Red RC » R On Road

August 14, 2025

Balestri holds overnight TQ at 1:8 Onroad Euros

Infinity’s defending Champion Dario Balestri holds the overnight TQ at the 2025 EFRA 1:8 Onroad European Championship which is taking place at the Halifax track located in the centre of the UK. The 23rd running of the championships, the Italian posted the fastest time of today’s opening two qualifiers after a mistake led to a P8 run in Q1. The first of the five scheduled qualifiers would see Mugen Seiki’s Simon Kurzbuch top the times ahead of Top Seed Carmine Riola, the Infinity driver the most consistent as he posted the second fastest time for both rounds. While Balestri set the pace in Q2, a moment for Kurzbuch in the second half of the 4-minute qualifier meant the former World Champion ended up 14th fastest but with 1 of 2 counting he sits second, his Q1 TQ time over 2-seconds slower than the reigning World Champion’s Q2 effort. Riola sits third going into tomorrow’s three remaining qualifiers ahead of Capricorn’s Toni Gruber, counting a P3 from Q2, and Serpent’s Andrea Catanzani, who was third fastest in Q1. Reigning British Champion Alex Thurston completes the Top 6 with his Mugen Seiki with 3 of 5 set to count for the final qualification ranking.

Image: Red RC File

August 11, 2025

Volker wins 2025 German National title

Mugen Seiki’s Ronald Volker is the 2025 DMC German National Champion for 1:10 Electric Touring Car, this year’s event counting for driver selection for next year’s ISTC World Championships in Foshan, China. With 5 rounds of qualifying at the EMC Marktoberdorf hosted championships, it was Volker he would be the Top Qualifier as he took his LRP powered MTC3 to the top of the times in opening two rounds. Topping the fourth round, Yokomo’s Christoper Krapp lined up P2 ahead of Serpent’s Dominic Greiner with the Awesomatix of Simon Lauter, who was fastest in Q3, securing P4. In the finals Volker took the opening encounter by half a second from Greiner who found his way past Krapp. In A2, Volker again took the win, the Top 3 finishing as they started, giving the former World Champion yet another National title. A win in A3 ahead of Mugen Seiki’s TITC open Brushless Champion Sören Sparbier would give Lauter the runner-up spot with Greiner taking the final podium step on tie break with Krapp. In Stock, Xray’s Jan Ratheisky took the TQ and win ahead of Awesomatix’s Lukas Ellerbrock with the ARC of Enrico Jung completing the Top 3.

Image: Elena Fuchs

August 10, 2025

Lutz crowned RC Bike World Champion

Germany’s Marc Lutz is the new RC Bike World Champion, the two time Vice Champion finally taking the top step on the 1:5 Superbike podium at the 19th running of the championships which took place in Brisbane, Australia. Hosted by Queensland Radio Circuit Car Racing Association at England Park Raceway, this being the first time the World Championships was held outside of Europe, qualifying would see Lutz secure the TQ honours for Italian manufacturer RG Evolution ahead of Melbourne’s David Varricchio as he topped 4 of the 5 rounds. With his Jabber Two prototype, Andy Bishop completed the Top 3 on the grid ahead of former IFMAR 1:8 Onroad World Champion Kenji Osaka from Japan. In the triple finals, Lutz would win A1 and A2, coming under late pressure in the second encounter from Varricchio, to secure the title while a win in a rain delayed A3 promoted Osaka to Vice Champion. A 2nd in A1 and 3rd in A3 secured Bishop the final step on the podium ahead of Varricchio, the owner of the World Championship title sponsor Holeshot Hobbies. In Stock Bike, it was Singapore’s EZ Apandi Ismail who secured the TQ but from 2nd on the grid it was Italian Massimiliano Ciccacci who became the new World Champion after a battle with defending Stock Bike Champion Bernhard Renner from Austria. While Ciccacci won A1, third place qualifier Renner took A2 meaning it all came down to A3. Ciccacci’s Jabber delivered win ahead of Singapores’s Andrew Ting, the final podium order being Ciccacci, Renner and Ting, the latter two using RG Evolution bikes. The next RC Bike World Championships will be hosted by the A.S.D Model Drivers Arezzo track in Rome, Italy, in 2027.

View Stock Bike podium here

August 7, 2025

2025 IFMAR 1:8 GT World Championship – Stage 2 Report

The organisers of next month’s IFMAR 1:8 GT World Championships in Santiago, Chile, have published the Stage 2 report for what is building up to be an exciting title battle. Hosted by Club of Aeromodelos of Chile (CACH), the 3rd edition of the GT Worlds takes place at country’s very impressive CACH facility and has attracted all of the leading 2023 title contender with the strong entry led by reigning Champion Toni Gruber. The Stage 2 report details Sweep as the controlled tyre with their GT2-D40WP tyre. Priced at US$40 per set for practice, the Mandatory Race Package (3 sets) costs US$120. Also detailed in the Stage 2 report is the controlled 16% fuel supply. Italy’s Pepe Group will supply their Energy Flame GT with a can costing US$75 while Mandatory Race Fuel will be charged at US$60. Among those confirmed to take the title fight to Gruber & Hong Nor is 2023 Top Qualifier Alex D’angelo who this time leads the charge for Capricorn. 2023 podium finisher & newly crowned Italian National Champion Andrea Catanzani will front Serpent’s efforts while the Genius campaign is headed by Bernard-Alain Arnaldi. A World Championship podium finisher in 1:10 Nitro Touring Car, Alessio Mazzeo will put Raptor in the mix. Running his own car Natanaele Senesi adds further to the great variety of manufacturers represented. One interesting name on the entry list is Burak Kilic. The factory Mugen Seiki Offroad driver has used this year’s Italian GT National Championship to prepare for the trip to Chile and he will drive with Schepis Model. Red RC will be in Chile to report on how these World Championships unfold with our coverage starting on the opening day of qualifying which is scheduled for September 17th with the World Champion to be crowned on September 20th. Click here to view Stage 2 Report

Source: IFMAR Worlds 2025 [ifmarworlds2025.com]

August 5, 2025

2025 EWS International – Announcement

Headed up by well known race announcer Oli Meggitt, the team behind the EWS International has announced details for the 2025 edition of the Electric Touring Car race. Now established as one of the UK’s premier independent events on the European Touring Car calendar, the race returns on its established weekend of 6-7 December, 2025, with entries set to open on September 15th. Catering again for Modified Touring, Stock Touring and Front Wheel Drive, interest from overseas drivers is already high as drivers will compete against the best from the UK. In addition to EWS International they also announced details for their popular five-round Essex Winter Series. The series will feature an un-changed format across the one-day events and there is also consistency in the race classes, with Modified and Stock (17.5) Touring continuing to use the Rush 30CPM tyre, whilst the Front Wheel Drive class uses the Ride TR09 tyre and the latest Hobbywing electronics combo.

View Essex Winter Series Calendar here

August 4, 2025

Prumper moves to Schumacher

Multiple Electric Touring Car World & European Championship finalist Yannic Prumper has joined Schumacher Racing. The German driver who started the season having signed with Australian manufacturer RC Maker, moves to the British manufacturer where he will become team-mate with Michal Orlowski. On the announcement Prumper, whose first race with his new team will be at the upcoming German Nationals, said, ‘I’m very thankful for the opportunity to race for the Schumacher team in the future. I’m really excited start racing with the Mi9 platform, which has been proofed as very successful. I’m looking forward to the first race with the new car and team. See you at the track!’.

Source: Schumacher [racing-cars.com]

August 2, 2025

Keller wins rain affected 1:5 TC European Championship

Germany’s Carsten Keller is the new EFRA 1:5 TC European Champion, the SCS M2 driver taking the win at Mini Circuit “Ville de Luxembourg” from 7th on the grid after rain arrived with just over 8 minutes left to run in the final. Having secured the TQ, reigning World Champion Markus Feldmann led away the 30-minute final closely followed by the Genius of 3-time Champion Bernard-Alain Arnaldi with defending Champion Emanuele D’amico from P5 on the grid moving up to third as the Top 3 quickly gaped the field. At half way distance the order remained unchanged with Keller running in P6. With drivers struggling for traction as the rain arrived with just over 8-minutes to go on 7-minutes there was a rush to pit lane for wets as the rain increased. With heavens opening up it would be Norway’s Marius Hetland who led until his car soon came to stop on the front straight. This promoted Keller, whose team made a super quickly & important call to pit first for wets, to the lead ahead of D’amico and Feldmann but the two chasers both hit problems allowing Keller to take his GRP shod Mecatech to victory by a winning margin of almost 14-seconds from Feldmann with Arnaldi completing the podium after a late crash with D’amico in the chaos of the rain.

Image: SCS M2 Engineering [Facebook]

July 31, 2025

Feldmann Top Qualifier at 1:5 TC European Championship

Reigning 1:5 Touring Car World Champion Markus Feldmann is the Top Qualifier at the EFRA 1:5 TC European Championship in Luxembourg. Racing at the Mini Circuit “Ville de Luxembourg”, the German Mecatech/GRP Tyres driver set the fastest time of the four rounds of qualifying in Q1 with France’s Bernard-Alain Arnaldi his closest rival – the Genius driver setting his fastest time in Q3. 2022 European Champion & winner of Round 2 of Euro Large Scale Series (ELS) held at the same track earlier this month, Italy’s Edoardo Repetti completed the Top 3 ahead of Norway’s Marius Hetland. Defending Champion Emanuele D’amico would finish qualifying in P4 while for 2023 Champion Dario Veseli it was a tough qualifying with the Croatian MCD driver finding himself P11.

Image: GRP [grpgandini.it]