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November 26, 2024

Orlowski to defend MIBO International Touring Car title

Defending MIBO International Touring Car Champions Schumacher and the British manufacturer’s star driver Michal Orlowski are to return to the third edition of the Czech based race next February to defend their title. Orlowski took the 2024 title when he beat the Mugen Seiki of inaugural MIBO International race winner Ronald Volker at the unique indoor event. While a lack of mechanic hampered Orlowski’s plans to race both Touring Car and Offroad this year, the recent Florida Carpet Championships winner and reigning 1:10 2WD European Champion has entered to do both in 2025, the race taking place at the Sports V Hotel in Hrotovice on February 07-09. Organised by former international touring car racer Michal Bok, having only opened registration for the annual event less than a week ago, the 2025 MIBO International has already surpassed 125 entries. With a capped entry limit allowing for a relaxed schedule and plenty of time in the evening to wind down and socialise over dinner after each day’s racing, the race is officially a two and a half day event and gets underway on the Friday evening with practice to allow for travel Friday morning. 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.

Source: MIBO [mibosport.com]

November 25, 2024

Fenix Mistral 3.5 1:10 Formula Kit

Italian manufacturer Fenix Racing have released a new version of its 1:10 Formula Chassis, the Mistral 3.5. After 3 years of the Mistral 3.3, it was time for it to be given a ‘tech refresh’ using the immense experience of Dutch F1 racer Jitse Miedema. The new car incorporates most of the evolution made on the 3.3 during the last year, plus a brand new main chassis. From the “IDFM” front end, to the revised shock position that gives more room to the electronics, to a new system on the sub-frame chassis. The car keeps the 3.3 trademark of the variable wheelbase. The 3.5 is the same car that allowed Jitse Miedema to become Dutch Champ again.

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November 25, 2024

Nicholson defends Australian title on Schumacher debut

Less than two weeks after the announcement he had switched from Yokomo to Schumacher, Simon Nicholson has successfully defended his Australian Modified Touring Car National Champion title on his first race for the British manufacturer. Hosted by the Templestowe Flat Track Racers club in Melbourne, the 2024 RCRA EP OnRoad Australian Championships attracted 170 entries including an interesting international competitor in Xray’s Alexander Hagberg, the Swede making the trip Down Under to complete in both Touring Car and 1:12. In qualifying it would be ARC’s Brayden Stanley who TQ’d the first of the three rounds. Q2 would see Nicholson hit the top before Serpent’s Jeff Hamon was fastest in Q3 ahead of RC Maker’s Ryan Maker. After a DNF in the opening round, Hagberg’s best run would be in Q2 when he posted the second fastest which with his P6 in the final round left him 5th overall. Unfortunately wet weather would put an end to the action with Sunday a complete wash out and the titles awarded on the results of qualifying giving Nicholson the title ahead of Stanley with Hamon completing the podium. In 13.5 Stock Touring Car Lincoln Codd took the title while having TQ’d all three rounds Hagberg took the 1:12 title.

Image: RC Race Media [Facebook]

November 23, 2024

Groskamp back on top of the World

Jilles Groskamp is back on top of the World, the Infinity driver becoming the new IFMAR 1:10 Onroad World Champion at the Huge RC Circuit in Bangkok 12-years after winning the Electric Touring Car World Title. Having booked his way directly into the 1-hour Main by winning Super Pole, Groskamp would in the end cruise to victory to become Nitro Touring Car’s 10th different Champion as outgoing Champion Tadahiko Sahashi struggled in his quest to be the first driver to successful defend the title. Starting as the Top Qualifier, this being his second time to secure pole at the Worlds, Teemu Leino’s race lasted less than 10-minutes as the Finn flipped his Infinity after his second fuel stop and the impact with the boards broke a front shock. With 2018 Champion Naoto Matsukura looking like he was on to repeat his earlier dominant Semi final performance, as the race reached halfway and he had a clear lead over the field, a touch of the curbing ended his challenge. The subsequent impact after the roll would break a rear shock shaft but with the car still running on the spring he would limp home in P6, 7-laps down on his winning team-mate. For 1:8 World Champion Dario Balestri a dead receiver battery would cause him to crash out of a podium finish and DNF with just over 2-minutes to go. Behind Jilles, having managed to un-lap himself towards the end of the race, Capricorn’s Toni Gruber would claim second with tenth place starter Charlee Phutiyothin making it two Capricorns on the podium.

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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

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

Capricorn LAB GT2 Progressive V2 Light Blue Spring

Italian onroad chassis manufacturer Capricorn has launched a new Progressive Spring for its LAB GT2 1:8 GT Onroad platform while at the same time, publishing the LAB GT2 Spring Table which summarises all the springs from the softest to the strongest one. The new Light Blue spring has a medium response and is positioned between the blue and the purple spring options.

View Spring Table here

November 21, 2024

Leino Top Qualifier at 1:10 Nitro World Championship

12 years after he took pole position at the IFMAR 1:10 Nitro World Championship at Bangkok’s other famous circuit RC Addict, Teemu Leino is once again the Top Qualifier at the nitro touring car category greatest race, this time at the challenging Huge RC Circuit. The Infinity driver was the only one who could repeat a TQ run over the 6 rounds of qualifying at the 10th running Worlds, but it was his team-mate Naoto Matsukura who officially sealed the deal for the veteran Finn. Running in the second fastest heat alongside Toni Gruber, Leino’s only remaining challenger for the top spot, and having shown promise of TQ pace with a P3 in the penultimate round, the 2018 Champion denied Gruber the TQ run he needed. Matsukura’s run would turn out to be the Q6 TQ time, none of the drivers in the top heat able to better his time, as he became the 5th different driver to TQ a round. Also in heat group 5 of 6, it would be 2022 Finalist Chavit Saligupta and 2012 Champion Meen Vejrak that completed the Top 3 for the closing round. Overall, Gruber would conclude qualifying in P2 and together with Dario Balestri, Jilles Groskamp and Saligupta would go into Super Pole to battle for the other direct position into Saturday’s 1-hour main alongside Leino. With each driver getting 6 laps to set a time, that shoot out would go to Groskamp who put down the fastest lap by 0.043 of a second from Gruber. Gruber will line up on pole for the Semi while 1:8 World Champion Balestri will lead away the other 30-minute encounter, the Super Pole favourite having a rough number of laps over his 6 attempts and slowest if the four contenders. After topping seeding but only managing one Top 5 qualifying run, defending Champion Tadahiko Sahashi just made the Semi Final cut and joins Balestri in his Semi lining up P7.

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