Red RC » R Off Road

November 4, 2024

Berkan Kilic wins IBR Padova Winter Cup

Berkan Kilic took the double win at the IBR Padova Winter Cup over the weekend, the Mugen Seiki driver taking the eBuggy win ahead of Riccardo Berton who made his unofficial return to Kyosho at the race. In qualifying at the impressive Italian indoor dirt track, it was Berton with his plain white bodied Kyosho who took the overall TQ in electric but after some very close racing with Kilic it was the later who came away with the victory. Sworkz driver Marcel Trieb would complete the podium. With the Winter Cup attracting almost 200 entries, Kilic would also give Mugen success in the Nitro Buggy category securing the TQ and win.

Image: Riccardo Berton [Facebook]

November 4, 2024

2025 EFRA European Championship Calendar

Hosting its AGM over the weekend in Brussels, Belgium, EFRA, the governing body for RC racing in Europe, has released a provisional 2025 race calendar of which the European Championships are the highlights. Made up of 13 European Championship deciding events, it will all kick off with the 1:12 EC in Belgium at the end of March and concluded with the only remaining European B Championship for 1:8 Buggy which takes place at the end of September in Italy. EFRA also announced the awarding of 2026 European Championship to tracks with the Fuencarral circuit in Madrid, Spain, home to the annual international Buggyland race, set to host the 1:8 Buggy Championships. Other confirmed 2026 locations include Bourg-en-Bresse in France which will be the venue for the 1:8 Onroad Euros while Steyregg in Austria has been selected to host the 1:10 Offroad Championships. Electric Touring Car will return to Mini Circuit ‘Ville de Luxembourg’, the iconic Luxembourg track having last hosted the Euros in 2009. Two significant points to come out from the EFRA AGM include the 1:12 section making the decision to modernise the bodyshell rules in coming years, bringing in the styling and design of modern LMDh/IMSA endurance racing cars. In 1:8 Offroad, control tyres will now be mandated for the 2025 European B 1:8 Buggy Championship. The new rule allows each tyre manufacturer to nominate control tyres for use during the event.

View calendar dates here

October 31, 2024

World Champion Ongaro confirmed for SIGP debut

Triple back to back 1:8 Offroad World Champion Davide Ongaro is the latest driver to be confirmed for the SIGP International Offroad Grand Prix in Xiamen, China. It will be factory Team Associated driver’s first time to travel to China and the impressive 3-circle ARC International RC Racing Track, the Italian & current 1:10 4WD Buggy World Champion not yet racing 1:10 electric when the track hosted the IFMAR World Championship in 2017. With Germany’s Joern Neumann and American Ryan Lutz as past Champions, 2024 will be the first running of the SIGP post Covid with organisers confirming last week that Xray’s Bruno Coelho, winner of the SIGP Onroad event earlier this year, will return for its offroad event which takes place from December 11-15th.

Source: Sunpadow [sunpadow.com]

October 31, 2024

ROAR announces 2025 Nationals Calendar

ROAR, the the sanctioning body for RC racing in the United States & Canada, has announced the track locations and dates for its 2025 National Championships. While a suitable venue for the 1:8 Onroad Nitro Nationals is still being sought, the 2025 Nationals will kick off with the 1:10 Onroad Carpet Nationals at 360 RC Raceway in New Rochelle, New York, which is home to the annual MonTech NYGP. Later in the same month Amain will host the 1:8 Electric Offroad Nationals at it track in California. Next up it will be the 1:10 Offroad Nationals which will be hosted by Hoosier RC Hobbyplex in Indiana in May. June will see the turn of 1:8 Nitro Offroad drivers to battle it out for National honours as they travel to the Thornhill Racing Circuit in Texas. In August the 1:10 Carpet Offroad Nationals will take drivers to Iowa to the Island Speedway Offroad facility. Set to wrap up the National Calendar in October, CenCal Speedway in Fresno, California, will decide the 1:10 Onroad Paved National titles.

View official 2025 calendar here

October 30, 2024

Berton to run Matrix Tires

Kyosho bound Riccardo Berton will run Martix tyres as part of his new race program, the Italian manufacturer announcing the 1:8 Offroad World finalist would be joining World Champion Davide Ongaro as one of its team drivers for 2025. Winner of this year’s Montepellier GP, the Italian had been running OGO tyres as part of his program with Infinity in 2024 and commenting on his announcement at Matrix he posted, ‘Really happy to join Matrix Racing Tires for 2025, thank you very much to Cristian and all the team! Looking forward to the start of the season!’

Source: Matrix [matrixtires.it]

October 29, 2024

Boda leaves Sworkz

After just clinching the French 1:8 eBuggy National Championship title, top French racer Clément Boda has announced that he is to part ways with his chassis sponsor Sworkz. Joining the Taiwanese manufacturer at the beginning of 2022, Boda represented the brand in both 1:8 and 1:10 offroad, winning four national title in 1:10 with their buggies, but after 3-years has decided to move to ‘new horizons’. On his Facebook page Boda, who just turned 20, said, ‘After 3 years with Sworkz, it’s time for me to move on to new horizons. It’s been an emotional three years, with ups and downs, hard work, travel, good times and lots of racing. I’d especially like to thank Max Sonnleitner, Micha Widmaier, Georg Horninger, Jerome Sartel and Sébastien Mure. You put me in good conditions from the start and throughout our partnership. Thanks to you, these three years have been accompanied by good results and this challenge, which was really a new one for us, was, I think, taken up with great pride. Many thanks again to the Sworkz team, I wish you all the best for the future, and look forward to seeing you on the track.’

Source: Clément Boda [Facebook]

October 28, 2024

Figueiredo wins Spanish Nationals finale

Tekno’s João Figueiredo continued his impressive 2024 season with victory at the season finale of the competitive Spanish 1:8 Buggy National Championships in Madrid. Travelling to the Fuencarral circuit, home of the annual Buggyland race, the Portuguese National Champion was in the battle to become the Spanish Vice-Champion, victory in all three previous rounds meaning Sworkz Juan Carlos Canas had already secured the overall title. In qualifying it was fellow Tekno driver Adrian Pariente who would secure the TQ ahead of Figueiredo but in the Semi’s it would be European B Champion David Todd who would win with the fastest time to put his Mugen Seiki on pole for the 45-minute final. From third on the grid it wouldn’t take Figueiredo long to get to the front where he would stay to win by 11-seconds Jose Miguel Sanchez with Daniel Pariente completing the podium just ahead of Xray’s Bryan Baldo. Joining Tekno at the start of the 2024 season and achieving his first World Championship final last month in Redovan, Spain, Figueiredo will now try to cap off his best season yet with a strong showing at the AMS Alabama Manufacturer Shootout in the US onNovember 7th-10th.

Source: João Figueiredo [Facebook]

October 28, 2024

Phend retains Masters of Dirt title

BeachRC in South Carolina hosted the 10th annual Masters of Dirt where Team Losi Racing’s Dakotah Phend was crowned the overall Champion for his combined results in 2WD & 4WD Buggy and Stadium Truck. In qualifying, 2WD Mod Buggy would see the Schumacher of Broc Champlin secured the TQ ahead of Phend and World Champion Tater Sontag. With single 10 minute A-Mains, Champlin was able to covert pole into victory ahead of Phend and Aydin Horne. In 2WD Mod Truck, it was Phend who topped qualifying ahead of Horne but it in the final the Associated driver would get the lead late on and secure the win. While Champlin would also TQ 4WD Mod Buggy ahead of Reedy’s Dustin Evans, it was Phend from P4 on the grid who would take the win from Horne to retain the Masters of Dirt ‘Master’ title which he won last year.

Image: JConcepts [Facebook]