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July 31, 2023

Neumann to defend 1:8 GT World title in Australia

Joern Neumann is to defend his IFMAR 1:8 GT World Championship title in Sydney, Australia in October. The factory Sworkz driver claimed the inaugural World title for the category in 2020 in Florida just before the World would shut down due to Covid. Better known for his exploits in Offroad racing, the German confirmed his participation over the weekend giving a major boost to the New South Wales Radio Controlled Racing Car Club as they ramp up their preparations for the first of two World Championships that will be hosted at the John Grant international Raceway. Next year the track will host the IFMAR Large Scale World Championship. Top Qualifier in the USA, Italy’s Alessio Mazzeo is another high profile EFRA Bloc entry along with Neumann’s closet challenger 3-years ago Martin Bayer. Newly crowned 1:10 Nitro Onroad European Champion and Top Qualifier at the 1:8 Onroad European Championships over the weekend, Toni Gruber can be counted in being in the mix too. Heading the local challenge will be the Serpent of 1:10 & 1:8 Onroad Worlds Finalist Jeff Hamon who was the winner of the official Worlds Warm-Up race back in April. With the second running of the 1:8 GT World Championships taking place from the 8-15th of October, international drivers intending on making the trip down under are being requested to make contact with the host club regarding fuel and tyre requirements for the race. Red RC will be travelling to Sydney to tell the story of how the race unfolds.

Source: NSWRCRCC [Facebook]

July 31, 2023

Phend, Maifield & VanDalen win at The Wicked Weekend

Another of RaceTime Entertainment’s big 1:8 Offroad events, The Wicked Weekend race in Gainesville, Georgia produced three different wins of the three main categories. Attracting 659 entries, in qualifying it was Tekno’s Seth VanDalen who was the man in form as he secured the overall TQ in both nitro and electric buggy. In Nitro, HB Racing’s Cole Ogden took the opening qualifier but had to settle for P2 as VanDalen took the next two with TLR’s Dakotah Phend P3 with two P2 runs. In eBuggy, VanDalen also posted two TQ runs with second going to Phend, fastest in Q1, with Kyosho’s Ryan Lutz completing the Top 3. In Nitro Truggy, Tekno’s Ryan Maifield took the TQ from Phend, Lutz and VanDalen. In an intense 30-minute Nitro Buggy final, Phend would deny VanDalen the win on the last lap with Sworkz Brandon Rose completing the podium just ahead of WRC Racing’s Ryan Cavalieri. The eBuggy finals saw VanDalen win the first of the two 10-minute encounters from Mason Muller with that order reverse second time round however a faster Race 1 time gave VanDalen the overall win with Phend completing the Top 3. In the half hour Nitro Truggy final Maifield converted his TQ into victory ahead of the HB Racing of Fuller who came through from 12th on the grid. Mayako driver Jared Tebo completed the podium.

Image: JConcepts [Facebook]

July 31, 2023

Takanashi new JMRCA 1:10 GPT-S National Champion

Kai Takanashi is the new JMRCA 1:10 GPT-S Japanese National Champion, the Capricorn driver taking the title at the Sagamido Racing Track (SRT) over the weekend. In qualifying Takanashi took three of the four rounds with his Nuclear engined C04 to become Top Qualifier with Q4 pace setter Katsuhiro Mihara’s Mugen securing P2 to book his direct starting place in the Main final. P3 in qualifying was Kenya Yanai but the Infinity driver had issues in his Semi Final that prevented him from making the 40-minute title decider. Leading the early part of the race race, Takanashi would be passed by Mihara but with 10-minute remaining the new leader would hit problems and drop down the order eventually finishing P5. Up front Takanashi took the win by a lap over Kyosho’s Shogo Tomioka with the Shepherd of Hiroyuki Okumura completing the podium.

Source: JMRCA [jmrca.jp]

July 29, 2023

Balestri wins his 3rd 1:8 Onroad European title

Infinity’s Dario Balestri has retaken the 1:8 Onroad European Championship title today in Portugal with a dominant and control victory in Portugal today. Having lost the title to Dominic Greiner last year in Spain, starting from second on the grid the Italian would take control of the 45-minute final after getting by the Capricorn of Top Qualifier Toni Gruber in the opening lap. Once in front and opting for a single tyre change while his rivals stopped twice, the 2014 & 2019 was able to control the race from the front with the former World Champion eventually winning by lap from Mugen’s Simon Kurzbuch. Looking to emulate Greiner’s 2022 double of winning both the 1:10 & 1:8 Onroad Nitro titles, new crowned 1:10 European Champion Gruber would have issues while chasing Balestri from P2 to eventually take the final step on the podium. Running second in the race for some time, unfortunately as the race reached the final 10-minutes Greiner would retire from the final. Robert Pietsch was another notable retirement, the 2013 Champion at the same Vila Real track seeing his race last only 12-minutes this time round.

Image: Julie Thurston

July 28, 2023

Gruber Top Qualifier at 1:8 Onroad European C/Ship

Toni Gruber is the Top Qualifier for the 1:8 Onroad European Championship in Portugal, the German driver taking his Ielasi Tuned powered Capricorn to the fastest time in 3 of the 5 rounds of qualifying. With Infinity’s Dario Balestri holding the overnight TQ after the opening two rounds at the Vila Real track, Day 2 kicked off with a second TQ run from the Italian ahead of Mugen’s Robert Pietsch. In Q4 however newly crowned 1:10 Nitro Onroad European Champion Gruber pick up were he started and having took Q1 went fastest in the final two rounds from Balestri. Overall Balestri would conclude qualify P2 ahead of Pietsch, Infnity’s Jilles Groskamp and the Capricorn of Mirko Salemi. All four would get the chance to secure a direct place in tomorrow’s 45-minute title deciding final via the Super Pole shoot out which former World Champion Balestri duly took with the fastest lap from Pietsch who will start the Semi A from pole with Groskamp on pole for the Semi B encounter. Having qualified 7th, defending Champion Dominic Greiner will line up 3rd in the Semi A encounter behind Pietsch and Salemi.

Images: Ielasi Tuned [Facebook]

July 27, 2023

Balestri holds provisional TQ at 1:8 Onroad Euros

Dario Balestri holds the provisional TQ at the EFRA 1:8 Onroad European Championship, the Infinity driver setting the fastest time in the second of the two heats that made up Day 1 of the qualifying at the Vila Real track in Portugal. In the opening qualifier it was Capricorn’s Toni Gruber who set the TQ pace, the newly crown 1:10 Nitro European Champion fastest from Balestri and Jilles Groskamp. Having topped seeding practice and crowned European Champion the last time Vila Real hosted the European Championships in 2012, Mugen’s Robert Pietsch wouldn’t complete Q1 but was right in the mix in Q2 with Balestri just getting the better of the German on the final lap to snatch the TQ by 3/10ths of a second with Gruber third. For defending Champion Dominic Greiner, he finds himself P5 overnight behind Groskamp with Mirko Salemi completing the provisional Top 6. With the 21st running of the EFRA European Championships attracting 72 entries, drivers have three more rounds of qualifying tomorrow.

Image: Dario Balestri [Facebook]

July 22, 2023

Veseli is new European LS Touring Car Champion

MCD Racing’s Dario Veseli is the new European Large Scale Touring Car Champion, the multiple Large Scale Offroad Champion claiming his first onroad title at the Real80 track in the Netherlands after a late error from Genius Racing’s Bernard-Alain Arnaldi. Having set the second fastest time qualifying, the Croatian driver secured a direct place into the final alongside defending champion Edoardo Repetti who was Top Qualifier. An earlier mistake from the pole sitter would see the Italian Mecatech driver drop down the order and Arnaldi take the lead with the French driver looking set to add a fourth European title ahead of Veseli. With less than a minute to run in the 30-minute final, Arnaldi went off at the end of the straight allowing Veseli through to take the win by 1-seconds. Arnali’s car would later be found to have an incorrect flywheel diameter leading to him being excluded from the results. Sindre Undheim would be promoted to second with Repetti completing the podium. In the Formula 1 Final, Sébastien Marinot successfully defending his 2022 from pole position with his Genius Racing ahead of Nathan Brenot and Corentin Laville.

Image: EFRA [Facebook]

July 21, 2023

Repetti to defend LS Touring Car Euros title from pole

European Large Scale Touring Car Champion Edoardo Repetti is to defend his title from pole position after the Mecatech driver secured the overall TQ in the Netherlands today. Having held the overnight TQ after three rounds of qualifying as the fastest driver around the Real80 track, the final round of qualifying saw a further improvement from the Italian, who topped 4 of the 5 rounds. Behind, MCD driver Dario Veseli would save the best for last to jump up to P2 in the final qualification ranking and book a direct spot into his first European Championship final. Having struggled to find a set-up he was comfortable with, it came together for the Croatian driver in Q5 with him getting to within 2.1 seconds of Repetti’s time over the 10-minute heats. Finishing up third fastest would be the Genius Racing of Rick Van der Bol with his time from Q4 with Hessel Roskam, the only driver to TQ a round when he was fastest in Q2, locking in P4 with his Q5 run. Both drivers will start on pole for their respective Semi-Finals which will determine the other 8-starters for the 30-min title decider.

Source: Mecatech [Facebook]