Red RC » Gas

July 3, 2023

Berg leads Mayako 1-2 at NXC Grand Prix

Hampus Berg led a Mayako 1-2 at the annual NXC Grand Prix in Denmark over the weekend taking the win from defending champion David Ronnefalk. Organised by Hilleröd RC Club at the same venue that hosted the 1:8 Offroad European Championships way back in 1988, this year’s edition of the 1:8 Offroad event attracted over 140 entries including Infinity’s Ricky Berton. In qualifying it was Ronnefalk who secured the TQ from his team-mate after topping 3 of the 4 qualifiers that ran, Q3 being rained out. Berton would end up P3, the 2019 European Champion’s best run coming in Q4 when he was second fastest behing Berg. Winning his wet Semi in the fastest time, Ronnefalk started pole for the 45-minute final ahead of Berg, Berton and Xray’s Pelle Culmsee. While starting out wet, the track would dry with Berg able to eke out a lead over the former World Champion that was 12-seconds at the finish despite Ronnefalk having the fastest lap of the race. Berton, almost a lap down, would complete the podium with Culmsee finish fourth on the same lap. The Top 6 was completed by Peter Harder and Ludwig Albertz. In eBuggy, Culmsee took the win from Top Qualifier Nikolai Lamberts with Berton again completing the podium.

Image: David Ronnefalk [Facebook]

July 2, 2023

Arnaldi successfully defends 1:8 GT European title

Bernard-Alain Arnaldi has successfully defended his EFRA 1:8 GT European title in Zagreb, Croatia. Having won the title last year in Lostallo, the Genius driver started his title defence from 4th on the grid with Serpent teenager Andrea Catanzani having secured the overall TQ at the Mini Autodrom Ayrton Senna circuit. Despite being the fastest car on track, Catanzani would hit problems during the 45-minute final, with Frenchman Arnaldi able to take the win with his Gimar powered GTc8 23 from Schepis Model driver Rosario Giaimo and the Serpent of Gabriele Paloschi. In the 1:8 GT Electric former European 1:10 Nitro Touring Car Champion Alessio Mazzeo starting as Top Qualifier was able to become the inaugural European Champion of the electric category for Capricorn. Joining the Italian on the podium were Xray’s Martin Bayer and the Genius of Denmark’s Nicolai Lindegaard.

Image: Serpent [serpent.com]

June 30, 2023

Catanzani Top Qualifier at 1:8 GT European C/ship

Andrea Catanzani is the Top Qualifier at the EFRA 1:8 GT European Championships In Croatia. The Serpent/Gimar driver topped 2 of the 5 rounds of qualifying at Mini Autodrom Ayrton Senna circuit in Zagreb, with Xray’s of Martin Bayer his closest rival in the nitro class. Attracting a field of 48 drivers in nitro, qualifying didn’t start well for the Italian as he was only 15th fastest. While Bayer took Q1 from defending champion Bernard-Alain Arnaldi, Capricorn’s Alessio Mazzeo topped Q2 from Catanzani before he found his form in Q3 & 4 to wrap up the overall TQ with one round to go. Behind Bayer in P2, Natanaele Senesi took his Xray to third in the ranking ahead of Alex D’angelo and Arnaldi with Mazzeo 10th behind Buggy World Champion Davide Ongaro. Also the European Championship for 1:8 GT Electric, 36 drivers registering results, Mazzeo is the Top Qualifier with three TQ runs compared to single TQ runs from Arnaldi (P2) and reigning champion Bayer (P3).

Image: Serpent [serpent.com]

June 27, 2023

Boots takes victory at ‘The Italian Race’

After a break of a number of years ‘The Italian Race’ made its return to the international 1:8 Buggy calendar over the weekend with Elliott Boots taking the victory. Organised by Maugrafix, the race was hosted for the first time at the Ospyteam R/C Offroad Circuit in Gussago in Northern Italy and attracted a star entry. In qualifying it was reigning World Champion Davide Ongaro who took the TQ honours for Team Associated. In the Semi Finals however it was Boots’ Sworkz that produced the fastest race time giving the multiple former European Champion pole position for the 45-minute Main from team-mate Mattia Polito. While a few small errors in the opening stages of the race dropped Boots to second but with his Reds Racing engine economy allowing him to run longer between fuel stop he was able to capitalise to take the win ahead of Ongaro and Polito. In eBuggy Ongaro would take the TQ and victory.

Image: Elliot Boots [Facebook]

June 20, 2023

Sivan crowned Israeli 1:8 Nitro Buggy Champion – Report

Yaniv Sivan is the 2023 Israeli 1:8 Nitro Buggy Champion, the title being decided at the final round of the seven championship at Omer Ring racing track near Tel-Aviv. After 6 races the situation in the championship was that Sivan was leading the championship by 4 points, Harel Senderov in second had to win the seventh race to win the championship. The 35 min A-final started while Yaniv Sivan (TQ) with his Kyosho MP10 TKI3 opened a 15 secs gap on Second place Harel Senderov with his Mugen MBX8R which had early battle with Ido Carmon on second spot. However, when Yaniv’s car exit the first pit stop another car was lowered in the same time and crashed at him, Yaniv lost valuable time and the gap went down to 5 secs. Nevertheless, Yaniv managed to keep the gap safe till 15 min to the end of the race Yaniv Sivan made a mistake at far downhill and Harel passed him. The two drivers battled for the first back and forth till one and half minutes to the end Harel Senderov crashed at the end of the straight and Yaniv Sivan passed him but still the gap between them was less than a second. On the last Yaniv Sivan managed to hold the first position and passed the start finish line first and become the 2023 Israeli 1:8 Nitro Buggy Champion. In eBuggy Senderov took the title from Round 7 winner Yoni Cozac.

View eBuggy podium & results here

June 18, 2023

Tessmann wins Visions RC Offroad Championships

Ty Tessmann completed a double at the Visions RC Offroad Championships in Oklahoma, his Nitro Buggy and eBuggy wins netting the Xray driver $6,000 in prize money. Part of the Visions Off-Road 2023 event that brings together all form of full scale off road racing at the 750 acres Mid America Outdoors offroad adventure park, the RC race attracted all the big names in US racing. Racing on a bigger Joey Christensen built track than last year, qualifying for the event breaks from tradition and see three rounds of heads up racing with the result of Q1 determining the grid for the first of the triple finals. Q2 would decided Leg 2’s starting order and Q3 the closing race’s grid. With Tessmann winning Q1 he would start pole for the first final from where he took the win despite a late crash. HB Racing’s Phi Long Nguyen took Q2 with team-mate Cole Ogden winning Q3. In the second final, it would be Tekno’s Ryan Maifield who came through for the win with Team Associated’s Spencer Rivkin winning A3 however with Tessmann second on both occasions it gave him the overall victory and $5,000 winner’s cheque. Getting $3,000 for his efforts, Rivkin was second with Maifield completing the podium to collect $2,000. In eBuggy, Tessman took the more traditional TQ ahead of TLR’s Dakotah Phend and that was how they would finish at the end of the single 7-minute A-Main. Sworkz Joe Bornhorst completed the eBuggy podium.

Image: Ty Tessmann [Facebook]

June 17, 2023

Gruber wins second European 1:10 Nitro title

Toni Gruber is the new EFRA 1:10 Nitro Onroad European Champion, the Capricorn driver retaking the title he previously held in 2017 with the win at Naxos World in Italy today. The only driver to better Dario Balestri in qualifying, taking the first of the five rounds after which the Italian topped every round, the German would go on to take Super Pole to lock in his direct No.2 starting position in the final behind the Top Qualifier. Locked in battle with Infinity team-mates Balestri and 3rd place qualifier Jilles Groskamp, as the race entered its final 8-minutes Balestri would suffer a flame out ending his chances of a 3rd European title in the class. While Groskamp would chase Gruber, the Dutch driver ran out of tyres and couldn’t match the leader. At the end of 45-minutes Gruber took his Ielasi Tuned powered C04 to victory by just over 4-seconds. Carmine Raiola would complete the podium, one lap down. Unfortunately Balestri would suffer a DNF, retiring in the final 3-minutes of the race.

Image: EFRA [Facebook]

June 16, 2023

Balestri Top Qualifier at 1:10 European Championship

Infinity’s Dario Balestri is the Top Qualifier at the 1:10 Nitro Onroad European Championships in Sciliy, Italy. The 17th running of the EFRA championships, Thursday presented drivers with some weather issues that stopped the action. Friday they managed to get all 5 rounds of qualifying completed and it was Balestri who reigned at the Naxos World track. Posting four TQ runs, the 2006 & 2007 European Champion secured pole for the final from Toni Gruber, the Capricorn driver fastest in opening round from Carmine Raiola who would end up third ahead of Infinity team-mates Jilles Groskamp and Francesco Tironi. With these four drivers going into Super Pole to try secure a direct starting place in the Main final with Balestri, it was Gruber who posted the fastest lap. The rest of the grid will be decided by the Semi Finals. With back to back reigning 1:10 Champion Dominic Greiner not making the trip to Sciliy, a new champion will decided in tomorrow’s final.

Image: Dario Balestri [Facebook]