October 27, 2024

Kato successfully defends Japanese 1:8 Buggy title

Infinity’s Kouki Kato has successfully defended his JMRCA 1:8 Offroad Japanese National title, the 18-year old winning the title race at the Futaba Buggy Track located in Ichihara, Chiba.  Joining Infinity’s offroad program in July and winning the Asian Buggy Championships Finale in Indonesia last month, Kato would put his IFB8 top in all four rounds of qualifying to secure the overall TQ.  His closest challengers would be 2022 Champion Yusuke Sugiura and 2024 1:10 4WD Buggy National Champion Yui Kaino, both drivers counting two P2 runs each to tue on points.  It would be Sugiura however who secured his direct spot into the half hour final on the tie-breaker.  Winning his 20-minute Semi Final Kaino would line up third the Main,  this being his first nitro buggy event.  While Sugiura’s Kyosho would lead in the early laps, once Kato got back to the front he was able to hold station setting the fastest lap of the race to win by 13-seconds from Sugiura.  Almost a lap down, Kaino’s Team Associated would complete the podium.

Source: Kouki Kato [Facebook]


October 26, 2024

Coelho confirmed for SIGP International Offroad GP

Having attended & won the SIGP International RC Car Grand Prix onroad event earlier this year, Bruno Coelho is to return to the impressive 3-circle ARC International RC Racing Track in Xiamen, China, to race at the SIGP International Offroad GP.  The Xray driver, who was last week confirmed for December’s ISTC FEMCA Championships in Foshan, China, with go directly from the Electric Touring Car race at GDC Indoor Race Club to race 1:8 Buggy at the return of the SIGP Offroad following its forced break due to Covid.  One of Asia’s major international offroad events pre-Covid, and counting Germany’s Joern Neumann and American Ryan Lutz as past Champions, the SIGP International Offroad Grand Prix takes place from December 11-15 with  further international entries for the 2024 edition expected shortly.

Source: Sunpadow [sunpadow.com]


October 24, 2024

2024 SIGP International Offroad GP – Registration

Sunpadow, the organisers of the SIGP International Offroad Grand Prix which makes a return to the international racing calendar this year, have announced that registration will open on November 1st at www.arc-chn.com .  Counting Germany’s Joern Neumann and American Ryan Lutz as past Champions, the SIGP International Offroad Grand Prix takes place at the 3-circle ARC International RC Racing Track in Xiamen, China, from December 11-15.  The same venue that hosted the 2017 IFMAR 1:10 Electric Offroad World Championships, the race schedule will be made up of 5 classes including racing for 1:4 offroad bikes. With the main action expected in 1:8 Nitro Buggy and 1:8 eBuggy, a number of international drivers are expected to be announced shortly to battle it out for some of the SIGP’s total prize money of almost $25,000.  Race enquiries can be directed to yifengl@3-circles.com .

Source: Sunpadow [sunpadow.com]


October 22, 2024

2024 Borneo 1:8 Buggy Championship – Report

The annual Borneo 1:8 Buggy Championship made a return following Covid with drivers from several regions in Indonesia descending on the Tungkaran Track on the island of Borneo.  With nitro and electric titles up for grabs, in Nitro it was the Mugen Seiki of recent Asian Buggy Championships Indonesia Finalist Arya BM who took the TQ and win.  He would be joined on the podium by the Kyosho of M. Feby with the Sworkz of Widjojo Hartato completing the Top 3.  In eBuggy, it was the Xray of Muhammad Hijrah Saputra who led the way securing the TQ before going on to claim victory ahead of the Kyosho of Muhammad Afwan and Mugen Seiki of Izzy.  With an encouraging 31 drivers in attendance, championship organisers SRCC and RCCB are excited at the prospects of putting on a larger 2025 Borneo Championship as the racing scene continues its comeback after the pandemic.

View eBuggy Podium and Driver line-up here


October 21, 2024

Ongaro retains Italian title with perfect campaign

Continuing his winning form, Davide Ongaro has retained his AMSCI Italian 1:8 Nitro Buggy National Champion title with victory at the third & final round of the championship at the Buggylandia track.  On a winning run having won the annual Reds GP the weekend before and Spain’s premiere offroad event Buggyland the weekend before that, the 3-time World Champion would kick off the rain effected season finale by taking his Team Associated to the TQ honours.  Winner of the opening two rounds of the National Championship, Ongaro would complete the trio by going on to win the 45-minute final, which ended under floodlights, ahead of the Sworkz of Mattia Polito with WIRC’s Marco Baruffolo completing the race podium ahead of Riccardo Berton.

Image: Davide Ongaro [Facebook]


October 9, 2024

Thunder Alley RC Raceway announces closure

It was the venue of the first ever ROAR 1:8 Offroad National Championships Red RC would attend and we still have great memories of being blown away on arriving at Thunder Alley RC Raceway in 2011, but unfortunately this well known track has just announced that it is to close permanently at the end of 2024.  Reporting on a Jared Tebo TQ and Ryan 1-2 result that year, Cavalieri taking the win ahead of then Associated team-mate Maifield, the world famous track has played host to many great races since with the news a big blown to the hotspot of Offroad racing that is Southern California.  On its Facebook page together with images of its latest track build, the track posted, ‘Here is your last and final layout at the world famous Thunder Alley RC Raceway for the 21st annual Proline Nitro Explosion!  With a heavy heart Im still not sure if I have the best words for this but unfortunately due to circumstances mostly beyond our control as of January 1st, Thunder Alley Rc Raceway will be permanently closing and the park will be repurposing the facility.  With that being said, we still have the rest of the year and a few great events such as our Easy Money Race and our annual Toy Drive as well as a few more club races that we will be scheduling to enjoy the track we love so much!  We will need your continued support threw this time as even closing is a costly process. Currently we are looking at another property, but this will be a long process to get things up and going.  If anyone has any other leads or connections to any other locations please reach out.  We are beyond grateful for the friend and family we have made over the last 20+years and the support from the Rc community world wide.’

View images from 2011 Nationals at Thunder Alley here


October 8, 2024

Beretta & D’Angelo win at Modeltek Trophy

Mini Autodromo Stradivari in Cremona, Northern Italy, played host to the Modeltek Trophy last weekend where Filippo Beretta and Alex D’Angelo took the 1:8 GT wins.  In 1:8 Nitro GT, qualifying would see Genius Racing’s Beretta secure the TQ as the Italian topped two of the three rounds.  Fastest in Q2 France’s Bernard-Alain Arnaldi made it a Genius 1-2 on the grid.  In the half hour final, Beretta would deliver the win posting the fastest lap of the race but having come from P7 on the grid with new Capricorn signing & World Championship Top Qualifier D’Angelo would finish just 1-second back.  Newly crowned European Champion Natanaele Senesi took his Senesi Motorsport S21 GT to the final podium step.  In 1:8 Electric GT, it was Arnaldi who secured the TQ from Senesi and D’Angelo with the later coming through to win the opening two encounters for the overall victory.  Winning A3 Arnaldi took the runner-up spot ahead of Senesi.

Image: Alex D’Angelo [Facebook]


October 8, 2024

2025 Euro Large Scale Series (ELS) – Announcement

The organisers of the Euro Large Scale Series has announced the two venues for the 2025 ELS with iconic tracks Fiorano in Italy and Mini Circuit “Ville de Luxembourg” in Luxembourg the two new locations for next year.  This year the ELS saw Bologna in Italy and Lostallo in Switzerland host the series with Mecatech’s 2024 EFRA European Champion Emanuele D’Amico taking victory at Round 1 and MCD Racing’s Dario Veseli the Round 2 victor.  With categories for Open Pro, Open Gentleman, Sport and F1, the dates for both races are still to be finalised with the ELS organisers waiting for the publication of the EFRA race calendar.

View aerial track images here