Red RC » R Off Road

February 14, 2025

Mibosport – It all started with a Tamiya TT01 for Christmas

Last weekend saw the biggest MIBO International to-date take place in the Czech Republic. The third edition of this unique race, the construction of two separate carpet tracks brings together both onroad and offroad racers for two & a half days of racing. Held in the Sport V Hotel in the very small town of Hrotovice, a casual conversation with the man who puts it on, Michal Bok, quickly turned into a bit of trip down memory lane. Our first event of 2025, this year marks 18-years since we covered our first event, the 2007 EFRA 1:10 Nitro Touring European Championship in Spain, and we have become good friends with Michal over that time. As we chatted it was interesting to discovered the story of Bok’s successful journey with Mibosport, the distribution and online retailer that has just out grown its fourth premises, and which all started from him getting a Tamiya TT01 for Christmas as a kid.

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February 14, 2025

Thunder Alley saved & becomes ‘The Drake Raceway’

Last October iconic US offroad track Thunder Alley announced that it was to close at the end of 2024 but now thanks to the intervention of RC racing’s most famous couple, Adam & Ronda Drake, the Southern California track will continue to rumble to the sound of nitro engines and be known as ‘The Drake Raceway’. Part of a public park, the track was set to be permanently closed with authorities planning to repurposing the facility but work in the RC community behind the scenes sees the track get a second chance. On his Facebook pageDrake posted, ‘We are so grateful and thankful to the R/C community for their outreach and support in helping us work with the Beaumont Cherry Valley Park District to keep such an iconic track (Thunder Alley) going. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but it will be rewarding and worth it. The support has been amazing and we’re looking forward to racing with everyone in the near future at The Drake Raceway at Noble Creek Park.’ Well done to everyone involved.

Source: Adam Drake [Facebook]

February 13, 2025

Jacinto defends 1:10 4WD Philippine National title

Sworkz driver Dino Jacinto has successfully defended his 1:10 4WD Buggy Philippine National Championship title. Racing at the newly renovated Circulo Verde track in Manila, home to Asia’s biggest annual 1:8 Offroad race the Philippine Masters, the National Championship race was for the 2024 title which due to bad weather late last year had to be rescheduled into 2025. Attracting over 80 entries, the competition was fierce, but in the end, it was Jacinto, from second on the grid, who secured back-to-back national titles with his S14-4D winning the opening two A-Main encounters.

Source: Sworkz [Facebook]

February 11, 2025

Champlin & Horne win opening INS15 encounter

The 15th season of the JConcepts Indoor National Series kicked off over the weekend at Trackside Hobbies in Wisconsin with Schumacher’s Broc Champlin taking the 4WD win and Team Associated’s Aydin Horne getting the top spot in 2WD. Attracting 371 entries, qualifying at the first stop on the 5 round INS calendar saw Horne secure the 2WD TQ from Xray’s Chase Lemieux and AE’s Spencer Rivkin. The former World Champion however would take the 4WD TQ, Rivkin topping two of the three qualifiers with Champlin, fastest in Q1, securing second and Horne in P3 on the grid ahead of Schumacher’s Cole Tollard, a driver who honed his early driving skills at Trackside Hobbies. In the 2WD finals while Lemieux secured the A1 win, Horne kept him at bay in A2 and 3 for the overall win. The 4WD finals played out with Rivkin taking A1, Horne A2 and Champlin A3, but in the final points tally Champlin got the win on tie-break over Horne and Rivkin.

Image: JConcepts [jconcepts.net]

February 11, 2025

Canas takes late Montpellier GP victory

Sworkz Juan Carlos Canas has opened the European 1:8 Nitro Buggy season with victory at the Montpellier Grand Prix. Previously winning the French classic in 2020, the Spaniard took a late win at the 19th edition of the race over World Champion Davide Ongaro and long time race leader Berkan Kilic. Given its early timing in the season, the Circuit du MBM event has faced weather issues and this year was no exception with rain causing qualifying to be cut short and no track action at all on the Saturday. While 5 rounds of qualifying was scheduled with 3 completed before the turn in weather on Friday it was Mugen Seiki’s Burak Kilic who secured the overall TQ with two rounds counting. After sterling efforts by the club, the track being covered on Saturday, racing resumed on Sunday morning and in the Semi Finals it was the Kilic brothers who looked to have the edge. Starting on pole Burak lead from his younger brother for the first third of the race until he suffered the first of two engine flameouts before retiring. With Berkan taking over lead it wasn’t to be his day either with a late crash allowing Canas to go to the front with just 2-laps to go with the Team Associated of 2022 & 2023 winner Ongaro in tow. After an hour of racing the entire podium finished on the same lap, Berkan completing the podium ahead of 2024 winner Ricciardo Berton, the Kyosho driving winning the Last Chance final to line-up 14th on grid before putting in a strong race up through the field.

Image: Modelix [Facebook]

February 10, 2025

IFMAR 1:10 Offroad Worlds – Promo Video

Our good friends Down Under at RC Race Media have put together a nice promo video to highlight Sydney hosting the 1:10 Offroad World Championships later this year. Running from September 29th to October 6th at Hills Off Road RC’s natural dirt track, RC Race Media will also produce the official broadcast of the 20th running of the 1:10 Offroad Worlds that will be live streamed to RC fans around the globe. With 2025 marking the 40th anniversary of the category hosting its first ever World Championship back in 1985, these Worlds, with the beautiful city of Sydney as its backdrop, has all the makings of being a classic. Last week the world governing body IFMAR published the Stage 1 report for the main event with the club currently preparing for the Pre-Worlds race on April 3-6th.

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February 9, 2025

Kaerup wins on MIBO debut, Zaleswski adds 2WD title

Travelling to MIBO International for the first this weekend Team Associated Danish talent Marcus Kaerup returns home from the Czech Republic with an updated CV and additional silverware after securing the win in 4WD and runner-up spot in 2WD, that title going to the Xray of last year’s 4WD Champion Bartek Zaleswski. While Michal Orlowski’s plans to race both onroad and offroad at Michal Bok’s unique event didn’t materialise, the competition on the offroad track was still fierce between Kaerup, Zaleswski and Schumacher’s Daniel Kobbevik the end result seeing the trio play music chairs in terms of the podium other between categories. In 4WD, Kearup secured the TQ honours while Kobbevik secure the 2WD pole but Zaleswski sent of message of intent with his double TQ run in Sunday morning’s fifth & final qualifier ahead of the triple finals. In 4WD a gamble on new tyres gave Kaerup the A1 win ahead of Zaleswski. While his rivals brought out their new rubber for A2, a calculated performance on his one run older tyres saw Kaerup stretch an early lead which he then worked on maintaining to the end to wrap up an early overall win. While Sworkz’s Micha Widmaier won A3, leaving three drivers equal of 5-points, the tie breaker gave Kobbevik 2nd and Zaleswki third ahead of the Austrian.

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February 9, 2025

Kaerup & Kobbeik Top Qualifiers at MIBO International

Kicking off Mains day at MIBO International with the fifth & final qualifier, it would not net any changes in terms of who will be starting on pole in the Czech Republic, Marcus Kaerup keeping the overall TQ in 4WD while Daniel Kobbevik repeated his 2024 TQ of 2WD. With 3 from 5 to count, drivers first battle of the day was to decide 2WD with Kaerup needing a TQ run and the fastest time of the weekend to deny Kobbevik, the scenario reversed for 4WD. While Kaerup started well, his Team Associated running at the top of the timing screens he touched a pipe and rolled ending his change as Bartosz Zaleswski took the round ahead of Martin Bayer to secure P3 on the grid. In 4WD, with Kaerup on 3rd run tyres, Kobbevik moved quickly to the front on track but it defending Champion Zaleswski who had the fastest buggy. The only one dipping into 16-second lap times, he kicked off his day with a second TQ run finishing almost 6-seconds clear of Kobbevik who got a P2 for the round. Again the 18-year-old will be the leading Xray challenger also lining up P3 in 4WD.

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