Red RC » Mugen

March 2, 2024

Volker takes Q3, TQ to be decided in ‘Rocket Round’

Ronald Volker has taken the third round of qualifying at the TITC, meaning the final ‘Rocket Round’ of qualifying in Bangkok will decide the Top Qualifier for the 20th running of the famed race. Top Seed for the event, the Mugen driver would take his first TQ run as Bruno Coelho traction rolled his Xray with 1-minute to go while on TQ pace. This promoted Volker to the top of the timing screens followed by Alexander Hagberg as Coelho ended up with a P3. Behind the leading trio Awesomatix’s Lucas Urbain finally posted a strong run after a difficult first day of qualifying at RC Addict yesterday. Behind the Frenchman was team-mate Marc Rheinard with Axon’s Hayato Ishioka completing the Top 6 in today very humid afternoon conditions.

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February 29, 2024

Volker top seed at TITC

Ronald Volker is the top seed going into qualifying at the TITC, the Mugen Seiki driver fastest over 3-laps from defending Champion Bruno Coelho. With just a single round of seeding practice determining the heats for the four rounds of qualifying, most drivers completed the minimum laps possible needed to secure a place in the top while also saving tyres. Running in the second fastest practice heat due to his B-Final appearance at last year’s event, Volker took two goes at setting a time. It was his second 3-consecutive laps that counted with him fastest by 16/100th of a second over Coelho, the Xray driver making just one attempt to post a time. One of the few drivers to run the entire 5-minutes along with team-mate Akio Sobue, Axon’s Hayato Ishioka set the third fastest time with 2-time TITC winner Sobue ending up 7th. Infinity’s Naoto Matsukura posted the fourth fastest time ahead of the Awesomatix pairing of Lucas Urbain and Marc Rheinard.

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February 1, 2024

Mugen Seiki MSB1 1:10 2WD Buggy

Having been given a first look at their first foray into the 1:10 2WD Buggy class at the IFMAR 1:10 Offroad World Championship in Arizona last September, Mugen Seiki has now officially released its MSB1 kit. This is a hugely significant launch for the Japanese manufacturer who despite its small size is a major force in the 1:8 Buggy competition market. A brand that punches well above its weight given the actually size of the company, the MSB1 has the potential to bring them a whole new customer base and as well as open up an all year round season due to the popularity of indoor 1:10 offroad racing. Designed by Shin Adacahi, the MSB1 was conceived from years of testing and development. It is designed to be used for multi-purpose purposes on dirt, carpet and astro road surfaces. The slim aluminium chassis provide exceptional precision and stability when jumping and cornering with the kit including front and rear stabiliser, highly adjustable gear differential and 13mm shocks. The design of the rear suspension is unique and adjustable than other vehicles in this class. The height of the deferential is adjustable, giving you quick and easy access to the deferential. MSB1 kit also includes cab forward body shell, front wing and rear wing.

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January 7, 2024

Kilic opens ’24 season with third ‘OneRace OneMan’ win

Mugen Seiki’s Burak Kilic has opened his 2024 season in the best way possible with a third 1:8 Nitro Buggy victory at the annual ‘OneRace OneMan’ race at the IBR Padova indoor facility in northern Italy. Second in qualifying behind Infinity’s Riccardo Berton, Kilic would like up P4 for the 45-minute final after the Semi Finals. A previous winner of the race in 2018 and 2021, the German would take his third win ahead of new Xray signing Alex Zanchettin with the HB Racing of Theo Lemaire from France completing the podium. Having qualified fourth but securing pole position for the final with victory over Zanchettin and Kilic, WIRC Racing’s Marco Baruffolo would lead the first quarter of the race until he was forced to retire with a throttle servo failure. In eBuggy, Berton took the win from 2023 Nitro Buggy winner Mattia Polito with Lemaire making it a double podium at IBR Padova.

Image: Burak Kilic [Facebook]

December 17, 2023

Volker wins hugely successful inaugural FIRC

Mugen Seiki’s Ronald Volker has won the hugely successful inaugural Foshan Invitational RC Championship in China. One of a number of international drivers to make the trip to the new GDC Indoor track in the central Guangdong Province, Volker completed the perfect weekend taking the TQ honours before converting that in the overall win with victory in A2. The biggest challenger to the former World Champion would come in the form of Chinese driver Vening Zhuo who was justly rewarded for his impressive showing with second overall. Highly complimentary of Zhuo talents, Volker only discovered during the event that the driver keeping him honest all weekend was the very same person he had been offering racing advice too after he had reached out to the professional racer through social media. An event created to give Chinese racers experience of international competition, it would be Japanese visitor and Xpress team driver Yugo Nagashima who would complete the podium for what race organiser Gavin Kwok is aiming to establish into one of Asia’s major annual international touring car races.

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December 17, 2023

Volker takes A1 at FIRC

Ronald Volker has taken the opening A-Main at the inaugural Foshan Invitational RC Championship in China, the Mugen Seiki driver kept honest over the 5-minutes by the Awesomatix of Chinese driver Vening Zhuo as chaos broke out behind. With race organiser Gavin Kwok’s goal of hosting the race at his GDC Indoor track to highlight the international level to local racers, Volker put on the perfect display as he lead the field away from the TQ. Only Zhuo would be able to hang with the former World Champion as the pair quickly pulled away and gapped the other 8 starters. Behind all the attention was on the battle for 3rd with the pack building up behind a struggling Marco Ma who had Xray team Jerry Dai all over his back bumper. Six laps in as they came on to the straight Ma got out of shape setting a chain of crashes with Xpress’ Yugo Nagashima coming out the best of it in 3rd having found him push out of position and down to ninth on the opening lap. With Volker and Zhuo quickly in traffic the both navigated it well to with Nagashima holding position to complete the Top 3 ahead of the recovering Dai.

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December 16, 2023

Volker Top Qualifier at inaugural FIRC

Mugen Seiki’s Ronald Volker is the Top Qualifier at the inaugural Foshan Invitation RC Championship. Heading up the international entry at the new Chinese race that the organisers are aiming to establish as a major annual event, the former World Champion secured pole position for tomorrow’s triple finals when he made it three from three in the penultimate round of qualifying at the recently opened GDC Indoor Track. Once again it was Chinese driver Vening Zhuo who would be Volker’s closest challenger but the German edged back out his advantage over the Awesomatix driver in the third round. Competing the Top 3 for the round would be Marco Ma, the Xray driver managing his first 23-lap run of the day ahead of the Xpress of Yugo Nagashima, the Top Seed also putting together a 23-lap run.

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December 16, 2023

Volker takes opening qualifier at FIRC

After his struggles in seeding practice, Mugen Seiki’s Ronald Volker bounced back in qualifying to take the opening round at the Foshan Invitational RC Championship in China ahead of the Awesomatix of Vening Zhuo and Xray’s Marco Ma. Finding himself in the second fastest after his lap times dropped by 2-seconds from free practice, Volker had a busy opening qualifying run as he avoided the traffic with late contact with a lapped car costing him some time. Despite this the German was 3-seconds clear of Zhuo as his main rivals Yugo Nagashima and Simon Nicholson both had issues. The Top Seed for qualifying Nagashima lead away the top heat but a mistake by the Japanese driver in the chicane meant his Xpress needed marshalling and with 4.5 seconds lost he finish P4. Starting directly behind Nagashima, Nicholson looked to benefit from the mistake but inside the final 30-seconds the Yokomo drivers pinion came undone and his run was over.

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