Red RC » R On Road

January 18, 2024

MIBO Champions Volker & Mugen back to defend title

With the electric touring car season about to kick off in France this weekend with GP3F, Mugen Seiki has confirmed their lead driver Ronald Volker is to defend his MIBO International title next month. Taking place this year on February 16-18, the former World Champion won the inaugural running of the new international event in 2023 and will return to the popular Sports V Hotel race location in Hrotovice aiming for 2 from 2. The German faces strong opposition with newly crowned 1:12 World Champion Michal Orlowski confirmed to head Schumacher’s official team debut in the event with Yokomo’s Christopher Krapp returning after a tough 2023 encounter. Organised by former international touring car racer Michal Bok, the race brings together both electric onroad and offroad racing on two tracks build side by side by the team from Mibosport. 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 last year. With a capped entry limit the relaxed schedule also means plenty of time in the evening to wind down and socialise over dinner after each day’s racing. With the onroad track catering for Modified, Stock & FWD Touring cars plus Formula, the Offroad track will see action for 2WD and 4WD Buggy as well an open class of ‘Offroad Kids’ that gives the future stars of racing an opportunity to be a part of this international event. Red RC is looking forward to making the return trip to Czech to kick off our 2024 season of race coverage.

Source: MIBO [mibosport.com]

January 18, 2024

Historic Crystal Palace track needs your help

Having been around since the 1970 and witnessed decades of racing to become one of the UK’s most historic RC track, the Crystal Palace Model Car track in South London is now in need of the RC Communities help to ensure its future existence. Proposed regeneration plans threaten to replace the track with a football pitch but the BRCA, the British Governing body for radio control car racing, are looking for your support in signing a petition to try and have the track saved within the regeneration plans. European body EFRA has also got behind supporting the petition in the knowledge that local tracks at a vital future lifeline for RC Racing. Our own journey here at Red RC into RC racing came about when with our father we accidentally came across an RC track and immediately told him ‘we want one of the them’. One less track is one less opportunity for people to go racing so show your support for the track by signing the petition here.

Source: BRCA [brca.org]

January 16, 2024

Dankel and Greiner join Hobbywing

In a busy week of driver announcements from Hobbywing, the World Champion ESC and motor manufacturer has added German duo Eric Dankel and Dominic Greiner to its 2024 Modified Touring Car team line-up. Both drivers come from successful nitro onroad backgrounds with Dankel having made a successful transition to electric touring in recent years while 2024 will see former 1:10 Nitro World Champion Greiner start his first competitive season in electric racing. Having used Hobbywing last season in his Mugen Seiki, 2024 sees Dankel move to Awesomatix as well as become an official Hobbywing team driver. Returning to Serpent for his electric debut, having announced he would be using Nosram batteries the Hobbywing deal completes Greiner’s race package for this new chapter in his racing career.

Source: Hobbywing [hobbywing.com]

January 16, 2024

Yokomo returns for MIBO International

Having raced at the inaugural MIBO International, Yokomo has confirmed its return for the 2nd edition of the race where it will once again be represented by ISTC World Championship podium finisher Christopher Krapp along with Enrico Jung who will contest the 17.5T Stock Touring Car class. The Japanese manufacturer’s lead international driver, it was a character building race in the Czech Republic last year for Krapp when he finished fifth behind Eric Dankel and this time round the German will be aiming for a much more competitive showing on Feb 16-18th. A unique event, MIBO International brings together both electric touring car and electric offroad racers on the same weekend with the building of two indoor carpet tracks side by side at the Sports V Hotel in the town of Hrotovice. Last week Schumacher’s Michal Orlowski confirmed he would be taking on both tracks as he prepares to race both touring car and buggy at the two & a half day event.

Source: MIBO [mibosport.com]

January 15, 2024

Eldridge wins EWS third round

The popular UK based EWS reach the mid stage of the 2023/24 Championship over the weekend with Xray’s Harley Eldridge becoming the third different winner in as many races. In qualifying it was the Schumacher of Elliot Harper who took the TQ topping 3 of the four rounds. Fastest in Q3, Eldridge would secure 2nd on the grid ahead of team-mate & defending champion Kyle Branson. In the single A-Main, 1-minute in and Eldridge had the lead from Harper and Branson but Harper, winner of Round 2 just before Christmas, was out on lap 7. Branson would follow him in registering a DNF a few laps later, leaving Eldridge to take a comfortable win over the Schumacher of Matthieu Dambrine and Yokomo’s Alex Thurston. In Pro Stock the Xray of Tony Broad had the perfect race taking the TQ and the win ahead of Billy Fletcher and Sam Nicholls.

Image: EWS [ewsevents.co.uk]

January 15, 2024

Hobbywing add European Champions Lauter & Bultynck

Hobbywing has announced the addition of two European Champions to its factory team for 2024 with the news that both Simon Lauter and Olivier Bultynck will race its electronics in this Electric Touring Car World Championship year. German Lauter is the reigning European Spec Champion with Belgian Bultynck the holder of the title in 2022. With both drivers setting their sights on the IMAR World Championship title which will be decided in California in November, they will both begin their new season this weekend at the traditional European season opener when they competes at the GP3F in France.

Source: Hobbywing [hobbywing.com]

January 13, 2024

Nosram to power Greiner’s electric switch

Making the switch from a hugely success nitro onroad career to electric touring car racing for 2024, Dominic Greiner will use Nosram batteries to power the new chapter in his RC career. Having announced in December he would retire from nitro racing, the 2016 1:10 Nitro Touring Car World Champion and 2023 1:8 Onroad World Championship finalist soon after announced he would join Serpent to campaign the manufacturer’s X20 ’24 touring car. Now as he prepares for the 2024 season, he has been announced by Nosram as one of its team drivers. A brand headed up by Jürgen Lautenbach, Greiner is sure to benefit from his fellow German’s vast knowledge of batteries and their charging as he moves away from the screw drivers used for tuning nitro engines.

Source: Nosram [Facebook]

January 12, 2024

Nicholson joins FlySky

Continuing to grow it’s global team FlySky has announced the signing of multiple Australian Touring Champion Simon Nicholson. After key US and European driver signings, Nicholson is the first key signing in that region of the World for the Chinese radio brand. Before Christmas Nicholson raced with the Noble Pro at the Foshan Invitation RC Championship in China alongside another of their recent signings Ronald Volker. Commenting on the announcement the Team Yokomo driver said, “Firstly I would like to thank Calvin and Alina the opportunity to join the Flysky International team. After visiting the factory in China I knew this business has awesome goals and really looking forward to see what products are designed in the future. Straight away from first use of the Noble Pro I felt comfortable and happy with my choice.”

Source: Flysky [flysky-cn.com]