Red RC » R Off Road

November 7, 2025

Kato tops seeding at SIGP in China

Japan’s Kouki Kato is the top seed at the SIGP Offroad Race in Xiamen, the Infinity team having the early advantage in China on the challenging 3-Circles track as team-mate Bruno Coelho managed to set the second fastest 3-consecutive laps. Over the two rounds of controlled practice Kato would set his best time in CP1 while Coelho would top the second round improving on his earlier time but unable to better that of Kato. Fresh from his double win last weekend at the new Hongyu GDC track in Guangzhou, Xray’s David Ronnefalk completed the Top 3 with his opening effort. Building his confidence on the bumpy track, Korean youngster Jung Hyunkyu took his Team Associated to the fourth fastest time ahead of Mayako pairing Pekko Iivonen and Joesph Quagraine.

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November 6, 2025

SIGP returnees & debutants agree over challenging track

After successfully returning to the international 1:8 Offroad race calendar last year, the latest edition of the Sunpadow International Grand Prix is under way with the moving of the race date to a month earlier than last year making for much warmer conditions. The 2017 IFMAR 1:10 Offroad World Championship host track’s signature annual event, there also an SIGP Onroad race earlier in the season, last year’s winner Davide Ongaro is absent from the entry which is now headed by last year’s eBuggy winner David Ronnefalk. Fresh from a double win at the opening race of the new Hongyu GDC 1:8 Offroad track last weekend in Foshan, drivers making their way between races on the China’s bulletin train system, Ronnefalk’s main challenge is going to come from his old team-mate Bruno Coelho, the then Xray driver finishing on the SIGP podium in the nitro final. Now part of the Infinity team, the Portuguese driver is joined at the 3-circle ARC International RC Racing Track in Xiamen by Kouki Kato, the Japanese driver making his 1:8 Buggy debut on the large track which is built on the grounds of the massive Sunpadow batteries factory. Also making his SIGP debut, Pekko Iivonen joins his returning Makayo team boss Joseph Quagraine, in taking on the challenging track the Finn more enthused about the track conditions than his main rivals for the large cash prize fund on offer. With no Ongaro this year, Team Associated will be pinning their hopes on young up & coming Korean talent Jung Hyunkyu, who like Ongaro last year is struggling to get to early terms with bumpy track.

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November 4, 2025

Gabrielli joins Hong Nor

Continuing to expand their team driver line-up following the release of its new X5B buggy, Hong Nor has announced that EFRA European B Championship podium finisher Dario Gabrielli will race for the Taiwanese manufacturer. The 21-year-old Italian, who previously raced a TLR buggy, qualified second at the this year’s Euro B Championships hosted by the Ospyteam R/C Off-Road Circuit in Italy and would go on to complete the podium line-up with 3rd position. In moving to Hong Nor Gabrielli joins another of the Euro B finalists 19-year-old Mirko Carrettin who switched to the X5B buggy after the September event and on the news Gabrielli said, ‘I’m very proud to be part of the Hong Nor family and I can’t wait to take on this new challenge and get on the track as soon as possible, see you there.’

Source: Hong Nor [hongnor-racing.com]

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]

October 30, 2025

Duraes joins Hong Nor

Taiwan’s Hong Nor has announced that Portuguese international 1:8 Offroad racer Carlos Duraes will represent the brand and race their new X5B buggy. Having campaigned a Mugen Seiki previously, Duraes now has a completely new race package having joined Ielasi Tuned engines earlier this season. On joining Hong Nor, who marked the 35th anniversary of the company’s first buggy with the release of the all new X5B this Summer, Duraes said, “I’m extremely happy to join HN racing team! It’s a new challenge for me, with a completely new platform and I’m looking forward to hit the track to see what we can do together. Thanks to HN and see you on a race track”

Source: Hong Nor [hongnor-racing.com]

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

Horne and Moran win Masters of Dirt

Moving to a new home for 2025, the 11th annual Masters of Dirt promoted by Beach RC would see Team Associated’s Aydin Horne and Sammy Moran crowned the overall Champions in Modified and Spec respectively. With 2023 1:10 Offroad World Championship host track Hobby Action RC Raceway the new battle ground, Horne would dominate qualifying securing the TQ in 2WD, 4WD and Stadium truck with Spencer Rivkin his closest rival in all three classes. With the first of the single Mains being 2WD Buggy, Horne took that win by 7/10ths of a second from Rivkin with Sworkz’s Joern Neumann completing the Top from 4th on the grid. With Stadium Truck up next, the Top 3 was a repeat Horne winning by double the margin of 2WD. Horne would complete the perfect weekend with a dominant 4WD win again ahead of Rivkin with Harley Yoshii in third. For Moran it was also a triple winning weekend, taking 4WD Buggy, Stadium Truck, and Short Course, the only win alluding him being 2WD Buggy in which Kadin Meeks took the top spot.

Image: Team Associated [Facebook]

October 20, 2025

Champlin crowned double INS15 Champion with Finals clean sweep

Newly crowned 1:10 2WD Buggy World Champion Broc Champlin is the double Champion of the JConcept INS15, the Schumacher driver capping off the popular 1:10 Offroad series with a clean sweep at the season Final held at Hoosier RC Hobbyplex in Indiana over the weekend. While Champlin had already secured the 2WD title ahead of the fifth & final stop on the calendar, he was looking to replace his P5 from Round 1 of the series held at at Trackside Hobbies in Wisconsin. In 2WD qualifying it was Team Associated’s Davey Batta who took the opening round but the World Championship podium finisher who end up P2 on the grid as Champlin topped Q2 & 3. Xray’s Chase Lemieux and Dakotah Phend completed the Top 4. In 4WD it was again Champlin who secured the TQ over Batta with Brennan Schimmel third ahead of Aydin Horne. In the triple finals, Champlin would wrap up both victories as he went two from two in A2. Winning A3 of 2WD, Batta secured second as Phend completed the podium while in 4WD Phend took 2nd despite Horne winning A3, the Team Associated driver completed the podium.

Image: Broc Champlin [Facebook]