March 28, 2024

IFMAR ISTC World C/Ship Motor & Battery homologation

IFMAR has published details of its approval process for motor and battery manufacturers wishing for their products to be used at this 1:10 Electric Touring Car World Championships which will be hosted by Finishline RC Raceway in Bakersfield, California, in November.  At last year’s IFMAR 1:10 Offroad World Championships in Arizona, a number of drivers were forced to switch motors and battery brands as their sponsor’s products while ROAR/EFRA approved had not completed the approval process with the World Federation.  The most high profile case of this was 2WD World Champion elect Tater Sontag who while at the time sponsored by Fantom, had to use a motor from Hobbywing and batteries from Protek.  Manufacturers with previous IFMAR approved batteries and motors do not need to re-apply for homologation once the product remains unchanged but with the Spec class moving to 17.5T this year all motors will need to go through the approval process.  All applications must be made between March 25th and July 5th, 2024.

Source: IFMAR [Facebook]


March 28, 2024

Capricorn TE-06 Electric Touring Car

Italian manufacturer Capricorn RC has just released its latest 1:10 Electric Touring Car, the TE-06.  Patrizio Rossi’s design places a decisive emphasis on concreteness, distancing itself from ephemeral trends to focus on what he believes is truly essential: offering a vehicle that is fast, intuitive to drive and simple to maintain.  This model, like all those by Capricorn, boasts an entirely Italian production, characterised by fine finishes.  The peculiarity of the TE-06 lies in its shock dampers, noticeably short and placed in an unusually low position, fixed to new design arms made of composite.  The distinctive detail of the aluminium parts, among which the engine support stands out, presenting itself as a true masterpiece, embellished with the red color symbol of the company.  Completing its innovative features is the dynamic toe-in system located on the rear axle.

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March 27, 2024

MiBorg X4’24 ‘RJS’ innovative inner joint

French RC driveshaft specialists MiBorg has released its ‘RJS’ innovative inner joint for the Xray X4 ’24 1:10 Electric Touring Car.  This unique system drastically reduces the friction effect generated by the driveshaft in roll movement of the car.  It is a more robust and simplest solution compare with bearing competitive solutions : no bearing, no e-clip and no maintenance.  The 2 mm idler in the drive shaft head is lubricated for life with specific lub.  RJS is compatible with Xray “BB” spool or differential cup and combined with innovative RCV driveshaft.

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March 26, 2024

Payne wins season finale, Harper takes RugRacers Series

The fifth & final round of the Hertford Radio Car Club run RugRacers Series saw Schumacher’s Ollie Payne take the win but it was team-mate Elliot Harper who took the overall 23/24 Series title.  While four drivers had a chance at the title going into the season finale, other commitments meant winner of the previous round Alex Thurston, Harper and Hayley Eldridge where absent, the latter competing at the ETS in Vienna where she was making history in becoming the first ever female to make the Modified A-Main.  In qualifying Payne took the top spot, 4-seconds ahead of the returning Olly Jeffries with Matthieu Dambrine securing 3rd position on the grid.  The first final saw a commanding win from Payne where he would pull away, managing the gap for the rest of the run to take a comfortable 3-second win over the Awesomatix of 16-time BRCA Champion Jefferies.  A2 began with Jeffries chasing Payne and looking for an opportunity to get by but the Top Qualifier would stay out front to win the round and secure himself runner-up spot in the championship while her efforts over the previous rounds secured Eldridge third in the final standings.

Source: RugRacers [Facebook]


March 25, 2024

Home of the TITC, RC Addict gets resurfaced

It has become the home of the greatest & most difficult annual electric touring race in the World and having just hosted its biggest TITC ever the RC Addict track in Bangkok, Thailand is getting a new surface of asphalt.  Originally built in 2009, the track which has hosted two 1:10 Nitro Touring Car World Championships (2012 & 2022) and became the home of the TITC since 2010, was last resurfaced in 2016.  Built in an area 55m wide by 27m deep, the extreme heat that Thailand experiences had taken its toll on the surface with the bumps adding to the challenges of the race, in particular over the last two years since its return after Covid.  In addition to the fresh asphalt, the track’s enclosed pit area is also receiving a welcomed treatment of insulation which will keep the area cooler when it is once again packed with hundreds of racers from around the World for the 21st edition of the race in 2025.

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March 25, 2024

Balestri wins Ielasi Tuned International Cup

The 2024 edition of the annual Ielasi Tuned International Cup took place at Pista Leno in Italy over the weekend where it was Infinity’s Dario Balestri who took the 1:8 win ahead of Mugen Seiki’s Simon Kurzbuch and Capricorn’s Toni Gruber.   In qualifying for the race put on by former World Champion Daniele Ielasi, it was 1:8 GT World Champion Gruber who took the opening qualifier ahead of Balestri but the reigning 1:8 Onroad World Champion go to the top in Q2 & 3 to secure the overall TQ from Gruber.  With two P2 runs young Xray star Filippo Domanin secured P3 on the grid for the 45-minute final ahead of Kurzbuch with Thomas Lorenzi and last year’s winner Francesco Tironi completing the Top 6.   Balestri lead away from the start but about half way into the race had issues with Gruber going to the front but then the German would have problems of his own.  In the end some very quick pit work for a last minute fuel stop helped keep Balestri ahead of Kurzbuch, the pairing enjoying a great battle for the win as Gruber completed the podium just 3 seconds back after 194 laps of racing.

Image: Ielasi Tuned [Facebook]


March 24, 2024

Orlowki crowned ETS Champion

Michal Orlowski is the new ETS Champion, the Schumacher driver securing the Modified title for the first time with a dominant performance at the Season #16 finale in Austria.  With the Polish driver’s busy onroad & offroad schedule meaning he would miss two of the six rounds in the current ETS season it meant every race counted and he delivered on that requirement by winning all four events he attended.  In Vienna, he topped all four rounds of qualifying to secure the TQ ahead of Awesomatix pairing of Lucas Urbain and TITC Open Brushless Champion Simon Lauter.  In the finals, Orlowski was again the class act with his Hobbywing powered prototype Schumacher winning A1 by 2.5 seconds and then sealing the deal in A2 by a 4-second margin.  Winning A3 from Lauter, Urbain would secure second overall for Round 6 to take the runner-up spot in the standings ahead of team-mate Marc Rheinard, the multiple ETS Champion having a tough season finale and finishing P10.  In Pro Stock, it was Lukas Ellebrock who took the Round 6 win but it would be Olivier Bultynck that took the title by a single point having finished Runner-up last season to Simon Lauter, the later making the impressive step up to the Modified class this season.

Image: ETS [Facebook]


March 24, 2024

SIGP victories for Coelho & Hamon

The SIGP International RC Car Grand Prix made a return over the weekend with dominant performances from Bruno Coelho in electric and Jeff Hamon in nitro seeing the two international visitors take the victories in China.  Established as one of China’s biggest annual international races prior to Covid, defending 2019 Touring Car Champion Coelho was the class of the field with his Xray.  Having taken all four qualifiers, from the TQ he secured the overall win with perfect drives in A1 & 2 with his efforts netting him 20,000 Chinese Yuan, approximately €2,500.  While Coelho cruised to victory, Yokomo’s Nicolas Lee and the Xray of JJ Wang enjoyed a good battle for the runner up spot.  In A1, Wang would get passed the Singapore driver but on used tyres he couldn’t hold the position.  In A2, Wang took advantage of Lee being on used tyres and took second setting them up for an interesting A3 battle.  With a minute to go in final A-Main a mistake by Wang dropped him to third allowing Chinese National Champion Ma Haoran passed for second behind winner Lee.  Overall it was Lee who got second with Wang completing the podium on his return to international competition.  In the 1:8 Onroad Nitro Final, Hamon’s Serpent was untouchable over the 45-minute final and the Australian netted himself an easy 20,000 Chinese Yuan.  Despite a big crash at the start, Matrix Tires founder Cristian Boni recovered to finish second with fellow Italian Cristiano Sartor joining him on the podium in Xiamen.

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