Red RC » Team Losi

October 4, 2023

Joe Pillars World Championship debut replica TLR

While Red RC’s first encounter with Joe Pillars was in 2010 when he was Team Manager for Kyosho and mechanic for the Japanese company’s star driver Jared Tebo, he was also a very capable driver. To mark it being 20-years since he made his World Championship debut he has just completed a personal project of building a replica of his TLR 1:10 2WD Buggy which he put into the A-Main. Sharing photos of the buggy on social media, Joe outlines the story behind the build, ‘2023 marked 20-years since I attended my first IFMAR World Championships at MINNREG in Largo, Florida. At the time I was 21 yrs old and working for Team Orion/Peak Racing building motors for the team and was also sponsored by Team Losi. I went onto qualify 7th and finished 8th overall, being my best result in R/C as a driver. A few months ago I had the idea to build a replica car like what I ran and today it’s finally finished! A big thank you goes out to Larry Doe for most of the help sourcing parts! Thanks to Kris Norlock for helping with the LRP Q2 ESC! Thanks to David Goss for the red Matt Francis ball cups that were impossible to find! I only had 1 Team Orion V2 Motor left after all these years, no better place to have it! Cavalieri Edition.’

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September 17, 2023

16-year-old Sontag crowned World Champion in Arizona

A new 2WD Offroad World Champion has been crowned in Arizona with 16-year-old Tate Sontag becoming the 14th different winner of the sport’s most prestigious Title with a flawless win in A2 ahead of outgoing Champion Spencer Rivkin. Showing moments of promise in 4WD but just missing cut with P11 in qualifying, when the event switched to 2WD the Team Losi Racing driver found a form that put the American right in the mix with the World’s RC establishment. Two TQ runs in qualifying en-route to becoming overall Top Qualifier was an indication of what was to come. Winning A1, the nerves of the big occasion highlighted by some mistakes he would survive, that result just sent his confidence even higher. Despite the pressure of Rivkin and newly crowned 4WD Champion Davide Ongaro taking turns at chasing him down, Tater drove a near perfect race to secure the World Title on his Championship debut. A3 would decide who joined him on the podium at Hobby Action RC Raceway, second place qualifier Rivkin dominating from the front to lock in 2nd overall. Holding off Schumacher team-mate Ryan Cavalieri for second in A3, Broc Champlin completed the all American podium line-up.

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September 16, 2023

Sontag is 2WD World Championship Top Qualifier

Tater Sontag will line-up as Top Qualifier on his 2WD World Championship debut, the 16-year-old securing pole for the title deciding A-Main with a P3 for the fifth & final round of qualifying this morning in Arizona. With several drivers desperate for a strong round this morning to make the cut for the A-Main, it would be Broc Champlin who came out fastest from Davide Ongaro and Sontag. Reigning European Champion Marcus Kaerup had been on target to TQ the round until he came upon traffic. With no call from the race control, onlooker calling for the call to be made by officials for the traffic to open on, as the Dane tried to execute a pass they tangled. Losing almost 2-seconds, a clearly frustrated Kaerup would finish P5 for the round. Having TQ’d the opening qualifier Dakotah Phend would need to be marshalled and Q4 pace setter Spencer Rivkin would have a mistake meaning they didn’t better their points tally. Overall Rivkin will try to defend his World Title from P2 behind Tater and ahead of newly crowned 4WD Champion Ongaro who lines up third followed by Champlin.

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September 16, 2023

Sontag’s talent shines with TQ in 2nd qualifier

16-year-old Tater Sontag’s talent shown through in the second round of qualifying at the 2WD Worlds with the TLR driver putting in a TQ run ahead of Broc Champlin and Aydin Horne. Going over a second quicker than the pace set by team-mate Dakotah Phend in the opening qualifier, Sontag was 8/10th quicker than Champlin’s Schumacher in a round that saw the Top 3 from Q1 all have bobbles. Phend would need to be marshalled in the front of the driver’s stand, Spencer Rivkin would fly off the track at the end of the straight and Ongaro also had a lap that cost him 3-seconds. The Italian ended up best of the trio with a P7 for the round behind 2017 Champion Ryan Maifield.

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September 15, 2023

Phend from Rivkin & Ongaro in opening 2WD qualifier

Dakotah Phend has taken the opening round of qualifying at the 2WD World Championship in Arizona. Having just scrapped into the top heat after setting the 10th fastest time in yesterday’s two seeding rounds, the TLR driver would TQ the first of the five scheduled rounds of qualifying from reigning World Champion Spencer Rivkin and newly crowned 4WD Champion Davide Ongaro who sat at the top of the timing screen for much of the opening round. The Top Seed for qualifying Aydin Horne would open his account with a P7 behind former World Champions Ryan Cavalieri (P6) and Ryan Maifield (P5) with young TLR driver Tater Sontag fourth fastest.

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September 14, 2023

Phend sets early 2WD practice pace

Team Losi Racing’s Dakotah Phend has set the early pace in 2WD practice at the 1:10 Offroad World Championship in Arizona. With a new layout at Hobby Action RC Raceway for 2WD, the first of the four scheduled rounds of practice was very much about learning the track in the low traction conditions. With drivers giving the new layout a resounding thumbs up, the times tumbled in the second free practice with Phend fastest from the prototype Schumacher of Broc Champlin and newly crowned 4WD Champion Davide Ongaro. Cole Tollard was the only other driver to run 3-consecutive laps in under a 1-minute as he set the fourth fastest time while defending Champion Spencer Rivkin was P16 on the time sheets.

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September 12, 2023

Big surprise as Tollard takes final qualifier

The final round of qualifying at the IFMAR 1:10 4WD Offroad World Championship threw up a huge surprise this morning as TLR driver Cole Tollard topped Q5 in Arizona. An event in which US driver were expected to lead the way, yesterday it was a European domination on Day 1 of qualifying with Top Qualifier Davide Ongaro who took the opening three rounds and Michal Orlowski closed the day with the fastest time in Q4. Then, when a US TQ run finally materialised it wasn’t from an expected title contender. With the final round of qualifying running in reserve order, Heat 14 was first to lay down their final attempt at improving their grip positions. Marcus Kaerup delivered the fastest time ahead of Orlowski, the European Champions separated by 6/10ths of a second but over half a lap off yesterday’s fastest TQ pace. Running in Heat 13 together with defending Champion Bruno Coelho, Tollard bettered Kaerup’s time by 3 seconds as all the drivers from the top heat watch on anxiously as their times tumbled. Heat 13 would see Aydin Horne go to P2 for the round with Kaerup’s time finally giving him a P13 for the round.

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September 11, 2023

Phend tops final practice from Ongaro

Practice is complete at the IFMAR 1:10 Offroad World Championships with Dakotah Phend capping off controlled practice with the fastest time from 1:8 Buggy World Champion Davide Ongaro. After yesterday’s two controlled practice rounds determined the heat groupings for qualifying, with drivers in their new groups this morning the third & final controlled practice round determined the starting order for Q1. Based off drivers total 5-minute run time, Phend would run 16 laps in 5:01.524 which was over 3-seconds up on Ongaro while Michal Orlowski competed the Top 3 a further 3-seconds off just ahead of Spencer Rivkin. Finding himself demoted to Heat 13 of 14 after yesterday’s performance, defending champion Bruno Coelho did not have a good 5-minutes run this morning but the Xray driver would post the 4th fastest for 3-consecutive laps, lacking half a second over the quickest time set by Ongaro.

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