Red RC » R Off Road

August 18, 2023

Hu Wei Ping crowned Chinese 1:8 Offroad Champion

T-Works/Team Associated driver Hu Wei Ping added to his tally of National Championship titles with the 1:8 Nitro Buggy victory on the return of the China Nationals after a 3 year absence for the country’s top competition. Governing body CMAC had a busy four days of competition as both the Offroad and Onroad Championships were run side by side at the large FSR International Race Track located in Yongkang in the centre of the country. Ping would take his Associated to the win ahead of the similar buggy of Mao Yu Jun with the Xray of Gavin Kowk completing the podium. One of Ping’s main rivals in the Buggy final until he broke a shock ball end, Mugen driver Liu Shuo took the Truggy title ahead of the Team Associated of Zhu Lei Xiang with Xiao Si Tan third. eBuggy would go the way of Tang Qian Jun and his Team Associated buggy ahead of the Kyosho of Liu Zhi Chen. In 1:10 Offroad, the title went to Liu Zhi Chen.

View track image and podiums here

August 15, 2023

Kobbevik takes 16th National title with 1:8 Offroad win

Sworkz’ Daniel Kobbevik claimed his 16th National title over the weekend with victory at the 2023 Norwegian 1:8 Nitro Offroad Championship at 3starRaceway in Nedenes. Open 2-years, while track is small in size it is fast and features many cool elements. Having won the title back in 2021 but forced to miss the race in 2022 due to a clash with the 1:10 Offroad European Championships, Kobbevik’s limited 1:8 racing didn’t hamper his efforts as he topped 3 of the 5 rounds of qualifying to become the Top Qualifier. Mugen’s Vincent Rüger would TQ Q1 & 3 to take pole for the other Semi Final. With ever changing weather conditions, the Semi Finals proved challenging but Kobbevik won his in the faster time to secure pole for the 45-minute final ahead of Rüger and the Kyosho of Mathias Fink. Switching to a softer compound tyre for the final, Kobbevik would quickly run out of tyres causing the battle for the lead to heat up with Rüger. With both drivers adjusting their fuel strategy as the pushed each other unfortunately Rüger would come up short and run out fuel. This gave Kobbevik breathing space he would hold to finish over half a lap up on Kruger. With Fink retiring after just 8-minutes of racing, 11th place starter Danny Kwiatkowski would come through to complete the podium with his Kyosho.

Image: Magne Kobbevik

August 13, 2023

Phend & Rivkin defend ROAR National titles

Team Losi Racing’s Dakotah Phend and Team Associated’s Spencer Rivkin have successfully defended their ROAR 1:10 Buggy National titles. The 2023 championships took place at HobbyTown Columbus in Georgia where 2WD Champion Phend would line up second on the grid behind Top Qualifier Broc Champlin as he attempted to keep his run of title going. A P9 in A1 after contact with Rivkin put Phend on the back foot as the World Champion took the win ahead of Ryan Cavalieri. In A2 & A3, Phend, having already retained his Mod Truck title earlier in the event, would win both encounters from Rivkin and the Schumacher of Champlin and that was how they would like up on the final podium. In 4WD, starting from the TQ, Rivkin would retain the title he took from Phend last year at SDRC Raceway in San Diego with wins in A1 & 2. While Champlin would win A3, he would again have to settle for the final step on the podium as Xray’s Chase Lemieux took second overall with P2 finishes in A1 & 3.

Image: JConcepts [jconcepts.net]

August 12, 2023

Champlin & Rivkin Top Qualifiers at ROAR Nationals

Schumacher’s Broc Champlin and Team Associated’s Spencer Rivkin are the buggy Top Qualifiers at the 2023 ROAR 1:10 Offroad Nationals which are being hosted by HobbyTown Columbus in Georgia. In 2WD, Champlin dominated Friday’s opening day of qualifying topping the two rounds on the schedule with his LRP powered LD2. The first of Saturday’s qualifiers would go to World Champion Spencer Rivkin as Champlin ended up P5. With two from four to count it was all to play for for Rivkin but TLR’s defending ROAR 2WD Champion Dakotah Phend would lay down the fastest run of the four in the final round just ahead of Champlin to secure second on the grid. Only P6 for the round, Rivkin will line-up third on the grid. In 4WD, it would also be Champlin who kicked off qualifying at the top of the time sheets. Q2 would see the Xray of Chase Lemieux put in a TQ run before defending 4WD Champion Rivkin became the third different driver to hit the top spot. It all came down to Q4 with Champlin looking on target for the double but over the final 2 laps Rivkin edged in front to take the round by 3/10ths of a second and the overall TQ for tomorrow. Champlin starts 2nd followed by Lemieux, Tater Sontag, Dustin Evans and Phend.

Image: JConcepts [jconcepts.net]

August 8, 2023

Cragg claims 27th British Championship title

Neil Cragg claimed his 27th British National Championship title over the weekend with the Team Associated driver successfully defending his 1:10 2WD Buggy title at the season finale at TORCH. Hosted by Titchfield Off Road Club Hants, the sixth & final round of the BRCA Championship was the 2WD decider after the 4WD title was decided at the previous round in favour of Tommy Hall who would also be Cragg main 2WD title rival. In qualifying it was Schumacher’s Lee Martin who took the TQ from Hall and Cragg. Unfortunately heavy rain would force the meeting to be cancelled on the Saturday and the result declared on qualifying which gave former World Champion Cragg the title by a single point from Hall with Martin completing the 2023 Championship Top 3. In the concluding round of the 4WD Championship, held on the Sunday, Schumacher’s Ben Smith secured his first ever Nationals TQ ahead Cragg and the Hall brothers Tommy & Jamie. In the final Smith would win the opening two legs to secure the win with Tommy Hall and 2WD winner Martin joining him on the Round 6 podium.

Image: Racewayone [racewayone.com]

August 3, 2023

1:8 Offroad World C/ship 2024 – Brazil Presentation

Following IFMAR’s publication of a provisional 2024 calendar for next year’s four World Championship events, the proposal received from the listed 1:8 Offroad Worlds host country Brazil has been made public. The Brazil Federation FEBARC together with CASA Raceway in São Paulo has in its presentation put forward September 8-14th, 2024, as the dates for the 19th running of the Championships with it set to be the third South American country in which the title has been decided. In 2002 Uruguay hosted the race where Greg Degani won and more recently Argentina was the location for Robert Batlle’s 2012 title victory. With a facility that can normally cater for approximate 50 racers, the host club will expand the pit area to accommodate 230 racers & mechanics for the Worlds. In terms of location, the track is just 23km from São Paulo’s main international airport – Guarulhos International Airport (GRU). Having made history in Spain last year when he became the first driver to successfully defend the World Championship title, a win in Brazil would give Davide Ongaro a hat trick of title in three different continents, the Team Associated driver having won his first title in Australia in 2018.

Check out the full presentation on the EFRA website by clicking here.

August 2, 2023

2024 IFMAR World Championship Provisional Calendar

With just a month until the first of the four World Championships of 2023 get underway with the 1:10 Offroad Worlds at Hobby Action in the USA, IFMAR has released a provisional calendar for the four classes that will have the bi-annual title decided in 2024. The World’s best 1:8 Offroad racers are set to travel to Sao Paulo in Brazil in September. This will be the first time the category has been to Brazil, it’s last trip to South America being Argentina in 2012 where Robert Battle won. In November the Large Scale Touring Car title will be decided in Sydney, Australia, at the same track where this year’s 1:8 GT World Champion will be crowned October. For 1:10 Nitro, Costa Rico is where the 10th Champion of the category will be decided. Also on the calendar next year is 1:10 electric Touring Car (ISTC) which will be hosted by the ROAR Bloc meaning a trip to the United States or Canada with the date also still to be confirmed.

View provisional calendar here

July 31, 2023

Ongaro takes Italian Championship title

Davide Ongaro is the 2023 AMSCI 1:8 Buggy Italian National Champion, the Team Associated driver securing the title with victory at the third & final round of the championship at RC Off Road Volandia track in Somma Lombardo. The Top Qualifier and winner of the opening Round 1 of the Championship, but missing Round 2 due to racing at the Philippine Masters in Asia, Ongaro needed a good run at the season finale. In qualifying it was points leader and Round 2 winner Mattia Polito who took the TQ with his Sworkz ahead of Ongaro with Infinity’s Riccardo Berton. In the 45-minute final the World Champion had the fastest car and was able to take the win ahead Berton and Polito to lift the National title.

Image: ModellismoRC [modellismorc.net]