Red RC » R On Road

October 9, 2023

Hamon sets early pace at GT World Championship

Serpent’s Jeff Hamon is the early pace setter in practice at the IFMAR 1:8 GT World Championship in Sydney, Australia. Winner of the Worlds Warm-up Race back in April when the final was rained off, the Australian set his fastest 3-consecutive laps ahead of Hong Nor’s Toni Gruber – Hamon’s best run coming in the cool conditions of the morning first practice while Gruber’s best came in the 31 degree heat of the fourth of the 6 rounds on today’s schedule. IGT8 boss Paolo Morganti sits third fastest with European GT Champion Bernard-Alain Arnaldi making it four different manufacturer at the top of the timing sheets driving his Genius Racing chassis. With visiting drivers trying to get their heads around the low grip levels at the John Grant International Raceway track, which hosted the 1:8 Onroad World Championship back in 2001, European GT Championship Top Qualifier Andrea Catanzani sits fifth fastest ahead of the Sworkz of reigning World Champion Joern Neumann, who like fellow countryman Gruber found improvement in CP4.

Continue reading here

October 9, 2023

IFMAR release 126 strong 1:8 Onroad Worlds Entry List

With IFMAR’s newest World Championship 1:8 GT getting underway this week in Sydney, Australia, the World governing body has released the entry list for the upcoming edition of its oldest and original World Championship, 1:8 Nitro Onroad. Scheduled to take place from October 27th to November 5th at Infinity International RC Speedway in Japan, the 23rd running of the categories biggest prize has attracted a strong 126 entries lead by reigning Champion Shoki Takahata. With 24 countries represented, the host nation has come out in force to support the race making up just shy of 50% of the entry. In addition to Takahata, who won the title for Mugen in California in 2019, his three title predecessors Dario Balestri (2017), Simon Kurzbuch (2015) and Tadahiko Sahashi (2013) will also compete. The third time Japan will host the 1:8 Onroad Worlds, on the last visit it was a home win for then Serpent driver Sahashi. Nine years later he would become only the second driver ever to be both a 1:8 and 1:10 Nitro Onroad Champion when he was crowned the 1:10 World Champion with Infinity in Thailand last year. Red RC will be making the trip to Japan to cover the event.

View entry list here

October 9, 2023

Isaacs does double at MonTech NYGP

The annual MonTech New York Grand Prix took place over the weekend where Awesomatix driver Sam Isaacs stamped his authority on the fifth running of the event with victory in both Mod 1:12 and Touring Car. Held at 360v2 RC in New Rochelle, New York, 1:12 qualifying would see Isaacs secure the TQ with his Q4 run from Donny Lia, Kemp Anderson and Keven Hebert. With a single 8-minute final to decide the winner, Lia would find a way passed the pole sitter after 16-laps holding it for 20-laps before going out of the race which allowed Isaacs to win by a 2.4-seconds margin from Anderson and Hebert. In Touring Car, Isaacs was also the Top Qualifier and in the single 5-minute final led from start to finish to win by almost one & a half seconds from ROAR Champion Herbert and Anderson, the Top 3 remaining unchanged to how they qualified.

Image: 360v2 RC [Facebook]

October 8, 2023

‘Of course goal is to keep the title’ but ‘the class has changed a lot’ – Neumann on 1:8 GT World title defence

Think Joern Neumann and you think World class offroad racer. The German is a multiple offroad European Champion, a multiple offroad World Champion Finalist and the only European to ever to win the legendary Reedy Offroad Race of Champions. Ironically his biggest win in the sport didn’t involve navigating any jump sections, and this coming week the factory Sworkz driver will defend that title despite not having raced in the category since adding the IFMAR World title to his CV. It’s January 2020 and the World has no idea of two major things that are about to happy – Neumann is going to become an onroad World Champion and a thing called Covid is going to shut down the World just afterwards!

Continue reading here

October 5, 2023

EFRA seeks support on EU nitro fuel petition

EFRA, the federation for RC racing in Europe, is seeking the support of racers and the industry with a petition submitted to the European Parliament to amend the rule regarding nitro fuel for model car racing. The petition is titled “Petition No 0519/2023 by Markus Dirks (German) on amending Regulation (EU) 2019/1148 on the marketing and use of explosives precursors” and is opposed to the reduction from 25 % nitromethane content to 12% in the fuel used by model sport pilots and model sport car drivers. The petitioner claims that this would lead to thermal problems in engines and prevent European or World Championships from being held in Germany and calls for exemptions and for paragraph 10 of Regulation (EU) 2019/1148 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on the marketing and use of explosives precursors to be adapted.

View & sign petition here

October 4, 2023

1:8 GT Worlds Live Broadcast by RC Race Media

The second of this year’s four IFMAR World Championships takes place in Sydney, Australia, next week where Sworkz’ Jorn Neumann will try to defend his 1:8 GT World title and our friends at RC Race Media will be broadcasting all the action live. Live video coverage will be available from Wednesday 11th to Saturday 14th October bringing you all the action from qualifying and finals. Commentary will be shared between the venue and the stream with Leonard Kee making the trip over from Malaysia to look after announcing duties. Tony Firth who is known in Australia for his RC Racer Chat interviews will be bringing viewers all the post race chats, interviews and pit walks throughout the event. You will be able to watch the live stream on a number of Facebook and YouTube channels, and thanks to a special collaboration with RC Racing TV you can also watch all the action on their YouTube channel and Facebook page. Red RC will of course be making the trip Down Under to tell the story of how only the second ever running of the World Championship for the 1:8 GT class unfolds at John Grant international Raceway, starting Monday 9th October. With the first Worlds held in Florida in 2020, this will be Red RC’s first ever 1:8 GT event to cover and we are excited to witness first hand the stacked manufacturers battle between Sworkz, Serpent, Xray, Hong Nor, Genius Racing and Capricorn, each of whom are fielding drivers capable of becoming World Champion.

Source: RC Race Media [Facebook]

October 3, 2023

Mackie takes South Australian State Title

ARC driver Jeffrey Mackie is the 2023 Speedy RC South Australian State Titles Champion for Modified Touring Car. Racing at the Radio Racing Cars SA track in Littlehampton, which is located half an hour from Adelaide City, Mackie was in dominant form taking all five rounds of qualifying to secure the overall TQ from the Awesomatix pairing of Damon Davis-Perry and Jordan Hunting. In the finals, A1 would see Davis-Perry pile the pressure on the Top Qualifier but Mackie managed to keep him at bay as the pair crossed the line separated by 0.566 of a second. A2 saw a more convincing win from the Sydney driver, the winning margin 3.7-second which secured him the overall title that he celebrated with the clean sweep by also winning A3. Managing P2 in the third encounter after bad luck saw him qualify P4, Team Yokomo’s Antoni Caretti would complete the overall podium behind Davis-Perry. In Pro Stock, Rhys Marshall took the title for Awesomatix ahead of Top Qualifier Richard Groncki with Jordan Isergin third.

Image: Antoni Caretti [Facebook]

October 2, 2023

Coelho wins MonacoRC Race Of Champions

The third edition of the MonacoRC Race Of Champions took place in Lucca, Italy, over the weekend where Touring Car World Champion Bruno Coelho took the win. A race at which the Xray team officially presented it’s new X4′ 24, Coelho secured the TQ at the A.S.D. Minicar Lucca track taking all four rounds ahead of Xray/Hobbywing team-mate Alexander Hagberg. In the triple finals continued his sweep of the event to take the overall win ahead of Hagberg with ISTC World Championship finalist Alessio Menicucci completing the Modified podium. In Stock, Nico Catelani had the perfect weekend securing the TQ & win while in FWD it was Awesomatix driver Daniele Pacini who came away with victory. In Formula, former ETS Champion David Ehrbar was the winner.

Source: Monaco RC [monacorc.com]