February 5, 2024

Lia takes 1:12 title at Snowbird Nationals

Donny Lia has won the 1:12 title at this year’s Snowbird Nationals in Florida, the Awesomatix driver taking the win ahead of Schumacher’s Ollie Payne and Xray’s Alexander Hagberg.  Finishing on the podium last year when Marc Rheinard took the win ahead of Hagberg, Lia would qualify third for this year’s event as Bruno Coelho took the TQ from former 1:12 World Champion Hagberg.  With a single 8-minute final to decide the 30th running of the world famous event, by lap 4 Lia was in front where he would stay til the finish having built up a 2.4-second advantage over second place which went to Payne, the British driver having started P4.  While Hagberg completed the podium, Coelho ended up P5 behind Keven Herbert who would become this year’s Snowbirds Mod Touring Car Champion.  The organiser of the annual MonTech NYGP in at 360V2 in New York, Lia’s win continues Awesomatix’ multiple year run of 1:12 titles at the Snowbird Nationals.

Source: Donny Lia [Facebook]


February 4, 2024

Hebert wins ’30th edition’ of Snowbird Nationals

Celebrating it 30th edition, the world famous Snowbird Nationals in Orlando, Florida, saw Xray’s Keven Hebert take the win in Modified Touring Car ending the winning run of reigning World Champion Bruno Coelho.  In qualifying it was Hebert who secured the TQ.  Running to the FTQ format, the Canadian set the fastest time of the four rounds of qualifying on the third of his attempts.  With Coelho suffering a DNF in Q3, the 2022 and 2023 Champion would count his Q2 time which was 1.5-seconds off Hebert’s impressive pace.  Setting his best time in the final qualifier Alexander Habgberg completed the Top 3 for the single A-main grid.  Setting the fastest lap of the race from the front, Hebert was able to gap the field for a convincing 1.8 seconds win over Coelho with Hagberg making it an all Xray podium.

Image: Bruno Coelho [Facebook]


February 4, 2024

Wins for Kaerup & Orlowski at EOS Daun

Reigning European 1:10 Offroad Champions Marcus Kaerup and Michal Orlowski were the winners at EOS Daun, Team Associated’s Kaerup securing the TQ & win in 4WD after 2WD honours went to Schumacher’s Michal Orlowski.  As the defending Champion, having won the three round 2022/23 series, Orlowski completed a clean sweep of reduced 2 round 2023/24 series by backing up his Hann. Munden win in November with another dominant TQ & win performance in 2WD.  While Orlowski maintained status up front, the weekend would see fellow countryman Bartosz Zalewski showcase his impressive talents as he qualified second ahead of the returning Joona Haatanen.  With Orlowski sowing up the overall win in A2, Haatanen would take his Team Associated to the win in A3 to secure second ahead Zalewski’s Xray with Kaerup finishing just off the podium in fourth having started P6.  As the event moved onto 4WD, Kaerup opened qualifying with a TQ run following that up with another in Q3 making the Dane the Top Qualifier.  Orlowski topped Q2 to start second ahead of Zalewski who was fastest in the fourth & final qualifier.  With Kaerup taking A1, and A2 going to Orlowski, it all came down to the third encounter but with the former laying down the fastest lap to keep Orlowski a bay he took the overall win.  The podium in Daun was completed by Zalewski with Haatanen fourth ahead of fellow Scandinavian’s Elias Johansson and Alexander Landen while World Champion Davide Ongaro ended up P7.

Image: EOS [eos.racing]


February 1, 2024

Red RC TITC coverage presented by Hobbywing

Red RC is excited to announce that we are returning to the TITC in Thailand with our coverage of this legendary touring car race being presented by Hobbywing.  We first attended this Bangkok based race in 2017 and having missed its return after Covid last year, we a delighted to be able to return on this the 20th edition of the race.  On our previous visits to the Infinity Addict Circuit we covered Alexander Hagberg, Akio Sobue and Bruno Coelho attempting to defend their titles.  As the reigning Modified Champion, Coelho will be looking to join a certain Atsushi Hara as the races most winning driver with four victories.  The race that has become one of the most significant Modified Touring Car Races in World after the IFMAR ISTC World Championship and always see manufacturers & drivers bring their A-game as they look to add a TITC title.  A long time sponsor of the race, Hobbywing has a 15-year relationship with the Thailand International Touring Car Championship, to give it its full title, and this year their popular Justock ESC & motor is the handout spec combo that will power the FWD class.  Our coverage from Thailand will start on February 29th through to March 3rd when the next champions enter the TITC’s history books.

View history of TITC Champions here


January 30, 2024

Schumacher Winter Series Round 5 – Report

Chris Lovely has won the fifth & penultimate round of the Schumacher Indoor Winter Series at the Louth Radio Control Car Club in the Contact RC 17.5 stock class.  In qualifying it was outgoing champion Alex Brocklebank with his Schumacher who got out the blocks first as he topped the opening qualifier.  Chris Lovely got himself up to speed taking a close encounter in q2, q3 would have the 3rd different driver and chassis at the top as Paul Sleight and his Awesoamtix. Q4 would see another change at the top and the A final positions sorted with Daniel Burks and his Destiny taking the top spot, and after four qualifying rounds and four different round winners Daniel would take the TQ honours with the top four covered by 1.5 seconds.  Dave Sedgewick would line up 5th for the A final, and Daniel Leonard with his Awesomatix would line up 6th.

Continue reading here


January 29, 2024

Maifield & Rivkin win at TNR Fuels Amain Challenge 2024

Ryan Maifield and Spencer Rivkin took the big wins at the annual TNR Fuels A-Main Challenge which took place over the weekend at The Dirt at Perris track in SoCal.  In qualifying it was the Tekno fleet of Maifield that led the way as he secured a TQ triple with pole position in Nitro Buggy, eBuggy and Nitro Truggy.  As last year’s Truggy Champion Maifield would kick off finals day with victory in the 30-minute A-Main after a great battle with Tekno team-mate Spencer Heckert.  Behind Rivkin completed the podium.  In eBuggy Maifield won both A-Main encounters for overall win No.2 of the weekend, the first leg ahead of Frankie Contreras and the second ahead of Rivkin but a P4 and P5 was enough for Cole Odgen to finished runner up with Contreras claiming 3rd overall.  Attracting over 400 entries, in the concluding races of the event it was to be 2023 winner Rivkin who again took the Nitro Buggy victiry after getting passed Maifield who had lead the first half of the 45-minute encounter.  Qualifying P2, Kyosho’s Ryan Lutz would complete the podium ahead of Sparko Racing’s Ryan Cavalieri.

Image: AMain Hobbies [Facebook]


January 28, 2024

Orlowski adds ETS Daun win

Having kicked off 2024 with victory at the electric touring car season opening GP3F in France last weekend, Schumacher’s Michal Orlowski has made it two from two with victory at ETS Daun in Germany.  Having dominated Round 3 of the ETS at Andernach back in September but missed Round 4 due to Florida Carpet Championship offroad commitments, Orlowski returned to the championship in dominant fashion topping all four qualifier with his prototype chassis.  The Polish ace secured the TQ ahead of the Awesomatix of Round 4 winner Lucas Urbain with Xray’s Adam Izsay putting in an impressive performance to line-up third ahead of Marc Rheinard.  In the finals, Orlowski’s form continued and he took A1 from Izsay after a mistake from Urbain dropped him down the order.  In A2, Orlowski wrapped up his third victory of the ETS season when he lead home Rheinard.  While Urbain would win A3 from Izsay and Rheinard it was later two would complete the overall Modified podium.   Orlowski will being aiming for three major touring car wins in a row when he takes on MIBO International in the Czech Republic in 3-weeks time.  In Pro Stock it was Awesomatix’ Olivier Bultynck who took the TQ and win ahead of Izsay, the Hungarian coming away with two runners-up trophies from the weekend.  Lukas Ellebrock completed the Pro Stock podium.  In a busy weekend for Izsay he would get his win in the FWD class having started from the TQ.

Image: Schumacher [Facebook]


January 24, 2024

2025 IFMAR World Championship Calendar

With all of the 2023 IFMAR World Championships producing new winners, a picture of where those drivers will defend their titles is starting to come together with 2025 a year that will also see the number of World Championship titles awarded increase from 6 to 8.  With the 2-year cycle never long coming round, already confirmed is the 1:10 Offroad World Championships which was awarded to Australia after last year’s indoor event in Arizona where David Ongaro added a first Electric World title and Tater Sontag joined the elite club of World Champions.  Another event to be confirmed during the running of the 2023 edition was the 1:8 GT World Championship.  In Australia it was announced that South America would be destination with Toni Gruber set to defend his title in Peru.  Set to be only third running of the 1:8 GT World Championships, there will be two IFMAR World Championships up for grabs as Electric moves from two years of World Cup status to a full World Championship category.  After one of the most intense finals of the year in Japan, 1:8 Onroad is going to the FAMAR Bloc with Chile expected to bid to host the sport’s original World Championship.  Wrapping up the 2023 IFMAR World Championship season in Florida, where Michal Orlowski and Max Machler took the titles, 1:12 moves to the FEMCA Bloc with China widely expected to host the 22nd running of IFMAR longest running electric World Championship.  New to the calender for 2025 will be the 1:8 Electric Offroad World Championship.  Portugal will host an IFMAR World Cup this coming April for eBuggy with the host Federation expected to apply to run the inaugural World Championship for the category one year later.

View 2024 and provisional 2025 calendar here