Red RC » R Off Road

February 26, 2025

Figueiredo teams up with ProTek RC

AMain Hobbies has announced the signing of João Figueiredo as contracted member of their ProTek RC Race Team. ProTek RC is now sold in Europe via HOECO Distribution, and Figueiredo joins the team as the brand’s first European professional driver for both 1:8 and 1:10 Offroad racing. The 28-year-old all round nice guy will run ProTek RC servos, batteries, tools, and accessories in his race program. A 12-time Portuguese National Champion, Figueiredo, who is a team driver for US manufacturer Tekno, had an impressive 2024 season making the IFMAR 1:8 Offroad World Championship final in Redovan and he will be looking to build on that performance when the the inaugural 1:8 Electric Offroad World Championship is hosted by his home track in Barcelos, Portugal in August this year. On the announcement Figueiredo said, ‘It is very exciting to represent ProTek RC as the brand continues its growth into Europe. ProTek RC has been a proven winner in the United States for many years and now the European racing community will have a chance to see how reliable and competitive the entire ProTek RC product line is. I am really looking forward to running the ProTek RC servos, batteries, and great line of tools and accessories in my race program.’

Source: A-Main Hobbies [amainhobbies.com]

February 17, 2025

Lemieux wins Motorama

Run as part of the largest all indoor racing and live motorsport shows in the US, Chase Lemieux came out the main winner at the annual Motorama event held at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex. With the now electric class only event attracting over 300 entries, in 1:8 eBuggy it was the Xray of Lemiuex that secured the TQ on tie break as he and Tekno’s Ryan Maifield each topped two of the four qualifiers. Behind them Mugen Seiki’s Adam Drake completed the Top 3 ahead Team Associated’s Lee Setser. In the triple 5-minute Mains, Lemieux took the opening two encounters with a comfortable margin to claim the overall victory. Winning A3 ahead of Drake, Setser would claim the runner-up spot with the podium being completed by the Xray of Ethan Mackanick as Maifield and Drake finished 5th and 6th respectively. In Expert Truggy it was last year’s buggy winner Ryan Lutz who took the TQ but winning the opening two A-Main encounters No.2 qualifier Spencer Heckert took the win ahead of 2024 winner Maifield with Joey Bourdon claiming third overall.

Image: Hotrace Tyres [hotracetyres.com]

February 17, 2025

Zalewski & Hall win at British Off Road Grand Prix

Xray’s Bartek Zalewski and Team Associated’s Tommy Hall took the big wins at this year’s British Off Road Grand Prix. Organised by the British Radio Car Association, the annual 1:10 carpet track event takes place in the Centre:MK shopping centre in Milton Keynes and attracts a strong international field including reigning 4WD World Champion Davide Ongaro. Showcasing RC Racing in front of weekend shoppers, the event kicked off with 2WD action and it was Hall who secured the overall TQ as he topped 3 of the five rounds. Behind him the Schumacher of Ben Smith took the No.2 spot on tie-break with last weekend’s MIBO International 2WD Champion Zalewski. In the finals, it was the Team Associated of Marcus Kaerup who took A1 after a hectic start before Hall came back with a dominant A2 victory. With four in with a chance of the overall win going into A3, it was Hall who delivered despite some serious attention from Zalewski. In the end it was Kaerup who claimed the runner-up spot with Zalewski completing the podium. On to 4WD, last year’s winner Bruno Coelho not in a attendance, and it was Zalewski who secured the TQ as things went down to the final qualifier, the Polish teenager taking it to secure pole ahead of Ongaro and Kaerup. After winning A1, an error from Zalewski in A2 allowed Ongaro through for the win but in the finale he made amends staying out front to secure the overall win the overall with Ongaro and Kaerup joining him on the podium.

Source: BRCA [Facebook]

February 17, 2025

Invisible Speed announce Cavalieri as first Pro driver

Invisible Speed, the platform created in 2020 by Joseph Quagraine to share over two decades of car set-up knowledge through books and online courses, has announced Ryan Cavalieri as the brand’s first Pro driver. The American, who has amassed 4 X World Champion titles in 1:10 Offroad, is now 38-years-old with Invisible Speed believing he still has the speed in him to win, and that is their reason for signing him. Set to be 40 at the next IFMAR 1:8 Nitro Offroad World Championship, the say that their goal for the interesting deal is to help make Cavalieri’s speed visible again. With Quagraine also heading up 1:8 offroad chassis manufacturer Mayako, Cavalieri will as part of the new deal run Mayako chassis’ as well as TZO tyres. In terms of engines he will continue with Nova. On the Invisible Speed announcement, Cavalieri said, “I’m really pleased to announce I will be racing for Invisible Speed in 2025 and beyond. I feel very confident starting this new chapter in my racing program and can’t wait to see what we can accomplish together. I would like to thank Joseph and everyone involved for this opportunity.”

Source: Invisible Speed [invisiblespeed.net]

February 14, 2025

Mibosport – It all started with a Tamiya TT01 for Christmas

Last weekend saw the biggest MIBO International to-date take place in the Czech Republic. The third edition of this unique race, the construction of two separate carpet tracks brings together both onroad and offroad racers for two & a half days of racing. Held in the Sport V Hotel in the very small town of Hrotovice, a casual conversation with the man who puts it on, Michal Bok, quickly turned into a bit of trip down memory lane. Our first event of 2025, this year marks 18-years since we covered our first event, the 2007 EFRA 1:10 Nitro Touring European Championship in Spain, and we have become good friends with Michal over that time. As we chatted it was interesting to discovered the story of Bok’s successful journey with Mibosport, the distribution and online retailer that has just out grown its fourth premises, and which all started from him getting a Tamiya TT01 for Christmas as a kid.

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February 14, 2025

Thunder Alley saved & becomes ‘The Drake Raceway’

Last October iconic US offroad track Thunder Alley announced that it was to close at the end of 2024 but now thanks to the intervention of RC racing’s most famous couple, Adam & Ronda Drake, the Southern California track will continue to rumble to the sound of nitro engines and be known as ‘The Drake Raceway’. Part of a public park, the track was set to be permanently closed with authorities planning to repurposing the facility but work in the RC community behind the scenes sees the track get a second chance. On his Facebook pageDrake posted, ‘We are so grateful and thankful to the R/C community for their outreach and support in helping us work with the Beaumont Cherry Valley Park District to keep such an iconic track (Thunder Alley) going. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but it will be rewarding and worth it. The support has been amazing and we’re looking forward to racing with everyone in the near future at The Drake Raceway at Noble Creek Park.’ Well done to everyone involved.

Source: Adam Drake [Facebook]

February 13, 2025

Jacinto defends 1:10 4WD Philippine National title

Sworkz driver Dino Jacinto has successfully defended his 1:10 4WD Buggy Philippine National Championship title. Racing at the newly renovated Circulo Verde track in Manila, home to Asia’s biggest annual 1:8 Offroad race the Philippine Masters, the National Championship race was for the 2024 title which due to bad weather late last year had to be rescheduled into 2025. Attracting over 80 entries, the competition was fierce, but in the end, it was Jacinto, from second on the grid, who secured back-to-back national titles with his S14-4D winning the opening two A-Main encounters.

Source: Sworkz [Facebook]

February 11, 2025

Champlin & Horne win opening INS15 encounter

The 15th season of the JConcepts Indoor National Series kicked off over the weekend at Trackside Hobbies in Wisconsin with Schumacher’s Broc Champlin taking the 4WD win and Team Associated’s Aydin Horne getting the top spot in 2WD. Attracting 371 entries, qualifying at the first stop on the 5 round INS calendar saw Horne secure the 2WD TQ from Xray’s Chase Lemieux and AE’s Spencer Rivkin. The former World Champion however would take the 4WD TQ, Rivkin topping two of the three qualifiers with Champlin, fastest in Q1, securing second and Horne in P3 on the grid ahead of Schumacher’s Cole Tollard, a driver who honed his early driving skills at Trackside Hobbies. In the 2WD finals while Lemieux secured the A1 win, Horne kept him at bay in A2 and 3 for the overall win. The 4WD finals played out with Rivkin taking A1, Horne A2 and Champlin A3, but in the final points tally Champlin got the win on tie-break over Horne and Rivkin.

Image: JConcepts [jconcepts.net]