Red RC » R Off Road

January 29, 2024

Maifield & Rivkin win at TNR Fuels Amain Challenge 2024

Ryan Maifield and Spencer Rivkin took the big wins at the annual TNR Fuels A-Main Challenge which took place over the weekend at The Dirt at Perris track in SoCal. In qualifying it was the Tekno fleet of Maifield that led the way as he secured a TQ triple with pole position in Nitro Buggy, eBuggy and Nitro Truggy. As last year’s Truggy Champion Maifield would kick off finals day with victory in the 30-minute A-Main after a great battle with Tekno team-mate Spencer Heckert. Behind Rivkin completed the podium. In eBuggy Maifield won both A-Main encounters for overall win No.2 of the weekend, the first leg ahead of Frankie Contreras and the second ahead of Rivkin but a P4 and P5 was enough for Cole Odgen to finished runner up with Contreras claiming 3rd overall. Attracting over 400 entries, in the concluding races of the event it was to be 2023 winner Rivkin who again took the Nitro Buggy victiry after getting passed Maifield who had lead the first half of the 45-minute encounter. Qualifying P2, Kyosho’s Ryan Lutz would complete the podium ahead of Sparko Racing’s Ryan Cavalieri.

Image: AMain Hobbies [Facebook]

January 24, 2024

2025 IFMAR World Championship Calendar

With all of the 2023 IFMAR World Championships producing new winners, a picture of where those drivers will defend their titles is starting to come together with 2025 a year that will also see the number of World Championship titles awarded increase from 6 to 8. With the 2-year cycle never long coming round, already confirmed is the 1:10 Offroad World Championships which was awarded to Australia after last year’s indoor event in Arizona where David Ongaro added a first Electric World title and Tater Sontag joined the elite club of World Champions. Another event to be confirmed during the running of the 2023 edition was the 1:8 GT World Championship. In Australia it was announced that South America would be destination with Toni Gruber set to defend his title in Peru. Set to be only third running of the 1:8 GT World Championships, there will be two IFMAR World Championships up for grabs as Electric moves from two years of World Cup status to a full World Championship category. After one of the most intense finals of the year in Japan, 1:8 Onroad is going to the FAMAR Bloc with Chile expected to bid to host the sport’s original World Championship. Wrapping up the 2023 IFMAR World Championship season in Florida, where Michal Orlowski and Max Machler took the titles, 1:12 moves to the FEMCA Bloc with China widely expected to host the 22nd running of IFMAR longest running electric World Championship. New to the calender for 2025 will be the 1:8 Electric Offroad World Championship. Portugal will host an IFMAR World Cup this coming April for eBuggy with the host Federation expected to apply to run the inaugural World Championship for the category one year later.

View 2024 and provisional 2025 calendar here

January 24, 2024

Hotrace tyres for McBride

Multiple 1:8 Offroad World Finalist and Australian National Champion Kyle McBride will run Hotrace Tyres as part of his 2024 race program. The Italian brand announced McBride as the latest driver they will be supporting this season as he embarks on a return season with Kyosho. 14-years since his first World Championship Final appearance, when he finished fourth in Pattaya driving for Mugen Seiki, the 27-year-old Brisbane driver brings vast experience to the Hotrace team.

Source: Hotrace Tyres [hotracetyres.com]

January 24, 2024

Sontag latest FlySky high profile signing

Continuing its impressive run of high profile driver signings, Chinese radio manufacturer FlySky has announced the addition of reigning 2WD Buggy World Champion Tater Sontag to its team driver line-up. The American was spotted along with TLR team-mate Dakotah Phend using the Noble Pro at the recent season opening ‘Clash of Champions’ race in Indiana fuelling rumours the teenager would join their already impressive list of signings that includes Offroad World Champions Ryan Maifield & David Ronnefalk and onroad World Champions Marc Rheinard and Ronald Volker. On the announcement Sontag said, “From the moment I first ran the Noble Pro radio I instantly was impressed! It had a super responsive and smooth feeling, and felt good in the hand. The options on the radio are endless and the updates come frequently just keep making it better and better!”

Source: Flysky [flysky-cn.com]

January 23, 2024

Donnelly joins Hobbywing team

Hobbywing has announced that front running Australian Offroad racer Lachlan Donnelly has joined its driver team. The 19-year-old from Sydney who has raced with Team Associated for a decade, has already used Hobbywing electrics as part of his campaigns including at the 1:10 Offroad World Championships in Arizona last September. As part of a big push by Hobbywing to build a strong world wide team for 2024 he now joins the team officially. An impressive showing at the 1:8 GT World Championship in Sydney in October, after just one club race as preparation, highlights Donnelly natural talent which Hobbywing is keen to help develop further.

Source: Hobbywing [hobbywing.com]

January 22, 2024

2024 Desert Classic – Announcement

World Championship hosts Hobby Action have announced that entries for the 2024 Desert Classic from February 28th to March 3rd are now open. The 8th edition of the annual Chandler, Arizona, event, the Desert Classic has established itself as an early season fixture on the international 1:10 Offroad calendar filling the void left after the iconic Cactus Classic came to an end after loosing its outdoor track. Continued to be sponsored by Stickit1 Racing, who ensured the superb presentation of the indoor venue for 1:10 Offroad Worlds last September, the race schedule will consist of 4 rounds of qualifying with the best three to count with triple finals for all 2WD and 4WD classes and 10-minute Mains for Truck classes.

Source: Hobby Action RC Raceway [Facebook]

January 19, 2024

“Idea of ‘sponsorship’ is so lost in our industry right now” – Jared Tebo

Former World Champion Jared Tebo has taken to social media with an interesting post addressing the current state of sponsorship in racing. A true professional paid driver who for almost two decades was one of the leading forces in Offroad races around the world representing some of the biggest manufacturers in the industry, Tebo officially announced his competitive retirement from racing last year but still remains involved in the industry. Now focused on his JTP brand, as well as being USA Team Manager for Hotrace Tyres, the American found himself overwhelmed by the massive response to opening 2024 applications for JTP sponsorship in November. In addressing the topic, Tebo explains his own journey to becoming a Pro driver and how the idea of ‘sponsorship’ is now lost in our industry with many drivers simply expecting it. Sure to kick off many keyboard debates, he concludes that he is sticking to what he believes in for his JTP brand.

Read Tebo’s full post here

January 19, 2024

Tekno RC boosts European team with Pariente

American offroad chassis manufacturer Tekno RC has announced the signing of 1:8 Buggy World Championship Semi Finalist Daniel Pariente. The Spanish driver together with his younger brother Adrian departed Sworkz in December after a 5-year stint with the brand and now he joins Portugal’s João Figueiredo as part of Tekno’s European based race team. The deal with Tekno completes the 2023 European Finalist’s race package for the new season with Pariente having already announced he will run Gimar Engines and Hotrace Tyres. Commenting on the announcement he said, “Super proud and happy to announce that I will be part of the tekno rc team for the 2024 season and beyond, the cars are incredible and the atmosphere in the team is unbeatable. I can’t wait to start the season! We will give everything on the tracks. Big thanks to Daniel Lewis and Ilias Arkoudaris for this awesome opportunity!”

Source: Tekno [teknorc.com]