Red RC » Team Losi

December 27, 2024

Phend officially announces the end of an era with TLR

After months of speculation and being the centre of endless social media posts on the subject, Dakotah Phend has just officially announced that his time with TLR has come to an end. With TLR making the decision to discontinue their ‘Factory Team’, the official news from Phend sees the end of an era that lasted 19-years, the American having represented the brand his entire professional career. Having first hinted at the widely expected news just before the Nitro Buggy Main at the recent U.S. Open Fuel Championships, Phend went into more detail in his latest post which was accompanied by the video that ends with the statement, ‘After 19-years of dedication to the brand my time with TLR has come to an end. My new journey of dedication and commitment will be announced soon’.

View Phends full announcement here

December 27, 2024

Tollard latest driver to confirm TLR exit

Cole Tollard is the latest driver to announce their exit from the TLR/Horizon Hobby race team. A long time Team Associated driver, the America racer joined TLR at the beginning of 2023 after an impressive 11-year stint with AE with whom he won a ROAR Mod Truck National title. Having topped a round of qualifying at the 2023 IFMAR 1:10 Offroad Worlds and made the 4WD final in his first season with TLR, on his departure Tollard posted on his Facebook page, ‘I hope everyone had a great Christmas! As 2024 is coming to a close I’ve decided to go in a different direction next year. I would like to thank everyone at TLR for the support the last two years. As this time was shorter than what I anticipated. I’ve gained a lot of friends and created many memories. I’m hoping to continue making memories with everyone in the future. I wish nothing but the best for TLR/Horizon as they create their new vision.’

Source: Cole Tollard [Facebook]

November 29, 2024

Schimmel & Sutherland announce TLR departure

Just days after Team Losi Racing made an announcement on its ‘New Vision’ for 2025 and the introduction of their all-new 2025 Ambassador program, IFMAR World Championship Finalist Brennan Schimmel and leading US Stock Offroad racer Nate Sutherland have each separately announced via their social media their departure from the iconic offroad chassis brand. Both drivers highlighted the manufacturer loosing its ‘team dynamic’ in particular over the last year, no doubt the departure of the popular figure Thomas Tran a contributing factor. Joining TLR five years ago, Sutherland, a winner at the recent Florida Carpet Championship, stated he ‘wasn’t planning on leaving’, the Iowa driver also confirming his departure from one time RC racing powerhouse Pro-Line tyres which was bought by TLR owners Horizon Hobby four years ago. 22-year-old Schimmel, took direct aim at the TLR’s owners, saying that the ‘company let the team down and dumped its core people like they had no value, like they didn’t exist.’ With TLR’s very low profile presence at this year’s IFMAR 1:8 Offroad World Championship in Spain fuelling much talk in racing circles about their future commitment to competitive racing, lets hope we are not witnessing the demise of a brand that was created by one of the great pioneers of RC racing, Gil Losi Snr, and which has played such a major part in the history and great rivalries of offroad racing.

Read each driver’s announcement here

November 26, 2024

Team Losi Racing 2025 Racing Announcement

With much talk in racing circles about Team Losi Racing’s future commitment to competitive racing, the famed brand has just made an announcement on its ‘New Vision’ for 2025. In the announcement the offroad manufacturer, which is part of the RC model industry giant Horizon Hobby, state that for 2025 they are committed to developing a new 2WD platform including a Stadium Truck while also ‘refreshing’ its 4WD, and ‘refining’ the 8X. The announcement opens on the subject its race team stating that as the ‘racing landscape continues to evolve’ they are evolving their race team program ‘to ensure its sustainability, growth, and long-term success’. While winners of a World Championship as recently as 2023, when Tater Sontag took the 2WD Buggy title at Hobby Action in Arizona, TLR has not been the force it once was in racing so lets hope this announcement results in TLR being back at the forefront of international offroad competition once again.

Read full announcement here

October 28, 2024

Phend retains Masters of Dirt title

BeachRC in South Carolina hosted the 10th annual Masters of Dirt where Team Losi Racing’s Dakotah Phend was crowned the overall Champion for his combined results in 2WD & 4WD Buggy and Stadium Truck. In qualifying, 2WD Mod Buggy would see the Schumacher of Broc Champlin secured the TQ ahead of Phend and World Champion Tater Sontag. With single 10 minute A-Mains, Champlin was able to covert pole into victory ahead of Phend and Aydin Horne. In 2WD Mod Truck, it was Phend who topped qualifying ahead of Horne but it in the final the Associated driver would get the lead late on and secure the win. While Champlin would also TQ 4WD Mod Buggy ahead of Reedy’s Dustin Evans, it was Phend from P4 on the grid who would take the win from Horne to retain the Masters of Dirt ‘Master’ title which he won last year.

Image: JConcepts [Facebook]

March 28, 2024

TLR World Champions T-shirt

2WD Buggy World Champions TLR have released a brand new t-shirt to commemorate the 2023 IFMAR World Championship title won by team driver Tater Sontag last September in Chandler, Arizona. The Next Level Apparel Unisex Cotton t-shirt is a 4.3-ounce 90% cotton/10% poly blend and features TLR team branding on the front while a large rear print marks the teenager’s win ahead of outgoing 2 time World Champion Spencer Rivkin.

Source: TLR [horizonhobby.com]

December 11, 2023

Rivkin & Phend turn RC teachers for a day!

They are two of the biggest names in offroad racing and represent two of the biggest manufacturers on the international stage but last week both Team Associated’s Spencer Rivkin and TLR’s Dakotah Phend became RC teachers for a day as part of two different events. Two time World Champion Rivkin was taking part in the launch of Hobbywing Tech Explorers. Held at World Championship venue Hobby Action Raceway, it marked the first collaboration with a school outreach program. Rivkin touched on his journey with RC, overcoming challenges, and dreaming big. He also discussed the mechanics, electrical aspects, and disciplines of the hobby, along with the incredible values it’s brought into his life – from friends, mentors, and unforgettable experiences. On his social media Rivkin said he was ‘So thankful to have had the opportunity to hold my first public gathering and launch a new program with Hobbywing North America called Tech Explorers! Meeting and seeing these kids remind me what it was like when I first laid eyes on RC cars. I want to personally thank Larry and Hobby Action RC Raceway for letting us utilise the track and rental cars. I’m totally looking forward on doing many more of these!’ Phend brought his 1:10 Electric and 1:8 Nitro buggies to a middle school as part of a career day where he shared his story with pupils. On his Facebook page he posted, ‘I was able to be apart of career day earlier this week at Angola Middle School. I went over how I was able to turn a passion into a career. There are a lot of great and unique opportunities in today’s world!’. It is great to see both drivers promoting RC racing in this way and well done to everyone involved in inspiring the future generation.

View Mr.Phend taking his class here

December 4, 2023

Wins for Cavalieri & Kothman at USCOC

Following the 43rd running of the U.S. Indoor Champs Presented by Hobbywing onroad event, it was the turn of the offroad racers to race in Cleveland over the weekend where Schumacher’s Ryan Cavalieri and TLR Aaron Kothman took the wins. The 3rd running of the US Carpet Offroad Champs, in 4WD Buggy it was the Team Associated of Brandon Foote who edged out the field to take the overall TQ spot. Foote would continue with his journey battling with current IFMAR 2WD World Champion, Tater Sontag in A1 to take the first win by less than a second at the finish line. In A2, a familiar name would rise to the front of the pack as 4-time World Champ Ryan Cavalieri would claim the A2 win with a flawless 24-lap run. Cavalieri would do it again in A3 taking the overall win keeping the title for Schumacher which had won the even tlast year with Michal Orlowski. On a tiebreaker Foote would take second with Sontag completing the podium. In 2WD, Kothman took the overall TQ before going on to dominate both A1 and A2 for the overall win. With the win in A3 Cavalieri who claim second with foot also enjoying a podium double in Ohio with 3rd overall.

Source: USCOC [Facebook]