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August 2, 2024

D’Amico Top Qualifier at European Large Scale C/ship

Mecatech driver Emanuele D’Amico has secured the TQ at the EFRA Large Scale Touring Car European Championship in Switzerland with a dominant performance. Already a winner this year in the European Large Scale Series and an EFRA GP winner, the Italian topped all five rounds of qualifying at the iconic Lostallo circuit. Behind it was the similar car of Belgian Giovanni Verbrugghe who ended up P2 locking his place in the A-Final alongside D’Amico. Qualifying P3 was reigning World Champion Markus Feldmann who will have race his way from the Semi-Finals to the main event with defending European Champion Dario Veseli joining him in the same Semi, the MCD driver having only managed P5 with a best run of the second fastest time in the second qualifier. With the 27th running of the European Championships attracting 78 Touring Car drivers, last year’s Top Qualifier and 2022 Champion Edoardo Repetti also races in the Semi A Final having ending qualifying 9th.

Image: Emanuele D’Amico [Facebook]

July 30, 2024

2024 SIGP International Offroad GP – Announcement

Counting Germany’s Joern Neumann and American Ryan Lutz as past Champions, the SIGP International Offroad Grand Prix returns in 2024 with the announcement that the 3-circle ARC International RC Racing Track in Xiamen, China, will host the race from December 11-15. The same venue that hosted the 2017 IFMAR 1:10 Electric Offroad World Championships, the SIGP International Offroad Grand Prix had been one of Asia’s major international offroad events pre-Covid gathering RC drivers from across Asia and the world. The return of the Grand Prix, after its forced break since 2019, the event will give the new generation of Chinese drivers the opportunity to compete with top drivers from home & abroad and show as well as further develop their skills. The classes that will make up the 2024 edition are 1:8 Nitro Buggy, 1:8 Electric Buggy, 1:7 KM Citroen C3 GP Rally, 1:7 Citroen C3 EP Rally, and 1:4 EP Offroad Motorbike, with a total prize fund of RMB 150,000 ($20,000) up for grabs.

View provisional schedule here

July 28, 2024

Canas retains European title with dominant win

Sworkz’s Juan Carlos Canas has retained his EFRA 1:8 Nitro Buggy European Championship with a dominant win at the OngaroRing in Italy. Having secured the overall TQ ahead of Mugen Seiki’s Burak Kilic after topping three of the five qualifiers, the Spaniard went on to win his Semi Final to secure pole position for the 45-minute. With Burak retiring from the lead of his Semi, behind Canas on the grid it would be Burak’s brother Berak Kilic who lined up second followed Xray’s David Ronnefalk and Team Associated’s Davide Ongaro. Leading from start to finish it was a dominant display from Canas who has clearly marked himself as a favourite for the World Championship in just 6-weeks time in his home country. A late charge from 2018 Champion Bruno Coelho, who started P5, would see the Xray driver get by his team-mate Ronnefalk to finish within 6-seconds of Canas. Former World & European Champion Ronnefalk completing the podium ahead of the WIRC of Marco Baruffolo. Racing at his family owned track, current back to back World Champion Ongaro would see any chances of a first European title dashed when he ran out of fuel having just passed Ronnefalk for second with 15-minutes left on the clock.

Image: Sworkz [Facebook]

July 26, 2024

Canas Top Qualifier at European Championship

Sworkz’s Juan Carlos Canas is the Top Qualifier at the EFRA 1:8 Nitro Buggy European Championship at the Ongaroring in Italy. The defending Champion, secured the overall TQ after topping 3 of the 5 qualifiers at the home track of reigning World Champion Davide Ongaro. It would be the Italian who got qualifying underway on Thursday with his Team Associated fastest from the Mugen of Burak Kilic and Bruno Coelho’s Xray. Round 2 would Canas hit the top, the Spaniard fastest from Kilic and Ongaro. Making for a interesting first day in Sicile, after his two strong opening showings Kilic then delivered a TQ run in Q3 ahead of Canas, Coelho and Ongaro. With everything still to play for, Day 2 of qualifying would see Canas get the better of his two main rivals in the first encounter taking Q4 by just 4/10th of a second from Kilic with Ongaro third. Now a two way battle for the overall TQ between Canas and Kilic, on an increasingly grippy track Canas, pushed intensely by Coelho, posted the fastest time of qualifying to seal the overall TQ – just 6/100ths of a second separating the Top 2 Q5 times. Overall Kilic would end up second followed by Ongaro with Coelho fourth ahead of team-mate David Ronnefalk with the Top 6 rounded out by Berkan Kilic.

Image: Sworkz [Facebook]

July 22, 2024

Davis takes 1:8 at Queensland IC Onroad State Titles

The Queensland IC Onroad State Titles took place at England Park Raceway, Brisbane, over the weekend where it was Infinity driver Jesse Davis who was crowned the new Champion of the 1:8 Onroad category. The reigning Australian National Champion and World Championship Finalist, Davis took his O.S. Speed powered IF18-3 to both the TQ and victory. Andrew Shapland made it an Infinity 1-2 in the half hour final with the Mugen Seiki of Tim Moylan completing the podium. Moylan would take the title in 1:10 Touring Car, securing the TQ and the win ahead of Xray’s Michael Stone. In 1:8 GT, former Large Scale World Champion Russell Grenenger successfully defended the title he won last year again with his Ielasi Tuned powered Hong Nor package followed home by the similar car of Jason Vallely.

Image: Speedy RC [Facebook]

July 19, 2024

2024 IFMAR 1:10 IC Touring Worlds – Stage 1 Report

The new Stage 1 Report for the IFMAR 1:10 IC Touring World Championship, which was originally due to take place in Costa Rica but last week got switched to Thailand, has just been published. Great hosts of the 2014 Worlds for the same category, the covered semi indoors Huge RC track in Bangkok which is owned former Electric Touring Car World Champion Surikarn Chaidajsuriya the 10th running of the Worlds for the category will now stage the 10th running of the World Championship from November 15th to 23rd. Costa Rica’s plans to host the race was dealt a blow over local complaints about noise and it was thought they had overcome that issue to build a sound barrier wall but with the permit required still in doubt FAMAR cancelled the event. IFMAR, in accordance with its own General rules, quickly contact FEMCA, host Bloc of the previous 1:10 IC Touring Worlds in 2022, and within 5-days were able to announce Huge RC as the new hosts of the race. While Hotrace Tyres had been confirmed as the control tyre for Costa Rica, the new Stage 1 report highlights that as yet no brand as yet been decided for Thailand. As with 2022, Maxima together with Rapicon with be the official 16% nitro fuel options for drivers.

View Stage 1 Report here

July 17, 2024

Serpent Nitro GT Series Hong Kong – Report

The first round of the Serpent Nitro GT Series took place at the Tom Racing Circuit in Hong Kong on July 14th. The weather was perfect for racing, with a sunny day at 34 degrees. The race consisted of two classes: the Sport GT class, which primarily features RTR GT Chassis with stock engines, and the Open class, which has no restrictions on chassis or engine. After three rounds of qualifying, Sam Kwong took the top qualifying spot in the Open class, while Jason Choi took the TQ in the Sport GT class. Following a 45-minute A-Main final, Opel Chiu emerged as the winner in the Open class, followed by Simon Chan in second place and Ricky Yim in third. The Sport GT class race was more thrilling, with the second, third, fourth, and fifth positions all having the same number of laps and a very tight gap. In the end, Tiger Ho emerged as the winner, followed by Ming Wu in second place and Jason Choi in third.

Report: Justin Wan

July 16, 2024

Giaimo crowned Italian GT Champion at Vallelunga

Schepis Model driver Rosario Giaimo is the new AMSCI Italian 1:8 GT National Champion after taking his second consecutive win at the season finale held at Miniautodromo Vallelunga over the weekend. Winner of Round 2 at the Naxos World track in Sicily in May, Giaimo would qualify second at Round 3, the TQ going to the Genius Racing chassis of defending Champion & World Championship Top Qualifier Alex D’angelo. In the 45-minute final, Giaimo would lay down the fastest lap the race to take the victory from newly crowned European Champion Natanaele Senesi. Having qualified a lowly P8, Senesi was just 4-seconds off Giaimo with D’angelo completing the podium. In the GTE category it was Senesi who wrapped up his 5th consecutive Italian National Championship title.

Image: Genius Racing [Facebook]