of 2026 European Championship to tracks with the Fuencarral circuit in Madrid, Spain, home to the annual international Buggyland race, set to host the 1:8 Buggy Championships. Other confirmed 2026 locations include Bourg-en-Bresse in France which will be the venue for the 1:8 Onroad Euros while Steyregg in Austria has been selected to host the 1:10 Offroad Championships. Electric Touring Car will return to Mini Circuit ‘Ville de Luxembourg’, the iconic Luxembourg track having last hosted the Euros in 2009. Two significant points to come out from the EFRA AGM include the 1:12 section making the decision to modernise the bodyshell rules in coming years, bringing in the styling and design of modern LMDh/IMSA endurance racing cars. In 1:8 Offroad, control tyres will now be mandated for the 2025 European B 1:8 Buggy Championship. The new rule allows each tyre manufacturer to nominate control tyres for use during the event.

View calendar dates here

October 31, 2024

World Champion Ongaro confirmed for SIGP debut

Triple back to back 1:8 Offroad World Champion Davide Ongaro is the latest driver to be confirmed for the SIGP International Offroad Grand Prix in Xiamen, China. It will be factory Team Associated driver’s first time to travel to China and the impressive 3-circle ARC International RC Racing Track, the Italian & current 1:10 4WD Buggy World Champion not yet racing 1:10 electric when the track hosted the IFMAR World Championship in 2017. With Germany’s Joern Neumann and American Ryan Lutz as past Champions, 2024 will be the first running of the SIGP post Covid with organisers confirming last week that Xray’s Bruno Coelho, winner of the SIGP Onroad event earlier this year, will return for its offroad event which takes place from December 11-15th.

Source: Sunpadow [sunpadow.com]