Red RC

September 24, 2018

Balestri takes ENS title with Fiorano win

Dario Balestri is the 2018 Euro Nitro Series Champion, the Infinity driver lifting the title with victory ahead of team-mate Carmine Raiola at the season finale in Fiorano, Italy. The World Champion came into the weekend as one of three drivers in contention for the title but with reigning champion Simon Kurzbuch taking the TQ bonus point that eliminated Toni Gruber from the battle. With Balestri qualifying P2, the final would be a straight up battle at the front for the race win and the title. Pitting together Balestri would find a way passed Kurzbuch after the second round of fuel stops with a pass on the out lap and then began to gap his rival. Unfortunately for the Shepherd driver, his race was to go downhill, a sticking one-way bearing causing an off that would end his quest for a hat trick of titles. The worsening problem delaying him further later in the race and leading to his retirement just inside the final 10-minutes. With his rival in trouble Balestri took charge of the 45-minute race with the attention now on the battle for who would join him on the podium. Riola, Andrea Pirani and 3rd place qualifier Robert Pietsch all took part but there was cruel luck for Pietsch as he battled with Riola over second. Entering the pits together for their final stop, Pietsch led them out of the pits but at the other end of the pits Alberto Picco’s car was released and collected by Pietsch’s Mugen which from the opposite end of the pit was already running in 2nd gear. The impact destroyed Pietsch’s car ending his race on the spot, allowing Riola in to second for an Infinity 1-2 while Pirani inherited his second ever ENS podium finish.

Continue reading this report here or view our complete event coverage here.

September 24, 2018

Greiner wins but Groskamp crowned ENS Champion with P2

Dominic Greiner did exactly what was asked of him at the season finale of the Infinity Euro Nitro Series securing the TQ and the win in Fiorano but a strategic drive to second place by Jilles Groskamp sees him crowned the 2018 Champion. The Infinity driver came into the weekend leading the points with Greiner his only challenger for the overall title. The Serpent driver’s first obstacle was the bonus TQ point which he needed to have to go into the 45-minute A-Main in contention for the title. He did that in style, his pace one notch above everyone while Groskamp found himself P4 on the grid. A track that has played into the hands of the Dutch driver’s skill of playing the long game, his 2015 title coming about thanks to doing to final without a tyre stop that secured him second place which was enough for the overall win, he again played that card today getting the second place which gives him the title on tie-break. There would be a dramatic start to the final as second place starter Teemu Leino tried a move down the inside of Greiner into the second corner that result in contact and the World Champion going flying off the track. Cutting the track, Greiner was then forced to wait dropping him back to the back but the German quickly proved why he is the benchmark for 1:10 racers as he needed just 10-minutes to get back to the front where were he took total control of the race. A single side tyre strategy, that came early in the race, was Groskamp’s strategy and knowing he didn’t need to finish ahead of Greiner he drove a title winning race to second. Leader for a time after the first corner clash, engine tuning issues ended former winner Alessio Mazzeo’s bid for glory with contact with a slower car then finishing any hope of getting by Groskamp for second with the Xray driver eventually finishing in the final podium position, half a lap back.

Continue reading this report here or view our complete event coverage here.

September 24, 2018

Yusuke Sugiura takes back-to-back Nitro Buggy title

The RC Land 23 track in Matsuzaka, Japan played host to the 2018 1/8th Off-road Japan Nationals this past weekend. Defending champion, Yusuke Sugiura (Kyosho/O.S. Engines) took the overall TQ and he also went on to win the A-main final to take a back-to-back title. Yusuke dominated the 60-minute final such that he already had a 1-lap lead some ten minutes into the race and he was able to stretch the lead to two laps with ten minutes to go. Mugen/Ninja’s Kenji Tsuruta would snatch the runner-up spot as Kyosho/O.S. Engines’ Juliya Kajiwara came in 3rd to round out the podium.

Source: O.S. Engines [os-engines.co.jp]

September 24, 2018

Graham wins SWORDS finale as Cobley takes title

The last UK regional race of the Summer season was held in the form of the the final round of the SWORDS series at the brand new Plymouth track. The days winners were Josh Graham 1st, Matt Roberts 2nd and Sam Cobley 3rd. This mean that the series was then won by Sam Cobley and his HB Racing buggy, Matt Roberts (Agama) was 2nd and young Maxim Cook (Agama) was 3rd.

Source: BRCA [brca.org] | Image: Nemo Racing [nemoracing.com]

September 24, 2018

Xpress Execute XQ1/XM1 anti-tweak battery mount

Designed for the Execute XQ1 and XM1 cars is Xpress’ new anti-tweak battery mount. The multi-piece carbon fibre and alloy construction does away with the need to use reinforced tape in favour of either two carbon fibre hold downs or hook and loop straps. The results are faster battery swaps, improved reliability and also nearly zero tweak issues compared to using tape. The system is usable for all Execute series cars.

View more images here

September 24, 2018

SWorkz S14-3 1/10th 4WD off-road buggy kit

Following a first teaser SWorkz have officially introduced their new S14-3 1/10th scale 4WD off-road buggy kit. The kit takes the S14-2 as a base and features a load of redesigned and improved areas such as the suspension that did away with the front pivot ball design in favour of a standard C-hub and steering knuckle assembly which will greatly improve performance especially when racing on high-bite carpet tracks. All suspension components, including the new front and rear A-arms are moulded from a strong nylon composite material. Also new to the S14-3 is an improved shock absorber system as is the redesigned 7075 aluminium chassis that, in combination with the new carbon fibre upper decks, will improve rear traction. Another area of improvement are the new and unique 5mm axle universal cross driveshafts that are made using the same high-grade steel material SWorkz uses for their 1/8th off-road vehicles. The buggy already prove its competitiveness in the hands of factory driver Micha Widmaier and it will hit stores around mid-October.

View a list of the key features and more images here

September 24, 2018

2018 ROAR Fuel On-road Nationals – Report

The 2018 ROAR Fuel On-road Nationals were held at Nuggets Ranch Raceway in Arcadia, Florida this past weekend. The 1/8th Open class saw Serpent’s Joaquin Desoto Jr. taking the title from the TQ spot with Infinity’s Christian Lopez coming in 2nd after the 45-minute A-main, some 26 seconds down. Shepherd’s Michael Palazolla rounded out the top 3 podium result in front of Ralph Burch and David Blakeney.

Continue reading the report here

September 24, 2018

T-Works introduce new T6.1 titanium hardware

Coming from T-Works and made for the Team Associated T6.1 racing truck are several new option parts such as titanium turnbuckles, titanium ball ends and a screw kit. The turnbuckle kit includes six 64 grade links that are direct replacements for the standard items. Their lightweight yet durable construction will ensure low unsprung masses and high corrosion resistance while adding visual impact. Also new are a 14-piece 64 grade titanium ball end set and a 94-piece 64 grade titanium UFO head screw kit all of which will greatly reduce overall weight compared to the standard steel items while improving the bling factor of your ride.

View the other new parts here