July 30, 2024

Urbain joins quality eSIC entry

This year’s Electric Singapore International Challenge (eSIC) continues to attract an impressive line-up of top international touring car drivers with Lucas Urbain the latest to be confirmed for the September 14-15th event.  The French driver, who turned full time professional with Awesomatix just ahead of the TITC earlier this year, brings the number of factory team’s represented at the 2nd running of the event to 6.  As the reigning champions with Ronald Volker, Mugen Seiki will face challenges for the title from official factory entries from Yokomo, Express, ARC and now Awesomatix.  Hosted by the Marine Parade Radio Control Modellers Club, the first running of eSIC in 2023 had the goal of bringing back high profile racing in Singapore with the creation of one big exciting weekend for the onroad racer and 2024 looks set take that goal to a new level.

Source: eSIC [Facebook]


July 29, 2024

Phend triples at ‘The Wicked Weekend’

Team Losi Racing’s Dakotah Phend completed a triple at ‘The Wicked Weekend’ in Gainesville, Georgia.  Organised by RaceTime Entertainment, who host some of the biggest nitro races on US soil including the Psycho Nitro Blast, this year’s edition would be bigger than last year with the big winners from 2023, Phend (Nitro Buggy), Seth VanDalen (eBuggy) and Ryan Maifield (Nitro Truggy) heading the 726 strong entry list.  In Nitro Buggy qualifying it was Phend who topped all three qualifiers to secure the TQ ahead of Maifield’s Tekno and Spencer Rivkin’s Team Associated.  Phend also took the eBuggy TQ ahead of the Tekno of defending Champion VanDalen.  In Nitro Truggy it was Sworkz’ Brandon Rose who took the TQ ahead of Rivkin.  In the finals, Phend would successfully defend his Nitro Buggy title taking the win of the half hour decider by 12.5-seconds from Kyosho’s Ryan Lutz who got passed Maifield who finished a further 14-seconds back.  In Nitro Truggy Phend would come through from P5 to take the win by a lap over Maifield with Top Qualifier Rose rounding out the Top 3.  To cap off a brilliant weekend for Phend, he took eBuggy thanks to the fastest winning time in the first of the 2 legs A-main encounters.  Winner of the second A-Main just a second ahead of Phend but a slower race by over 2-seconds,  Team Associated’s Jonah Wilson took second overall with Lutz giving Kyosho another Top 3 finish.

Image: The Wicked Weekend [Facebook]


July 29, 2024

Orlowski wins at Belgian Nationals Rd 4

The fourth round of the Belgian Nationals drew some extra high profile entries over the weekend with Schumacher’s Michal Orlowski taking the win at the Racing Club Roeselare track.  With the track set to host the EFRA 1:10 Electric Touring Car European Championships next month, a number of manufacturers used the National Championship round as final preparations for the Euros with the podium being completed by Awesomatix’s Lucas Urbain and Xray’s Alexander Hagberg.  Last month the Roeselare track hosted the official Warm-up Race where Orlowski also took the win on that occasion ahead of triple back to back reigning Champion Bruno Coelho.  In the fourth round of Stock, it was British driver Ollie Payne who took the win for Schumacher ahead of Belgium’s own Olivier Bultynck who will be aiming for a third European title having won previously in 2019 and 2022.

Image: Michal Orlowski [Facebook]


July 28, 2024

Canas retains European title with dominant win

Sworkz’s Juan Carlos Canas has retained his EFRA 1:8 Nitro Buggy European Championship with a dominant win at the OngaroRing in Italy.  Having secured the overall TQ ahead of Mugen Seiki’s Burak Kilic after topping three of the five qualifiers, the Spaniard went on to win his Semi Final to secure pole position for the 45-minute.  With Burak retiring from the lead of his Semi, behind Canas on the grid it would be Burak’s brother Berak Kilic who lined up second followed Xray’s David Ronnefalk and Team Associated’s Davide Ongaro.  Leading from start to finish it was a dominant display from Canas who has clearly marked himself as a favourite for the World Championship in just 6-weeks time in his home country.  A late charge from 2018 Champion Bruno Coelho, who started P5, would see the Xray driver get by his team-mate Ronnefalk to finish within 6-seconds of Canas.  Former World & European Champion Ronnefalk completing the podium ahead of the WIRC of Marco Baruffolo.  Racing at his family owned track, current back to back World Champion Ongaro would see any chances of a first European title dashed when he ran out of fuel having just passed Ronnefalk for second with 15-minutes left on the clock.

Image: Sworkz [Facebook]


July 26, 2024

Canas Top Qualifier at European Championship

Sworkz’s Juan Carlos Canas is the Top Qualifier at the EFRA 1:8 Nitro Buggy European Championship at the Ongaroring in Italy.  The defending Champion, secured the overall TQ after topping 3 of the 5 qualifiers at the home track of reigning World Champion Davide Ongaro.  It would be the Italian who got qualifying underway on Thursday with his Team Associated fastest from the Mugen of Burak Kilic and Bruno Coelho’s Xray.  Round 2 would Canas hit the top, the Spaniard fastest from Kilic and Ongaro.  Making for a interesting first day in Sicile, after his two strong opening showings Kilic then delivered a TQ run in Q3 ahead of Canas, Coelho and Ongaro.  With everything still to play for, Day 2 of qualifying would see Canas get the better of his two main rivals in the first encounter taking Q4 by just  4/10th of a second from Kilic with Ongaro third.  Now a two way battle for the overall TQ between Canas and Kilic, on an increasingly grippy track Canas, pushed intensely by Coelho, posted the fastest time of qualifying to seal the overall TQ – just 6/100ths of a second separating the Top 2 Q5 times.  Overall Kilic would end up second followed by Ongaro with Coelho fourth ahead of team-mate David Ronnefalk with the Top 6 rounded out by Berkan Kilic.

Image: Sworkz [Facebook]


July 22, 2024

Davis takes 1:8 at Queensland IC Onroad State Titles

The Queensland IC Onroad State Titles took place at England Park Raceway, Brisbane, over the weekend where it was Infinity driver Jesse Davis who was crowned the new Champion of the 1:8 Onroad category.   The reigning Australian National Champion and World Championship Finalist, Davis took his O.S. Speed powered IF18-3 to both the TQ and victory.  Andrew Shapland made it an Infinity 1-2 in the half hour final with the Mugen Seiki of Tim Moylan completing the podium.  Moylan would take the title in 1:10 Touring Car, securing the TQ and the win ahead of Xray’s Michael Stone.  In 1:8 GT, former Large Scale World Champion Russell Grenenger successfully defended the title he won last year again with his Ielasi Tuned powered Hong Nor package followed home by the similar car of Jason Vallely.

Image: Speedy RC [Facebook]


July 22, 2024

Xu Xi doubles at FEMCA EP Offroad Championship

Xray driver Xu Xi completed the double at the FEMCA EP Offroad Championship which took place at the GDC track in Foshan, China, over the weekend.  FEMCA, the governing body of radio-controlled car racing in Asia and Australasia and which represents 15 nations, brought back the race this year after a long absence with the aim of building back up the race, which like other FEMCA Championships crowns the official Champion of Asia.  With 4WD attracting the largest entry, in qualifying it was leading Chinese international touring car driver Marco Ma who secured the TQ for Xray ahead Xi after topping 4 of the 5 rounds.  In the triple finals however after a poor start in A1, Xi was able to get the better of his team-mate and win A2 & 3 to lift the overall title.  With Ma second, Liu Hai Feng completed the podium.  In 2WD, Xi had the perfect race securing the TQ and wrapping up the overall win in A2.  Second would go to the Team Associated of Ashton Witte with Zhao Ji Chen rounding out the Top 3.

Image: GDC Indoor Race Club


July 21, 2024

Another win for Orlowski at ETS Round 2

Defending ETS Champion Michal Orlowski has made it two from two as the Schumacher driver continued the perfect start to his title defence with victory at Round 2 in Aigen, Austria.  With World Champion Bruno Coelho returning the series as part of his title defence preparations for the Worlds in California later this year, the Xray driver and Orlowski where in a league of their own.  While Coelho topped seeding ahead of Awesomatix’s Lucas Urbain, in qualifying it was Orlowski who went fastest in 3 of the four rounds as Coelho secured P2 on the grid with a TQ run in Q4.  In A1, while Coehlo set the fastest lap, it was Orlowski with the win by a 1.6-seconds margin.  A2 was a closer affair but again the Pole took the win to secure maximum points for the weekend to extend his lead in the standings.  Coelho would dominate A3 winning ahead of the Serpent of former Nitro Touring Car World Champion Dominic Greiner who took advantage of a number of incidents, the result giving the German P4 overall.  The podium would be completed by the Awesomatix of TITC Open Brushless Champion Simon Lauter, the former ETS Pro-Stock Champion’s efforts in moving up to the premiere class again paying dividends as he equalled his best finish from last year’s season finale.  In Pro-Stock, defending Champion Olivier Bultynck dominated proceedings with the Belgian securing the TQ and win ahead of the Xray of Adam Izsay with Round 1 winner Lukas Ellebrock taking the final podium step.

Image: ETS [Facebook]