Red RC » R Off Road

November 8, 2025

SIGP Day 2 qualifying opens with another Kato TQ run

Day 2 of qualifying at the SIGP in China has opened with Infinity’s Kouki Kato laying down another TQ run, the Japanese driver carrying the form that saw him top seeding and Q1 yesterday into another very hot day in Xiamen. Managing to better his Q1 time by 3.5 seconds, Kato would lead an Infinity 1-2 as Bruno Coelho set the second fastest time 2.5-seconds adrift of his team-mate. Having opened qualifying with a P2 yesterday evening, David Ronnefalk looked to be close to challenging Kato this morning but on his fuel stop in lap his edgy looking Xray crashed and needing to be marshalled he lost over 7-seconds to drop back to record the third fastest time. After his P4 in Q1, round 2 would end up being a throw away for Pekko Iivonen, the Mayako driver entering the pits with caution after yesterday’s timing issues but finding a new bump that caused him to crash which he then followed up with a far more spectacular crash exiting the pits. This allowed Indonesian Infinity driver Jason Nugroho to record the fourth fastest time ahead of Team Associated’s young Korean talent Jung Hyunkyu with Mr. Mayako Joseph Quagraine completing the Top 6.

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November 7, 2025

Kato takes SIGP Q1 ahead of Ronnefalk & Coelho

Infinity’s Kouki Kato has opened qualifying at the Sunpadow International Grand Prix with a TQ run, the top seed fastest over the 8-minute heat ahead of Xray’s David Ronnefalk and Infinity’s Bruno Coelho. While Kato TQ run was never in doubt there would be some issues with timing in the top heat as a result of the qualifiers being extended from the traditional 5-minutes to 8-minutes. With drivers forced to stop for fuel in the qualifier, a number of drivers would not have their laps counted as the came in to pit lane, Coelho, David Ronnefalk, and Jason Nugroho all effected by a problem with the loop under the paved pit lane entry. While there was some deliberations following the completion of qualifying with buggies being push back & forth over the loop on the main straight and in pit lane, it was finally decided to credit drivers with the missed laps meaning Ronnefalk got his second 3.162 seconds off Kato’s pace with Coelho joining them on 15-lap runs a further 1-second back. Showing P2 on the timing screen’s at the end of the run, Mayako’s Pekko Iivonen would end up 4th after the corrections with Adrian Wicaksono from Indonesia completing the Top 5.

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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