September 2, 2019

Swiss IC Track Championship Rd4 – Report

Round 4 of the Swiss IC Track Championship was held at the AMCS Herblingen track. Qualifying went perfectly for Simon Kurzbuch who secured the pole position. However, every run was very close between him and Silvio Hächler and both drivers had to go to the very limit. After qualifying however it was Oliver Krähmann who was able to jump ahead of Silvio in the final round. Thus, Silvio had to go through the Superpole in which he secured a direct final spot. The finals were held on Sunday under very hot weather conditions. Tire wear was very high, and a good strategy was the key to success. The start went smoothly, and Simon was able to pull away a bit from Oliver and Silvio after the first pitstop at the 5 minute mark. After refuelling Silvio would pass Oliver and started to hunt after Simon. After 15 minutes, the first tyres were changed, but unfortunately Silvio had an engine stop which cost him dearly. When Oliver suffered a technical, Simon would drive home to victory in front of Silvio Hächler and Tobias Kerler. The championship is still open, with the title being decided between Simon Kurzbuch and Luca Martinelli at the final round in Langenthal.

Source: Shepherd [team-shepherd.com]


August 28, 2019

2019 Romanian Nationals – Report

The Romanian Nationals for 1:8 and 1:10 IC & electric (super stock & touring / juniors and seniors) concluded last weekend on the beautiful asphalt track in Frumusani, just 25 km away from Romanian’s Capital, Bucharest. Hot weather raised the air temperature above 35 degrees and the sun warmed the track over 55 degrees Celsius. Track layout favoured high speed under high grip conditions with the busy schedule starting Friday and allowed only 3 qualifications for each class. From day one till the end, drivers confronted changing grip conditions and cars needed setup changes frequently.

Continue reading the report here


August 27, 2019

2019 Mugen Challenge – Report

The 2019 Mugen Challenge was held at the LCRC Raceway in Central Pennsylvania, attracting 389 entries from across the country. The event kicked off on Wednesday with the ‘Mechanics Clinic’ presented by Pat Risser & Kevin Mummah. This brand new 10 entry clinic taught 1/8 Drivers & Crew good maintenance practices, and how to setup their cars. Once again this year, on Thursday, Mugen Seiki’s Adam Drake hosted the Annual Drake Clinic, and worked with 20 drivers to improve their cars and their driving skills. Friday kicked off open practice, which was delayed by some early morning rain, but perfect weather followed for the remainder of the race. Throughout the weekend, 21,389 laps were put on the new LCRC layout, which featured an over/under obstacle.

View the different class results here


August 27, 2019

David Loppini joins WRC racing team

WRC have announced that front running Italian National driver David Loppini has joined their team. David is a former Italian vice Champion in the 1/10th 200mm class as well as a multiple Euro Nitro Series main finalist, having raced for Xray prior to this most recent move to the Italian manufacturer.

Source: WRC [wrc-racing.com]


August 27, 2019

Max Gotzl double at 2019 Czech Open series Rd7

The penultimate round of the 2019 Czech Open series was held in Horni Jeleni last weekend. Following free practice on Friday, the race started on the Saturday morning with qualifying. Xray driver Max Gotzl was able to take the overall TQ in both Nitro and EP classes, after winning all 4 qualifying rounds. Jiri Mara and Tomas Kapicka took 2nd and 3rd in the Nitro class, with Marek Ornst and Jiri Dvorak took 2nd and 3rd with E buggy. In Nitro it was again Gotzl who was fastest in the Semis, followed by Tomas and Jiri Benes in 3rd on the main final grid. The start went ok for the pole man but a long stop to adjust the engine lost him some time in his first pit stop, but was able to make it back. In the end Max was able to cross the finish line with the win, with a gap of two laps over 2nd placed Jiri Mara, followed by Tomas in 3rd.

Continue reading the report here


August 26, 2019

Milan Holthuis wins Rd5 of Dutch 1/10th nats

The tight and twisty track at Gouda played host to round 5 of the Dutch 1/10 IC national series. The weather was glorious with the high temperatures stressing the engines to the max. Saturday saw a busy track with everyone searching for a stable setup for the low grip, but the track also demands a lot of steering in the many hairpins. Not an easy balance. Sunday started with the qualifiers and it would be Milan Holthuis that edged out Julius Kolff for Pole. With tire wear on the high side, the final was tight on tires. Some elected for a tire change where others tried to get through the half hour with one set. After the B final provided the two bump ups, one of which was one of the youngsters Merijn Schipper that drove a consistent race to earn his place in the A main. The A final saw Milan streak away from pole. The challenge from Julius never came as he broke a driveshaft in the 2nd minute. That left the fight for second to be the highlight of the race. It was Jurmin Etnel that would claim the second step on the rostrum as Dave de Ruyter put his car over the curb onto the grass in the last lap to lose his second spot. The last round will be in September on the superb AMCA track at Apeldoorn.

Thanks to Julius Kolff for the report.


August 26, 2019

Hendrik Lainemäe double at 2019 Baltic Cup

The Limbazi RC Track hosted the 2019 Baltic Cup, inviting the best drivers from 5 countries the event was certain to produce amazing racing throughout the weekend. In Qualifying it would be Karl Kasekamp who came out on top in 1/8 nitro buggy while Hendrik Lainemäe took TQ in 1/8 E-Buggy, both running the Xray XB8s. In the Nitro Buggy final Hendrik and Karl would take their respective Semi final wins followed closely by Domantas Cesiulis, Rainer Ressar and Robin Ilus. After some technical issues with timekeeping 2 separate finals would be run with aggregate results being the only option with the sunlight fading quickly. In the end it was Hendrik who would come out on top in front of Karl and Robin in 2nd and 3rd respectively, with Domantas and Jaanus Saare completing the top 5.

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August 19, 2019

Capricorn RC sign up Alex Thurston

Capricorn RC have announced the addition of top British driver Alex Thurston to their line-up of international drivers. After seven years with Serpent and achieving some great results, Alex will team up with Kyle Branson (above) to contest the UK Nationals along with major international events. Thurston will continue to race 1/8th and 1/10th scale GP classes as well as some limited 1/10th EP. He had the following to say about the deal:

I am super happy to be joining the Capricorn team. I have been very impressed with the drive of the team to improve and progress their products. Capricorn are one of the top leading brands in onroad and I’m proud to be a part of that. I would like to thanks Patrizio Rossi for the opportunity and also Team Serpent for all their support over the years.

Source: Capricorn [capricornrc.com]