Red RC » R Off Road

February 4, 2024

Wins for Kaerup & Orlowski at EOS Daun

Reigning European 1:10 Offroad Champions Marcus Kaerup and Michal Orlowski were the winners at EOS Daun, Team Associated’s Kaerup securing the TQ & win in 4WD after 2WD honours went to Schumacher’s Michal Orlowski. As the defending Champion, having won the three round 2022/23 series, Orlowski completed a clean sweep of reduced 2 round 2023/24 series by backing up his Hann. Munden win in November with another dominant TQ & win performance in 2WD. While Orlowski maintained status up front, the weekend would see fellow countryman Bartosz Zalewski showcase his impressive talents as he qualified second ahead of the returning Joona Haatanen. With Orlowski sowing up the overall win in A2, Haatanen would take his Team Associated to the win in A3 to secure second ahead Zalewski’s Xray with Kaerup finishing just off the podium in fourth having started P6. As the event moved onto 4WD, Kaerup opened qualifying with a TQ run following that up with another in Q3 making the Dane the Top Qualifier. Orlowski topped Q2 to start second ahead of Zalewski who was fastest in the fourth & final qualifier. With Kaerup taking A1, and A2 going to Orlowski, it all came down to the third encounter but with the former laying down the fastest lap to keep Orlowski a bay he took the overall win. The podium in Daun was completed by Zalewski with Haatanen fourth ahead of fellow Scandinavian’s Elias Johansson and Alexander Landen while World Champion Davide Ongaro ended up P7.

Image: EOS [eos.racing]

February 2, 2024

Nova Engines power for McBride

Nova Engines has announced that it is to power the campaign of top Australian 1:8 Offroad racer Kyle McBride. A multiple World Championship finalist, over Christmas it was confirmed the McBride was returning to Kyosho’s International 1:8 Offroad team with today’s news that he will use the Italian made engines in his MP10 completing his all new 2024 race package. Having also secured the support of Hotrace Tyres, the 27-year-old will debut his new combo at next weekend’s opening round of the four round Asian Buggy Championships which kicks off at the Counties RC Car Club in New Zealand.

Source: Nova Engines [nova-engines.com]

February 2, 2024

Hobbywing announce Champlin & Kobbevik

Hobbywing has announced the addition of offroad racers Broc Champlin and Daniel Kobbevik to its team line-up for the 2024 season. American Champlin enjoyed a very impressive 2023 season the highlight of which was a podium finish at the 1:10 2WD Buggy World Championships in Arizona. Also joining Hobbywing having raced for LRP last season, Norwegian Kobbevik is a 14-time National Champion and is a regular podium finisher at top European races as team-mate to Schumacher Racing’s Michal Orlowski who he will now run the same electronic as. Commenting on the announcement Champlin said, ‘Im excited to have joined and I’m looking forward to working with the whole Hobbywing team! It’s been proven that they have top notch equipment and the best of the best products. Let’s do this.’

Source: Hobbywing [hobbywing.com]

January 29, 2024

Maifield & Rivkin win at TNR Fuels Amain Challenge 2024

Ryan Maifield and Spencer Rivkin took the big wins at the annual TNR Fuels A-Main Challenge which took place over the weekend at The Dirt at Perris track in SoCal. In qualifying it was the Tekno fleet of Maifield that led the way as he secured a TQ triple with pole position in Nitro Buggy, eBuggy and Nitro Truggy. As last year’s Truggy Champion Maifield would kick off finals day with victory in the 30-minute A-Main after a great battle with Tekno team-mate Spencer Heckert. Behind Rivkin completed the podium. In eBuggy Maifield won both A-Main encounters for overall win No.2 of the weekend, the first leg ahead of Frankie Contreras and the second ahead of Rivkin but a P4 and P5 was enough for Cole Odgen to finished runner up with Contreras claiming 3rd overall. Attracting over 400 entries, in the concluding races of the event it was to be 2023 winner Rivkin who again took the Nitro Buggy victiry after getting passed Maifield who had lead the first half of the 45-minute encounter. Qualifying P2, Kyosho’s Ryan Lutz would complete the podium ahead of Sparko Racing’s Ryan Cavalieri.

Image: AMain Hobbies [Facebook]

January 24, 2024

2025 IFMAR World Championship Calendar

With all of the 2023 IFMAR World Championships producing new winners, a picture of where those drivers will defend their titles is starting to come together with 2025 a year that will also see the number of World Championship titles awarded increase from 6 to 8. With the 2-year cycle never long coming round, already confirmed is the 1:10 Offroad World Championships which was awarded to Australia after last year’s indoor event in Arizona where David Ongaro added a first Electric World title and Tater Sontag joined the elite club of World Champions. Another event to be confirmed during the running of the 2023 edition was the 1:8 GT World Championship. In Australia it was announced that South America would be destination with Toni Gruber set to defend his title in Peru. Set to be only third running of the 1:8 GT World Championships, there will be two IFMAR World Championships up for grabs as Electric moves from two years of World Cup status to a full World Championship category. After one of the most intense finals of the year in Japan, 1:8 Onroad is going to the FAMAR Bloc with Chile expected to bid to host the sport’s original World Championship. Wrapping up the 2023 IFMAR World Championship season in Florida, where Michal Orlowski and Max Machler took the titles, 1:12 moves to the FEMCA Bloc with China widely expected to host the 22nd running of IFMAR longest running electric World Championship. New to the calender for 2025 will be the 1:8 Electric Offroad World Championship. Portugal will host an IFMAR World Cup this coming April for eBuggy with the host Federation expected to apply to run the inaugural World Championship for the category one year later.

View 2024 and provisional 2025 calendar here

January 24, 2024

Hotrace tyres for McBride

Multiple 1:8 Offroad World Finalist and Australian National Champion Kyle McBride will run Hotrace Tyres as part of his 2024 race program. The Italian brand announced McBride as the latest driver they will be supporting this season as he embarks on a return season with Kyosho. 14-years since his first World Championship Final appearance, when he finished fourth in Pattaya driving for Mugen Seiki, the 27-year-old Brisbane driver brings vast experience to the Hotrace team.

Source: Hotrace Tyres [hotracetyres.com]

January 24, 2024

Sontag latest FlySky high profile signing

Continuing its impressive run of high profile driver signings, Chinese radio manufacturer FlySky has announced the addition of reigning 2WD Buggy World Champion Tater Sontag to its team driver line-up. The American was spotted along with TLR team-mate Dakotah Phend using the Noble Pro at the recent season opening ‘Clash of Champions’ race in Indiana fuelling rumours the teenager would join their already impressive list of signings that includes Offroad World Champions Ryan Maifield & David Ronnefalk and onroad World Champions Marc Rheinard and Ronald Volker. On the announcement Sontag said, “From the moment I first ran the Noble Pro radio I instantly was impressed! It had a super responsive and smooth feeling, and felt good in the hand. The options on the radio are endless and the updates come frequently just keep making it better and better!”

Source: Flysky [flysky-cn.com]

January 23, 2024

Donnelly joins Hobbywing team

Hobbywing has announced that front running Australian Offroad racer Lachlan Donnelly has joined its driver team. The 19-year-old from Sydney who has raced with Team Associated for a decade, has already used Hobbywing electrics as part of his campaigns including at the 1:10 Offroad World Championships in Arizona last September. As part of a big push by Hobbywing to build a strong world wide team for 2024 he now joins the team officially. An impressive showing at the 1:8 GT World Championship in Sydney in October, after just one club race as preparation, highlights Donnelly natural talent which Hobbywing is keen to help develop further.

Source: Hobbywing [hobbywing.com]