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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

January 22, 2024

Double BRCA 1:12 winning weekend for Payne

The 2024 BRCA 1:12 British National Championship kicked off over the weekend with Schumacher Racing’s Ollie Payne taking the Round 1 & 2 victories at the Eastbourne Electric Car Club hosted races in East Sussex. With almost 50 entries, Saturday’s opening round saw World Championship finalist Payne secure the TQ honours from Adam Mackman after he topped all four qualifiers. In the single 8-minute A-Main he converted that into maximum championship points with a 6-second win over 4th place qualifier Michael Bolt after he got by Mackman who completed the podium. Round 2 of the 6 round championship on Sunday saw a repeat performance from Payne as he again secured the TQ this time from team-mate Andy Murray. In the final Payne managed to go even quicker than Saturday as the only driver to run 36-laps with 4th place qualifier Louis Parker coming through for second ahead of 1:12 Spec World Championship runner-up Mark Stiles who completed the Top 3.

Image: BRCA 1/12th Scale Nationals [Facebook]

January 22, 2024

2024 Desert Classic – Announcement

World Championship hosts Hobby Action have announced that entries for the 2024 Desert Classic from February 28th to March 3rd are now open. The 8th edition of the annual Chandler, Arizona, event, the Desert Classic has established itself as an early season fixture on the international 1:10 Offroad calendar filling the void left after the iconic Cactus Classic came to an end after loosing its outdoor track. Continued to be sponsored by Stickit1 Racing, who ensured the superb presentation of the indoor venue for 1:10 Offroad Worlds last September, the race schedule will consist of 4 rounds of qualifying with the best three to count with triple finals for all 2WD and 4WD classes and 10-minute Mains for Truck classes.

Source: Hobby Action RC Raceway [Facebook]

January 19, 2024

SIGP International Grand Prix registration opens

Sunpadow Batteries has announced that registration is now open for the return of the SIGP International RC Car Grand Prix Onroad with the event set to take place on March 20-24. Having established itself as one of the leading annual international RC events in China and attracted many of the sport’s top drivers, World Champion Bruno Coelho was the winner of the last onroad edition in 2019. The event takes place at the 2017 IFMAR Electric Offroad Championship venue in Xiamen where both an onroad and offroad track are built side by side next to Sunpadow’s production facility and overlooked by one of the World’s biggest driver stands. The SIGP will continue to offer one of the biggest prizes in the sport with total prize money of $20,000 on offer over the categories which include 1:8 GP onroad, 1:8 EP onroad, 1:10 Modified Touring Car and 1:10 Stock Touring Car. Having attended previous editions of the SIGP, Red RC will be travelling to Xiamen to cover the return of international competition on the Sunpadow Circuit.

Source: Sunpadow [sunpadow.com]

January 18, 2024

MIBO Champions Volker & Mugen back to defend title

With the electric touring car season about to kick off in France this weekend with GP3F, Mugen Seiki has confirmed their lead driver Ronald Volker is to defend his MIBO International title next month. Taking place this year on February 16-18, the former World Champion won the inaugural running of the new international event in 2023 and will return to the popular Sports V Hotel race location in Hrotovice aiming for 2 from 2. The German faces strong opposition with newly crowned 1:12 World Champion Michal Orlowski confirmed to head Schumacher’s official team debut in the event with Yokomo’s Christopher Krapp returning after a tough 2023 encounter. Organised by former international touring car racer Michal Bok, the race brings together both electric onroad and offroad racing on two tracks build side by side by the team from Mibosport. With everything from the track, restaurant, bowling alley and hotel rooms all under one roof, the venue was a hit with racers who travelled from 13 different countries last year. With a capped entry limit the relaxed schedule also means plenty of time in the evening to wind down and socialise over dinner after each day’s racing. With the onroad track catering for Modified, Stock & FWD Touring cars plus Formula, the Offroad track will see action for 2WD and 4WD Buggy as well an open class of ‘Offroad Kids’ that gives the future stars of racing an opportunity to be a part of this international event. Red RC is looking forward to making the return trip to Czech to kick off our 2024 season of race coverage.

Source: MIBO [mibosport.com]

January 14, 2024

Hall wins BRCA British Offroad Masters

Team Associated’s Tommy Hall has won the BRCA British Offroad Masters hosted by the well respected Worksop Radio Car Club in the UK. Run using the famous Reedy Race Format, drivers competed without any qualifying in 5 heads up races first in 2WD before repeating the format again in 4WD. With each driver counting their best 4 results per class, at the end of 2WD it was Schumacher’s Lee Martin who was the points leader notching up 4 wins and a second. Behind, each counting three wins and a second place, it was Martin’s team-mate Michal Orlowski, Team Associated duo Tommy Hall & Neil Cragg and Xray’s Jonny Skidmore all on 5-points. In 4WD, Martin opened well notching up a win but then the former European Champion’s challenge took a hammering as 2022 European Champion Tommy Hall added 4 wins to top the 4WD ranking from Skidmore and secure the overall win on a total of 9-points ahead of Skidmore on 10-points with former World Champion Cragg completing the podium. P3 and P4 after issues with traffic in the closing two races left reigning European Champion Orlowski P4 while after his strong start to the unique Reedy Race format Martin would finish down in 7th.

Image: Muz Schumacher / BRCA [Facebook]

January 14, 2024

Hefler takes SC Mod at RC Chili Bowl 10th edition

Running along side the famous 1:1 scale Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals held in Tulsa, Oklahoma, it was JConcepts/Team GFRP driver Jordan Hefler who came away with the SC Modified win at the tenth edition of the RC Chili Bowl. Attracting just shy of 600 entries, the Scotty Ernst organised event is one of the biggest in the industry with its tented indoor pit area packed with manufacturers involved in the R/C oval racing scene. Concluding this year’s event it was again the final of SC Modified presented by Fusion Motorsports. Being the favourite and actually taking a win were two different things and as it would turn out, the three front runners late in the race left the rest of the field behind by two laps. The trio of Hefler, Zac Rose and Kevin McNatt were steam rolling through traffic fighting for a pass. With a couple of consecutive lead changes and the remaining laps running down, Hefler would have the lead at the right time to take the win. Rose would finish in the second spot, going one better than in 2023, just 1-second behind with McNatt completing the podium a further 6/10ths back.

Image: RC Chili Bowl [rcchilibowl.com]

January 13, 2024

EssexCarpetClash Round 4 – Report

Round 4 at EssexCarpetClash saw everyone return after Christmas ready for another round of the popular south based UK series. Another track was ready for a full days racing, that some found challenging to grips with, but would find their feet quickly once racing started. Lee Martin showed the pace of his Schumacher ride, topping the timing sheets in all the four qualifying runs. Team mate Ben Smith would line up second on the grid joint on points with Xray driver Harley Eldridge, only being beaten by a second on count-back timing. Charlie Ware, Kyle Moon and Ed Kerry all had good qualifying round scores, taking the next three grid places for the 11 car A final. Martin continued with how he set off in qualifying and would not look back, again taking all 3 leg wins and giving him the perfect race day! The fight would then be between Smith and Eldridge, who would sit where on the podium having both finished 2nd and 3rd in the first 2 finals. Smith managed to take the second step, with Eldridge rounding off the podium position.

Continue reading report here