Red RC » R Off Road

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]

July 31, 2023

Phend, Maifield & VanDalen win at The Wicked Weekend

Another of RaceTime Entertainment’s big 1:8 Offroad events, The Wicked Weekend race in Gainesville, Georgia produced three different wins of the three main categories. Attracting 659 entries, in qualifying it was Tekno’s Seth VanDalen who was the man in form as he secured the overall TQ in both nitro and electric buggy. In Nitro, HB Racing’s Cole Ogden took the opening qualifier but had to settle for P2 as VanDalen took the next two with TLR’s Dakotah Phend P3 with two P2 runs. In eBuggy, VanDalen also posted two TQ runs with second going to Phend, fastest in Q1, with Kyosho’s Ryan Lutz completing the Top 3. In Nitro Truggy, Tekno’s Ryan Maifield took the TQ from Phend, Lutz and VanDalen. In an intense 30-minute Nitro Buggy final, Phend would deny VanDalen the win on the last lap with Sworkz Brandon Rose completing the podium just ahead of WRC Racing’s Ryan Cavalieri. The eBuggy finals saw VanDalen win the first of the two 10-minute encounters from Mason Muller with that order reverse second time round however a faster Race 1 time gave VanDalen the overall win with Phend completing the Top 3. In the half hour Nitro Truggy final Maifield converted his TQ into victory ahead of the HB Racing of Fuller who came through from 12th on the grid. Mayako driver Jared Tebo completed the podium.

Image: JConcepts [Facebook]

July 25, 2023

MIBO International 2024 Announcement

Following the hugely successful inaugural running of the MIBO International Race in the Czech Republic in March, former international touring car racer Michal Bok has confirmed the race is back for 2024 on the slightly earlier date of February 16-18. A long time dream of Bok to host his own major international event in Hrotovice, the indoor event finally came to fruition in 2023 bringing together both electric onroad and offroad racing on two tracks build side by side by the team from Mibosport. The first edition of MIBO International saw Mugen’s Ronald Volker crowned the inaugural Touring Car Champion and Xray’s Bruno Coelho take double buggy honours at the Sport V Hotel venue. With everything from the track, restaurant, bowling alley and hotel rooms all under one roof, the venue was a hit with racers who travelled from 13 different countries. With a capped entry limit the relaxed schedule also meant plenty of time in the evening to wind down and socialise over dinner after each day’s racing. On the onroad track, the racing action will again cater for Modified, Stock & FWD Touring cars plus Formula. The Offroad track will cater for 2WD and 4WD Buggy as well an open class of ‘Offroad Kids’ that will give the future stars of racing an opportunity to be a part of this international event.

Source: MIBO [mibosport.com]

July 24, 2023

Savoya takes win at 20th Japanese Kyosho Masters

Multiple European 1:8 Buggy Champion Reno Savoya travelled to Japan as Kyosho celebrated the 20th running of the Japanese Kyosho Masters over the weekend where the French driver took the TQ and win. Held at the Chetuya Circuit in Sapporo, the capital of the mountainous northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, the signature event of the iconic Japanese manufacturer attracted 50 drivers including Inferno chassis designer and former World Champion Yuichi Kanai. In qualifying, Savoya topped 3 of the 4 qualifiers to secure the TQ from Itaru Kawamoto who was fastest in Q2. In the final Savoya would win by half a lap from Yuto Yokomachi who lined up 5th on the starting grid with Kanai completing the podium.

Image: Kyosho [kyosho.com]