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September 21, 2023

Hamilton & Ocon enjoy 1:8 Nitro fun at Japanese GP

Last year at the Japanese Grand Prix we saw Lewis Hamilton at the controls of a Tamiya Lunchbox and Esteban Ocon having some fun with a Kyosho buggy thanks to RC Legend Yuichi Kanai and now the two F1 drivers have teamed up at Suzuka this year for a bit more 1:8 Nitro Buggy fun at the event. The Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team shared photos and a video on social media of the pair driving the two buggies up and down the pit lane with both drivers clearly enjoying the experience before they get down to the more serious business of this weekend’s F1 Grand Prix which starts tomorrow. Clearly F1 drivers also need to be marshalled too with a photo of one of the cars upside down. It also appears that Lewis shares something in common with our own 1:8 Buggy and now 1:10 4WD World Champion Davide Ongaro in using a stick radio!!

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September 4, 2023

Kurzbuch joins Ielasi Tuned

Ielasi Tuned has announced that former 1:8 World Champion Simon Kurzbuch is to use its engines to power his 1:8 Onroad programme with Mugen. The deal will see the Swiss star join forces with former 1:10 World Champion turned engine tuner Daniele Ielasi for a formidable force with 2023 set to culminate with the World Championships in November. Commenting on the latest driver to use his engines, Toni Gruber having won the 1:10 European title with them in June, Ielasi said, ‘Guys what can I say…..Thank You Simon! Thank you for trusting (in) my work! Sometimes in our world unexpected “market windows” open up and when it comes to champions of Simon’s level they must be closed immediately, and this is what happened with Simon a few days ago. We wish Simon the best of luck for his next races with us and especially for the next world championship in Japan he will use our new GP9R23 Spec2 engine. Reacting to the announcement Kurzbuch added, ‘Here we go! It is with immense pleasure and excitement that I announce my partnership with Ielasi Tuned. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Daniele Ielasi and Sabrina Ielasi for placing their trust in me and for welcoming me into their esteemed team. This collaboration holds even greater significance as it reunites me with my long-time friend Daniele Ielasi where I have great memories of our partnership back to the year 2015 when I became the world champion in Brazil – a defining moment in my racing career. I’m looking forward to an exciting and successful future together, with the first big race soon at the ENS in Leno.’

Source: Ielasi Tuned [ielasituned.com]

September 4, 2023

Gruber adds German 1:10 Nitro National title

Toni Gruber added the German 1:10 Nitro Onroad title to his 2023 over the weekend, the Capricorn driver making it the perfect season with two titles from the two outings he has had in the class this year having already won the European Championship in June. Racing at the MiniCarClub Rötz track, Gruber secured the TQ ahead of Melvin Diekmann with the fastest 4-minute run in qualifying which was 3.3-second faster than his team-mates best effort. In the 45-minute final, Gruber continued that form setting the fastest lap en route to a 9-second victory over Diekmann with Michael Heinrich completing the podium.

Image: Toni Gruber [Facebook]

September 4, 2023

Canas leads Sworks 1-2 at European Championship

Juan Carlos Canas has finally achieved a major championship title with the rapid Spaniard leading an Sworkz 1-2 at the EFRA 1:8 Offroad European Championship in Redovan, Spain. In qualifying, Canas was Top Qualifier topping 3 of the 5 rounds at the 2022 World Championship venue. Reigning World Champion Davide Ongaro was P2 with the fastest time in Q2 with Bruno Coelho P3 having set the quickest time in the opening qualifier. With Saturday originally scheduled as Finals day, the threat of heavy rain prompted a change of schedule to get the event completed by Friday night. In the Semi Finals Canas took the first 20-minute encounter from Bryan Baldo while a retirement exited Coelho from proceedings. In the other Semi, Ongaro took the win from Burak Kilic and Elliot Boots, but a slower race time it was Canas on pole for the final with defending champion David Ronnefalk lining up 6th. Racing into the night and finishing under the flood lights Canas dominated the 45-minutes adding the fastest lap to his tally on the way to victory by half a lap from his 2-time European Champion team-mate Elliot Boots. Ongaro’s Team Associated would complete the podium 4-second ahead of Mugen’s Burak Kilic with a similar gap back to Infinity’s Riccardo Berton in fifth. Ronnefalk’s year long reign as Champion would end in a retirement with 5-minutes remaining.

Image: Sworkz [Facebook]

August 28, 2023

Apolaro wins Great Lakes Challenge

One of the United States most iconic Onroad nitro races, the Great Lakes Challenge saw DJ Apolaro take the 1:10 Sedan win at the 2023 running of the event held at the TSRCAR track in Lebanon Ohio over the weekend. The Wallace Motorsports driver Apolaro would secure the TQ from Jamie Corrado after setting the fastest time in the 3rd of the 5 rounds of qualifying. In the 40-minute A-Main, Apolaro would have a flame out in the first couple of minutes of the race and had to fight his way back from 6th place. With just two minutes remaining he would find a way by Diatta Collymore for the win. Collymore led for most of the race being able to capitalise on DJ’s flame out, but finished in 2nd place. Jerry Guerra Having qualified 5th Jerry Guerra was able to come from as far back as 9th position to take 3rd place to make it an all Infinity IF15 podium. In the 1:8 Open class Michael Palazzola took the win from Top Qualifier John Dickson with Mike McBride rounding out the Top 3 after 45-minutes of racing.

August 23, 2023

12-year-old Thilo Baldes win German Nitro Championship

Thilo Baldes is the new German National Onroad Champion in the 1:8 Nitro Class 2. With his Reds Racing powered Shepherd Velox V8.2, the 12-year-old talent from Adenau near the famous Nürburgring won the 45-minute final race at the German Nationals in Kirchhain in central Germany with a concentrated and faultless performance. In the heat battle at temperatures around 35 degrees, Baldes relegated Julian Krajuszek (Mugen), who is the same age, to second place on the 230-metre racetrack and thus also secured the title of German Junior Champion in Class 2. Third place on the podium in the performance class 2 went to Sebastian Steck (Capricorn).

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August 22, 2023

1985 handmade Hudy Special 4WD 1:8 Onroad chassis

With IFMAR’s original & longest running World Championship taking place later this year in Japan, photos shared by Juraj Hudy of one of his early 1:8 Onroad creations grabbed our attention. Being raced at the recent veteran’s race at the Czech Nationals, the handmade Hudy Special 4WD car is from 1985, the year Rody Roem was crowned World Champion in Japan. With our own introduction to RC racing being through the category in the late 80s, it is interesting to see how chassis design has evolved over the last four decades when compared to the latest cars. Having had the pleasure of getting into an in-depth conversation with Juraj about all things engineering and what goes into the production of a chassis kit while waiting in airport lounge in Buenos Aires for our return flight from covering the 2012 1:8 Offroad World Championships, one year later we got to visit the lock up that was Juraj’s very first workshop. There he shared his story of the journey to the impressive high tech factory of Hudy & Xray and Hudy Racing Arena that is now just a few hundred metres away. Red RC will be travelling to Infinity International RC Speedway in Japan at the end of October as part of our 2023 Worlds coverage to tell the story of how the 23rd 1:8 Onroad World Championships unfolds.

View more Hudy Special 4WD images here

August 22, 2023

Kilic brothers 1-2 at German Nationals, Berkan Champion

Mugen Seiki’s Kilic brothers claimed yet another 1-2 at the German 1:8 Buggy Nationals with Berkan this time edging out Burak to become the champion for the first time. Racing at the MSC Ring in Braunschweig, Burak was chasing his third National title but in qualifying it was younger brother Berkan who would take the TQ after 5 rounds of qualifying from the defending champion. In the 45-minute final, there would be an intense battle at the front with the Sworkz of Joern Neumann joining the family rivalry, Berkan took the win by just 7/10ths of a second from Burkan. Setting the fastest lap of the race Neumann would complete the Top 3.

Source – Kilic Brothers RC [facebook.com]