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.