June 6, 2009

Surikarn & Pietsch top qualifying in Turkey

Surikarn & Pietsch top qualifying in Turkey

In a dramatic final round of qualifying here in Turkey for the Bumod GP it was Team Xray driver Surikarn C. who snatched TQ honours for tomorrow’s one hour main final. The 2002 Electric Touring Car World Champion made the most of the cooler evening track conditions recording 31 laps in 10:14.521 with his OS powered NT1. In 1:8 Robert Pietsch bettered his earlier TQ time becoming the only driver to break 34 laps. The factory Mugen and Novarossi driver was very happy with his combination and plans no changes, his biggest worry for tomorrow being the tyre strategy.

Check out our full event coverage here.


June 6, 2009

Lechner & Groskamp TQ first round in Turkey

Lechner & Groskamp TQ first round in Turkey

After a rather incident packed opening round of qualifying at the Bumod Grand Prix it is Sabrina Lechner and Jilles Groskamp who have laid down the benchmark times. First up were the 1:10 runners with Groskamp surprising even himself with a very fast run of 31 laps in 10:19.181. Having set the pace in practice yesterday, the World class driver from the Netherlands went even quicker this morning knocking 4/10th off his best lap time. Running a two stop strategy over the 10 minute heat with his Max powered prototype Serpent he believes faster times can come but in the final round today when conditions should be at their coolest.

Check out our full event coverage here.


June 5, 2009

Pietsch & Groskamp set pace in Turkey

Pietsch & Groskamp set pace in Turkey

Official timed practice has ended on the second day of the Bumod Grand Prix with Robert Pietsch and Jilles Groskamp topping the time sheets here in Turkey. Over the seven 30 minutes session each driver had today Mugen’s Pietsch showed he has the edge over his rivals setting a best lap time of 17.216 which is .185 up on second fastest man Patrick Shaefer who inturn is just 4/1000ths up on Michael Salven. In 1:10 things are closer with only 7/100th seperating Groskamp, who posted a 19.617, from Dirk Wischewski.

Check out our full event coverage here.


June 5, 2009

Sunny start to Day 2 of Bumod GP

Sunny start to Day 2 of Bumod GP

After rain dampened the opening day of the Bumod Grand Prix, competitors woke up this morning to glorious sunshine for the second official practice day here in Bursa, Turkey. With two 30 minute sessions under their belts the drivers can now get down to some productive testing. In 1:10, Dutch international electric touring car star Jilles Groskamp is setting the early pace with his prototype Serpent 7XX running as he predicted last night some 19 second laps. The 2008 Worlds Top Qualifier, who said traction is still quite low, has started to play around with different set-ups with the car responding postively to the changes.

Check out our full event coverage here.


June 5, 2009

Carmine Raiola wins 1/8th Euro ‘B’ title

Carmine Raiola wins 1/8th Euro 'B' title

Last week saw the European ‘B’ Championships for 1/8th scale track, take place in Cassino, Italy. Mostly good weather greeted the drivers, along with a challenging track, and after qualifying it was local Mugen racer Carmine Raiola that took the top spot followed by veternan German driver Oliver Mack, with Stefano Pregnolato and Mattia Rinaldi claiming the final direct qualifying positions. The 45 minute main final was brought forward in the schedule due to the expected bad weather and this was a good decision as rain started to fall heavily shortly after the prize ceremony. In the race Raiola was never challenged and despite pitting earlier than his close competitors, no tire stop and skilled driving meant he could open up a one lap gap in front of Oliver Mack at the end, with Massimo Vadala, who had a race long battle with Stefano Pregnolato, taking 3rd.

Click here for photos of the track


June 4, 2009

Rain calls end to Day 1 in Turkey

Rain calls end to Day 1 in Turkey

The flood lights have been turned on at Bumod but unfortunately the pits are empty after the rain returned to Bursa bringing to an end the opening day of Turkey’s inaugural international nitro event.  With the track wet the drivers have called it a day and made their way to what has to be the most plush r/c restaurant in the world, for dinner compliments of the race organisers. Drivers did however manage to get some partially dry running on the track, with two corners falling to develop a dry line.

Check out our full event coverage here.


June 4, 2009

Team Cortina win PR Team Challenge race

prteamchallenge

Last Sunday, Barceloneta RC Speedway in Puerto Rico played host to the 1st Team Challenge race that saw ten teams of three racers taking part. Following 3 rounds of qualifiers, Mugen Driver Andy Báez set the pace with a 14 laps TQ. Each team member would race 40 minutes and afterwards all laps from each team were added up to get the Team Challenge Champions. Team Cortina who were racing Serpent chassis’ took the win, while Team Mugen, who won two of the 3 races, came in second by 6 laps with Team Kyosho finishing in third, 17 laps behind 2nd position.

Thanks to Zobeida Ocasio for the report.


June 2, 2009

Horizon Off road Shootout – Announcement

Horizon Off road Shootout - Announcement

Entries are now being accepted for what is quickly becoming one of the hottest nitro races of the year, the 2009 Horizon Shootout. This all 1/8 scale event will be held on the weekend of September 25-27th at one of the Midwest’s premier facilities, J-Tec Racing & Fun in Tilton IL. Many of the Nations top drivers will be in attendance including 2008 Shootout Champions Adam Drake, Billy Fischer and electric ace Dakotah Phend. It will be a tough task for these drivers to repeat in 2009 as the list of challengers is sure to grow in numbers and skill. The race will feature the world’s premier race announcer Scotty Ernst, who will be on hand to call all of the racing action. Classes for 2009 Shootout include 1/8 Nitro Buggy, 1/8 Nitro Truggy, and new for 2009, the addition of an 1/8 Electric Buggy class. The Schedule will see Friday as an open practice day with the first of 3 rounds of qualifying starting at 10am on Saturday morning. Sunday will be reserved for mains only in an effort to get everyone on the road and home at a decent time. Entries will be limited to 200 and are expected to fill up fast. For information log onto www.jtecracing.com or give them a call at 217-442-7223.