Red RC - RC Car News

Video – Modified A-main Leg 3

Posted: 28 Oct 2018 11:04 AM PDT

Video – Pro Stock A-main Leg 3

Posted: 28 Oct 2018 09:42 AM PDT

Video – Formula A-main Leg 3

Posted: 28 Oct 2018 09:42 AM PDT

Rheinard & Hagberg complete Rd1 podium

Posted: 28 Oct 2018 09:25 AM PDT

The opening round of the 2018/19 Yokomo Euro Touring Series has come to an end and with Ronald Volker already wrapping up the overall win in the first 2 A-mains, the final race of the weekend was to decide the remaining podium places. Starting from what was effectively pole position, Marc Rheinard was never really troubled in the 5 minute race as his competitors behind him faltered. Starting 2nd, Alexander Hagberg would go slightly wide which let Coelho by, however a lap later in the same spot the Portuguese driver would too make a mistake letting Hagberg back through, followed closely by Freddy Sudhoff. Now in a train of 4 cars with star of the event Thimo Weissbauer bringing up the back of the pack, Hagberg was to make a mistake entering the straight letting the following 3 cars through. Two laps later Coelho would roll out of the track at scoring and timing, letting Weissbauer up into 3rd. And thats how it stayed with Marc taking the win from Freddy, with Thimo 3rd, Alexander 4th and Christopher Krapp, who started 9th up into 5th. In the overall standings the result would secure Infinity driver Rheinard the runner up spot, while Hagberg did enough in the previous 2 mains to take the final step on the podium. The Awesomatix pair of Sudhoff of Weissbauer would complete the top 5, while current champion Coelho will have to hope that his 6th place will be one of the Xray driver’s dropped rounds in the championship.

In the Pro Stock class, again with Lauter securing the win and sitting out the final main, the battle was on to find the remaining places. Max Machler, who had taken 2nd in both the first 2 mains, would take the win to secure 2nd overall, ahead of Tim Benson who was able to claim the final podium spot.

Formula proved to be another exciting final as the overall win was still up for grabs, and it would give us our third different winner with David Ehrbar crossing the line first in the fastest time of the three to take the tie breaker and get his 2018/19 season off to best possible start. Unfortunately for the pole man, Simon Lauter’s race went badly as his car hit problems, meaning he missed the podium, finishing up 4th. This allowed Andreas Stiebler and Jan Ratheisky to come through and complete the top 3 for the round and this was how they ended up in the overall results as well.

In the Masters 40+ class Toni Mateo won the 3rd A-main to confirm his runner up spot in the overall, while Peter Miko, who won this class 12 months ago at the same venue, would take 2nd for the leg which would give the Hungarian the final podium place. In the new for this season Stock class, which runs handout Muchmore 17.5T motors, Daniel Pöhlmann was finally able to wrap up the win, having had an issue in A2 which was the only blotch on an otherwise perfect weekend for the German. Mark Valent would end his weekend in 2nd with Krystian Kopacki finishing 3rd.

View complete event results here.

View our event image gallery here.

Chassis Focus – Jacques Libar

Posted: 28 Oct 2018 07:17 AM PDT

Chassis – Roche Rapide Evo
Motor – Scorpion (Handout)
ESC – Scorpion (Handout)
Batteries – Gens-Ace 5500mAh
Tires – Volante (handout)
Radio/Servo – Sanwa
Bodyshell – Bittydesign 6R

Remarks – Roche team driver Jacques Libar is running the Evo version of the Rapide, fitted with an aluminium chassis and long front suspension arms. His car also sports a new rear wing mount, designed by Jacques’ brother Laurent that fixes the wing to the chassis instead of the rear pod for improved overall stability, and an optional short rear pod.

Image Gallery

Video – Modified A-main Leg 2

Posted: 28 Oct 2018 07:15 AM PDT

Video – Pro Stock A-main Leg 2

Posted: 28 Oct 2018 06:45 AM PDT

Video – Formula A-main Leg 2

Posted: 28 Oct 2018 06:44 AM PDT

Ronald Volker end ETS drought with victory in Vienna

Posted: 28 Oct 2018 06:41 AM PDT

Ronald Volker has finally broken his victory drought that stretched 11 races, all the way back to Mulheim Kaerlich at the beginning of the 16/17 season, having taken the win here in Vienna. Starting from pole position the former World Champion leaves Austria with a solid lead in the points standings, having also taken the bonus point for TQ. Despite some close racing with his long time rival Marc Rheinard, Volker was able to pull a small gap at the end to take the race, with Marc having to settle for 2nd place, just ahead of Alexander Hagberg and Freddy Sudhoff, with reigning Champion Bruno Coelho suffering another difficult race ending up in 5th. Ronald was quick to thank those who made it possible saying ‘I’m super happy to get the overall win for this event, we worked the last few weeks really hard to get the upcoming BD9 in good shape. A special thanks to Hayato and Team Yokomo for this as well as thanks to Jurgen from LRP for the support’. About his race he said ‘A2 was starting well but I struggled with my driving in the middle of the run and I made a few small mistakes on the left part of the track so Marc was very close but I really didn’t want it to go to A3 so I put my head down and got a bit of a gap so I didn’t need to defend’, concluding by saying ‘Very very happy, after a couple of ETS races I finally got the TQ and win again.’

Continue reading this report here or view our complete event coverage here.

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Ronald Volker end ETS drought with victory in Vienna

Posted: 28 Oct 2018 06:39 AM PDT

Very very happy, after a couple of ETS races I finally got the TQ and win again.”

Ronald Volker

Ronald Volker has finally broken his victory drought that stretched 11 races, all the way back to Mulheim Kaerlich at the beginning of the 16/17 season, having taken the win here in Vienna. Starting from pole position the former World Champion leaves Austria with a solid lead in the points standings, having also taken the bonus point for TQ. Despite some close racing with his long time rival Marc Rheinard, Volker was able to pull a small gap at the end to take the race, with Marc having to settle for 2nd place, just ahead of Alexander Hagberg and Freddy Sudhoff, with reigning Champion Bruno Coelho suffering another difficult race ending up in 5th. Ronald was quick to thank those who made it possible saying ‘I’m super happy to get the overall win for this event, we worked the last few weeks really hard to get the upcoming BD9 in good shape. A special thanks to Hayato and Team Yokomo for this as well as thanks to Jurgen from LRP for the support’. About his race he said ‘A2 was starting well but I struggled with my driving in the middle of the run and I made a few small mistakes on the left part of the track so Marc was very close but I really didn’t want it to go to A3 so I put my head down and got a bit of a gap so I didn’t need to defend’, concluding by saying ‘Very very happy, after a couple of ETS races I finally got the TQ and win again.’

I tried to push him but in the end I just pushed too much and lost more time.”

Marc Rheinard

Marc Rheinard ended A2 in second despite pushing hard to get the lead but admitted to pushing too hard ‘I struggled this time on the first lap and I was already 0.8 behind, the car felt better in A1, but I saw Ronald had small trouble 1 or 2 times so I tried to get close, and I was close, but then I was pushing too much so I hit a curb here and there’ continuing ‘I mean anyway there is no room to pass. I tried to push him but in the end I just pushed to much and lost more time’. On A3 the Infinity driver said ‘I’ll try to keep them (Alex & Bruno) behind me, drive my own race and hope they battle.’

‘I didn’t really have a good start’, commented Hagberg ‘I felt the track had less grip now so I struggled a bit to get the turn-in so I couldn’t really catch the guys in front so I just tried to defend the position and take it to the end’. With Volker having to sit out the 3rd A-main the Swede aims to go for the win but that might be hard as he believes the track ‘might be different again in the next main’.

The pace is now pretty similar, so almost anything can happen.”

Freddy Sudhoff

Making the only pass of the race, Freddy Sudhoff didn’t need an invitation to take advantage of a small mistake by Coelho as he took the position. Feeling his Awesomatix was now better than in the first main he said ‘I changed the car a little bit, trying a little different downstop settings which let the car rotate more in the mid corner’. On his pass on the 3-time ETS Champion, he commented, ‘luckily Bruno made a small mistake so there was a gap I could use. He chased me pretty hard to the end, it was a super fair fight, it was fun to drive’. On the final main and with the remaining podium positions still open the German said ‘I will see what happens in front. It looked like everyone slowed down a little bit and I kept my pace so the pace is now pretty similar, so almost anything can happen.’

Simon Lauter completed his domination of the Pro Stock class this weekend as the Awesomatix driver took another win, again ahead of his team mate Max Machler in 2nd, to wrap up his first overall win in the class. Following a coming together between Jan Ratheisky and Tim Benson, Frederik Mikkelsen was able to drive through the confusion and take 3rd, with the battling pair ending the final in 4th and 5th respectively.

In Formula, it was once again Simon Lauter who put on a master class, however this time is was on how to resist pressure as the German was pushed the entire race, first by David Ehrbar, who despite a few tries was not able to find a way passed. When the Serpent driver crashed it was Andreas Stiebler who went in pursuit of the Tamiya driver, but ran out of time at the end. With Lauter having a difficult A1, it is all still to play for in A3.

Alexander Stocker was another to wrap up the class win early as the former ETS Pro Stock champion took another win to take his first overall victory in the Masters 40+ class. Again it was Toni Mateo who took 2nd place with Christian Drießle 3rd. Having dominated Stock all weekend Daniel Pohlmann was not able to wrap up the overall win early as he endured a difficult race, which allowed Mark Valent to take the A2 win ahead of Krystian Kopacki and Kevin Sparbier.

View complete event results here.

View our event image gallery here.

Video – Modified A-main Leg 1

Posted: 28 Oct 2018 04:01 AM PDT

A1 win for Ronald Volker

Posted: 28 Oct 2018 02:53 AM PDT

Ronald Volker has taking a straight forward win in the opening modified A-main at the ETS season opener in Vienna. Starting from pole position the Yokomo driver was unchallenged as the chasing pack were held up by their own battles. Alexander Hagberg would manage to get by 2nd place starter Marc Rheinard after a mistake from the Infinity driver allowed the Swede to stick it down the inside. On a track that is very difficult to pass, the rest of the race had little in the way of opportunities and despite a last lap effort by Bruno Coelho on Rheinard, it was a very processional race. Volker, who claimed the bonus championship point for TQ yesterday, said ‘I couldn’t ask for more, basically we are all on the same speed but they were in a battle so I could drive my race, the track was again a bit different’. Asked about his plans for A2 the former champion said ‘it is up to me to put in a clean run and repeat it for A2’.

Continue reading this report here or view our complete event coverage here.

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Matsukura adds first nitro title to World Championship tally

Posted: 27 Oct 2018 06:41 PM PDT

Multiple Electric Onroad World Champion Naoto Matsukura has added a Nitro Touring Car World title to his tally with a very convincing performance at the 1:10 200mm World Championships in Florida. After a messy start which saw Top Qualifier Dario Balestri, Super Pole winner Robert Pietsch and reigning champion Dominic Greiner receive penalties, the Infinity driver quickly stamped his authority on the 1-hour final. By the first round of fuel stops the 200mm rookie, who stopped early at 4:30, had already pulled out over a 6-second lead and such was his lead at the mid race tyre change his crew was able to switch to 4:00 stops ensuring his massive lead was never at risk. At the end the Japanese driver becomes the 8th different World Champion of the class by almost 2-laps. Battling with Tadahiko Sahashi for second place before the Infinity driver suffered a flame out in the final minutes of the race Capricorn’s Kyle Branson would finish second with Team Shepherd’s very quick Eduardo Escandon coming through from the back of the grid to complete the podium at Homestead RC Raceway. Half a lap back Pietsch would recover from his penalty and a bad tyre stop to finish fourth ahead of Mugen team-mate Jeff Hamon, with Greiner, who got a second penalty completing the Top 6. Ending up 9-laps off the lead after running out of fuel, Balestri ended up 7th but his biggest frustration was the length the cars were held on the starting grid. He said his penalty was a result of him trying to make sure his engine didn’t cut.

Continue reading this report here or view our complete event coverage here.

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2018 IFMAR 1/10th 200mm Worlds Winning Car

Posted: 27 Oct 2018 06:32 PM PDT

Naoto Matsukura (Japan)

Infinity IF15 – OS Speed T12 03 – Maxima Fuel – Protoform P47 Body – Sanwa Transmitter & Servos

DHI Cup 2019 – Announcement

Posted: 27 Oct 2018 06:31 PM PDT

The 2019 edition of the iconic DHI Cup will be held from the 11th to 13th of January 2019 at Sparekassen Fyn Arena. The race will see the running of Touring Modified and Touring Super Stock as well as 2WD Buggy and 4WD Buggy classes on the usual split-track layout. Sign-up for Touring Modified starts on Tuesday the 30th of October at 20:00GMT1+ with sign-up for the Super Stock class being possible an hour later at 21:00GMT1+. Sign-up for the 4WD Buggy class starts on Wednesday the 31st of October at 20:00GMT1+ and for the 2WD Buggy class at 21:00GMT1+ the same day. To offer a sensible time table entries are capped at 60 Modified, 80 Super Stock and 70 each for the Buggy classes. The 2019 edition marks the end of the cup’s cooperation with the Sparekassen Fyn Arena and thus this year’s race will be the last at the iconic spot. Full information on sign-up, hotels etc. can be found on social media here.

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Team Silverback 5000mAh ultra low CG LiPo battery

Posted: 27 Oct 2018 06:30 PM PDT

Team Silverback have introduced their all-new 7.4V 5000mAh ultra low centre of gravity LiPo battery pack. The power source is made of G-Series graphene-technology cells for a very low internal resistance, high discharge rates, enhanced punch and maximum top speed. The hardcase pack measures 139x47mm at a height of only 19.5mm which makes for a very low overall centre of gravity. The battery weighs in at 235g and its capacity makes it ideal for medium-sized indoor tracks.

Source: Team Silverback [silverbackrc.com]

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Matsukura adds first nitro title to World Championship tally

Posted: 27 Oct 2018 05:37 PM PDT

Multiple Electric Onroad World Champion Naoto Matsukura has added a Nitro Touring Car World title to his tally with a very convincing performance at the 1:10 200mm World Championships in Florida. After a messy start which saw Top Qualifier Dario Balestri, Super Pole winner Robert Pietsch and reigning champion Dominic Greiner receive penalties, the Infinity driver quickly stamped his authority on the 1-hour final. By the first round of fuel stops the 200mm rookie, who stopped early at 4:30, had already pulled out over a 6-second lead and such was his lead at the mid race tyre change his crew was able to switch to 4:00 stops ensuring his massive lead was never at risk. At the end the Japanese driver becomes the 8th different World Champion of the class by almost 2-laps. Battling with Tadahiko Sahashi for second place before the Infinity driver suffered a flame out in the final minutes of the race Capricorn’s Kyle Branson would finish second with Team Shepherd’s very quick Eduardo Escandon coming through from the back of the grid to complete the podium at Homestead RC Raceway. Half a lap back Pietsch would recover from his penalty and a bad tyre stop to finish fourth ahead of Mugen team-mate Jeff Hamon, with Greiner, who got a second penalty completing the Top 6. Ending up 9-laps off the lead after running out of fuel, Balestri ended up 7th but his biggest frustration was the length the cars were held on the starting grid. He said his penalty was a result of him trying to make sure his engine didn’t cut.

‘Perfect. Perfect car, perfect speed, perfect mechanic’, was how Matsukura summed up becoming the nitro touring car World Champion at his first attempt. The former Electric Touring Car World champion, who also won that title in Florida at the nearby Kissimmee track, continued, ‘We made a really fast tyre stop and after this the gap more than a lap so I then just tried to control my race. Before we were refuelling at 4:30 but to be save we make 4-minutes’. Having led the final on his 1:8 Onroad Worlds debut in France last year, but succumbing to a flat receiver battery, he said ‘around 55-minutes I started to get nervous and starting think about things going wrong. I even asked Miura if we could go to 3:30 for the last fuel stops but he told me don’t worry. Miura and Bank did a perfect job. I also want to thank my boss Mr. Kenji and my family who all stayed in Japan to watch the race’.

Reacting to his race, having bumped up twice after starting the day in the 1/4 finals, Branson said, ‘I didn’t expect that’. The British driver continued, ‘We were all bunched up for a while at the start and I had to hold back. I didn’t want to do anything stupid so I waited for the pack to spread out. I know I had to do 2 extra (fuel) stops I think but for the final my car was perfect. I could drive it so easy. I didn’t have to push to be in the pack’. His first Worlds podium having made his first worlds final last time out, he added, ‘thanks to everyone who has helped me and congrats to Naoto. Fair play to him, he was on another level’.

‘First I have to say a massive thank you to Shepherd Micro Racing and Coten Escuderia because I am only here because of their support. Without it I would not be celebrating this podium’, said a delighted Escandon. The Spanish driver, who first made a name for himself in the ENS after joining Shepherd last season started out the day in the 1/4 finals, continued, ‘ (Takaaki) Shimo hit my car in the last lap of the Semi so we had to rebuild the car and I had to get a bodyshell from Thilo. After that my plan was to have fun with the top drivers in the World for 1-hour but when I realised I was running in the main pack I started to push and at the end I am third place. It’s amazing from where we started the week struggling to what we finished. For sure this was a team effort’.

Asked about his fourth place in the final, Pietsch replied, ‘the start was a big problem. Dario jumped the start and I followed him so I also got a penalty. Then after Dario took his penalty he touched me at a bad angle and I rolled’. Winner of his 1:8 World title at the same track 7-years ago, the German continued, ‘The tyre stop was bad and we lost 6-seconds but the car was also difficult to drive. It was not on the same pace as before’.

Summing up his race outgoing champion Greiner said, ‘I don’t know what happened at the start. I didn’t jump the start but I got a penalty. They said I put my car too early on the ground so I got a penalty’. Not happy with the decision, the German said, ‘I don’t know what Masami was doing. I touched a guy and rolled my car and got a penalty. Dario hit Robert and got no penalty’. Ultimately running out of fuel would end Greiner’s chances of retaining his title. He said, ‘At the second fuel stop we ran out of fuel and then it was over. For sure Naoto was fast but out front he could drive his own race’.

View the complete event results here.

View our event image gallery here.

Greiner to defend title from 4th in Miami

Posted: 27 Oct 2018 01:02 PM PDT

Dominic Greiner will defend his 1:10 200mm World title from 4th on the grid in Miami later this evening. Starting second in the Semi finals, the Serpent driver maintained that position behind pole man Naoto Matsukura to progress to the 1-hour main event at Homestead RC Raceway. In the first of the two Semi finals, it was Tadahiko Sahashi who took the win ahead of Jilles Groskamp and Kyle Branson. Starting from pole and holding an early lead, Andy Moore’s impressive campaign came undone when he lost the brakes on his car. After his demise, No.2 starter Shoki Takahata took control but after building up a lead the Mugen driver’s race faltered when he had the first of a number of flame outs. Flame outs also ended Vice-Champion Alessio Mazzeo’s event while former Champion Meen Vrejrak’s attempt at a second title ended when he had issues with wheels coming off his car. In the second of the 30-minute encounters, Matsukura led home Greiner by a comfortable gap of 4.7 seconds with Teemu Leino completing the Top 3. With their fourth & fifth place times the next fastest two times outside the Top 3 of both Semis, Jeff Hamon and Eduardo Escandon, both having bumped up from the 1/4 finals, complete the Top 10 that will battle to become the 1:10 200mm’s 8th World Champion. Unfortunately for former 1:8 World Champion Simon Kurzbuch there will be no repeat of the result as he came the second 2016 podium finisher to fall by the wayside in the Semis after suffering a number of flame outs.

Continue reading this report here or view our complete event coverage here.

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Greiner to defend title from 4th in Miami

Posted: 27 Oct 2018 12:56 PM PDT

Dominic Greiner will defend his 1:10 200mm World title from 4th on the grid in Miami later this evening. Starting second in the Semi finals, the Serpent driver maintained that position behind pole man Naoto Matsukura to progress to the 1-hour main event at Homestead RC Raceway. In the first of the two Semi finals, it was Tadahiko Sahashi who took the win ahead of Jilles Groskamp and Kyle Branson. Starting from pole and holding an early lead, Andy Moore’s impressive campaign came undone when he lost the brakes on his car. After his demise, No.2 starter Shoki Takahata took control but after building up a lead the Mugen driver’s race faltered when he had the first of a number of flame outs. Flame outs also ended Vice-Champion Alessio Mazzeo’s event while former Champion Meen Vrejrak’s attempt at a second title ended when he had issues with wheels coming off his car. In the second of the 30-minute encounters, Matsukura led home Greiner by a comfortable gap of 4.7 seconds with Teemu Leino completing the Top 3. With their fourth & fifth place times the next fastest two times outside the Top 3 of both Semis, Jeff Hamon and Eduardo Escandon, both having bumped up from the 1/4 finals, complete the Top 10 that will battle to become the 1:10 200mm’s 8th World Champion. Unfortunately for former 1:8 World Champion Simon Kurzbuch there will be no repeat of the result as he came the second 2016 podium finisher to fall by the wayside in the Semis after suffering a number of flame outs.

‘It was OK’, was Greiner’s reaction after the race. The German continued, ‘at the start me, Naoto and Simon pulled away a bit but having watched the previous Semi and seen a tyre stop was no advantage I then had to drive safe to save my tyres to the end’. He said, ‘It was a clean run and now the first step is done’. Asked about the pending final, he replied, ‘Management of the tyres is important.If you push too much they are finished. I think there will be many strategies but I think 1-stop for sure is needed’.

Matsakura described his race as ‘perfect’. The 200mm Worlds Rookie said, ‘the car is good and the speed is good but I also made a safe run for the tyres’. The Infinity driver, who will line up 3rd on the grid behind Top Qualifier Dario Balestri and Super Pole winner Robert Pietsch, added, ‘I had to make one extra (fuel) stop but I still lead. I have an engine that will do 5-minutes but the feeling of the Semi engine is better so I think I will keep (for the final)’. The multiple Electric onroad World Champion concluded, ‘Me & car today are good so I can go for the win’.

Describing his race, Leino said, ‘I had a shit start because two times I got taken out but I had a very good car and could recover. The next one with a better start all will be good’. The Infinity driver and reigning European Champion added, ‘After the bad start I then catch a lot the leaders so I’m very confident for the final’.

Winner of the first Semi, Sahashi said it was important to manage the tyres in the race. The former 1:8 World Champion, who along with Balestri and Pietsch will be vying to become only the second ever driver alongside Adrien Bertin to be both a 1:8 and 1:10 World Champion, said ‘I made a safe run’ adding on run time he was just making the 5-minutes but he was looking forward to a competitive showing in the final.

Commenting on his race Groskamp said, ‘I started super slow and let others passed. They were super aggressive at the start and maximum push’. The Infinity driver continued, ‘I drove really safe for the tyre because I knew 30-minutes was going to be critical. I also made my first stop one lap later than the others to have a clean stop. After my mechanic told me the fuel was good and that I could push’. The newly crowned Euro Nitro Series Champion added, ‘after the third pit stop I was already in the bump up position and started to be safe. I was surprised how close I was to Tadahiko. I had one spin at the end of the straight but my car was really good on small tyres’. The Infinity driver concluded, ‘I stayed out of trouble. It was one of my better races ever and I’m excited for the final’.

Having made his final debut at the previous Worlds in Gubbio, Branson was delighted to repeat the feat. The Capricorn driver said, ‘I knew once we found our set-up earlier in the week that it would be good for the finals. It was not the fastest but it was good for long runs’. The British driver added, ‘I drove my own race but I was down on run time compared to the others so I had to make one extra stop. It’s strange, the race is a bit like a mirror of Gubbio. I’m super happy I made it’. Looking to the 1-hour final he concluded, ‘I’m going to enjoy myself. You come to the Worlds looking to make the final and I have achieved that so I’m going to drive my own race’.

View the complete event results here.

View our event image gallery here.