November 27, 2023

Branson wins Rug Racers Round 2

Round 2 of the Rug Racers indoor series in the UK took place over the weekend where it was Xray team driver Kyle Branson who took the win from Yokomo’s Alex Thurston.  Organised by Hertford Radio Car Club, qualifying for the second of the five races that make up the long running series latest season saw Branson secure the TQ ahead of Thurston and the Xray of Round 1 winner Harley Eldridge.  With a double final format, Branson took A1 by 3-seconds from Thurston but that order was reversed in A2 with Thurston getting the win by 1/10th of second.  With thanks to his faster A1 winning time it was Branson who took the overall win.  Eldridge would complete the podium on tie breaker with the Schumacher of Chris Grainger.  With a field of 40 cars, in 17.5 Blinky it Zak Finlay who took his Xray to victory ahead of Ricky Copsey and Billy Fletcher.  In FWD, which had 37 entries the win went to Jamie Hickin.

Image: Kyle Branson [Facebook]


November 27, 2023

Yokomo ‘Super Dog Fighter’ re-release buggy images

Having announced the re-release of its 1980’s ‘Super Dog Fighter’ 1:10 4WD Buggy in October with a CAD image, Yokomo has just released images on social media of the production buggy which is set to be with distributors in December.  The Japan company is the latest manufacturer to enter the retro market after many requests from passionate fans.  Having considered commercialisation many times but with no resin part molds left from that time, it was a big undertaking for the company.  Although new parts have been remade, the settings have been made to recreate the atmosphere of the time as much as possible. In order to be able to drive with current power sources, it will be equipped with a gear differential, slipper clutch, Lipo battery, etc., but it also have a slot for a Sub-C size battery, natural-coloured resin parts, and aluminium die-cast front and rear parts. The bulkhead, hard-anodised aluminium shocks, and other features give you the feel of the time.

View images here


November 26, 2023

Hebert wins U.S. Indoor Champs

Canada’s Keven Hebert is the Modified Touring Car Champion of the 43rd running of the U.S. Indoor Champs Presented by Hobbywing.  The Xray took the win at the Cleveland, Ohio, classic having earlier secured the TQ for the single A-Main.  From the front he would set the fastest lap of the race to lead home the Awesomatix of former multiple World Champion Marc Rheinard, the separation 0.816 at the end of the 5-minutes.  Starting from P3 on the grid Rheinard’s team-mate & 2022 Champion Sam Isaacs completed the podium ahead of the Xray of Alexander Hagberg.  Double champion of last year’s event, Isaacs would retain his 1:12 title securing the TQ and victory with wins in the opening two encounters of the triple A-Mains.  Winning A3, Kemp Anderson took second overall with Rheinard making it an all Awesomatix podium.  Hebert would be best of the rest for Xray in P4 ahead of team-mate Hagberg.

Image: RCAmerica [Facebook]


November 26, 2023

Coelho takes 4WD win at EOS

Bruno Coelho has taken the 4WD Buggy win at the EOS season opener in Hann Münden, Germany.  The Xray driver led a 1-2 for the Slovakian manufacturer ahead of new team-mate David Ronnefalk with Saturday’s 2WD winner Michal Orlowski completing the podium for Schumacher.  In qualifying it was Ronnefalk who topped the first of the four qualifiers.  Having TQ’d 2WD, Orlowski went fastest in Q2 before Ronnefalk hit the top again Q3.  With Coelho taking the final round it was overall TQ for Ronnefalk ahead of his team-mate with Orlowski lining up P3 ahead of the Team Associated of newly crowned World Champion Davide Ongaro.  In the first of the finals it was Coelho who eventually took the win.  The former World Champion went to the front after a roll over from Ronnefalk approaching the half way mark but was overtaken again by the Swede when he had a mistake of his own a few laps later.  With Ronnefalk out front and looking like he had the win, another mistake in the dying moments was enough to allow Coelho through to take it.  A2 would see Ronnefalk again lead out the field but again a mistake allowed his team-mate through to the front only this time the Portuguese ace kept things clean to the finish for the overall win.  Winning A3, Ronnefalk would finish second with Ongaro completing the podium line-up.

Image: EOS [eos.racing]


November 26, 2023

Kittipong is new FEMCA Touring Car Champion

After an absence from the calendar due to Covid, the FEMCA 1:10 Electric Touring Car Championship returned over the weekend with Awesomatix driver Jack R. Kittipong the new 2023 Modified Touring Car Champion.  Hosted at the Huge RC track in Bangkok, Thailand, which is run by former ISTC World Champion Surikarn Chaidajsuriya and was the venue for the 2014 1:10 Nitro Touring Car World Championship, the FEMCA Championships are Asia’s biggest championship prize.  In qualifying four different drivers would post TQ runs over the 5 rounds with Kittipong’s rounds 1 & 5 topping runs and a P2 from Q4 giving him the overall TQ ahead of Yokomo’s Nicolas Lee, Infinity’s Andy Moore and Chinese driver Tiwen Zhuo who topped Q4.  In the triple A-Mains, the first encounter saw Kittipong see off the pressure of Lee to win by just over 2/10ths of a second with Xpress team driver Nagashima getting passed Moore for third.  A2 saw an even closer gap between Kittipong and Lee, but the win gave Kittipong the overall FEMCA title.  Winning A3, Singapore’s Lee would finish runner-up with the podium being completed by Japan’s Nagashima.

Image: Jack R. Kittipong [Facebook]


November 26, 2023

Kato crowned double Japanese 1:10 Offroad Champion

Team Associated driver Kouki Kato is the new double JMRCA 1:10 Offroad Japanese National Champion.  17-year-old Kato went into the event at the indoor RC Park Gojo as the reigning 4WD Champion taking the TQ for his title defence ahead of 2WD Champion Yui Kaino.  Team Yokomo driver Kaino would also start his title defence from pole position but in the opening A-Main encounter it was Kato fro P2 who took the win.  Able to convert the TQ to the win in A2 as Kato finished third, the 2WD title went to A3 for a thrilling finish that saw Kato snatch the win and title on the last lap by just 0.005 of a second.  Mugen’s Yusuke Sugiura would complete the podium.  In 4WD, Kato carried his qualifying form through to the A-Main winning the opening two encounter to retain his National title.  Winning A3, Kaino would finished runner-up with the overall Top 3 completed by the Xray of Nana Kaiho.

Image: Kouki Kato [Facebook]


November 26, 2023

Davis & Stanley crowned Australian Nitro Champions

Infinity team driver pairing Jesse Davis and Brayden Stanley are the 2023 Australian Nitro Onroad Champions.  This year’s Speedy RC RCRA National Championships took place at the  MRCCR track in Melbourne with qualifying seeing recent 1:8 World Championship 4th place finisher Davis securing the overall TQ with a dominant performance that saw him top all 5 rounds with his O.S powered IF18-III.  In 1:10, it was 17-year-old Stanley  claimed 3 of the 5 rounds to secure the TQ with his Ielasi Tuned IF15.  Unfortunately rain would prevent the running of the finals with the results being declared on qualifying and joining Davis each side of the podium was Infinity driver Nicholas Salib (2nd) and Capricorn’s Peter Jovanovic (3rd).   Behind Stanley on the 1:10 podium it was his Infinity team-mate and partner in crime Tate Firth who was runner-up with the Serpent of Jeffrey Mackie completing the Top 3.  In 1:8 GT, it was Jovanovic who took the 2023 National title.

Image: Brayden Stanley [Facebook]


November 25, 2023

Hebert Top Qualifier at U.S. Indoor Champs

Xray’s Keven Hebert is the Mod Touring Car Top Qualifier at the U.S. Indoor Champs Presented by Hobbywing.  The 43rd running of the indoor carpet event in in Cleveland, Ohio, Hebert repeats last year’s qualifying result when he also took the TQ at the legendary race.  Topping 2 of the four rounds of qualifying, the Canadian claimed pole position for the A-Main ahead of Awesomatix’s Marc Rheinard with his FTD time from Q3.  While Rheinard topped the final qualifier, his team-mate & defending Touring Car and 1:12 champion Sam Isaacs set the pace in the opening qualifier.  P3 in Q2, this would be the American’s his best time putting him P3 on the grid ahead of the Xray of Alexander Hagberg.

Image: U.S. Indoor Champs [Facebook]