Red RC » R Off Road

October 2, 2023

Horne & Phend win at JConcepts Fall Indoor Nationals

Team Associated’s Aydin Horne and TLR’s Dakotah Phend took the big wins at the JConcepts Fall Indoor Nationals held at Hoosier RC Hobbyplex in New Albany, Indiana over the weekend. Drivers’ first event following Hobby Action RC Raceway’s superb hosting of the 1:10 Offroad World Championships two weeks ago in Arizona, in qualifying it was Worlds podium finisher Broc Champlin who took the TQ in 4WD. In 2WD the Schumacher driver would have to settle for P2 in 2WD behind former World Champion Spencer Rivkin. In the finals, 4WD produced three different winners with Phend taking A1, Rivkin A2 and Champlin finally staying out front in A3. Overall however, P2 in the third leg gave Phend the overall win from Rivkin and Champlin with Horne fourth. 2WD would open with Ryan Maifield taking A1 from fourth on the grid ahead of Horne and pole sitter Rivkin but World Finalist Horne reversed the order in A2 & 3 to lead home Maifield for the overall win. Rivkin completed the podium with Champlin and Phend rounding out the Top 5.

Image: JConcepts [jconcepts.net]

October 2, 2023

’23 US Carpet Offroad C/ships Spec Tyre Announcement

This year’s sell out US Carpet Off Road Championships has announced the spec tyres for the Cleveland, Ohio, based race. Now in its third year, the indoor carpet track race takes place on November 29 to December 3rd and will see racers competing in the Non Pro Buggy classes run Schumacher Cactus rear tyres combined with Cut Stagger Low Profile fronts for 2WD and Cactus Fusion 2 fronts for 4WD. For the truck classes, JConcepts will be the supplier with a Swaggers/Fuzz Bite combo for SCT and Pin Downs/Swaggers for Truck. A Scotty Ernst event, last year’s US Carpet Off Road Championships saw Schumacher’s multiple World Championship podium finisher do the Buggy double.

Source: USCOC [carpetoffroad.com]

October 1, 2023

Ongaro does double at Buggyland X

Davide Ongaro claimed the buggy double at Buggyland X in Madrid, Spain, by steering his Team Associated buggies to both the 1:8 Nitro and 1:8 eBuggy titles at the tenth edition of the international race. The World Champion’s first win of the weekend came when he would win the eBuggy title ahead of the Mugen Seiki of Berkan Kilic with Sworkz Elliot Boots completing the podium. Securing the TQ for the triple finals, defending Champion Juan Carlos Canas would win A1 only to retire from A2 and dropping to P8 by the end of third 10-minute encounter ended up 4th overall. Also qualifying P2 for the 1-hour Nitro Buggy Main, this time behind Top Qualifier Berkan Kilic, Ongaro would come out on top again after a great battle that saw a very fast Boots take the lead before having issues at the 2/3rd distance mark. The British driver’s team-mate Canas also lead the way for a time but in the end Ongaro completed the Buggyland double by 6.2-seconds from the Spaniard with Burak Kilic, coming from P9 on the grid, completing the podium on the same lap as the two ahead of him. Making his WIRC debut at the event, Marco Baruffolo would finish fourth on the same lap as TQ man Berkan Kilic in fifth while Boots eventually took the finish in p9.

Image – Davide Ongaro [Facebook]

September 30, 2023

Willspeed RF3 Full Carbon Edition

With the carpet season return upon us, Willspeed has announced that its popular RF3 conversion kit is now available in a ‘Full Carbon Kit’ edition which includes many of their popular carbon option parts. Offered as a conversion kit for the Team Associated B6.4 and World Championship winning TLR 22 5.0 2WD buggies, the carbon edition contains the following replacement item – 1x Carbon Fibre Shock Tower Uprights (pair) with 1x Carbon Fibre ‘Take 3’ Shock Tower Uprights (pair), 1x Chassis Skid Plate (Polycarbonate) with 1x Chassis Skid Plate (Carbon). Additionally it includes a pair of Carbon Side Rail Pair and a Carbon Radio Tray. Having just restocked the standard RF3 kit, the British company has announced that new Bi-Material tower will now be standard in all kits.

View complete ‘Full Carbon Kit’ here

September 30, 2023

Berkan Kilic secures Nitro TQ at Buggyland X

Mugen Seiki driver Berkan Kilic is the 1:8 Nitro Buggy Top Qualifier at Buggyland X in Madrid, Spain. The German driver secured the top spot in qualifier ahead of World Champion Davide Ongaro and newly crowned European Champion Juan Carlos Canas. Qualifying for the 10th edition of Buggyland started with Sworkz driver & defending Champion Canas taking the first round from Ongaro’s Team Associated before Kilic went top in Q2 ahead of new WIRC signing Marco Baruffolo. The third round saw Ongaro post a TQ run ahead of Kilic and Canas but almost 4-seconds slower than Kilic’s best, it was the Mugen driver who claimed the overall TQ on tie break.

Image: Berkan Kilic [Facebook]

September 28, 2023

Baruffolo joins WIRC (formerly WRC)

As was widely mooted following his departure from Tekno last week, it has been officially announced that Marco Baruffolo has joined with WIRC, the new name of Italian manufacturer WRC Racing. The Italian will get straight down to business when he makes his race debut with the team this weekend at Buggyland in Spain where he will face a strong international field. A major signing for WIRC, who just 10-months ago shocked many with their signing of high profile US racer Ryan Cavalieri, reacting to the announcement Baruffolo posted on his social media, ‘Super excited to join WIRC Professional RC cars. Thanks to Franco Ghiotto for this amazing opportunity, I will do my best.
See you at Buggyland in a few hours.’

Source: WRC Racing [wrc-racing.com]

September 27, 2023

Hara’s World Championship winning buggy almost home!

All World Championship winning RC cars have history and a story to tell but Atsushi Hara’s 2008 title winning Hot Bodies D8 has gone the extra mile, literally, by adding an interesting twist to the tale 15-years after its big win in Charlotte, USA. At the beginning of September, the legend of the sport shared on social media a post that he found his ‘most memorial car’ for sale on eBay. Days later the ad was listed as ‘Ended’ dashing hopes Hara might be able to be reunited with the buggy. Soon however contact was made with the seller who agreed to sell the car to Hara which is where Australian racer Zac Ryan stepped in. Creating a Gofundme page, such is the level of respect & admiration for Hara’s driving skills and the influence he had on so many racers the money was raised to complete the purchase. Now the interesting part of getting the car back to Hara in Japan, which in Hara’s own words goes a little something like this – ‘My 2008 worlds winning D8 get back project is one step closer to completion. Mark Pavidis pick it up from Eric Anderson in the US, Andrew Gillott and Josh Pain received it from Mark, they took it to Australia and Ben Panic received it, and Ben will take it from Australia to Japan and back to me in early October!! I have to biggest thank to the many people who helped make this happen!!’. Well done to everyone involved in helping to get this well travelled piece of history back to Hara. Hopefully we might get to see it ourselves in person with Hara when Red RC are in Japan in October for our coverage of the 1:8 Onroad World Championships at Infinity International RC Speedway.

View car exchanges on its trip home

September 25, 2023

Polito wins ONG Trophy 2023

Sworkz’ Mattia Polito took the win at the annual ONG Trophy at the Ongaroring in Sacile, Italy. Enjoying a strong first full season with the Sworkz team, the former European B Champion and runner-up to World Champion Davide Ongaro in this year’s Italian National Championship would TQ Nitro Buggy. A finalist at this year’s European Championship in Spain, in the half hour final he would take a convincing over the Team Associated buggy of Austrian Jürgen Trieb. Xray driver Riccardo Masaggia completed the podium. With the prospects of bad weather forcing some drivers to cancel their trip to the home track of Davide Ongaro, 96 drivers still competed with rain only causing a stoppage in the action on Saturday afternoon. Fresh from clinching the 1:10 4WD World Championship title in Arizona, Ongaro would race in the Brushless Buggy Class taking the win ahead of Marcel Trieb and Nicolò Grisenti.

Image: Xray [Facebook]