Red RC » R On Road

May 28, 2025

RC Bike World Championship Warmup Race – Report

With Australia set to host the first ever RC Bike World Championships to be run outside of Europe since it the inception of the event in 2004, the 2025 hosts held the warm-up race for the August 3-9th Main event in Brisbane over the weekend. Rolling into England Park Raceway, the racing did not disappoint. Easily one of the best tracks in the country, it brought high grip, a smooth-as-glass surface, banked corners, and full lighting for night racing. Add a crew of top-notch locals and that coastal breeze from Moreton Bay, and you’ve got a dream setting for a week of serious RC bike action. With three Classes, 1:5 Superbike, 1:5 Stock Bike and 1:4 Super Moto, the 1:5 Nitro class sat this one out due to low numbers, but don’t worry—they’ll be firing on all cylinders in August, with seven confirmed entries already locked in for the main event. With clear skies, 18–25°C across the days, and barely a breath of wind, track grip stayed solid all week, and even when finals day started grey with a light sprinkle, it cleared quickly, delivering the hottest, fastest conditions of the whole event.

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May 24, 2025

Gruber wins ENS season opener at Ettlingen

Capricorn/Ielasi Tuned team driver Toni Gruber has opened the new season of the Euro Nitro Series with victory in Germany. Racing at the Ettlingen circuit, the 2023 Champion took the win ahead of the Infinity of Rick Vrielijnck with the Shepherd of Lars Hoppe completing the podium. Round 1 of the 4 round championship would see reigning Champion Simon Kurzbuch set the early pace with his Mugen Seiki topping practice over Italian Thomas Lorenzi. With bad weather forecast for Sunday causing the timetable to be revised to finish on Saturday, after 3 rounds of qualifying it was Vrielijnck who secured the 1:8 TQ ahead of Kurzbuch, Francesco Tironi’s Infinity, with Gruber lining up P4. In the 30-minute final, Dutchman Vrielijnck led the field around, but on a two stop tyre strategy, when he made his second tyre stop, Gruber, who was on a single tyre stop, took over the lead. With the fastest lap of the race, Vrielijnck was closing down the German but coming up on traffic with just 5-minutes to go there was contact ending the Infinity driver’s challenge for the victory. Having started 11th on the grid, 2024 ENS Austria race winner Hoppe put in a great drive with some impressive fuel mileage to finish third ahead of Marco Weigerding. Unfortunately for former World Champion Kurzbuch, while leading the race as the various pit strategies started to play out, he would suffer a flame out 12-minutes into the final leaving the Swiss driver to eventually finish P11. In 1:10 Nitro Touring Car, Jakub Rozycki took the win by 7-seconds from Leon Fuhrmann with Milan Holthuis in 3rd.

Image: Ielasi Tuned [Facebook]

May 23, 2025

Kee to lead FEMCA as Reid calls time on 20-year contribution to racing in Asia

FEMCA, the governing body that represents 15 nations in Asia and Australasia, has announced that Leonard Kee will now head up the federation as Trevor Reid officially calls time on his 20-year contribution to RC racing in the region and around the world. Having held the post of Vice-President, Malaysian Kee has been very active over the last few years with FEMCA events as well as shaping the future of FEMCA including the recently announced rebranding of its title races to Asian Championships. From New Zealand, Reid made the official announcement of his replacement in a letter titled ‘Changing of the guard’. Having got to know Trevor over our many years of covering IFMAR World Championships, and had the pleasure of catching up with him again recently at the opening round of the Asian Buggy Championships in his home country, one thing that always stood out to use was his commitment to the role and his willingness to fight for what was best for the racing and the racers, battles unfortunately he didn’t always win. As the new FEMCA President Kee’s first big event in the role will be the highly anticipated 1:10 Offroad World Championships in Sydney, Australia, later this year. Adding to the official announcement, Kee expressed his appreciation of Reid’s work with a statement in which he said the Kiwi was always “Tirelessly working with the various associations and manufacturers in the goal of bringing the Hobby from recreation to a sport”.

Read full announcement and statement here

May 20, 2025

Harper wins BRCA Round 2 at Stafford – Report

Schumacher’s reigning British Electric Touring National Champion Elliott Harper took the first win of his title defence with a dominant win at Round 2 of the BRCA Championship held at the Stafford track over the weekend. With the Awesomatix of Round 1 winner Olly Jefferies not making the trip to the Midlands track, Harper would dominate qualifying topping four of the five rounds to secure the TQ. Xray’s Harley Eldridge was his closest challenger counting her three Top 2 times to line up second ahead of multiple champion Chris Grainger while the privately enter Awesomatix of Stefan Chodzynski completed the second row. In the triple A-Mains, Harper continued his dominance by taking all three legs for the overall win, Eldridge took second via her two second place finishes with Grainger completing the podium with a second and a third.

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May 18, 2025

Stanley wins NSW 1:8 Onroad State Title

ARC factory driver Brayden Stanley has given the Taiwanese manufacturer the RCRA NSW State Title in 1:8 Onroad after taking the win at John Grant International Raceway in Sydney. Racing at the former IFMAR 1:8 Onroad (2001) and 1:8 GT (2023) World Championship host track, the young Australian took the TQ after topping three of the five qualifiers at the rain effected weekend. Team-mate Jeffrey Mackie made it a 1-2 for the ARC 8.4LCG on the starting grid with the Mugen Seiki of Tim Moylan completing the Top 3. Despite a ‘super chaotic’ but dry 30-minute final, Stanley, who is part of ARC’s international electric touring car team, would take the win by half a lap from long time leader Mackie. Coming through from 8th on the grid, Johnny La Sprina completed the podium with his Xray. In 1:10 Nitro Touring the NSW title went to Andrew Bardetta ahead of Xray team-mate Michael Stone while in 1:8 GT the winner was Rick Seymonsbergen driving a Hong Nor.

Image: Penrith District Nitro Racing [Facebook]

May 18, 2025

KM Racing MR04 94mm LCG Alu Motor Mount

Former 1:10 Nitro Touring Car World Championship manufacturer KM Racing, and now Mini Z option parts specialists, has announced the upcoming release of their new 94mm LCG Aluminium Motor Mount for the Kyosho MR04 chassis. Both functional and aesthetically pleasing, the key feature of the mount is its super low centre of gravity which gives it a 2mm lower CG than the current after market MR03 motor mount. Reducing traction roll, it integrates with the MR04 chassis for a cleaner and more aesthetically refined appearance.

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May 14, 2025

EFRA announce GRP as backup 1:8 GT Euros tyre supplier

EFRA has announced the selection of GRP Tyres as the back-up supplier of controlled tyre for the upcoming 1:8 GT European Championships after the withdrawal of the original supplier. PMT had been selected as the controlled tyre for the June 18-21 event in Leipzig, Germany, but following quality issues at the recent round of the highly competitive Italian National Championship, the company sent a letter to the Euros hosts in which they stated, ‘We believe it is our duty—out of respect for the organization and drivers—to step back from the 2025 Championship supply, as we are currently unable to ensure the quality standards required for such a prestigious event.’ You can read the full letter here. The fourth running of the 1:8 GT European Championships, drivers will now race on GRP’s T03 REVO on XM2 SuperSoft compound mounted on their rigid white wheel. Italian Natanaele Senesi will be hoping to defend his nitro title Modell Racing Club Leipzig track while fellow countryman Rosario Giaimo will aimed to hold on to his title in the electric category.

Source: EFRA [efra.ws]

May 12, 2025

Catanzani makes it 2 from 2 in Italian GT Championship

Serpent’s Andrea Catanzani made it two from two at the second round of the highly competitive AMSCI 1:8 GT National Italian Championships which took place at Autodromo Di Vallelunga. Having TQ’d & won the season opener at the Kronio Speed Park track in Sicily in March, Catanzani was again the pace setter topping 3 of the four rounds of qualifying. Fresh from his debut at the Philippine Masters in Manila, offroad star Burak Kilic was back for another go at the Italian GT Championship. The Nova Engines factory driver, who podiumed at Round 1, would TQ the fourth round of qualifying to secure P2 ahead of the Raptor of Alessio Mazzeo and Capricorn of 2023 Champion Alex D’angelo with Genius Racing’s Leonardo Valente rounding out the Top 5. In the 45-minute main, Catanzani took his Gimar powered SRX8 GT.23 to the win over Gabriele Paloschi who would impressively turn around a difficult weekend. The 1:8 GT World Championship finalist struggled in qualifying ending up P8. In his Semi Final he would retire but in the Last Chance Qualifier race, the Capricorn driver to the win to secure P11 on the grid from where he came through for P2 ahead of 2024 Champion & Schepis Model team driver Rosario Giaimo. Unfortunately a wrong tyre choice meant Kilic missed the podium finishing in P4. For reigning European Champion Natanaele Senesi it was another tough weekend as he failed to qualify for the final having DNF’d at Round 1. In the eGT category Giaimo took the win from Mazzeo and D’angelo. Round 3 of the Championship travels to Circuito Stradivari on 19/20 July.

Image: Gabriele Paloschi [Facebook]