Red RC

December 14, 2024

Polito back on the top again in Q3

Mattia Polito was back at top of the time sheets at the SIGP, the Sworkz driver setting the pace in the 3rd & penultimate round of qualifying in Xiamen ahead of fellow countryman Davide Ongaro. After TQ’ing the opening round, a bad set-up would lead to two crashes in the second round leaving the Italian with a P3 as David Ronnefalk TQ’d from Ongaro. A crash on the first lap was the start of a rough Q3 for Ronnefalk, his Xray eventually ending up 5th fastest. Out front, Polito just missed out on doubling up on being the only driver to run 13-laps of the challenging track, his only blotch in Q3 an off track excursion that cost him less than 2-seconds. In the end he would have 2.7-seconds on Ongaro with Bruno Coelho enjoying his cleanest run yet to record his first Top 3 time. Making his SIGP debut along with Ongaro and Polito, 18-year-old Gabriel Astorino had a strong run to the fourth fastest time 9-seconds off the TQ pace.

Continue reading here

December 14, 2024

Buggyland XII – Announcement

Now into its 12th edition, the organisers of Spanish based International 1:8 offroad race Buggyland have announced October 2-5 as its date for 2025. Held annually at the CARTT Fuencarral track in Madrid, Spain, the popular race has grown in international stature and in 2024 saw Davide Ongaro, fresh from becoming a 3-in-a-row World Champion, taking the win. The Italian was joined on the podium by Berkan Kilic and Juan Carlos Canas. With the 1:10 Offroad World Championship taking place in Australia at the same time, Buggyland XII will be without its reigning Champion as he tries to defend his 1:10 4WD Buggy title in Sydney. Despite the date clash, the popular event can still be expected to feature a strong line-up of 1:8 Offroad specialists.

Source: Buggyland [Facebook]

December 14, 2024

Ronnefalk takes Q2 at SIGP

Xray’s David Ronnefalk has kicked off Day 2 of qualifying at the SIGP in China by taking the second round of Nitro Buggy. A much cooler morning in Xiamen, a clean run would see the Swede top the times by 1.3-seconds from a much improved Davide Ongaro while Q1 pace setter Matti Politi completed the Top 3, both Italians having mistakes. While having the fastest buggy on the track in Q2, it was another error filed run from Bruno Coelho, three costly mistakes over the 7-minutes leaving him with a P4. Backing up his Top 5 in yesterday’s opening qualifier, Joseph Quagraine again took his Mayako to the 5th fastest time ahead of the WIRC of Gabriel Astorino.

Continue reading here

December 13, 2024

Xray X1 ’25 1:10 Formula 1

Xray has presented its latest 1:10 Formula chassis, the X1’25. The car is based on an all-new one-piece chassis design that Xray claim gives more consistent handling in all conditions and improved tweak resistance. A narrower chassis shape reduces chassis drag during cornering. The Rear POD concept on top of chassis makes for less drag and improved tweak resistance while adjustable POD angle fine tuning is controlled by set screw at the rear of chassis. New rear carbon side spring brace aligns with new POD geometry. The latest X1 also gets an all-new spring-free centre shock absorber with 1-hole piston provides exceptional bump handling, low maintenance, and helps lower CG. Other features of the car include a new wing mounting system, new adjustable wing angle, redesigned lower arms with more material around the holes for improved durability in serious crashes and a new battery mounting system.

View the full X1’25 presentation here

December 13, 2024

Polito takes Q1 ahead of Ronnefalk & Ongaro at SIGP

Having topped seeding on his SIGP debut, Sworkz’s Mattia Polito capped off an impressive Day 1 of official action in Xiamen, China, by topping the opening round of qualifying. The Italian who executed a clean run to record the only 13-lap run took the first of the four scheduled qualifiers ahead of Xray ‘s David Ronnefalk and Team Associated’s Davide Ongaro, both drivers having mistakes that would prove costly due to the race’s supplied marshals. While Polito put together a very impressive first qualifier, setting the fastest lap in the process, it would be contrasting performance from Xray’s Bruno Coelho who had many mistakes eventually claiming the fourth fastest time. Behind, Mayako’s Joseph Quaqraine put together a run that allowed him to the fifth fastest time but the Finn believes he as driver has more to give tomorrow.

Continue reading here

December 13, 2024

Kobbevik teams up with Power HD

Servo manufacturer Power HD has announced that top international Norwegian offroad racer Daniel Kobbevik is joining its team. Kobbevik is a 22-time Norwegian National Champion, Nordic Champion, a multiple EFRA and EOS podium finisher and was a finalist at the IFMAR World Championship. For the coming new season, he will use Power HD professional racing servos in all his cars, including 1:10 2WD and 4wd, 1:10 Touring Cars, 1:12 and also 1:8. On his deal with Power HD, the 20-year-old, who also announced today he is to continue with Schumacher, said, ‘I am very happy and proud to be joining the team. I was immediately impressed by the feeling the Power HD servos gives you and how strong they are! I am sure I will have top quality servos in my cars for the coming years.’

Source: PowerHD [chd.hk]

December 13, 2024

Polito tops seeding at SIGP in China

Sworkz’s Mattia Polito is the top seed at the SIGP Offroad Race in Xiamen, the Italian fastest in both Nitro and Electric Buggy on the return of China’s biggest annual offroad race after a 5-year break. Over 3-consecutive laps of the challenging 3-Circles track, overnight repairs making for improved conditions for today’s two seeding rounds, Polito would go fastest in both ahead of Xray’s Bruno Coelho. It was however the first round that was the fastest for the 21-year-old who had 1.6-seconds on Coelho. With Coelho’s fastest time coming from CP2, the margin on that occasion was down to 2/10ths of a second as Polito’s best was 7/10ths slower than his earlier attempt. Behind Davide Ronnefalk took his Xray to the 3rd fastest time with his CP1 time ahead of Davide Ongaro, the reigning World Champion improving by over a 1-second in CP2. WIRC’s Gabriel Astorino and Mayako’s Joseph Quaqraine completed the Top 6.

Continue reading here

December 13, 2024

The Race to Save 1:10 Nitro Touring Car

It is almost three weeks since we crowned one of the most popular winners of a World Championship in recent years. Jilles Groskamp’s victory at the 1:10 Nitro Touring Car World Championship at Huge RC in Thailand was one which few would begrudge of one of the hardest working drivers in racing. 12-years after his ISTC World Championship win, his win in Bangkok was one of great stories for RC racing, the Dutch master back on top of the World after beating all of the best nitro onroad racers in the World. However behind all the celebrations, there can be no denying that the 1:10 Nitro Touring Car category is not in great health and faces its greatest race yet, the race to save its future. Ask any of the drivers who made the effort to take part in the 10th running of the IFMAR World Championship and they’ll all agree. 107 drivers attended the World Championship when the Huge RC Circuit hosted it for the first time in 2014, this time round the entry was only 58. However as a World Championship at which every driver is competing in the same single class, it is worth putting that number into perspective. At this year’s ITSC World Championships, Modified had only 2 more entries but it did also have another 60 drivers competing in Spec Touring Car to make it a bigger & viable event. Last year’s 1:12 Worlds had just 19 Modified entries and was only possible because of the 55 drivers who raced in the Spec Class.

Continue reading here