Red RC » R On Road

June 2, 2025

Orlowski opens ETS title defence with another win

Michal Orlowski’s unbeaten run in the Euro Touring Series continued over the weekend as the Schumacher driver opened the latest season with another win at Apeldoorn in the Netherlands. In a repeat performance of 12-month earlier, Orlowski secured the TQ topping 3 of the 4 qualifiers while Practice Top Seed Lucas Urbain took the final qualifier to line up P2 on the grid with his Awesomatix. Infinity’s Bruno Coelho returned to the series with a P3 ahead of Mugen Seiki’s Ronald Volker as Marc Rheinard’s Awesomatix completed the Top 5 on the grid. That P5 would prove to be the place to be in A1, first an out of shape Urbain would make contact with Volker, then braking traction Orlowski would collide with Coelho, handing Rheinard the win from team-mate Simon Lauter and Xray’s Alexander Hagberg, the duo having started 6th & 7th respectively. In A2, Orlowski went tone to tone winning from Urbain and Coelho to put his quest for an 11th consecutive win back on track. In A3, Orlowski again delivered a perfect drive while a spin from Urbain mixed up the following pack and ended his changes of repeating the 2024 Dutch round podium line-up. With Rheinard coming through for 2nd, that was where the reigning EFRA European Champion would stand on the podium while P3 in the 3rd encounter would secure Lauter the final step on the podium. In Pro Stock the weekend would see a dominant performance from Awesomatix’s Oliver Bultynck, the Belgian topping seed, taking all four qualifiers and sealing the win in A2. He was joined on the podium by ARC’s Jung Enrico and Xray’s Izsay Adam

Image: Bruno Coelho [Facebook]

May 30, 2025

Portuguese Champion Felix returns to Capricorn

Capricorn RC has announced that 3-time Portuguese 1:8 Onroad National Champion José Félix will represent the Italian manufacturer in 2025. Previously representing another Italian brand, BMT, Felix will return to Capricorn and reinforce their presence in national events in Portugal. On the announcement Felix said, ‘First of all, I would like to thank Capricorn RC for accepting me back and ZGRC.pt for the opportunity to join Capricorn RC. I am extremely happy to be part of these teams from now on. After a few years in a different team, I am already looking forward to the new challenges and projects and to working closely with my new teammates. Full of motivation and with renewed ambition, I am now heading into the new season!”

Source: Capricorn [capricornrc.com]

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.

View additional image here