Red RC » R Off Road

April 14, 2025

Boots opens British title defend with Herts win

Reigning British 1:8 Nitro Buggy National Champion Elliott Boots got his title defence off to the perfect start, the Sworkz driver taking the win at the season opener hosted by Herts Nitro Model Club. The first of 5 rounds that make up the 2025 BRCA National Championship, Boots dominated proceeds with his Red Racing powered buggy setting a new lap record, securing the TQ and taking the win. In the 45-minute Main, Boots would finish with a 2-lap margin over the Xray of second place qualifier Jonny Skidmore with the WIRC of Lewis Jones a further 9-seconds back completing the podium. Round 2 of the championship takes place in Brookthorpe on May 17-18.

Image: Elliott Boots [Facebook]

April 14, 2025

Hara back for 2025 Philippine Masters

After making his first major international offroad final in many years & claiming a hugely popular podium at last year’s Philippine Masters, Atsushi Hara is returning to Asia’s biggest annual 1:8 Offroad race. Hara would lead for almost half of the 1-hour main at the famed Circulo Verde Race Track in Manila before the former World Champion was passed by current World Champion Davide Ongaro. Eventually taking 3rd place in the nitro buggy final, the legend of the sport was truly rejuvenated by the whole experience of the weekend. With the 13th edition of the Philippine Masters once again the second round of Scotty Ernst’s Asian Buggy Championships, which this year is boosted by title sponsor from Cayote who are also one of Hara’s main sponsors, on his return to the race Hara said, “I am very happy to be going to Masters again this year. The Philippine Masters is my favorite 1/8 buggy race because of the great organization by the race director Scotty Ernst with his team, the great facilities, and the great people. I am also excited to be able to compete at a high level with the world’s best drivers like Ongaro and other top drivers from around the world.” The Philippine Masters takes place from April 30 -May 4th with Ongaro going for his 5th win of the race.

Source: Asian Buggy Championships [Facebook]

April 11, 2025

Matsukura confirmed for Philippine Masters debut

Infinity’s Naoto Matsukura has been confirmed to make his Philippine Masters debut later this month at the 13th running of Asia’s biggest annual 1:8 Offroad race meeting. The second round of the Cayote sponsored Asian Buggy Championships, Matsukura got his first taste of the championship last year when he complete at the season finale in Indonesia where Infinity team-mate Kouki Kato took the win. Now the multiple World Champion will tackle the famed Circulo Verde Race Track in Manila which is the work of track designer and accomplished offroad racer Edward Sio. Commenting in his Philippine Masters debut Matsukura said, ‘I’m excited for the first time to join the Philippine Masters! It’s also my first time going to the Philippines. I’m looking forward to racing at such a great event, and having some good battles with the top drivers.’

Source: Asian Buggy Championships [Facebook]

April 10, 2025

Ongaro heads 2025 Philippine Masters entry

World Champion Davide Ongaro will once again head the entry at the Philippine Masters, which takes place later this month in Manila. The Team Associated star driver has become a regular of the event which has grown into Asia’s biggest annual 1:8 Offroad race meeting. With 2025 marking the biggest edition yet of the Philippine Masters, it is the second stop of the four round Asian Buggy Championships which kicked off in New Zealand last month. With a new title sponsor in Cayote, Round 1 of the Scotty Ernst promoted championship saw Mayako Youth Mentoring Program driver Jayden Edmunds take the win and the Australian will be aiming to build on that performance at the Circulo Verde Race Track from April 30 -May 4th. A huge fan of the Philippine Masters, this the 13th running of the event, asked about the race reigning Champion Ongaro said, ‘I like to come to the PM Masters because the atmosphere is incredible, the joy of the people is something that I’ve never seen, the track is amazing and the effort that the guys put on for this race is something special.’ The Philippine Masters is one of Red RC’s favourite annual events to attend and report on as it combines both top level racing and a social atmosphere around the racing that lives up to the host country’s tagline ‘It’s More Fun in the Philippines’.

Source: Asian Buggy Championships [Facebook]

April 9, 2025

FEMCA rebrands to Asian Championships

The governing body that represents 15 nations in Asia and Australasia, FEMCA has announced a rebranding of its blue ribbon events. Previously known as the FEMCA Championships, they will now be hosted under the titles of Asian Championships with 1:12 and Touring Car the first races set to crown the ‘Asian Champions’ later this year in Foshan, China which will host the 2026 IFMAR World Championships for both categories. Under the leadership of Leonard Kee, the Far East Model Car Association (FEMCA) has been busy re-establishing its championship events following Covid. The 1:8 Offroad Championship has enjoyed great success on its return with Kyosho’s American based up & coming offroad star Phi-Long Nguyen claiming back to back titles in Vietnam last month. Part of the success of that event has been FEMCA’s move to award the host track the option to host the race for 2-years. This is in order to help the track recoup any investment made in presenting a track worthy of hosting this major international title race that includes Atsushi Hara and Kyle McBride as past champions. At the end of last year the profile of the FEMCA Touring Car Championship got a major boost when World Champion Bruno Coelho traveled to Gavin Kwok’s GDC Indoor track, where the Portuguese ace added the title to his CV ahead of former FEMCA Champion Naoto Matsukura. In making the announcement FEMCA stated, ‘FEMCA will launch the “Asia Championship” races in Asia starting this year with ISTC and 1/12 category in the city of Foshan China at the start of December. The Asia Championship will provide a platform for all racers and hobbyist in Asia Pacific to race against their peers and fellow enthusiasts. ‘ Listing the categories that will have Asian Championship status, they added, ‘The events are based in Asia and the entries will be open to all. More events and changes are abound as FEMCA makes tweaks to rules and formats to move forwards in this hobby and region.’

View Championship categories here

April 8, 2025

Nosram batteries for Baruffolo

Nosram has announced that top International 1:8 Offroad racer Marco Baruffolo is to use their batteries to power to eBuggies in 2025. The seven time Italian Champion, Silver State winner and IFMAR World Championship Finalist, will use the German brands batteries as part of his campaign with Kyosho, whom he joined at the end of the 2024 season. With IFMAR hosting the first ever 1:8 Electric Buggy World Championship this season, 2025 is a big year for eBuggy and on his new partnership Baruffolo said, ‘I’m really excited to join the Nosram team! This will give me a great boost during my season, and I’m excited to have the opportunity to work with Jürgen and his team. Thank you Nosram for this opportunity!’

Source: Nosram [Facebook]

April 6, 2025

Repeat double for Maifield at Psycho Nitro Blast

Ryan Maifield pulled off a repeat of his 2024 Psycho Nitro Blast double by once again taking his Teknos to the Nitro Buggy and Nitro Truggy wins at the 18th edition of the Tennessee based indoor race over the weekend. Attracting almost 1000 entries, qualifying would see Maifield secure the TQ in both categories. In Nitro Truggy the defending champion topped both rounds to secure pole ahead of Kyosho’s Ryan Lutz and the Tekno’s of Jared Tebo. In Nitro Buggy it was Team Associated’s Brandon Rose who took Q1 ahead of the Sworkz of European Champion Juan Carlos Canas but with a faster Q2 topping time Maifield would lead away the 18 buggy field in the half hour Main. With the Truggy final up first, Maifield took the win from new Sparko signing Lee Setser who came through from 12th on the grid with fourth place qualifier Mason Fuller completing the Top 3. In Buggy, Fuller went one better with his Sworkz finishing runner up to Maifield, the gap at the finish 10.3-seconds. Seth VanDalen completed the podium ahead Lutz, Rose and Canas. Fuller would complete his move up the podium by wrapping up the event with the eBuggy victory ahead of Canas and Maifield.

Image: JConcepts [jconcepts.net]

April 6, 2025

Donnelly doubles at 1:10 Offroad Worlds Warmup

Team Associated’s Lachlan Donnelly claimed an impressive double victory at the official 1:10 Offroad Warmup race over the weekend, the Australian beating off a strong international team entry on home soil. Racing at the Hills Off Road RC track in Sydney, which will host the World Championship proper from September 29th to October 6th, Donnelly would kick off the Warmup Race with the TQ in 2WD buggy topping 3 of the 5 rounds. Former 2-time World Champion Spencer Rivkin, on his second visit to the track having won the Australian 2WD National title there back in October, would top Q5 to secure second while reigning European Champion Michal Orlowski was fastest in Q4 to put his Schumacher P3 on the grid. In the finals, late errors from Donnelly handed Orlowski the A1 win and Rivkin the win in A2. With it all to play for in A3, the 20-year-old’s third attempt would not only be his best but the fastest of all three to give him the overall win on tiebreak with Rivkin while Orlowski completed the podium. Sunday’s 4WD action would again see Donnelly, the reigning Australian National Champion, secure pole with two TQ runs. Behind him would be another of his AE team-mates with Marcus Kaerup lining up P2, the Dane topping Q4. Taking Q2, Rivkin made it an all Associated Top 3 with Q5 winner Daniel Kobbevik best of the rest putting his Schumacher P4 ahead of team-mate Orlowski. In A1 after a good battle, it was Kaerup who came away with the win over Donnelly. In A2 the duo again battled hard until contact, Rivkin the benefactor to take the win from the Xray of Chase Lemieux with Kobbevik third ahead of Donnelly. With things wide open in A3, again Donnelly saved the best for last winning the encounter with fastest time to once more deny Rivkin on the tiebreak. Lemieux secured the final step on the podium with Kobbevik and Kaerup rounding out the Top 5.

Image: RC Race Media [Facebook]