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June 10, 2025

Smokem 2025 Australian Indoor Champs – Report

Last weekend the ACT Model Car Racing Club based in Canberra, Australia, hosted the inaugural Smokem Australian Indoor Champs (AUSIC) run on AusBite carpet. Catering for six classes, in 13.5 ISTC class, RC Maker factory driver Jeffrey Mackie narrowly secured the top qualifier position, edging out ARC’s Brayden Stanley, with RC Maker teammate Lincoln Codd completing the top three. A1 saw an intense battle on the tight AUSIC layout, with Stanley applying pressure but unable to find a way past the defensive Mackie. In A2, Stanley finally pulled off a pass, only to suffer a mechanical issue that dropped him to last place, leaving Mackie to capitalise and take the win and ultimately, the title. A3 delivered yet another nail-biting showdown, with Stanley crossing the line just two-tenths ahead of Mackie to secure second place overall. Meanwhile, Codd’s consistent pace and measured drives across all three mains earned him the final podium spot, fending off spirited challenges from Stone, Askell, Peet, and Ilievski.

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June 10, 2025

Diekmann wins Oslo Open 2025

Capricorn driver Thilo Diekmann took the main win at the Oslo Open 2025, the annual nitro onroad race held at the impressive Hverven Raceway located south of the Norwegian capital. While rain hampered the event, in qualifying it was former 1:5 World Champion Martin Lissau who was the Top Qualifier ahead of the Mugen Seiki of British Champion Alex Thurston who both booked their direct place into the final. For 2024 Oslo Open winner Francesco Tironi qualifying P5 meant he had to start his quest for two in a row from the Semi Finals but he failed to go the distance and his race was over. The Italian did however get some consolation on Sunday when he won the 15-minute Midnight Sun Sprint race ahead of Thurston. Qualifying 8th, Diekmann would progress from his Semi and in the 45-minute Main, which ran on Saturday night, he took the win a lap up on Lars Haugen with Alexander Andersson joining him on the podium. Both Lissau and Thurston had a troubled final with the Dane retiring with 7-minutes to go and Thurston finishing a distant fourth.

Image: Thilo Diekmann [Facebook]

June 9, 2025

Balestri claims 2025 Italian 1:10 Nitro Touring title

Infinity’s Dario Balestri is the new 2025 AMSCI Italian National Champion for 1:10 Nitro Touring Car, the title decided over an annual single race meeting. This year’s race took place at double World Championship host track Gubbio where Balestri took 3 of the four qualifiers to secured the TQ ahead of team-mate and defending champion Carmine Raiola with Matteo Menichetti in third. In the 45-minute final reigning European Champion Balestri pulled clear for a trouble free win as Raiola experienced an early electric issue that dropped him to the back of the field. Coming from P6 on the grid the Xray of Francesco Pierella would finish second as Raiola recovered to claim the final step on the podium with 2024 runner-up Mario Spiniello coming home fourth. In the Sport Category young Luca Ielasi took his Infinity to the title having started from the TQ.

Image: Club Automodellistico 5 Colli [Facebook]

June 9, 2025

Harleman wins Dutch EFRA Large Scale GP

The second round of the 2025 3-race Large Scale EFRA GP series took place in the Netherlands over the weekend where Mecatech driver Marco Harleman took the win. With rain having affected the opening round in Spain, where Bernard-Alain Arnaldi took the win, racing at the Real80 track in Groningen drivers again faced difficult wet weather conditions with qualifying seeing limited running. With the 3rd of the 6 scheduled qualifiers proving the quickest, it was Hessel Roskam who secured pole position. For the wet 30-minute final, a number of drivers would not start the race, leaving 3rd place qualifier Harleman to take a commanding win. The Dutch driver was joined on the podium by Luke Van den Berg and Pieter Netten. The third of the EFRA Large Scale Grand Prix races takes place on September 13/14 in Lostallo, Switzerland, where drivers will be hoping for a break from wet conditions.

Source: Mecatech Racing Components [Facebook]

June 4, 2025

Pirani joins Capricorn

Capricorn has announced that nitro onroad racing stalwart Andrea Pirani is to represent the Italian manufacturer for the 2025 and 2026 season. The Italian racer, who runs RC retailer and option parts producer Pirani RC, previously raced with Mugen Seiki but returns to Capricorn. A multiple Italian National Champion and European Championship podium finisher, his program will consist of Trophy races as well as taking part in the second of the 2 round AMSCI 1:8 Italian National Championship at Mini Autodromo Fiorano in September.

Source: Capricorn [capricornrc.com]

June 3, 2025

2025 Speed King Tour Rd3 – Report

The third round of the popular Speed King Tour 2025 was held at TM Circuit Wakayama in Wakayama prefecture of Japan where Infinity driver Ryosuke Yamamoto took the TQ and win. Race day was sunny day like a mid summer and competitors showed their skills of driving and making good car setup. In the TC0 class (Modified), Yamamoto’s consistency was brilliant and he never gave his rivals an opportunit to challenge either in qualifying or the finals. It would be Kazunari Tomita who claimed second place with his Tamiya TRF421 while from 4th on thw starting grid Takara Sano completed the podium.

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June 2, 2025

Orlowski opens ETS title defence with another win

Michal Orlowski’s unbeaten run in the Euro Touring Series continued over the weekend as the Schumacher driver opened the latest season with another win at Apeldoorn in the Netherlands. In a repeat performance of 12-month earlier, Orlowski secured the TQ topping 3 of the 4 qualifiers while Practice Top Seed Lucas Urbain took the final qualifier to line up P2 on the grid with his Awesomatix. Infinity’s Bruno Coelho returned to the series with a P3 ahead of Mugen Seiki’s Ronald Volker as Marc Rheinard’s Awesomatix completed the Top 5 on the grid. That P5 would prove to be the place to be in A1, first an out of shape Urbain would make contact with Volker, then braking traction Orlowski would collide with Coelho, handing Rheinard the win from team-mate Simon Lauter and Xray’s Alexander Hagberg, the duo having started 6th & 7th respectively. In A2, Orlowski went tone to tone winning from Urbain and Coelho to put his quest for an 11th consecutive win back on track. In A3, Orlowski again delivered a perfect drive while a spin from Urbain mixed up the following pack and ended his changes of repeating the 2024 Dutch round podium line-up. With Rheinard coming through for 2nd, that was where the reigning EFRA European Champion would stand on the podium while P3 in the 3rd encounter would secure Lauter the final step on the podium. In Pro Stock the weekend would see a dominant performance from Awesomatix’s Oliver Bultynck, the Belgian topping seed, taking all four qualifiers and sealing the win in A2. He was joined on the podium by ARC’s Jung Enrico and Xray’s Izsay Adam

Image: Bruno Coelho [Facebook]

May 30, 2025

Portuguese Champion Felix returns to Capricorn

Capricorn RC has announced that 3-time Portuguese 1:8 Onroad National Champion José Félix will represent the Italian manufacturer in 2025. Previously representing another Italian brand, BMT, Felix will return to Capricorn and reinforce their presence in national events in Portugal. On the announcement Felix said, ‘First of all, I would like to thank Capricorn RC for accepting me back and ZGRC.pt for the opportunity to join Capricorn RC. I am extremely happy to be part of these teams from now on. After a few years in a different team, I am already looking forward to the new challenges and projects and to working closely with my new teammates. Full of motivation and with renewed ambition, I am now heading into the new season!”

Source: Capricorn [capricornrc.com]