Red RC » R Off Road

March 9, 2024

Phi-Long Nguyen TQ at FEMCA Championship

Kyosho’s Phi-Long Nguyen is the Top Qualifier at the 2024 FEMCA 1:8 Nitro Offroad Championship which is taking place at the L.A Track in Vietnam. The federation race crowns the Champion of Asia with this year attracting an impressive entry of more 110 drivers from across the largest continent in the World. Counting Atsushi Hara and Kyle McBride amount its past champions and this year it appears to be a battle of the future stars of the sport in qualifying. Over the six rounds 12-year-old Nguyen topped four qualifiers to secure the overall TQ with 17-year-old Australian Christian Wolhuter getting P2 after topping Q2 & Q3 with his Sworkz. Completing the Top 3 for qualifying would be new Team Associated signing Hyunkyu Jung, the Korean teenager having finished runner-up at last year’s championship in Taiwan. With reigning FEMCA Champion Jeff Wang not present in Vietnam the race will decide a brand new champion.

Image: Martin Wolhuter

March 7, 2024

Introducing the ‘Michal Orlowski Column’

We have had the pleasure of following his career from his early days of racing a Tamiya TT02 and all the way through to being in Florida last December to finally witness him become a World Champion. Last year on the way to the 1:10 Offroad World Championships in Arizona, we both endured a lengthy 4-hour delay to our connecting flight in Washington and it was during that conversation and the sharing of many stories that the idea was born for a regular column from one of the most travelled racers in the business. To be honest, not expecting a great reaction to asking any driver to commit to writing regularly about their racing adventures both and off the track, we got Chris Ashton of his main sponsor Schumacher to ask the question, and, he jumped at the opportunity. So with out further a do we’ll hand you over to the newest member of the Red RC editorial team (well so sort). Michal Orlowski take it away……

Click here to read Michal first of hopefully many columns

March 4, 2024

Ongaro takes max points at Italian Championship opener

David Ongaro got his 2024 Italian 1:8 Offroad National Championship campaign under way with a perfect weekend at the season opener held at the AOL Club Policoro track in Southern Italy. The defending Champion opened the event by taking his Team Associated RC8 to the overall TQ after he topped the opening 2 of the 4 qualifiers. Fastest in Q3, the Sworkz of Mattia Polito claimed second ahead of the Infinity of recent Montpellier GP winner Riccardo Berton who took the final qualifier. Going on to win his 20-minute Semi Final, back to back World Champion Ongaro would line up on pole from where he would win by half a lap from Polito, setting the fastest lap of the race in the process. Qualifying P6, WIRC Racing’s Marco Baruffolo would complete the podium as Berton had issues and finished 5th in between Andrea Trevisan and Alex Zanchettin.

Image: Davide Ongaro [Facebook]

March 4, 2024

Martin wins 2024 Willspeed GP – Report

Willspeed, the British manufacturer best known for its billet aluminium buggy conversion kits, hosted the second annual edition of its Willspeed GP recently where Schumacher Racing’s Lee Martin took the win. Running of the event in partnership with 1066 Racing in Hastings, the event had 84 drivers book in and like last year the 2024 edition sold out within 24 hours going to show what a great meeting 1066 Racing put on and the racers were certainly keen to come back for more! The driver line up looked very strong with some of the top UK racers in attendance these included, Lee Martin, Kyle Moon, Nathan Ralls, Aaron Nash, Daniel Pole, Abe Lyons, Yasir Mughal and many more! We were greeted by a fantastic technical layout from the 1066 track crew with some great jumps which required precision and skill to get a clean fast lap in so consistency would be key to getting to the sharp end of the results!

Continue reading here

February 28, 2024

SNOR’24 by PicNic – Announcement

The opening round of the SNOR (Serial Nacional de OffRoad RC de México) National Series takes place in Guadalajara, Mexico, on March 8-10 with the host club PicNic Royal Club unveiling the track that awaits racer. Wanting to kick off the four round 1:8 Offroad series with one of the most impressive tracks ever built in Mexico, the club brought in US track builder Anthony Westergaard of Factory Tracks to create it. As well as national racers the event has attracted a number of international race who will make the trip to Guadalajara city to race on the sugared track.

Source: SNOR RC México [Facebook]

February 28, 2024

Lutz confirmed for Philippine Masters debut

With the best electric touring car drivers in Asia this week for the legendary TITC in Bangkok, its offroad equivalent, the Philippine Masters, has confirmed Kyosho’s Ryan Lutz will make the trip to Manila for the April 18-21 event. Having established itself as Asia’s biggest annual 1:8 Offroad race, this is the 12th edition and will be Lutz’s debut appearance at the Philippine Masters which is famed for its truly unique vibe that lives up to the nations tourism tagline ‘It’s More Fun in the Philippines’. This year the race will count as the second round of the Asian Buggy Championships with Lutz the current standings leader having won the season opener in New Zealand recently. Commenting on the news Lutz said, “After a fantastic first round in New Zealand I am blessed to continue the journey to round two in Manila, Philippines at the Philippine Masters ‘24. Edward Sio has been after me for so many years to attend and finally, the schedule allows this year. I can’t wait to battle it out on what has always looked like one of the most amazing R/C tracks on the planet. And I have heard nothing but amazing things about the track, facility, and the Philippines themselves from everyone who knows I’m coming. I’m excited for the adventure to start!”

Source: Asian Buggy Championships [Facebook]

February 26, 2024

Pålsson & Ronnefalk win at Euro Buggy Masters

Schumacher’s Jessica Pålsson and Xray’s David Ronnefalk took the spoils at the annual Euro Buggy Masters in Sweden, this year’s event also doubling up as the Warm-up Race for the EFRA 1:10 Offroad European Championships. In 2WD it was the Xray of Hampus Berg who took the TQ after taking two of the five qualifiers. Behind the Swede it was Pålsson fastest in Q2 who would start second ahead of Sworkz’ Joern Nuemann, Ronnefalk and the Associated of reigning European Champion Marcus Kaerup. In 4WD it was Ronnefalk was Top Qualifier over Kaerup, both drivers recording two TQ runs each. Fastest in the final round Pålsson would complete the Top 3 on the grid from Berg. In Sunday’s finals it was Pålsson who took the first A-Main as Berg had a DNF. Berg would bounce back to take A2 and leading A3 with with 30 seconds to go he taken out from behind dropping to fourth handing the overall win to Pålsson as the A3 win secured Ronnefalk the final podium placing at the Malmo based event. In 4WD, Ronnefalk failed to capitalised on starting out front in A1 with a mistake ending his challenge and allowing Kaerup to take the win. He would reset for A2 however and convert pole into wins in A2 and 3 to claim the overall ahead of Kaerup and Pålsson.

Image: Jessica Pålsson Motorsport [Facebook]

February 26, 2024

FlySky adds Neumann

FlySky has secured yet another World Champion who will use their Noble Pro radio with the announcement that Jörn Neumann will officially represent the Chinese brand. Best known for his offroad racing exploits, his latest win being at MIBO International, the German is the current IFMAR 1:8 GTE World Cup Champion and was World Champion of the nitro category in 2020. An 8-time European Champion and first ever European winner of the legendary offroad Reedy Race of Champions, commenting on his new deal Neumann said, ‘I am using the Flysky Noble Pro for a while now and really like it. It feels perfect in the hands and it has a wide range of adjustments to get you perfectly set-up for every condition.’

Source: Flysky [flysky-cn.com]