October 26, 2023

British GT12 Nationals RD2 Tamworth – Report

Last Sunday was Round 2 of the BRCA GT12 National Championship held in Tamworth by the TRRAC club.  The track was a nice flowing layout, with a couple of technical sections and a high grip level.  A big thanks to the TRRAC club for their incredible effort put into hosting this national event.  In qualifying, Adam Mackman managed to take the overall TQ with an impressive 11.87 fastest lap in the final round, with Sam Coult in 2nd and Aidan Ripley in 3rd.  Mark Jewitt followed closely behind in 4th, whilst there was a total of 4 seconds separating 5th to 8th place completing the A Final. A special mention to 12 year old Chase Mackman for qualifying 6th for his first ever national A Final!  In the Mini Supercup class, Matthew Smithson TQ’d with a fast 21 lap qualifying run, followed by Paul Frewin in 2nd and James Kemp in 3rd.  As the A Final started the top 3 started to grow a gap from the rest of the drivers, with Adam, Sam and Aidan racing for the number 1 spot.  A small error from Aidan allowed Mark Jewitt to catch up and take the 3rd place spot.  Chase Mackman managed to gain a position and move into 5th overall. Whilst 3rd and 4th were battling for position, this allowed Adam and Sam to form a 4 second lead.  With a full 6 minutes of clean racing between Adam and Sam, Adam managed to hold onto 1st and take the overall win with a gap of 0.2s to Sam in 2nd.

View Podium results/photos here


October 24, 2023

2023 Foshan International Invitational RC Championship – Announcement

The new GDC Indoor Race Club track in Guangdong, China, is pleased to announcement its first international race event with the hosting of the Foshan International Invitational RC Championship on December 15-17.  Located in the centre of Foshan City, the brand new facility was officially opened in May of this year and at 800 square metres is the largest professional indoor onroad track in China.  Founded by the international athlete Mr. Kwok Yiu-wai, GDC Remote Control Racing Club hope by hosting this major international electric onroad race that they can boost the level of competition among young local racers.  It is also hoped the event will become an annual highlight of the international touring car race calendar.  Commenting on the inaugural running of the event the organisers said, ‘The purpose is to let local drivers see the level of international races and drivers, and to allow our teenagers to have close contact with world champions and top drivers to improve their level. We hope to held this event annually from this year.’  With a number of international team drivers expected to be announced in the coming weeks, the schedule for the Foshan International Invitational RC Championship will be made up of 5 categories – Modified Touring Car, 13.5T Handout Touring Car, Modified 1:12, 17.5T Handout FWD Touring and 21.5T Handout 1:10 F1.

View track images here


October 24, 2023

Lin wins 2023 Futaba/O.S. Cup

Taiwan’s largest event of the year was held over the weekend at the Erchong Floodway track in New Taipei City, where Hong Nor’s owner Hsiang Lin took the win in 1:8 GT.  The annual Futaba/O.S. Cup attracted almost 80 drivers from Taiwan and Singapore, and just back from Australia after watching his team driver Toni Gruber claim the IFMAR 1:8 GT World Championship with their X3-GTS, Lin took his own explain to both the TQ and win.  Making it back to back wins of the event, Lin was joined on the all Hong Nor/Ielasi tuned podium by Su Jiahong and 3rd placed Liú Qiáozhì.

Image: Hong Nor [Facebook]


October 23, 2023

Landén doubles in Swedish National Cup – Report

Over the weekend the second & final round of the 1:10 Buggy Swedish National Cup was held in Borås where it was Team Associated driver Alexander Landén who completed the series double.  The largest indoor event for a long time in Sweden, the race attracted 63 2WD and 43 4WD drivers who arrived Saturday morning to a freshly built layout for the series decider.  In 2WD, right from the start it was quite clear that Landén seemed to be the one to beat this time.  Locking out all four qualifying rounds we also had the opportunity to test some new ideas on the setup during the fourth round, which improved the car even more for the finals. Behind Alexander, Xray drivers Hampus Berg and David Ronnefalk would line up 2nd and 3rd on the grid. Alexander secured the win by taking the first two rounds with relative comfort, being the only driver scoring 19 lap runs.  Hampus Berg won the final leg and by that securing second and third place went to Otto Ausfelt (AE) tied on points with Ronnefalk.  This also meant that Landén was crowned the overall Series Champion.

Continue reading here


October 23, 2023

Phend is 2023 Masters of Dirt Master

The ninth annual Masters of Dirt took place at BeachRC in South Carolina over the weekend where Dakotah Phend was crowned the overall Master of the event for his combined results in 2WD & 4WD Buggy and Stadium Truck.  Attracting over 450 entries, qualifying for 4WD saw three different drivers post TQ runs with TLR’s Brennan Schimmel the overall Top Qualifier on tie break from team-mate Phend with Team Associated’s Aydin Horne securing P3.  In 2WD, Phend secured pole having TQ’d Q2 & 3 from new World Champion Tater Sontag whose TLR topped the opening round.  Rivkin’s Associated completing the Top 3.  With single 10-minute A-Mains, Phend led 2WD from start to finish as Schumacher’s Broc Champlin came through from P5 to finish just ahead of Rivkin.  With the event concluding with the 4WD A-Main, it was Rivkin who came through for the win over 3-seconds up on Ryan Maifield and Phend with both Schimmel and Sontag non finishers.  In Stadium Truck, Phend took both the TQ and win with Rivkin and Horne completing the podium.

Image: Masters of Dirt [Facebook]


October 23, 2023

Kinwald Klassic double for Gonzales

1Up Racing/Team Associated driver Matthew Gonzales completed the double at the Kinwald Klassic at Hobby Action in Arizona over the weekend winning both 2WD and 4WD Buggy.  The fourth annual running of the race that is held in honour of Offroad RC great Brian Kinwald and helps raise funds for the Crohn’s Foundation, qualifying at the recent World Championship host venue would see Gonzales reign.  Securing the 2WD TQ in the final round of the three qualifiers ahead of Kyle Davis who also set his fastest time in Q3, in 4WD it was a similar story as he took the TQ ahead of Riley Wortman.  In the finals, Gonzales continued his form winning A-Main encounters to win 2WD from Scott Spear while in 4WD 4WD Wortman and Davis completed the podium.  After his sterling work with the track preparation and maintenance for the World Championships last month, Jake Thayer was back enjoying his racing taking the TQ and win in 17.5 2WD Buggy.

Image: 1up Racing [Facebook]


October 20, 2023

2024 Asian Buggy Championships calendar announced

Scotty Ernst has announced an expanded calendar for his Asian Buggy Championship with the 1:8 Offroad race series set to travel to New Zealand, the Philippines, Australia and Indonesia in 2024.  Red RC travelled to the Philippine Masters earlier this year where we reportred on World Champion Davide Ongaro taking victory for the opening round of the inaugural Asian Buggy Championships.  New Zealand kicks things off the second season when the Countries RC Car Club host Round 1 on February 8-11.  An event that has become famed across the World for its outstanding hospitality and welcoming atmosphere, the Philippine Masters is the second stop on the calendar on April 18-21.  Round 2 of the 2023 calendar, Australia also returns with Pine Hills Dirt Racing again the hosts in July.  Extending the ABC’s reach, an overall point series be introduced for the new season, Indonesia will conclude the action with Westside Raceway hosting the final round in early September.

View 2024 Calendar here


October 19, 2023

Peru set to host 2025 1:8 GT World Championship

After a very successful second running of the IFMAR 1:8 GT World Championship in Sydney, Australia, last week, the third edition of the race is to travel to South America in 2025 with Peru set to be announced as hosts.  Headed up by Michael Stone, New South Wales Radio Controlled Racing Car Club did a superb job of hosting the 2023 event helping to raise the profile of IFMAR’s newest World Championship considerably compared to the inaugural event held in Florida in early 2020.  With the raised profile, Peru looks set to bolster the class further given the large following for the category in the region.  The Miniautodromo Polo Bracale in Lima, Peru, is lined up as the host circuit and already has a strong track record having hosted the recent RCtarget backed COPA America race.  Located in the Magdalena del Mar district, next to the beach and very close to the most popular districts of Lima, the track length is 280 meters, with a 50 meters straightaway and an average width of 5 meters with the surface a fine grade asphalt.  Speaking to RCtarget/IGT8 boss Paolo Morganti during his participation at the Worlds in Sydney, the highly experienced international racer believes the track is a perfect setting for a Worlds and has the people required to put on a World class event.  He also said costs associated with being at a race such as eating out are low.  An official announcement on the host of the GT Worlds is expected from IFMAR shortly.

Image: APERCAR [Facebook]