Red RC » Creation Model

January 2, 2025

Coelho joins Infinity – World Champion explains motivation behind move

Following the announcement on Monday of his departure from Xray after a hugely successful decade racing for the Slovakian manufacturer, reigning 3-time Touring Car World Champion Bruno Coelho has announced a new project that sees him join Infinity. Making the announcement in a video on his social media, in which he only reveals he is teaming up with the Japanese brand right at the end, the Portuguese ace explains that the driving factor for the move was a desire to work once again with his long time mechanic Francesco Martini. With this a project which Coelho instigated himself, his relationship with Martini, who is the driving force behind online RC retailer Monaco RC, is akin to that of Valentino Rossi and his race engineer Jerry Burgess who moved manufacturers as a package and amassed seven 500cc/MotoGP World Championship titles together. With Martini leaving Xray in February and Coelho’s contract up for renewal with a new 6-year contract on the table, these were the catalysts for one of the GOATs of RC Racing to devise this unique project that will bring back together that partnership and fuel new motivation for the 31-year-old into the future. Coelho spoke with Red RC to explain his motivations for the move that few probably expected from a driver widely seen as an ‘Xray for Life’ driver given his success and standing with the Hudy family.

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December 5, 2024

World Champions tour Foshan ahead of FEMCA C/ships

It’s not just all racing duties when you are a World Champion! When you have 2 multiple World Champions in town you want to make the most of the opportunity to help promote RC Racing. Well, that is exactly what happened today with Bruno Coelho and Naoto Matsukura ahead of this weekend’s FEMCA ISTC Championships in Foshan, China. With his GDC Indoor Race Club track hosting this year’s FEMCA race that will crown the Touring Car Champion of Asia, Gavin Kwok took a number of the visiting drivers to the City’s Nanfeng Ancient Kiln which was built during the Ming Dynasty. The oldest existing active ceramic wood-burning dragon kiln in the world it has a history of more than 500 years. Accompanied by a photographer & videographer to capture the visit, there was an interesting and novelty electric bus ride from the track to the city’s major tourist site. With Matsukura sitting up front in the bus beside the driver it was a very entertaining ride and one which highlight that the Japanese racer could have a career as a tourist guide once he decides to hang up his radio!! With a day of free practice ahead of drivers tomorrow (Friday), the FEMCA Championship gets underway in earnest on Saturday morning with seeding followed by qualifying before finals on Sunday decide the new FEMCA Champion. You can follow all the action from GDC here on Red RC over the next 3-days.

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December 5, 2024

Infinity IF18 Sway Bar Stoppers

Infinity has released new Sway Bar Stoppers for the front stabiliser on its World Championship winning IF18-3 1:8 Onroad Car. By making the contact surface with the bearing spherical, smoother movement of the sway bar is achieved. Durability has also been greatly improved by using steel. The Stabiliser Stoppers available in 2.3, 2.5, and 2.7mm. Also new from the Japanese manufacturer is a new Steering Knuckle Plate for their IF15-2 and IF15-2W. This allows for a greater steering angle of the outer tire in corners than the standard kit version. This will make tighter cornering possible, and can improve high speed steering on larger tracks.

View IF15-2 Steering Knuckle Plate here

November 21, 2024

Leino Top Qualifier at 1:10 Nitro World Championship

12 years after he took pole position at the IFMAR 1:10 Nitro World Championship at Bangkok’s other famous circuit RC Addict, Teemu Leino is once again the Top Qualifier at the nitro touring car category greatest race, this time at the challenging Huge RC Circuit. The Infinity driver was the only one who could repeat a TQ run over the 6 rounds of qualifying at the 10th running Worlds, but it was his team-mate Naoto Matsukura who officially sealed the deal for the veteran Finn. Running in the second fastest heat alongside Toni Gruber, Leino’s only remaining challenger for the top spot, and having shown promise of TQ pace with a P3 in the penultimate round, the 2018 Champion denied Gruber the TQ run he needed. Matsukura’s run would turn out to be the Q6 TQ time, none of the drivers in the top heat able to better his time, as he became the 5th different driver to TQ a round. Also in heat group 5 of 6, it would be 2022 Finalist Chavit Saligupta and 2012 Champion Meen Vejrak that completed the Top 3 for the closing round. Overall, Gruber would conclude qualifying in P2 and together with Dario Balestri, Jilles Groskamp and Saligupta would go into Super Pole to battle for the other direct position into Saturday’s 1-hour main alongside Leino. With each driver getting 6 laps to set a time, that shoot out would go to Groskamp who put down the fastest lap by 0.043 of a second from Gruber. Gruber will line up on pole for the Semi while 1:8 World Champion Balestri will lead away the other 30-minute encounter, the Super Pole favourite having a rough number of laps over his 6 attempts and slowest if the four contenders. After topping seeding but only managing one Top 5 qualifying run, defending Champion Tadahiko Sahashi just made the Semi Final cut and joins Balestri in his Semi lining up P7.

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November 21, 2024

Mongkolphan takes penultimate qualifier in Thailand

Thai driver Game Mongkolphan claimed a surprise TQ run in the penultimate round of qualifying at the IFMAR 1:10 Nitro World Championship as he became the fourth different driver to top the times at the challenging Huge RC Circuit in Bangkok. A finalist when the track hosted the same World Championship 10-years-old Mongkolphan would take Q5 from Capricorn’s Toni Gruber with former World Champion Naoto Matsukura finally producing a strong run to complete the Top 3 ahead 2022 finalist Chavit Saligupta. A driver who was capable of wrapping up the overall TQ with one round to go it wasn’t to be for Q3 & 4 winner Teemu Leino, the Finn struggling with his set-up in the fifth round. Fastest in Q2, Dario Balestri found himself with a P5 for the round.

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November 21, 2024

Leino first to double in qualifying in Bangkok

12-years ago he was the Top Qualifier when Thailand hosted the World Championships for the first time and now this morning as the country hosts the 1:10 Nitro’s biggest race for a fourth time, Infinity driver Teemu Leino has kicked off Day 2 of qualifying as the first driver to deliver a second TQ run and move in on pole for Saturday’s final. With Day 1 of qualifying seeing a different driver at the top each round it was the Finn who closed yesterday’s action by topping Q3 and this morning he has pick back up where he left off to top Q4 from the Capricorn of Toni Gruber who opened qualifying at the 10th running of the World Championship with the fastest time. Overall it was a good round for Italian manufacturer Capricorn, a huge improvement from 2012 World Champion Meen Vejrak would see the Thai driver get a P3 for the round ahead of Q2 winner Dario Balestri and Swede Viktor Wilck.

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November 20, 2024

Balestri just edges out Leino to take Q2 in Bangkok

Dario Balestri has taken the second round of qualifying at the 1:10 Nitro World Championship after just edging out Infinity team-mate Teemu Leino in the closing laps of the 7-minute encounter. After both himself and Leino DNF’d the opening qualifier, both drivers needed to get their first points on the board. With Toni Gruber, who took everyone by surprise with his TQ in Round 1, having a slower Q2, and second fastest man Jilles Groskamp unable to start after suffering an engine failure in the warm-up for his second quali run, it was Leino who lead out the top heat. However, hitting traffic at the end of the run as Balestri set his fastest lap on his penultimate lap it was the Italian who took it by 13/100ths of a second from the Finn. Behind the Europeans Australia’s Jessie Davis bettered his Q1 P6 with the third fastest time with Francesco Tironi again in the mix at the front after his opening P3 effort. While Gruber would set the 6th fastest time for Q2 the Capricorn driver would have his time deleted as his rear wing was deemed to be too high in post tech inspection.

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November 7, 2024

Infinity IFB8 Lightweight optionals

Infinity has released two lightweight optionals for their IFB8 1:8 Nitro Buggy. Machined from 7075-T6 alloy and featuring a hard coating, the CVA Cup Shaft lightweight design make them 4.3 grams compared to the steel version’s 8.3 grams allowing you to save weight and achieve maximum performance. It can also be installed on the rear hub providing additional support, which is recommended for high-grip and fast tracks. Also made from 7075-T6 alloy, lightweight Diff Cross Shafts each weigh 0.65 grams allowing you to cut weight from your transmission and achieve maximum performance. It can be installed on all the differentials of your vehicle.

View Diff Cross Shafts here