January 24, 2017

Horizon Hobby supported JP Montoya takes ROC title

This past weekend not only the annual Reedy International Offroad Race of Champions was held but it also saw the running of the iconic Race of Champions, an annual event that draws many of the biggest names from across the world of racing. Formula 1, NASCAR, World Rally Cross, MotoGP – they all come to one spot where they go head-to-head on the same track in identical cars. The 2017 edition, held at Marlins Park in Miami, Florida, saw Colombian motorsport great, Horizon Hobby sponsored Juan Pablo Montoya taking on a field of the world’s best drivers in front of 15,000 fans to win the title of Champion of Champions. In addition to Montoya, this year’s roster of competitors included other notables such as Tom “Mr. Le Mans” Kristensen, four-time Formula 1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel (and last year’s ROC Champion of Champions),  Felipe Massa, David Coulthard, Kyle Busch, Travis Pastrana  – and the list goes on. This year’s event also featured a brand new figure-of-eight track that challenged drivers even more. The best-of-three Grand Final boiled down to a battle between Montoya and Kristensen in which Montoya took two straight heats to become the undisputed Champion of Champions.

Source: Horizon Hobby [horizonhobby.com]


January 23, 2017

XRD sign Mattia Collavo

XRD have announced the signing of Italian frontrunner Mattia Collavo. The ENS A-main finalist and 2015 Italian national champion will power his ARC R8.0 and BMT 701 cars with the high-end F.T. Line version of the Italian engines throughout his 2017 campaign that will hold races such as the Italian Nationals, select ENS events and the Italian Manufacturer’s championship as well as other major national and international level meetings.

Source: F.T. Line [ftlineteam.com]


January 23, 2017

Mark Sousa wins at CRCRC Midwest Championship

The recent CRCRC Winter Midwest Championship saw Mark Sousa walking away with the win in the 1/8th Nitro Buggy class. Mark struggled a bit with setup in the qualifiers due to the track changing every round but in the main final things looked brighter for him and so the Xray driver was able to snatch the win from Agama’s Ralph Krumme and Tekno RC’s Jake Spaulding.

Source: Xray [teamxray.com]


January 23, 2017

Ginting & Seta successful at Indonesian On-road opener

The opening round of the Indonesian Nitro Onroad National Championships was held at the SIS track in Jakarta. The weather was hot and sunny, making for good racing conditions for the 44 drivers that attended in the 1/10th GP, 1/10th GP Sportsman and 1/8th GT classes. The organisers had opted to suger-prep the track, making for massive traction for all classes. In 1/10th GP it was Bowie Ginting who took a convincing TQ after the qualifiers, some five seconds clear of team mate Arya Seta.

Continue reading the report here


January 20, 2017

Xray welcome Jean-Pierrick Sartel

Xray have announce the signing of French 1/8th E-Buggy National Champion, Jean-Pierrick Sartel to their team for the 2017 season. JP will race Xray’s 1/8th and 1/10th off-road platforms both on a national and international level and he has the following to say:

I am very happy to join the team Xray 2017. I chose this brand for its technical support, for the quality of its hardware but especially for its competitiveness in all the categories I will use. I have always amazed the speed of development and the dedication that the factory puts into their products. The support at international races is amazing and the premium support at the national races from the French team is also one of the main reasons I decide for Xray. I am very happy for the opportunity and I will do my best. I am looking forward to starting this season with the new team.

Source: Xray [teamxray.com]


January 20, 2017

Serpent welcome Walter Diaz

Serpent have announced the return of Walter Diaz to their US on-road team. After a stint with Capricorn Walter will run Serpent’s gas and electric on-road cars at events throughout the country and he has the following to say:

Thank you for the opportunity to be back and part of the team again, I really appreciate it and I am looking forward to a great year.

Source: Serpent [serpent.com]


January 19, 2017

Creation Model/Infinity welcomes Takaaki Shimo

Creation Model have announced the signing of Japan’s Takaaki Shimo to their team. The long-time Mugen development driver will be part of the company’s nitro research and development program and Creation Model are really happy to welcome Shimo San on board to race Infinity’s nitro on-road cars both on a national and international level. Takaaki says:

I’m pleased to join one of the strongest team I ever see in my racing career; I’m really excited to team up again with some of team mates I shared good times in the past like Lamberto, Francesco and Nikaido San. I will spend all my efforts to develop the Infinity nitro platforms for the upcoming season and beyond. It’s a new chapter of my life and I hope it could be a successful one once again. See you at racing track!

Source: Creation Model [creationmodel.net]


January 19, 2017

Daniele Ielasi joins FastRace SuperGT team

FastRace from Italy have announced the signing of former IFMAR 1/10th 200mm World Champion, Daniele Ielasi to their SuperGT team. After so far doing only select races with the GT-R15, included the win of the Euro GT race back in 2015, Daniele will now enjoy a full season with FastRace, including appearances at the Italian Nationals and the European Championship.

Source: FastRace [fastraceshop.com]