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April 28, 2023

Philippine Masters – Track Focus

The Philippine Masters is back and is live in Manila today with a track best described as ‘challenging’. Located in the capital city, the very 3D looking track is the creation of top Philippines driver Edward Sio, one of the people behind the Philippine Masters since its inception in 2015. Having to move the track location a few hundred metres from its previous home, one of the stand out features of the move is the massive three story driver stand. With the new track built during Covid restrictions, the reason for the massive structure was to meet the then guidelines on the spacing of people so each floor was used as pit area to ensure everyone was spaced apart. Made from the same dirt of the original track, the build took 45-days. Building the track to how Edward wanted it and rolling it to a flat surface, they then dug up around a foot into the top layer to allow for the all important bonding of final race surface. Giving the 30 degree plus temperatures in Manila, just spraying the top layer would not last as the top layer would eventually break and reveal a dusty dry dirt. Instead they soaked the loose 1-foot deep top layer with a mixture of molasses and glue before rolling to the finish they wanted.

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April 26, 2023

Philippine Masters returns & kicks off all new Asian Buggy Championships

The excitement is building in Manila ahead of this weekend’s Philippine Masters which returns following a forced Covid break of more than 2-years. Asia’s premiere 1:8 Offroad race, a capacity entry will battle it out in both nitro Buggy and Truggy to become the latest champion of the established event. Adding to the excitement of the weekend is that the Philippine Masters will kick off the brand new Asian Buggy Championships that has been created by Scotty Ernst, a figure who was instrumental in helping take the Philippines Masters from a local race to one which has brought some of the worlds best drivers to the capital city. This year is no exception with back to back World Champion Davide Ongaro leading the entry for Team Associated. While the Italian will be here to embrace the country’s tagline, ‘It’s More Fun in the Philippines’, he is also here to win but will have to work for it as he will be joined by former World Champion Robert Batlle.

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April 24, 2023

Balestri wins EFRA GP

Dario Balestri took the 1:8 win at the EFRA GP race in Leno, Italy, over the weekend, the Infinity driver leading home the ARC of Silvio Hächler and Capricorn of Mirko Salemi. In qualifying, it was Balestri who took the TQ ahead of fellow World Champion Simon Kurzbuch with Francesco Tironi, Hächler and Toni Gruber making up the Top 5 places on the grid. In the 45-minute final it was Balestri who control the race taking victory from Hächler, a late mistake from team-mate Tironi ending the potential for an Infinity 1-2 finish. Having come through from the last chance final to secure P11 on the grid, Salemi came through to complete the podium.

Image: Dario Balestri [Facebook]

April 18, 2023

Pesenti & Fankhauser win at Swiss Nationals opener

The opening round of the Swiss Nitro Onroad Nationals took place at Lostallo with Mattia Pesenti and Patrick Fankhauser coming away with the wins. In 1:8 it would be the ARC of Silvio Hächler who would top qualifying ahead of the Mugens of former World Champion Simon and Remy Hasler with Pesenti’s Xray fourth. In 1:10, Fankhauser’s Infinity was the Top Qualifier ahead of the Xray’s of Philipp Bühler and Traugott Schär. With a 2023 rule change meaning no direct qualifiers for the Main, the semi finals would see the demise of Kurzbuch. In the 45-minute final, Hächler would experience gearbox issues allowing Pesenti to take the win ahead of the pole sitter with the Infinity of Luca Martinelli completing the podium. In 1:10, it was a dominant performance from Fankhauser who secured the Round 1 victory ahead of Schär and the Xray of Stefan Wütrich. Round 2 of the National Championship will take place in Aigle on May 5-6.

View 1:10 Podium here

April 17, 2023

Groskamp wins Dutch 1:8 Onroad Nationals Opener

The NOMAC Dutch National Championship for Onroad Nitro took place over the weekend at the RACO2000 circuit in Utreacht with Jilles Groskamp taking the 1:8 win. The Team Infinity driver secured the TQ with fastest time in the third of the three 4-minute qualifying rounds with Robbin Hertong, Jesse Keller and Joey Sober lining up behind him on the starting grid for the 30-minute final. From the front, and setting the fastest lap of the race, the former European Champion of the class pulled clear to win from the Serpent pairing of Keller and another former European Champion Michael Salven. Having start in electric touring car which took his career international and only later turned his hand to nitro racing, the race was Groskamp’s first at Dutch Nationals outing in 1:8. In 1:10, the win went to the Infinity of Kristof Sielaff from Thomas van Duin and Marcell van Buël.

Image: Jilles Groskamp [Facebook]

April 4, 2023

Hamon wins 1:8 GT Worlds Warm-up Race

Serpent team driver Jeff Hamon took the win at a rain effect 1:8 GT World Championship Warm-up Race over the weekend. The 1:10 and 1:8 Nitro Onroad World finalist, would top 4 of the 6 rounds of qualifying at the John Grant International Raceway in Sydney to secure the overall TQ ahead of another of Australia’s international nitro racers and World finalists Peter Jovanovic. The Capricorn driver topping Q2 with the Xray of Michael Stone the only other driver to top a round when he was fastest in the final qualifier. Posting three Top 3 runs Tim Moylan’s Mugen would qualify third and unfortunately the arrival of rain meant racing couldn’t progress passed the Semi Finals and so the result was declared on qualifying. As well being the official Warm-up Race for the second running of the IFMAR 1:8 GT World Championships which are scheduled for October 08-15, the race was also the NSW Onroad State Title decider. In 1:10 Brayden Stanley took his Infinity to the win in the 30 minute final ahead of David Chen and Tate Firth while in 1:8 Jovanovic took the title based off qualifying from Leigh Dytor and Tim Moylan.

Image: NSWRCRCC [Facebook]

April 3, 2023

Wood wins British 1:8 Onroad Nationals opener

Tim Wood has won the opening round of the 2023 BRCA British 1:8 Onroad National Championships. Hosted by the Cotswold Model Car Club over the weekend, the first encounter of the 6 round championship would see the Team Shepherd driver top all four rounds of qualifying but it was his run in Q3 that secured him the TQ honours. Behind, Andrew Hastings would line-up second with his Capricorn after he posted his fastest time in Q2. John Carr completed the Top 3 posting his quickest run in the penultimate qualifier. In the 30-minute final it would be a repeat of last year’s penultimate round visit to the Cotswolds track, as Wood secured a comfortable win with his Hasi Tuned powered Velox V8.2s. Hastings would finish second while the Serpent of Matthieu Dambrine, fifth fastest in qualifying, completed the podium as Carr retired after 8-minutes.

Image: BRCA [Facebook]

April 2, 2023

Tironi & Branson winners at Ielasi Tuned Trophy

Francesco Tironi and British visitor Kyle Branson were the winners of the 2023 Ielasi Tuned Trophy. First hosted by former World Champion Daniele Ielasi in 2O15, the annual Ielasi Tuned Trophy again attracted a quality international field to the Northern Italian Leno track. Unfortunately rain meant no finals could be run with the final results being declared on the outcome of qualifying. In 1:8, it would be the Infinity of Tironi that had the edge over Mugen’s Robert Pietsch over the 4-minute qualifiers. Former Trophy winner Toni Gruber managed P3 with his Capricorn just ahead of team-mate Mirko Salemi. In 1:10, it was the Xray of Branson who set the pace in qualifying to be the Top Qualifying ahead of the Serpent of Matteo Passetti and Capricorn of Stefan Chodzynski.

View 1:10 Trophy presentation image here