Red RC » R Off Road

July 21, 2023

Orlowski holds provisional TQ at 4WD European C/Ship

Schumacher’s Michal Orlowski holds a very provisional overnight TQ at the EFRA 1:10 4WD Offroad European Championship after a challenging day for race organisers in the Netherlands. Fresh from his 2WD title win on Wednesday at the RACO2000 track, it was Team Associated’s Marcus Kaerup who opened 4WD qualifying with a TQ run over 2WD Vice-Champion Orlowski. With rain arriving for the top heats of Round 2, Orlwoski was fastest of the top heat from 2WD Top Qualifier Jöern Neumann, but it would be Sylvain Gallo Selva from heat 4 of 11 that got the fastest time. With the rain delaying Q3, when action resumed it was Orlowski with the TQ run, this time from Micha Widmaier. With four of the five rounds of qualifying originally on today’s schedule, Q4 would be hit by a timing software issue. With a team-managers meeting called, after heated discussions, it was decided that attempts to re-run the penultimate round would take place tomorrow. With three rounds complete, meaning two would count, it puts Orlowski holding the overnight TQ.

Image: Michal Orlowski [Facebook]

July 19, 2023

Kaerup adds 2WD Buggy European title to tally

Team Associated’s Marcus Kaerup is the new EFRA 2WD Buggy European Champion. The reigning 4WD Champion secured the title after an action packed triple finals in the Netherlands today that saw a different winner each leg. Starting as the Top Qualifier having topped all five rounds of qualifying Joern Neumann looked on target to reclaim the title he first won a decade ago. In A1, the Sworkz driver continued his form winning from Schamcher’s Michal Orlowski and 1:8 World Champion Davide Ongaro who got passed third place qualifier Kaerup. Looking like he was going to get the job done early in A2, Neumann was pulling away but at the 1-minute mark he hit the corner pipping with Orlowski collecting his car before taking up the lead as the German dropped to fourth. Orlowski took the lead but with 1-minute to go a mistake allowed Marcus Kaerup through for the win with Neumann just coming through for 3rd ahead of the Schumacher of Wesley Van Helmond. It was all to play for in A3 but again a mistake from Neumann ended his chances allowing Orlowski to go to the front for the win ahead Kaerup but a mistake on the penultimate lap, while not costing him the A3 win, would cost him the title. Equal on points with Kaerup, the young Dane had the faster race winning time giving him the title. Neumann would complete the overall podium ahead of Ongaro. Racers will now turn their attention to 4WD for the next three days with Kaerup aiming to be come the first double champion since David Ronnefalk in 2018.

Image: EFRA [Facebook]

July 19, 2023

Vietnam to host 2024 FEMCA 1:8 Offroad Championship

The 2024 FEMCA 1:8 Offroad Championships will take place in Vietnam with March 6-9th scheduled as the dates for the crowning of the official Champion of Asia. This year the championship returned following a forced Covid break, with Taiwan hosting the event where Ming Yang team driver Jeff Wang took the win over Xray’s young Korean talent Hyunkyu Jung. A prestigious title that counts Atsushi Hara, Kyle McBride and Shin Adachi among its past champions, 2024 is expected to attract all of Asia’s leading offroad racers and teams to Ho Chi Minh City to battle it out for the crown. Some remaining Covid travel restrictions meant a limited international entry this year, although the event still boasted an impressive 142 entries from 10 countries.

Source: FEMCA [Facebook]

July 18, 2023

Neumann holds overnight 2WD TQ at European C/Ship

Sworkz’ Joern Neumann holds the overnight TQ at the EFRA 1:10 2WD Offroad European Championship after a dominant first day of qualifying in the Netherlands. The German, who is a two time champion in 2WD, topped all three rounds of qualifying at the RACO2000 track in Utrecht but with 2 more rounds of qualifying tomorrow and the best two to count he will have to wait to see if he will be the overall Top Qualifier. Neumann’s closest challengers today were Team Associated’s Marcus Kaerup and Schumacher’s Michal Orlowki, the latter having set the pace in seeding practice. In Q1, Neumann set the pace by 6 seconds from reigning 4WD Champion Kaerup, the Dane getting that gap down to 2-seconds in Q2. Chasing his first ever 2WD European title, Orlowski would get to within half a second of the TQ in Q3 giving the Polish ace a major boost going into the final two rounds. If he or Kaerup are to deny Neumann from being the Top Qualifier they will need to top both rounds tomorrow and in a faster. Defending Champion & newly crowned British 4WD Champion Tommy Hall finds himself down in P12 at the end of Day 1 of qualifying.

Image: EFRA [Facebook]

July 17, 2023

Philippine Masters 2024 date announced

After a massively successful return in April of this year following a 2-year break due to Covid, the Philippine Masters has announced the date for the 2024 edition of Asia’s biggest annual 1:8 Offroad race meeting. The 12th running of the Philippine Masters, the event which takes place in the capital city of Manila is scheduled for April 18-21, 2024. Having formed the opening round of the Asian Buggy Championships, the date was confirmed at Round 2 in Australia over the weekend after a meeting between Philippine Masters track designer Edward Sio, who was racing in Brisbane, and Scotty Ernst who has been a key figure in bringing the Philippine Masters to its international race status. A sell out event in 2023, the race saw World Champion David Ongaro win the Buggy title for Team Associated while Sworkz’ Micha Widmaier came away with the Truggy victory. With the Philippines famed as a holiday destination, the event has a truly unique vibe living up to the nations tourism tagline ‘It’s More Fun in the Philippines’ with many of the large international driver entry combining the race with holidays at the country’s world famous white sand beaches.

Source: Philippine Masters [philippinemastersrc.com]

July 16, 2023

Bernadzik reigns down under at Asian Buggy C/ships

Alex Bernadzik reigned at Asian Buggy Championships in Australia, the Team Associated driver carrying his qualifying form into the finals to win both Nitro and Electric Buggy. Top Qualifier for both categories, Bernadzik’s first win at the Pine Hills Dirt Racing circuit came in eBuggy. In the first of the triple A-Mains he would win from the Tekno of Caleb Noble with another win in A2 from Christopher Sturdy locking in victory for the second round of the Scotty Ernst run championship. With Sturdy winning A3 it was to be an AE 1-2 on the podium which was completed by Noble. The 45-minute Nitro final saw early mistakes from Bernadzik dropping him into the mid pack while Noble led the way until he was delayed by a fuel gun issue at the first fuel stop. As the race reached the half way mark Bernadzik was back in the lead from were he controlled the race to complete the perfect weekend. Noble would get second for his efforts ahead of Zac Ryan, a key figure in get the Asian Buggy Championships to Brisbane, finishing third with his HB Racing. Aaron Dexter would finish fourth ahead of an impressive performance from 11-year Zac Foster in fifth.

Continuing reading & view podium images here

July 15, 2023

Double TQ for Bernadzik at Asian Buggy C/ship Australia

Team Associated’s Alex Bernadzik has claimed an impressive TQ double at the Australian round of the Asian Buggy Championships presented by VP Racing. The inaugural season of the 1:8 Offroad Championship, Round 2 at Pine Hills Dirt Racing saw Bernadzik set the pace in both nitro and electric Buggy at the Brisbane track. In Nitro Buggy, he would top three of the four qualifiers with Zac Ryan, a Top 6 finisher at Round 1 in the Philippines, his key challenger and the only other driver to top the time sheets. In Q3, Ryan, who was responsible for the track build at PHDR, took his HB Racing to a TQ run by just 0.1 of a second from the Tekno of Caleb Noble. Having missed seeding practice, Noble would conclude qualifying 3rd overall of the 63 entries. In eBuggy, the biggest class with 68 entries, again Bernadzik produced three TQ performances while Noble managed the fastest time in the penultimate round. Using the event to get in some high level race practice prior to the 1:10 Offroad World Championship later this year, Christopher Sturdy would complete the Top 3 in qualifying at the controls of his Team Associated. Qualifying 3rd in Buggy and 2nd in eBuggy, Noble would get P1 in Truggy qualifying leading a Tekno 1-2 from Jackson Beale. Qualifying P2 at the Philippine Masters in April, Round 2 is Beale’s home event. New Zealand’s Logan Toia completed the Truggy Top 3.

Image: Asian Buggy Championships [asianbuggychamps.com]

July 13, 2023

Gotzl crowned double Czech 1:8 Buggy Champion

Team Xray’s Max Gotzl claimed yet another national title in his native Czech Republic with a double victory in Terezin last weekend. Having won nitro and finished second in eBuggy to Martin Bayer at the season opener in Kolin at the start of June, Gotzl pulled of the perfect weekend at Round 2 claiming the TQ and win in both classes. Securing the eBuggy win over the Sworkz of Dominik Vlasek and Serpent of Jan Domansky, in nitro he took his FX Engines powered XB8 to victory over the Kyosho pairing of Jan Hujer and Jan Horacek, Hujer claiming runner-up in the final championship standings.

Image: Team Xray Czech [Facebook]