Red RC » R On Road

December 1, 2023

Matsukura takes on Velodrome with 120kph lap

Multiple World Champion Naoto Matsukura took on something a bit different recently when he ran a 120kph average lap of the Komatsushima Velodrome in Shikoku, Japan, with his Infinity IF14 Electric Touring Car thanks to his electrics sponsor ORCA. Pro-Spec owner Kenji Hosoda arranged the event with the banked cycling track owners as a test event with a view running regular RC events in the future. With the country having more than 40 tracks, which are normally used for Keirin cycling races, there is big potential for RC speed events. A 400-metre track, and using a 3.5 turn motor with a 200A ORCA ESC for power, Matsukura completed his single flying lap of the heavily banked track in 12.1 seconds. Like Keirin racing, he was led out on his first lap by a Toyota Supra bodied pace car complete with flashing roof lights before making his speed attempt on lap 2. Matsukura will be sharing the experience shortly on his YouTube channel.

View track images here

November 30, 2023

1:12 Worlds coverage presented by Radbody

For the fourth & final IFMAR World Championship of 2023, Red RC is excited to announced that our coverage of the 1:12 World Championship at Beachline Raceway in Cocoa, Florida, next week will be presented by Radbody. The new 1:24 and 1:12 body shell producer is making it possible for us to attend our first 1:12 Worlds since China 2016 when Marc Rheinard won the first of his 2 World titles in the category. Winning his second title in the UK in 2020, Rheinard will try to defend that title at what will be the 21st running of the championship. Attracting a total of 80 entries, 22 drivers will battle it our for the Modified honours with Rheinard’s title set to be challenged by both 2020 podium finishers Michal Orlowski and Yoshiyasu Yanagisawa, 2018 World Champion & reigning European Champion Alexander Hagberg, top North American drivers Sam Isaacs, Keven Hebert and ROAR Champion Kemp Anderson, Britain’s Ollie Payne and Japan’s Hayato Ishioka just to name a few. With inaugural 1:12 Spec World Champion Andy Murray absent from the entry list there will be a new Champion crowned for the category in Florida. Our coverage from the United States will begin on Wednesday, December 6th, with news from practice and continuing with the unfolding of the championship over the following 3 days.

November 27, 2023

1:12 Worlds Broadcast team announcement

With just over a week to go until the start of the IFMAR 1:12 World Championship in the United States, Elite Productions has announced the team that it will use to bring its livestream broadcast of the 21st running of the title that will be decided at Beachline Raceway in Cocoa, Florida. Elite Productions became a reality through the efforts of Lance MacDonald who skilfully assembled individuals from diverse areas of RC Racing, uniting their talents to produce top-tier events. Heading the Worlds broadcast will be Keenan White who is better known as Lefty the Great and the person behind ‘The No Name RC Podcast’. With over 30 years in the sport, commenting on the announcement Lefty said, ‘It is an honor for me to be apart of the upcoming IFMAR 1/12 World Championship coming up in December. It has been a pleasure to be a part of the Elite RC Production crew as we strive to bring RC Raving enthusiasts the best possible coverage we can. I am excited to see some of the best racers in the onroad genre of RC battle each other in the carpet coliseum that is Beachline RC Raceway! Good luck to all the competitors and let’s get ready for some epic racing! Red RC is also excited to be making the trip to Florida next week to cover our fourth & final World Championship event of 2023.

Meet the rest of the team here

November 27, 2023

Harris is ’23 RCRA Australian LS National Champion

Australia’s Large Scale touring car young gun Cooper Harris has won the 2023 RCRA Australian National Championship. This year’s RCRA National title was decided at the Radio Racing Cars S.A. Inc. track in Littlehampton, South Australia and in qualifying it was reigning Champion Andy Bishop who secured the TQ ahead of Harris and Craig Hawkins in 3rd. With a clean and competitive half hour final, the battle for the win lasted the entire race with 17-year-old Harris posting the fastest lap on his way to securing 1st place with his Mecatech Fwo1 SWB powered by Abbate engine and PMT Tires. Joining Harris on the podium was MCD driver Andy Bishop in 2nd with third place going to George Tsakanias driving a Genius chassis. Next year Australia will host the IFMAR Large Scale World Championship from October 20th to 27th in Sydney.

Source: Cooper Harris [Facebook]

November 27, 2023

Branson wins Rug Racers Round 2

Round 2 of the Rug Racers indoor series in the UK took place over the weekend where it was Xray team driver Kyle Branson who took the win from Yokomo’s Alex Thurston. Organised by Hertford Radio Car Club, qualifying for the second of the five races that make up the long running series latest season saw Branson secure the TQ ahead of Thurston and the Xray of Round 1 winner Harley Eldridge. With a double final format, Branson took A1 by 3-seconds from Thurston but that order was reversed in A2 with Thurston getting the win by 1/10th of second. With thanks to his faster A1 winning time it was Branson who took the overall win. Eldridge would complete the podium on tie breaker with the Schumacher of Chris Grainger. With a field of 40 cars, in 17.5 Blinky it Zak Finlay who took his Xray to victory ahead of Ricky Copsey and Billy Fletcher. In FWD, which had 37 entries the win went to Jamie Hickin.

Image: Kyle Branson [Facebook]

November 26, 2023

Hebert wins U.S. Indoor Champs

Canada’s Keven Hebert is the Modified Touring Car Champion of the 43rd running of the U.S. Indoor Champs Presented by Hobbywing. The Xray took the win at the Cleveland, Ohio, classic having earlier secured the TQ for the single A-Main. From the front he would set the fastest lap of the race to lead home the Awesomatix of former multiple World Champion Marc Rheinard, the separation 0.816 at the end of the 5-minutes. Starting from P3 on the grid Rheinard’s team-mate & 2022 Champion Sam Isaacs completed the podium ahead of the Xray of Alexander Hagberg. Double champion of last year’s event, Isaacs would retain his 1:12 title securing the TQ and victory with wins in the opening two encounters of the triple A-Mains. Winning A3, Kemp Anderson took second overall with Rheinard making it an all Awesomatix podium. Hebert would be best of the rest for Xray in P4 ahead of team-mate Hagberg.

Image: RCAmerica [Facebook]

November 26, 2023

Kittipong is new FEMCA Touring Car Champion

After an absence from the calendar due to Covid, the FEMCA 1:10 Electric Touring Car Championship returned over the weekend with Awesomatix driver Jack R. Kittipong the new 2023 Modified Touring Car Champion. Hosted at the Huge RC track in Bangkok, Thailand, which is run by former ISTC World Champion Surikarn Chaidajsuriya and was the venue for the 2014 1:10 Nitro Touring Car World Championship, the FEMCA Championships are Asia’s biggest championship prize. In qualifying four different drivers would post TQ runs over the 5 rounds with Kittipong’s rounds 1 & 5 topping runs and a P2 from Q4 giving him the overall TQ ahead of Yokomo’s Nicolas Lee, Infinity’s Andy Moore and Chinese driver Tiwen Zhuo who topped Q4. In the triple A-Mains, the first encounter saw Kittipong see off the pressure of Lee to win by just over 2/10ths of a second with Xpress team driver Nagashima getting passed Moore for third. A2 saw an even closer gap between Kittipong and Lee, but the win gave Kittipong the overall FEMCA title. Winning A3, Singapore’s Lee would finish runner-up with the podium being completed by Japan’s Nagashima.

Image: Jack R. Kittipong [Facebook]

November 26, 2023

Davis & Stanley crowned Australian Nitro Champions

Infinity team driver pairing Jesse Davis and Brayden Stanley are the 2023 Australian Nitro Onroad Champions. This year’s Speedy RC RCRA National Championships took place at the MRCCR track in Melbourne with qualifying seeing recent 1:8 World Championship 4th place finisher Davis securing the overall TQ with a dominant performance that saw him top all 5 rounds with his O.S powered IF18-III. In 1:10, it was 17-year-old Stanley claimed 3 of the 5 rounds to secure the TQ with his Ielasi Tuned IF15. Unfortunately rain would prevent the running of the finals with the results being declared on qualifying and joining Davis each side of the podium was Infinity driver Nicholas Salib (2nd) and Capricorn’s Peter Jovanovic (3rd). Behind Stanley on the 1:10 podium it was his Infinity team-mate and partner in crime Tate Firth who was runner-up with the Serpent of Jeffrey Mackie completing the Top 3. In 1:8 GT, it was Jovanovic who took the 2023 National title.

Image: Brayden Stanley [Facebook]