Red RC » R On Road

March 9, 2024

Hotrace announced as 1:10 IC Worlds tyre supplier

The organisers of this year’s IFMAR 1:10 Nitro Onroad World Championship to be held in Costa Rica have announced Hotrace Tyres as the official controlled tyre supplier. Scheduled to take place from November from 14-24 at the Mini Autodromo Las Cruces just outside the capital city San Jose, the Italian manufacturer will supply a 37sh front and a 40sh rear tyre for 10th running of the championship which was first hosted in 2004 in Brazil. While still to finalise the best diameter for the tyres, it is 90% expected that based on information provided by the track that they should be 64mm rears and 62mm fronts. This will be second consecutive 1:10 Nitro Onroad World Championship that Hotrace has been awarded the supply of the controlled tyre. In 2020, Nicola Marrone’s company supplied the tyres for event when it was held at RC Addict in Thailand where Infinity’s Tadahiko Sahashi gained Nitro Onroad’s elusive ‘Double Champion’ status with victory over Dominic Greiner and Jilles Groskamp.

Source: 2024 IFMAR 1/10 Touring World Championship [Facebook]

March 7, 2024

Introducing the ‘Michal Orlowski Column’

We have had the pleasure of following his career from his early days of racing a Tamiya TT02 and all the way through to being in Florida last December to finally witness him become a World Champion. Last year on the way to the 1:10 Offroad World Championships in Arizona, we both endured a lengthy 4-hour delay to our connecting flight in Washington and it was during that conversation and the sharing of many stories that the idea was born for a regular column from one of the most travelled racers in the business. To be honest, not expecting a great reaction to asking any driver to commit to writing regularly about their racing adventures both and off the track, we got Chris Ashton of his main sponsor Schumacher to ask the question, and, he jumped at the opportunity. So with out further a do we’ll hand you over to the newest member of the Red RC editorial team (well so sort). Michal Orlowski take it away……

Click here to read Michal first of hopefully many columns

March 7, 2024

2024 TITC Chassis Focus Index

Last weekend thanks to the support of Hobbywing, Red RC made a return to the TITC for the 20-edition of this legendary Bangkok race. The biggest one yet, it has truly become the most significant annual electric Touring Car race in the World. It was extremely positive for the category to see so much manufacturer support for the race. Of all the major car brands, only Schumacher had no official team presence but here’s hoping the British manufacturer gives us the opportunity to see Michal Orlowski take on the challenging RC Addict track conditions for the first time next year. Such was the quality of the field, the B-Main was full of World Championship Finalist drivers and it was great to see six different manufacturers represented in the A-Main of Modified. Call us old school, but putting the iconic Tamiya logo in our results graphic was a nostalgic moment. In another positive for electric touring car we had three new cars at the race. We had the latest prototype from Yokomo, the Japanese brand going for a name change as the BD name is dropped in favour of MS for Master Speed. Nicolas Lee did try to get us permission for a chassis focus but we couldn’t get it across the line. Kyosho had two prototypes of what is expected to be their TF8. That news generated massive excitement, so much so Kyosho requested we take down the story we ran on their return to the category. Finally Ryan Maker debuted his exciting new SP1 that will see him realise the dream of his RC Maker brand becoming a fully fledged car manufacturer. While both RC Maker and Kyosho allowed us to look at their new creations, we were not granted permission to photograph them for a Chassis Focus which we fully understand given the cars’ designs are still to be fully finalised. Over the event we did however photograph 12 cars from seven different manufacturers and we have compiled them all here in our latest Chassis Focus index.

View Chassis Focus Index here

March 5, 2024

Orlowski wins ‘Charity Race’

While all the world’s attention was on the TITC in Bangkok over the weekend, Michal Orlowski was in Italy where he took yet another win at the annual ‘Charity Race’. One of the few manufacturers to not have a team driver at the TITC, Schumacher instead sent their star driver as the reigning ‘Charity Race’ Champion to the RC Landia indoor carpet track in Scandiano. The 13th running of the event, it has been raising thousands of euros over the years for local charities. In qualifying Orlowski took the TQ, and in the finals gave the British manufacturer’s new prototype car yet another win, it having dominated at the recent MIBO International in the Czech Republic. Joining the Polish driver in the podium would be Xray pairing Alessio Menicucci in 2nd and Luca Romagnoli in 3rd. The closest challenger to Orlowski over the four qualifiers, Filippo Domanin would finish P4.

Image: Michal Orlowski [Facebook]

March 3, 2024

Record equalling 4th TITC win for Coelho

Bruno Coelho has taken a record equalling fourth TITC win but his victory at the 20th edition of the race is set to be remembered for incidents rather than the result equalling record achieved in Bangkok. Having qualified second behind Top Qualifier Ronald Volker, the Xray driver would make contact with his Mugen Seiki rival in the opening two A-Mains resulting in a wide open race going into A3. This time however Volker would spin on his own early on allowing Coelho to take the leg ahead of team-mate Alexander Hagberg, winner of A2. Giving Xray an overall 1-2 in the legendary touring car race, it also sees Coelho join Atsushi Hara as the races most winning driver. The benefactor of the Top 2 qualifiers’ clash in A1 but retiring from A2, Marc Rheinard would complete the podium at RC Addict for Awesomatix with a P3 in the final encounter ahead of Volker. For Volker, the high of taking the TQ honours after his B-Main appearance last year was overshadowed by the disappointment of being classified 6th overall. As a race that has become the most significant in the World for touring car racing & its manufacturers, and which is on par if not exceeding the dept of competitiveness of the World Championship, going forward it might be time for ‘the World’s biggest local race’ to consider appointing a referee to ensure the amazing atmosphere that surrounds the TITC is not overshadowed by incidents on track.

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March 3, 2024

Lauter gives Awesomatix 4th consecutive TITC Open Brushless win

Simon Lauter executed the perfect TITC race debut by taking the win in the Bangkok race’s biggest class Open Brushless realising a fourth consecutive win for his chassis sponsor Awesomatix. Having secured the overall TQ at RC Addict over the Xray of Adam Izsay, it took all three A-Mains to decide the overall winner with some intense and at times aggressive driving with even the crowd getting involved in expressing their disappointment for a lack of respect being shown by drivers. In A1, Izsay armed with new tyres would take the win ahead of Lauter after late contact from the Hungarian robbed the Top Qualifier of what was looking like a well defended win. In A2, Lauter capitalised on new tyres to take a convincing win by over 3-seconds from team-mate Louis Kretschmer as Izsay dropped down to 4th. With all to play for in A3, it was again advantage Izsay as he had new tyres. While the German again tried to defend from the front, Izsay made contact with him again ruining Lauter’s race and earning Izsay a Stop & Go penalty. With Kretschmer taking the third win, Lauter’s A2 winning time would give him the Title ahead of his fellow countryman with Izsay completing the podium. With an unwritten TITC rule that the winner of the Open Brushless can’t race the category again, Lauter has already confirmed his intentions to return to the TITC in 12 months time and step up to the Modified class.

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March 3, 2024

Coelho & Volker clash again handing Hagberg A2 win

Having made contact in A1 and handed the win to Marc Rheinard, A2 at the TITC once again saw a clash between Bruno Coelho and Ronald Volker only this time it was Alexander Hagberg who was there to pick up the pieces. A result that leaves the 20th edition of the legendary Bangkok based race wide open going into A3, the second encounter saw Top Qualifier Volker and Coelho again the class of the field with a much improved Hagberg able to hang with them as they pulled clear. Watched on by a huge crowd at RC Addict, as the race approached the final minute mark, Coelho was putting huge pressure on Volker who ran wide in a number of corners. As they exited the S section on the right side of the track on Lap 15, Coelho attempted a pass on the inside of the German with a tighter line but as they got on the power contact was made sending both cars into a spin. While Coelho again allowed Volker to resume position, with Hagberg going by to take lead, another broken anti tuck rod meant Volker’s race was done. Pulling up in front of the drivers stand the former World Champion vented his anger & frustration at Coelho, the current World Champion and defending TITC Champion continuing the final to finish P2 ahead of Infinity’s Naoto Matsukura.

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March 3, 2024

Rheinard wins A1 as Volker & Coelho tangle at TITC

Marc Rheinard has taken the win in the opening A-Main at the TITC, the Awesomatix handed the lead after Bruno Coelho made contact with Top Qualifier Ronald Volker as he challenged the Mugen driver’s lead. With the Top 2 quickly pulling clear off the field, Rheinard’s passage to the front started when he capitalised on a mistake from a struggling Alexander Hagberg to go to third. Starting third on the grid, Hagberg afterwards described his car as being ‘like driving on ice’ before contact from Naoto Matsukura put him out of the race with a broken car. With Volker and Coelho still locked in battle at the front as the race passed the half way distance, Rheinard would be gifted the lead as Coelho ran into the rear of Volker after the chicane. With enough of a gap to resume racing in the lead, unfortunately the impact had broken the anti tuck on Volker’s car and as the German tried to turn around having been spun his car flipped. As Coelho waited on Volker, Rheinard went to the front where he would stay finishing 1.6 seconds ahead of the Infinity of Matsukura. Battling their way back up through the order Volker would finished 3rd with Coelho right behind in 4th.

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