TITC Rewind – a quick look back on recent moments from the world’s greatest race

In 2003 when the first edition of the Thailand International Touring Car Championship was held no one could have ever imagined what this race would become.  For sure the fact that the first ever 1:10 Electric Touring Car World Champion Surikarn Chaidajsuriya won it as the reigning World Champion brought attention to the race and got it off on the right footing, but over the 20 editions held since it has established itself into one of the races that every great driver of our sport wants to claim.  Like the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indy 500, Le Mans, and the Dakar Rally, are to full size motorsport, the TITC is iconic and one of the most coveted wins there is in Electric Touring Car and RC racing in general.  Manufacturers of all sizes flock to it such is its significance and only an IFMAR World title trumps it in terms of prestige but for that you must wait 2-years between attempts.  For drivers it is not a case of flying out a day or two early to get into the swing of driving around the Infinity RC Addict track in conditions that are always changing due to the Thai heat & humidity.  Drivers pretty much relocated themselves in Bangkok in search of finding that little something that might help them come out victorious at the end of what is officially only a 4-day event, all else going well because it can be a cruel race.  Australian racer Michael Stone made his TITC debut last year and asking him on our arrival to cover the 2025 action how he was finding the experience his reply summed it up perfectly, ‘I am coming for longer next year.’  The race hadn’t even officially started at that stage but it highlights the unique atmosphere that you have to actually experience to truly appreciate.  On the eve of the official action getting underway and the 22nd edition attracting the greatest media attention the TITC has ever seen, including its first proper livestream production by our friends RC Race Media, we want to rewind a little and take a look back at some of the more recent editions of the TITC as we look forward to telling the story of our sixth TITC.

While we had been to RC Addict in 2012 to witness Thai driver Meen Vejrak become the IFMAR Nitro Touring Car World Champion ahead of Atsushi Hara and Francesco Tironi, our first TITC would be in 2017.  Bruno Coelho had won the race for the first time a year earlier and he was to successfully defended that title but only after what he described at the time as the ‘hardest win’ of his career.  Qualifying would see Jilles Groskamp take the opening two qualifiers with Coelho taking the next two leaving it all to play for in Q5, but on the limit & under pressure from Coelho who had a really strong car for that round, Groskamp made a mistake and crashed out allowing Coelho to secure the TQ.  In A1 Coelho took an easy win as a frantic battle took place for second with the Yokomo of Nicolas Lee coming out on top.  Coelho would however make a mistake in A2 and crash out with team-mate Alexander Hagberg also having an error, with both incidents delaying Groskamp.  This allowed Lee to take the win meaning it was all up for grabs in A3.  While Groskamp was no longer a title contender, he put huge pressure on Coelho and contact between them would allow the Yokomo of Ronald Volker to go to the front for the win but Coelho still needed the second in order to beat Lee for the overall on tie-break.  He did it but admitted he didn’t enjoy the level of pressure he was under for the 2nd place.  Lee was frustrated he backed off to protect his lead in A2 as it ultimately cost him a TITC title.  Volker completed the podium ahead of Groskamp.  Interestingly Marc Rheinard made his debut for Infinity at the 2017 edition but it proved a challenging few days and he ended up qualifying in the B-Main!  After of our first TITC experience we had caught the bug and were the race’s newest fan recruits.

Back for more in 2018, we would witness Akio Sobue win spectacularly by 3/1000ths of a second.  While defending champion Coelho secured the TQ, the battle for the win would be between Sobue and Hagberg, with a win a piece, and Rheinard after Coelho crashed out of title contention in A2.  Hagberg needed the A3 win, Sobue having the advantage of the faster winning time.  Starting second behind Coelho, his team-mate opened the door to put Hagberg where he needed to be.  With Naoto Matsukura and Coelho clashing at the next corner, Sobue and Rheinard now made up the Top 3, the stage set for the 3-way showdown.  After an initial challenge on Hagberg, Sobue dropped back with Hagberg looking like Xray was going to retain the title but over the final 3-laps the race came alive again as the Japanese driver reeled in the leader.  On the last run through the sweeper, Sobue went for a pass getting out of shape in the process before attempting a pass on the inside of the Swede and there was contact, both cars spinning out.  With Hagberg resuming in the lead, with a bigger gap than before the contact, it looked as though the race was decided with three turns to go, but Sobue wasn’t conceding that easily and launching his car at the finish line managed the perfect line to snatch a win by 0.003 of a second that left everyone in amazement.  Behind, 2012 Champion Vejrak crossed the line third securing the final step on the podium ahead of Rheinard.

While we set-off on our first flight for what should have been our third consecutive TITC in 2019, it all came to an abrupt stop when we reached Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam.  Pakistan had closed its airspace due to missile strikes and this caused complete travel chaos.  The alternative routes offered would have only got us to Bangkok just in time for the Sunday finals with that option including an overnight stay in Russia!  Unfortunately we would miss seeing Hagberg make up for missing out by a hair’s length a year earlier.  Securing the TQ, he fended off Sobue in A1 and Naoto Matsukura in A2 to claim his second TITC win having previously won in 2015.

2020 would be the year Sobue became a repeat winner giving Infinity title number 2 but that trip will probably be best remembered as the last big race before our world changed forever.  At the time Xray, staunch supporters of the TITC each year, made the decision not to travel to Thailand due to health concerns over a virus outbreak in Asia.  Rheinard and Ronald Volker also opted to not travel for that reason.  While big names were absent, Sobue took a perfectly executed victory in an all Infinity podium that saw Jilles Groskamp finish runner-up and Naoto Matsukura third.  Little did we know that within 2-weeks of Sobue’s win the world would start to shutdown due to the Corona Virus.

Having been forced to go two years without a TITC due to Covid, on the race’s return in 2023 it was Coelho who put the race back on the international stage with a perfect weekend.  From the TQ Coelho wrapped up his 3rd TITC win ahead of the outgoing Champion Sobue and Ishioka Hayato.  The win made Xray the race’s most winning manufacturer.

Having to wait until 2024 to make our post Covid return, we would witness a great drive from Mugen Seiki’s Ronald Volker, the resurgent 2016 World Champion securing the TQ honours ahead of the defending champion Coelho but the finals that followed would divide fans across the globe.  With Volker leading A1, Coelho would tangle with the German handing Rheinard the win.  A2 would be a repeat scenario, this time Hagberg the benefactor.  Having witnessed many racing incidents over the 20 years Red RC has been online, and for many years joked with Volker that he is one of the most PC drivers on the world tour, the frustration of those two incidents exploded out of him that day.  In A3 his weekend wouldn’t get any better and he would spin out of the lead on his own handing Coelho the leg and a record equalling fourth win.  Hagberg and Rheinard completed the podium with P6 not any reflection of how on form Volker was that year a decade after his only TITC win.

As used in our main headline for last year’s 21st running of the TITC, the Rookie came and the Rookie conquered, after a number of year’s of other class commitments preventing him from attending, Michal Orlowski showed up in style.  Completing a clean sweep of all four rounds of qualifying, he was untouchable and winning A1 & 2 gave Schumacher their first TITC win to see them become the sixth different manufacturers to do so.  2025 also marked the race debut of Bruno Coelho for Infinity.  Chasing three in a row, having a year earlier claimed Xray’s 8th win and matched the all time winning record of Hara, the World Champion wouldn’t quite pull off the fairy tale debut with Infinity but second wasn’t a bad way to begin his new adventure with the Japanese manufacturer that has only gotten a lot stronger over the 12-months since.  The result however was very nearly a third place as we witnessed a flash of pure Marc Rheinard greatest as he made a last lap pass on his great rival but with a better line at the final corner Coelho just beat the Awesomatix to the loop.

With 11 different drivers having gotten to raise the TITC winning trophy above their head, 6 of them on more than one occasion, will 2026 see a new name emerge or will we witness Coelho becoming the TITC’s most successful driver.  Thanks to Cayote and Gens ace we will spend the next four days at RC Addict following how the action unfolds.

TITC Roll of Honour

2025 – Michał Orłowski (Schumacher)
2024 – Bruno Coelho (Xray)
2023 – Bruno Coelho (Xray)
2022 – Cancelled due to Covid
2021 – Cancelled due to Covid
2020 – Akio Sobue (Infinity)
2019 – Alexander Hagberg (Xray)
2018 – Akio Sobue (Infinity)
2017 – Bruno Coehlo (Xray)
2016 – Bruno Coelho (Xray)
2015 – Alexander Hagberg (Xray)
2014 – Ronald Volker (Yokomo)
2013 – Atsushi Hara (Hot Bodies)
2012 – Meen Vejrak (Xray)
2011 – Andy Moore (Hot Bodies)
2010 – Atsushi Hara (Hot Bodies)
2009 – Atsushi Hara (Hot Bodies)
2008 – Teemu Leino (Xray)
2007 – Andy Moore (Hot Bodies)
2006 – Marc Rheinard (Tamiya)
2005 – Atsushi Hara (Hot Bodies)
2004 – Surikarn Chaidajsuriya (Tamiya)
2003 – Surikarn Chaidajsuriya (Tamiya)

 

Manufacturer Modified Wins

Xray – 8 wins
Hot Bodies – 6 wins
Tamiya – 3 wins
Infinity – 2 wins
Schumacher – 1 win
Yokomo – 1 win