July 22, 2023

Volker heads Mugen 1-2 in ETS Austria qualifying

Mugen Seiki enjoyed a one-two in qualifying for ETS Austria with Ronald Volker the Top Qualifier in Aigen ahead of team-mate Eric Dankel.  Volker would secure the TQ after topping the opening two of the four rounds of qualifying.  Round 1 podium finisher Dankel would also top the times, doing so in Q4 to make it a Mugen lock out at the front of the grid at the second round of the championship.  The only other driver to post a TQ run, Marc Rheinard took his Awesomatix to the fastest time in Q3 ahead of Dankel as Volker had a bad run.  Overall Jan Ratheisky’s Xray will start fourth ahead of the Yokomo of Christopher Krapp with Oliver Havranek completing the Top 6 on the grid.  In Pro Stock, Adam Izay is the Top Qualifier from Louis Kretschmer having posted 3 TQ runs with his Xray.

Image: Mugen Seiki Europe [Facebook]


July 21, 2023

Repetti to defend LS Touring Car Euros title from pole

European Large Scale Touring Car Champion Edoardo Repetti is to defend his title from pole position after the Mecatech driver secured the overall TQ in the Netherlands today.  Having held the overnight TQ after three rounds of qualifying as the fastest driver around the Real80 track, the final round of qualifying saw a further improvement from the Italian, who topped 4 of the 5 rounds.  Behind, MCD driver Dario Veseli would save the best for last to jump up to P2 in the final qualification ranking and book a direct spot into his first European Championship final.  Having struggled to find a set-up he was comfortable with, it came together for the Croatian driver in Q5 with him getting to within 2.1 seconds of Repetti’s time over the 10-minute heats.  Finishing up third fastest would be the Genius Racing of Rick Van der Bol with his time from Q4 with Hessel Roskam, the only driver to TQ a round when he was fastest in Q2, locking in P4 with his Q5 run. Both drivers will start on pole for their respective Semi-Finals which will determine the other 8-starters for the 30-min title decider.

Source: Mecatech [Facebook]


July 20, 2023

Repetti holds overnight TQ at Large Scale Euros

Aiming to defend the title he won in Fiorano, ltaly, last year, Mecatech’s Edoardo Repetti holds the overnight TQ at the EFRA Large Scale Touring Car European Championships in the Netherlands.  Racing at the Real80 track in Groningen, the Italian topped 2 of the three rounds of qualifying with his time from Q3 giving him the provisional TQ with two rounds of qualifying remaining tomorrow.  The only other driver to top the times sheets was Hessel Roskam, the Dutch driver taking his Genius Racing chassis to the fastest time for Q2 which leaves him second at the end of Day 1.  Completing the provisional Top 3 is multiple Champion Bernard-Alain Arnaldi, the Genius Racing driver coming to the event off the back of successfully defending his European 1:8 GT Championship title at the start of the month in Croatia.  Danish Mecatach driver Patrick Folman currently sits fourth while current World Champion Markus Feldmann finds himself P8 of the 66 entries, the German’s pace over the 10 minute qualifiers some 6-seconds off Repetti.

Image: EFRA [Facebook]


July 18, 2023

Costa Rica seek to host 2024 1:10 Nitro Onroad Worlds

Costa Rica has presented a proposal to the World Governing Body to host the 2024 1:10 Nitro Touring Car World Championships.  Coming through FAMAR, one of the four Blok members of IFMAR, the proposal to host the 10th running of the Worlds for the category has been put together by host hopefuls ADDAP.  Proposing a date of 14-24th of November 2024, the race would take place at the  Mini Autodromo La Cruces in Heredia, which is a 281m fine asphalt track.  Earlier this year the track hosted its inaugural event, the Tico Race, which attracted a strong entry with racers travelling from 10 countries.  Should Costa Rica be successful in its bid to host the 2024 World Championships, it would be the first time the championships has returned to the FAMAR Blok since Brazil hosted the inaugural 1:10 Nitro Touring Car World Championships in 2004 where Adrien Bertin took the win.

View ADDAP presentation here


July 17, 2023

Butterfield wins Summer Nitro Cup in Puerto Rico

Serpent’s Bryce Butterfield took the 1:8 Onroad win at the 2023 Summer Nitro Cup held at Barceloneta RC Speedway in Puerto Rico.  The American driver was one of a number of international drivers who travelled to the Caribbean Island for the event which attract close to 100 entries.  In qualifying it was Butterfield’s Nova Engines powered 990 that took the overall TQ after setting the fastest 4-minute run in the first of the four rounds of qualifying.  Germany’s Thilo Diekman would set the 2nd fastest time, the Capricorn driver also producing his best run in Q1 with the Top 3 completed by the Serpent of US racer Joaquin De Soto Jnr, the later going on to beat Diekman in the Super Pole shoot out.  In the 30-minute final Butterfield would lead from start to finish winning by over a lap from De Soto Jnr.  Setting the fastest lap of the race, Diekman would complete the podium with Jose Colon fourth.  In 1:8 GT  Jose Almonte took the TQ and win with his Serpent while in 1:10 200m Jerry Guerra took the win from 5th on the grid.

Image: Serpent [serpent.com]


July 17, 2023

Branson retains British title with Halifax win

Xray’s Kyle Branson has successfully defended his British Electric Touring Car Championship title with victory in tricky conditions at the third round in Halifax.  Kicking off his title defence with victory the opening round of 5 in May, Branson made it three in a row although this time he would not start from the TQ.   Some mistakes in qualifying meant he lined up P2 behind Xray team-mate Harley Eldridge.  In the finals however Branson would win A1 and 2 to wrap up the overall win ahead of Yokomo’s Alex Thurston and Schumacher’s Zak Smith, the result putting the title beyond reach of Branson’s rivals.   The newly crowned back to back BRCA Champion will travel to the Cotswold track for the penultimate round next month.

Image: Kyle Branson [facebook.com]


July 16, 2023

Ronnefalk takes 2 Swedish Onroad National titles

Former 1:8 Offroad World Champion David Ronnefalk added not one but two Swedish National Onroad titles to his CV today, being crowned the Electric Touring Car and 1:8 Onroad Nitro Champion in Stockholm.  Not a complete stranger to electric touring car, Ronnefalk would win the TQ and title for Awesomatix ahead of established touring car stars Alexander Hagberg and Viktor Wilck.  A somewhat surprise announcement as an ARC team driver in 1:8 Onroad in April, the reigning 1:8 Offroad European Champion is pretty much a rookie in the sport’s longest established category.  Also starting on pole for the half hour final, he would go on to win ahead of Alexander Andersson and Niclas Nilsson for what would be his 23rd Swedish National title!  While an impressive performance, Ronnefalk will switch his attention back to Offroad as he prepares to defend his Euros title for Mayako in Redovan, Spain, in early September.

Image: David Ronnefalk [Facebook]


July 16, 2023

Senesi crowned Italian 1:8 GTE Champion

Natanaele Senesi is the 2023 UISP 1:8 GTE Italian National Champion.  Winner of the season opener back in March, the Xray driver secured the overall title today at the third & final round of the championship with second place at Miniautodromo Teramo.  Attracting over 40 entries, today’s victory would go to the Genius of Alex D’Angelo who finished 2.5-seconds clear of Senesi’s Hobbywing/Nosram powered GTXE with the WRC of Fabrizio D’Aietti completing the podium.  Senesi’s 9th National title, the European Championship finalist will make the trip to Sydney, Australia, later this year to contest the IFMAR 1:8 GT World Championship.  In the third round of 1:8 GT Nitro, Radiosistemi Factory Team driver Filippo Beretta took the win of the 30-minute final from I-Fenix driver Adriano Tarragoni.

Image: Natanaele Senesi [Facebook]