Red RC » R Off Road

December 2, 2024

Batlle move to Sworkz confirmed

Sworkz has confirmed the signing of former World Champion Robert Batlle with the Spaniard filling the role of International Team Manager and Brand Ambassador. Announcing his departure from Mayako last week after a 2-year stint with brand, Sworkz had already teased the move with an image taken from behind a driver signing a contract and on making things official posted, ‘Some of you guys guessed right… Welcome to the Sworkz team Robert Batlle! We are very excited to announce Robert Batlle as our new International Teammanager and Brand Ambassador! Robert has many years of experience in the industry and is a super kind and helpful person. He is the perfect addition to our team to get the best out of our drivers and the brand. We are looking forward to a great time together and wish him a good start with the team!’ On his own social media the 2012 World Champion posted, ‘Everything to RED. Very happy to start this new challenge, let’s go for it and I hope you love many new things we have cooking ALL IN RED. Really happy to join this awesome Brand! New chapter in my life, looking forward to make you all feel like home! Great things coming up.’

Source: Sworkz [sworkz.com]

November 30, 2024

Martin ends 1:10 program with Schumacher

Multiple 1:10 Offroad European Champion & World Championship podium finisher Lee Martin has announced his time at Schumacher Racing has come to an end. Joining the British manufacturer at the beginning of 2013 for a 1:10 Offroad program alongside his Agama 1:8 commitments with Nemo Racing, his departure from Schumacher is expected to clear the way for the British driver to race Agama’s new 1:10 offering. In May of this year the manufacturer announced its entry into the 1:0 market with the release of the N110 1:10 2WD Buggy. Announcing he was leaving Schumacher on his social media Martin posted, ‘As November comes to an end, so does my time with Schumacher Racing. I would like to thank everyone at Schumacher for the last 2 years together where we achieved a few National wins to go with many other fantastic results. Thanks to Robin, Muz, Tris and everyone in the factory and my fellow racers from Team Martin. 2025 is loading….’

Source: Lee Martin [Facebook]

November 30, 2024

Battle confirms Mayako departure

A little over a year after David Ronnefalk’s departure, Mayako’s other former World Champion Robert Battle has official confirmed his departure from the manufacturer via his social media. Joining the team for the 2023 season from Mugen Seiki, the 2012 World Champion put his Mayako in the final at this year’s IFMAR World Championship in Redovan. Confirming his departure, the Spaniard expected to be headed to Sworkz, he posted, ‘Thank you Mayako Community for that amazing two years, I learnt so much about RC and life. Experience that I will never forget. Now it is time to take another chapter, I hope you can understand the decision, I’m sure you will. Thank you again for everything you did for me, you will have my help at tracks forever!’

Source: Robert Battle [Facebook]

November 29, 2024

Schimmel & Sutherland announce TLR departure

Just days after Team Losi Racing made an announcement on its ‘New Vision’ for 2025 and the introduction of their all-new 2025 Ambassador program, IFMAR World Championship Finalist Brennan Schimmel and leading US Stock Offroad racer Nate Sutherland have each separately announced via their social media their departure from the iconic offroad chassis brand. Both drivers highlighted the manufacturer loosing its ‘team dynamic’ in particular over the last year, no doubt the departure of the popular figure Thomas Tran a contributing factor. Joining TLR five years ago, Sutherland, a winner at the recent Florida Carpet Championship, stated he ‘wasn’t planning on leaving’, the Iowa driver also confirming his departure from one time RC racing powerhouse Pro-Line tyres which was bought by TLR owners Horizon Hobby four years ago. 22-year-old Schimmel, took direct aim at the TLR’s owners, saying that the ‘company let the team down and dumped its core people like they had no value, like they didn’t exist.’ With TLR’s very low profile presence at this year’s IFMAR 1:8 Offroad World Championship in Spain fuelling much talk in racing circles about their future commitment to competitive racing, lets hope we are not witnessing the demise of a brand that was created by one of the great pioneers of RC racing, Gil Losi Snr, and which has played such a major part in the history and great rivalries of offroad racing.

Read each driver’s announcement here

November 26, 2024

Team Losi Racing 2025 Racing Announcement

With much talk in racing circles about Team Losi Racing’s future commitment to competitive racing, the famed brand has just made an announcement on its ‘New Vision’ for 2025. In the announcement the offroad manufacturer, which is part of the RC model industry giant Horizon Hobby, state that for 2025 they are committed to developing a new 2WD platform including a Stadium Truck while also ‘refreshing’ its 4WD, and ‘refining’ the 8X. The announcement opens on the subject its race team stating that as the ‘racing landscape continues to evolve’ they are evolving their race team program ‘to ensure its sustainability, growth, and long-term success’. While winners of a World Championship as recently as 2023, when Tater Sontag took the 2WD Buggy title at Hobby Action in Arizona, TLR has not been the force it once was in racing so lets hope this announcement results in TLR being back at the forefront of international offroad competition once again.

Read full announcement here

November 22, 2024

Sworkz to defend MIBO International title

Having made their debut at MIBO International last year and claimed the 2WD Buggy title with Joern Neumann, Sworkz is the first team to confirm its participation in the third edition of the annual Czech Republic based event. Taking place on February 07-09, with practice starting on the Friday evening, multiple European Champion Neumann and Micha Widmaier will travel to Hrotovice to represent the manufacturer at the indoor event once again. MIBO International brings together both electric offroad and onroad racing on two tracks build side by side in the Sport V Hotel by the team from Mibosport. With entries for the event having opened this week, 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. With a capped entry limit the relaxed schedule means plenty of time in the evening to wind down and socialise over dinner after each day’s racing.

Source: MIBO [mibosport.com]

November 21, 2024

2025 Asian Buggy Championships Calendar

Scotty Ernst’s Asian Buggy Championships has announced confirmed dates for the first three rounds of the 2025 Championship with dates for the season finale, Round 4, set to be confirmed soon. Kicking off once again in New Zealand on March 19-23, entries will open on December 1st for the Counties RC Car Club hosted round which has a 250 entry limit. The Championships, of which Sworkz driver Christian Wolhuter is the of newly crowned overall 2024 Buggy Champion, head north for the legendary race that is the 2025 Philippine Masters on April 30 – May 4. This is an event that attracts some of the very best racers not just from the Asia-Pacific region, but across the globe. Pine Hills in Brisbane, Australia is the next stop for Round 3 on July 16-20. The technical, high grip challenges of the PHDR circuit that made this the biggest ABC event of 2024. New to the calendar in 2024 and presenting a proper dirt track that attracted world wide attention, the 2025 Asian Buggy Championships will wrap up at the stunning West Side RC Raceway in Jakarta, Indonesia. The beautiful racing surface, amazing facility and impressive hospitality make it a perfect way to round out the third season of the Asian Buggy Championships with the date set to confirmed as soon as possible.

View 2025 Calendar herr

November 21, 2024

Ielasi Tuned to power Berton

A driver who is set for a completely new race package going into the 2025 season, Kyosho bound Riccardo Berton is to use Ielasi Tuned engines to power his offroad race program. The Italian engine tuner who was represented in the 1:8 Offroad World Championship final in Spain in September with Joao Figueiredo, announced, ‘We are super happy to have one other top driver with us. He will use our TERRA offroad engine with the 2186FT combo in the upcoming seasons. Together we will keep good results, good luck Ricky.’ Reacting to his new engine deal, Berton, who was also in the final in Redovan with former chassis sponsors Infinity and former engine sponsor O.S. Engines, said, “I am very happy to join Ielasi Tuned for 2025 and 2026, I always admire their attitude on and off the track and I really look forward to start the new season with them, let’s go!!”

Source: Ielasi Tuned [ielasituned.com]