February 12, 2023

Ongaro dominates Montpellier GP

Davide Ongaro has opened the 2023 1:8 Offroad season proper in Europe with a dominant performance at the Montpellier GP in France.  The Italian secured the overall TQ on Saturday and kicked off Sunday’s finals action with a win of his 20-minute Semi Final over Juan Carlos Canas that secured pole for the Main event.  Winner of the other Semi Final, Elliot Boots would line up third on the grid behind his Sworkz team-mate Canas but they would be no match for the World Champion over the 1-hour decider.  Setting the fastest lap of the final, the Team Associated driver would go on to lap the entire field at Circuit du MBM.  Boots managed to get the better of Canas to finish half a lap up on the Spaniard as they lined up either side of Ongaro on the podium.  Finishing fourth would be Infinity’s Riccardo Berton, the Italian have a lap over new Mayako signing Robert Batlle in fifth.

Image: RCMag [Facebook]

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February 11, 2023

Ongaro Top Qualifier at Montpellier GP

The European 1:8 Offroad season kicks off this weekend with the traditional running of the Montpellier GP in France where Davide Ongaro is the Top Qualifier.  The World Champion took the top spot in qualifier with TQ runs in Q2 and Q3 after the Team Associated driver opened proceedings with a P5.  The opening qualifier would be topped by Sworkz’ Elliot Boots, the multiple European Champion backing that up with 3rd in the final round to secure 2nd overall.  Boots’ team-mate & former Montpellier GP Champion Juan Carlos Canas ended qualifying third overall thanks to being 2nd fastest in Q1 and 3rd fastest in Q2.  Kyosho’s Joao Figueiredo was next up ahead of Infinity’s Riccardo Berton with HB Racing’s Thomas Musso, who leads the French charge, completing the Top 6.

Image: File Image

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February 8, 2023

Ongaro signs with Matrix Racing Tires

Back to back 1:8 Offroad World Champion Davide Ongaro has signed with Matrix Racing Tires.  Having raced for 5-years with AKA and won both his World titles with the American brand, the Italian joins fellow Italian Cristian Boni’s brand as the establish Onroad tyre producer ventures into the Offroad market.  Making the announcement on social media, Matrix posted, ‘Who can explore the universe better than the best Driver in the world? Only the multiple times World Champion.  Ladies and Gentlemen, we are pleasure to introduce you Mr. Davide Ongaro. Davide has signed with Matrix Offroad Tires and his work it will be important for us and all our customers… Just Stardust on Offroad Tracks!’  Adding to the news on his own social media the factory Team Associated driver said, “I want to say a big thanks to Boni Cristian and all Matrix crew for the help and support they will give to us, I’m super happy to joint this team and ready for a new adventure. Now head down and work.”

Source: Matrix [matrixtires.it]

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February 7, 2023

Nosram to power Martin’s 2023 offroad campaigns

Nosram has announced that top international offroad racer Lee Martin is to use their batteries in 2023.  The news is the second significant driver announcement from the relaunched brand who announced the signing of onroad ace Alexander Hagberg at the start of the year.  A World Championship runner up and multiple European Champion, Martin, who moved from Yokomo to Schumacher this season, will use Nosram to power is 1:10 offroad program as well as his 1:8 Electric Offroad campaign with Agama.

Source: Nosram [Facebook]

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February 6, 2023

JConcepts Winter Indoor Nats wins for Horne & Phend

The JConcepts Winter Indoor Nationals travelled to San Diego over the weekend and it was Team Associated’s Aydin Horne and TLR’s Dakotah Phend who took the big wins at SDRC Raceway.  The first stop of 5 events on the INS13 calendar, in 2WD Buggy it was Horne who took the TQ ahead of Phend and Tekno’s Ryan Maifield, the later running Team Associated chassis’ at the event. Qualifying opened with Tom Rinderknecht topping Q1 from Maifield but P4 & 5 in the next two rounds left the Xray driver fourth on the grid.  In 4WD, Phend topped the first and third round qualifiers to take TQ honours ahead of Associated’s Spencer Rivkin who was second fastest ahead of Horne in all three runs.  Again Rinderknecht would post a TQ run setting the pace in Q2 but like in 2WD he would start the 4WD A-Main from 4th.  In the finals the Top 3 would lined up on the podium as how they qualified.  2WD went down to A3, which was duly won by Rivkin from 6th on the grid giving him 4th overall.  In 4WD, Phend tied things up early with wins in A1 & 2 leaving Rivkin to win A3 from Horne who completed the overall podium.

View 4WD Buggy Podium here

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February 5, 2023

Orlowski caps of double EOS title success with 4WD win

Michal Orlowski has capped off a double EOS title victory with the 4WD Buggy win at the season finale in Germany.  The Schumacher driver had struggled in Saturday’s 2WD action as team-mate Broc Champlin took a debut win in the series in style from the TQ but still secured the overall title.  Switching to 4WD however it was business as usual for the Polish driver as he topped all three rounds of qualifying.  Starting the triple A-Main as Top Qualifier, he wrapped up his second 4WD victory of the season with wins in A1 & 2.  Completing a very successful debut in the carpet surface series, American visitor Champlin made it a 1-2 for the British manufacturer.   Taking the win in A3,  Bartosz Zalewski from Poland completed the Round 3 podium for Xray.

Image: Michal Orlowski [Facebook]

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February 4, 2023

Debut EOS win for Champlin

American offroad racer Broc Champlin has claimed a debut victory at the Euro Offroad Series. Making his first appearance in the indoor carpet track series at the season finale in Daun, the factory Schumacher backed up his domination of qualifying yesterday to win the 2WD final today by winning the opening two A-Mains. Winning A1 by a comfortable margin of almost 4-seconds, Champlin’s closest rival would be 18-year-old Alexander Landén driving his Team Associated with Xray’s Martin Bayer coming through from 9th for 3rd. A2 it was again the visitor from Las Vegas who controlled proceedings with the Team Associated of Dane Marcus Kaerup coming up from P5 on the grid to finish second ahead of Sworkz Micha Widmaier and EOS Champion Michal Orlwski. With the overall victory secured, Champlin was able to sit out A3 as the rest of the field battled for the rest of the podium. Again Kaerup would work his way to the front to take the win from Widmaier securing them 2nd and 3rd overall respectively. As the ROAR Offroad Carpet Nationals 4WD Champion, Champlin’s attention will now turn to 4WD and targetting the double on his already impressive EOS debut.

Image: Schumacher [Facebook]

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February 3, 2023

Champlin impresses to take TQ on EOS debut

One way to impress your sponsors when they fly you half way across the World is to perform well and Broc Champlin has exceeded that by securing the overall TQ at the season finale of the Euro Offroad Series in Germany.  Making his debut in the series, the American took his LRP powered Schumacher to the fastest time in all three rounds of 2WD Buggy qualifying on the carpet track.  In Q1, Champlin topped the times from new team-mate and former series Champion Lee Martin and Sworkz Micha Widmaier.  In the second round, the visitor was even quicker, this time fastest from Widmaier and European Champion Tommy Hall.  Wrapping up the first day of action in Daun, Champlin made it three from three becoming the only driver to record 18 laps.  Behind, Team Associated’s Marcus Kaerup posted the second fastest time of Q3 with reigning EOS Champion Michal Orlowski third fastest.  With the 20-year-old from Las Vegas making his EOS debut from pole position, behind him Widmaier starts second with Martin 3rd followed by Orlowski, Kaerup and Hall.

Image: Jurgen Lautenbach [Facebook]

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