May 26, 2023

Matrix sign young Aussie talent Jak Parsey

Matrix Racing Tires has announced the signing of young up & coming Australian 1:8 Offroad talent Jak Parsey to its Junior team.  From Brisbane, the 13-year-old put in an impressive performance when he travelled to last month’s Philippine Masters in Manila for the first time.  Putting in a number of Top 6 qualifying runs among the international field who made the trip to Asia’s premiere Offroad race, the Mayako driver is going to be one to watch over the coming years.

Source: Matrix [matrixtires.it]


May 17, 2023

1:8 Buggy Euros Warm-up Race – Announcement

Famed Spanish offroad track RC Redovan has announced that it will run the Warm-up Race for this year’s EFRA 1:8 Nitro Buggy European Championship over the weekend of June 16-18.   Having hosted last year’s IFMAR World Championships, the Baldo brothers owned track previously host the European Championship in 2016 and has become one of the world’s most iconic tracks thanks to its elevation change from the left to the right side of the massive track.   The timetable for the Warm-up Race will see Friday practice, Saturday qualifying and Sunday Finals.  One very important detail to note for racers is that under Spanish law, if you do not have a special license of precursors, in order to use 25% nitro fuel you will be required to buy the fuel within the grounds of the circuit.  The organisers will have fuel available from the main brands including Runner Time, Merlin, Energy and Nitrolux.  As at the World Championship, the fuel must remain deposited at the circuit from Friday to Sunday for all drivers including Spaniards.  Registration for the Warm-up Race is open now – click here

Source: RC Redovan [Facebook]


May 14, 2023

Canas wins International Buggy Challenge

Sworkz’ Juan Carlos Canas completed the double at the International Buggy Challenge in Portugal, the Spaniard winning both Nitro Buggy and eBuggy at the 5th running of the event.  Hosted in Barcelos by top Portuguese international racer Joao Figueiredo, qualifying would see Canas become the Nitro Top Qualifier as he topped 3 of the 5 rounds.  Behind him reigning back to back World Champion and recent Philippine Masters winner David Ongaro secured P2 with a TQ run in the penultimate round with Italy’s Riccardo Berton P3 as the only other driver to top the time sheets.  Winning his Semi Final from Figueiredo, Canas would have pole for the 45-minute from Ongaro, with the trio putting on a superb show with the battle for the win going right to the finish line.  Holding a 2-second lead, a late mistake from Ongaro allowed Canas to get by for the win by just just 3/10th of a second.  Finishing 9-seconds back Figueiredo completed the podium.  In eBuggy it was Ongaro that was the Top Qualifier and while the Team Associated driver won A1, Canas found a way passed the Italian in A2 and A3 for the overall win.  Sworkz’ Daniel Pariente completed the podium ahead of Mayako’s David Ronnefalk.

Image: RC-Project.it [Facebook]


May 14, 2023

Orlowski takes TQ & 4WD Win at Euros Warm-up

Michal Orlowski took the TQ and 4WD win at the 1:10 Electric Offroad Euros Warm-up Race today at RACO2000.  Having finished 2nd in Saturday’s 2WD action behind winner Bruno Coelho, today Orlowski ruled the astro turf track leading a Schumacher 1-2 at the Dutch event from team-mate Wesley van Helmond.  In qualifying the 2015 Champion would top the times in 3 of the four qualifier with van Helmon the only other driver to TQ a round when he went fastest in Q4 ahead of Coelho’s Xray and Tommy Hall’s Team Associated.  In the triple finals, the Polish ace opened proceedings with a win over Xray’s Martin Bayer before sealing the deal in A2 with victory over van Helmon.  With both Bayer and Coelho finding a way passed van Helmond, the A3 win gave Bayer the runners up spot ahead of the Dutch driver with Coelho getting 4th.  The 2023 EFRA European Championships will take place from July 17-22.

Image: Michal Orlowski [Facebook]


May 13, 2023

Coelho wins 2WD at Euros Warm-up

Bruno Coelho took the win in 2WD at the 1:10 Electric Offroad Euros Warm-up Race today in the Netherlands.  With the RACO2000 astro surface track in Utrecht hosting the EFRA European Championships from July 17th to 22nd,  the Warm-up Race attracted a strong entry of factory drivers including reigning champion Tommy Hall.  In qualifying it was top Dutch racer Wesley van Helmond who became the Top Qualifier with two TQ runs from 4 rounds with team-mate Michal Orlowski making it a Schumacher 1-2 as he topped the final qualifier.  Coelho’s Xray was fastest in Q3 putting him third on the grid in front of Hall’s Team Associated.  In the triple finals Coelho would improve his buggy with the new pace allowing him to win A1 & 2 for the overall victory.  With Orlowski winning A3, the podium was a reverse of the qualifying order with Van Helmond completing the Top 3 as Hall finished 4th and Xray’s Max Götzl fifth.  Tomorrow drivers will battle it out for the 4WD win.

Image: Bruno Coelho [Facebook]


May 8, 2023

Widmaier double at Austrian ‘Dirt’ Nationals

Fresh from his Truggy win and Buggy podium at the Philippine Masters in Manila last weekend, Sworkz’ Micha Widmaier was back in action in 1:10 Buggy completing a double victory at the Austrian ‘Dirt’ Nationals.  In 2WD Widmaier would secure the TQ from LRP’s Moritz Lautenbach and his Schumacher buggy while in 4WD his closest challenger on the Max RC Racing track situated in Perg was the Team Associated of Lucas Grainer.  In the finals, the defending champion would lay claim to both titles in grip dirt conditions after 2 of the 3 A-Mains with the 2WD podium completed by Lautenbach and Grainer while in 4WD Grainer got second with veteran Austrian offroad racer Peter Pinisch completing the Top 3.

Image: Micha Widmaier [Facebook]


May 8, 2023

Barufollo takes the big win at Silver State Indoor Champs

Marco Barufollo took the big win at the Silver State Indoor Championships, the Tekno driver winning the Nitro Buggy final from young talent Phi Long Nguyen and Mason Fuller.  Qualifying for the Las Vegas event, that this year attracted a record 1100 entries, saw TLR’s Dakotah Phend leave his mark on proceedings as he TQ’d all three categories he was contesting including the big one, Nitro Buggy.  On Saturday, he would take the win in eBuggy over Spencer Rivkin but suffered some issues in Nitro Truggy before recovering to finish 4th,  the win going to Ryan Maifield over Ryan Lutz.   Sunday’s Nitro Buggy encounter started with Phend out front as second place started Cole Ogden hit issues early on and dropped down the order.  Just after the 9-minute mark Phend would suffer a flame out coming in for fuel that would drop him on a lead he would never regain.  Up front it was a battle between Barufollo and Long Nguyen, the Louisiana driver showing no fear against the Italian driver and putting a pass on him for the lead at the halfway mark.  Barufollo would get back to the front and eke out a lead over the HB Racing driver, the winning margin for the Hotrace Tyres team driver 9-seconds at the end of the 45-minutes.   With the Top 6 all finishing on the lead lap, it was Fuller who would complete the podium ahead of Lutz, Phend and Rivkin.

Image: Marco Barufollo [Facebook]


May 6, 2023

TQ hat trick as Phend tops Nitro Buggy at Silver State

Dakotah Phend has completed a TQ hat trick at the Silver State Indoor Championships claiming the overall TQ in the big one, Nitro Buggy, on Day 2 of qualifying.  The opening day of qualifying at the Las Vegas event saw the TLR driver crowned Top Qualifier in both eBuggy and Nitro Truggy before the switch to Nitro Buggy and eTruggy for the second day of quali action.  The opening round would see HB Racing’s Cole Ogden top the times from Phend and the Tekno of Ryan Maifield.  In Q2 it was Team Associated’s Spencer Rivkin who set the pace ahead of Sworkz’ Camden Lime with Phend down in P6.  The third & final qualifier however saw the Michigan driver hit the top with the fastest time ahead of the Tekno of Italy’s Marco Baruffolo.  Overall this left Phend with pole for the A-Main ahead of Ogden, Rivkin, Baruffolo and Lime.  With Phend not contesting eTruggy, the TQ would go to HB Racing’s Mason Fuller ahead of Rivkin and Phi Long Nguyen.

Image : Jconcepts [Facebook]


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