Red RC

December 8, 2024

Coelho adds FEMCA title to CV

Bruno Coelho has added a FEMCA title to his racing CV, the multiple World and European Champion now official the Champion of Asia in Electric Touring Car. Securing the overall TQ at the event hosted at the GDC track in Foshan, China, the Xray driver continued his dominant form into the finals. Cruising to the win in A1 ahead of former World Champion Naoto Matsukura, he sealed the deal in A2 with another text book race this time ahead of team-mate Shin Sawada. A3 would then decide which side Matsukura and Sawada would stand next to Coelho on the events impressive podium presentation, the entire race weekend taking RC events to a very high level in terms of presentation. Leading away the field in the closing race, Matsukura would see off a determined challenge from his fellow Japanese driver even surviving heavy contact with the boards to win A3 and claim the runner-up spot, the same result he achieved on his only other previous FEMCA ISTC Championship appearance. With racing on carpet somewhat an alien experience for Sawada, he completed the podium. Qualifying fourth, Japanese Offroad Champion Kouki Kato would finish in that position ahead of the Awesomatix of Maxim Laverychev who went one better this year than he achieved on his first visit to the GDC track last year.

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December 8, 2024

Thurston joins Nova Engines

Italian engine manufacturer Nova Engines has announced the signing of reigning multiple British 1:8 Onroad National Champion Alex Thurston. Founded by former top Italian onroad racer Stefano Colombini in 2022, Nova Engines will power the well known international British racers 2025 season. On the announcement Thurston posted, ‘Really pleased to share that I have joined Nova Engines for a new adventure! First testing has been really really positive and I can’t wait to get back on track with them!! Huge thanks to the NOVA Engines team for the warm welcome!’

Source: Nova Engines [nova-engines.com]

December 8, 2024

Coelho cruises to A1 win as Matsukura fends off Sawada

Bruno Coelho has cruised to the win in the opening A-Main at the FEMCA ISTC Championship in China with all the attention on the battle for second between Naoto Matsukura and Shin Sawada. Starting from the TQ, Coelho’s Xray quickly gapped the field with a few interesting spectators, namely Marc Rheinard, Jilles Groskamp & Atsushi Hara, looking on. With the track maintaining the higher traction driver’s enjoyed for the final qualifier, them all having had to deal with very low traction for the first run of today, second place qualifier Matsukura found his Infinity coming under the increasing attention of the Xray of Sawada. Seeing off the first challenge, Sawada dropping back after a few laps of running on his rear bumper, the ISTC Spec Class World Finalist came back for another go at the former World Champion but couldn’t find anywhere around the GDC track to make a move. Finishing 3-seconds back on the winner, Matsukura would have just 2/10ths on Sawada. Having a lonely race Kouki Kato would cross the finish a further 1.8-seconds back.

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December 8, 2024

Hamon joins RC Maker

Top Australian racer Jeff Hamon has announced he has joined Electric Touring Car newcomer RC Maker. The Australian, who announced his departure from Serpent last week, joins the Australia’s first touring car manufacturer which is the realisation of a life long dream of another of the country’s top drivers Ryan Maker who released the SP1 in August. Announcing the news RC Maker said, ‘We’re extremely excited to announce Australian superstar Jeff Hamon on board with RC MAKER! Jeff will be working closely with us driving and developing the SP1, as well as managing our graphics and marketing division going forward! Working with Jeff is a massive step forward for us, and we’re looking forward to all the great things we accomplish together in future! Welcome aboard Jeff!’ Reacting to the signing Hamon posted, ‘Beyond excited to join RC Maker! When Ryan first told me he was making his own car I was so pumped for him! Watching the SP-1 become a reality and performing so well already, along with Ryan being one of the nicest guys in the industry I had to be part of it! I can’t wait to hit the track!

Source: RC Maker [rcmaker.com.au]

December 8, 2024

Coelho Top Qualifier at FEMCA Championship

Bruno Coelho is the Top Qualifier at this year’s FEMCA ISTC Championship, the Xray driver picking up where he left off yesterday to top the third round of qualifying this morning in Foshan, China. Faced with low traction conditions for the 3rd of the 5 scheduled qualifier, this would prove to be Coelho’s slowest TQ run so far with the World Champion unable to match the two 25-lap runs he posted in yesterday’s opening two qualifiers around the GDC Indoor track. Again it was Infinity’s Naoto Matsukura who presented the biggest challenge, the gap however at the end of the 5-minutes still significant at 3.3-seconds this time round. After a slow opening lap, Shin Sawada would recover to complete the Top 3 times, the Xray driver benefiting from his fellow countryman Kouki Kato rolling his Infinity on the curbing coming onto the main straight on lap 16 which cost him over 2.5 seconds. Behind Kato, the Awesomatix of Rocket Zhang led the home challenge, the well known Chinese driver rounding out the Top 5 ahead of the similar car of Maxim Laverychev.

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December 7, 2024

Coelho holds overnight FEMCA TQ in China

Bruno Coelho holds the overnight TQ at the FEMCA ISTC Championship in China, the Xray driver topping the opening two rounds of qualifying today at the GDC Indoor track in Foshan. Having topped seeding, the World Champion would take the first of the 5 scheduled qualifiers ahead of Naoto Matsukura and it looked it was going to be a similar result in Q2 until the Japanese driver’s Infinity got stopped suddenly in its tracks by the foot of a marshal. While Matsukura would eventually continued to claim a P4 run, it was his team-mate Koki Kato and Xray’s Shin Sawada who would benefit to end the round with the 2nd & 3rd fastest times respectively. Overall however Matsukura still holds P2 going into tomorrow morning’s final 3-rounds of qualifying despite ending the day on 6-points together with Kato & Sawada.

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December 7, 2024

Coelho tops seeding in Foshan

Bruno Coelho is the top seed at the FEMCA Championship for Electric Touring Car in Foshan City, China, the Xray driver laying down his fastest time in the third & final round of practice at GDC. With the indoor carpet track getting faster and faster each round as the hard compound controlled Rush tyres come in, Coelho’s time was 7/10ths of a second quicker than his near rival Naoto Matsukura over his 3-consecutive with Infinity team-mate & fellow countryman Koki Kato completing the Top 3 a further 3/10ths down. A Spec class finalist at the recent IFMAR ISTC World Championships in California, the Xray of Shin Sawada would post the fourth fastest time ahead of the similar car of Chinese National Champion Jerry Dai who claimed 5th at last year’s FIRC.

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December 7, 2024

Coelho opens FEMCA C/ship at top of SP1

After a very impressive ceremony this morning at GDC to officially open the 2024 FEMCA ISTC Championship in Foshan, China, it was the Xray of Bruno Coelho that set the opening pace when cars hit the track at midday. After his well executed speech during the opening ceremony, getting up on stage probably the most daunting things the World Champion has faced so far, the Portuguese returned to the environment he is far more comfortable with to set the fastest 3-consecutive laps of the first seeding round ahead of the Infinitys of Naoto Matsukura and Koki Kato. A driver who took part in the inaugural FIRC race last year, Maxim Laverychev would take his Awesomatix to the fourth fastest time ahead of the Xray of Japanese driver Shin Sawada with top Indonesian driver Bowie Ginting completing the Top 6 for the first of the three seeding rounds.

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