August 8, 2024

eSIC confirms top Korean racer EC Kim

Top Korean Touring Car racer EC Kim is the latest driver to be confirmed for this year’s Electric Singapore International Challenge (eSIC).  The ARC driver will join new team-mate Brayden Stanley in making his eSIC debut on September 14-15th.  Kim is the latest confirmation on the strong international entry list of factory drivers that will do battle at the Marine Parade Radio Control Modellers Club track which is located in the South East of the island country.  As the inaugural Champion Mugen Seiki’s Ronald Volker leads the entry for the 2nd edition of eSIC that also includes Awesomatix’s Lucas Urbain, Yokomo’s Christopher Krapp and Xpress’ Yugo Nagashima.

Source: eSIC [Facebook]


August 8, 2024

Thurston crowned British Champion with 5 in a row

Alex Thurston is the new 2024 BRCA British 1:8 Circuit National Champion, the YMC Racing supported driver claimed the title with a perfect season of 5 wins from 5 races.  With round 5 of 7 taking drivers to the centre of the country and to the Wombwell Circuit, Thurston would take his Ielasi Tuned powered Mugen Seiki to the TQ ahead of the Shepherds of out going champion Tim Wood and Andrew Hastings.  In the process of his Q4 FTD, Thurston claimed a new track record with a fastest lap of 16.02.  In the half hour final Wood would  keep Thurston on his toes but a late push in the final minutes allowed Thurston to build as gap he could maintain to the finish to make it 5 from 5 by a margin of 6-seconds.  Behind Wood, Hastings completed the podium 2-laps down.  The title win sees Thurston retake the title he had previous held for three years in a row in 2022.  The penultimate round of the 2024 championship will see drivers return to Halifax, having hosted previously Round 5, on September 7/8th.

Image: Alex Thurston [Facebook]


August 5, 2024

Harper secures British National title with Stafford win

Schumacher’s Elliott Harper is the new BRCA British 1:10 Electric Touring Car Champion having secured the title with victory at the penultimate stop on the 5 round calendar at Stafford over the weekend.  Having only returned to racing at the end of last season after a number of years away from the sport, the former Champion opened his 2024 campaign with a podium finish behind the Xray reigning Champion Kyle Branson and first tiime victor Alex Thurston who is the only other driver to win this season.  Securing his latest TQ from Peter Eagles, Harper converted his pole into wins in both A-Main legs for the overall win and title.  The podium in Stafford was completed by Eagles and the Xray of Harley Eldridge.  It was a double success for the Schumacher team with Ollie Payne taking the win in the 13.5T class ahead of Billy Fletcher and James Hart.

Image: Schumacher [Facebook]


August 4, 2024

D’Amico new European Large Scale Champion

Large Scale Touring Car racing has a new EFRA European Champion after a dominant performance in Switzerland from Italian Emanuele D’Amico.   Having secured the TQ by going fastest in all 5 rounds of qualifying at the Lostallo circuit, the Mecatech driver would lead the half-hour final from start to finish setting the fastest lap of the race in the process.  With second place qualifier & 2016 Champion Giovanni Verbrugghe suffering a bad start and later becoming the race’s first retirement approaching the 20-minute mark, in the closing stages of the race it did look as though World Champion Markus Feldmann might be able to make a late challenge on D’Amico.   As the German reduced the gap on the leader, unfortunately just inside the final 5-minutes his car would come to stop on track.  This promoted the MCD of the defending Champion Dario Veseli, who started P5, to second but such was the gap D’Amico could back right off the pace and cruise to his first European title.  The podium would be completed by the Genius of 2003 World Champion Hessel Roskam from the Netherlands.

Source: AMSCI [Facebook]


August 2, 2024

D’Amico Top Qualifier at European Large Scale C/ship

Mecatech driver Emanuele D’Amico has secured the TQ at the EFRA Large Scale Touring Car European Championship in Switzerland with a dominant performance.  Already a winner this year in the European Large Scale Series and an EFRA GP winner, the Italian topped all five rounds of qualifying at the iconic Lostallo circuit.  Behind it was the similar car of Belgian Giovanni Verbrugghe who ended up P2 locking his place in the A-Final alongside D’Amico.  Qualifying P3 was reigning World Champion Markus Feldmann who will have race his way from the Semi-Finals to the main event with defending European Champion Dario Veseli joining him in the same Semi, the MCD driver having only managed P5 with a best run of the second fastest time in the second qualifier.  With the 27th running of the European Championships attracting 78 Touring Car drivers, last year’s Top Qualifier and 2022 Champion Edoardo Repetti also races in the Semi A Final having ending qualifying 9th.

Image: Emanuele D’Amico [Facebook]


July 31, 2024

Martin & Cragg winners at British Nationals Rd 5

The fifth & penultimate round of the BRCA British 1:10 Offroad Nationals was hosted at the Torch track over the weekend where Schumacher’s Lee Martin and Team Associated’s Neil Cragg took the wins.  In Saturday’s 2WD action qualifying would see reigning Champion Cragg secure the TQ ahead of title rival & team-mate Tommy Hall with new Xray signing Josh Holdsworth third ahead of Martin.  In the finals, Cragg opened with a win but then came out with 5th in A2 as Hall got the win ahead of Martin.  In the decider it was Martin with the win leaving him equal on points with Cragg who would secure his second overall win of the season as a result of the faster race time.  Hall completed the podium with both him and Cragg now on equal points at the top of the championship standings with one round remaining.  In Sunday’s 4WD action, with the title already secured for 2024, it was Hall who claimed the TQ ahead of Martin and Ben Smith.   In the finals, a clash between the Top 2 turned A1 on its head with Cragg coming through from P4 to win.  A2 would see Smith win ahead of Martin who would finally deliver in A3 to claim his first win of the season.  Smith made it a Schumacher 1-2 with Cragg taking the final podium spot ahead Thomas Phipps and Hall.

Image: Schumacher R/C Racing [Facebook]


July 30, 2024

2024 SIGP International Offroad GP – Announcement

Counting Germany’s Joern Neumann and American Ryan Lutz as past Champions, the SIGP International Offroad Grand Prix returns in 2024 with the announcement that the 3-circle ARC International RC Racing Track in Xiamen, China, will host the race from December 11-15.  The same venue that hosted the 2017 IFMAR 1:10 Electric Offroad World Championships, the SIGP International Offroad Grand Prix had been one of Asia’s major international offroad events pre-Covid gathering RC drivers from across Asia and the world.  The return of the Grand Prix, after its forced break since 2019, the event will give the new generation of Chinese drivers the opportunity to compete with top drivers from home & abroad and show as well as further develop their skills.  The classes that will make up the 2024 edition are 1:8 Nitro Buggy, 1:8 Electric Buggy, 1:7 KM Citroen C3 GP Rally, 1:7 Citroen C3 EP Rally, and 1:4 EP Offroad Motorbike, with a total prize fund of RMB 150,000 ($20,000) up for grabs.

View provisional schedule here


July 30, 2024

Menicucci crowned Italian National Champion

Long time Xray driver Alessio Menicucci is the 2024 Italian National Champion for 1:10 Modified Electric Touring Car.  A regular on the international racing scene, Menicucci won the AMSCI National Championship title race at the Miniautodromo Arezzo in Tuscany.  Securing the TQ after the 4 rounds of qualifying, he would go on to win the finals ahead of the Yokomo of onroad racing stalwart Michele Romagnoli with the Xray of Simone D’Ottavio completing the podium.  In 13.5 Stock, it would be a dominant performance from Orlando Fenili who took his Xray to the TQ, Win and Fastest Lap ahead of his brother Riccardo with the Awesomatix of Salvatore Raciti joining them on the podium.  In FWD the National Champion title was secured by Ferrara Bryan while in the PRO10 category (Pancar 235mm) Gianluca Maldini driving a Roche Rapide took the crown ahead of the similar car of Pierangelo Benedetti with Alex Camminati completing the Top 3.  In F1, the foam tyre category was taken by Daniele Casini while the rubber tyre title was dominated by Alessandro Manciocchi.

Image: Xray [Facebook]