IFMAR reverts to ‘Pre Tech’ inspection for tyre diameter

In a positive move widely welcomed as being in the best interest of the event, the IFMAR International Jury has announced that the 109mm minimum tyres diameter rule will now be determined by a pre-tech inspection.  Yesterday just as qualifying concluded at the 1:8 Offroad World Championship a bombshell, widely viewed as a strategy move my one tyre manufacturer, was landed on the event with IFMAR announcing it would implement checks after racing.  The World Governing Body of RC Racing, IFMAR’s own official ruling coming into the 19th running of these Worlds states the specs the tyres must meet but not when any inspection would be conducted.  With both EFRA and ROAR having used the pre-tech for the rules, most teams and drivers were working on that procedure so when the announcement came yesterday that cars must finish the final with tyres no less than 109mm it turned the race on its head.  With IFMAR first offering Semi finalists an extended 50-minute practice session so as to gauge track conditions after the lower finals and gauge tyre wear, pressure was mounting on them to review the ruling.

With talk of a drivers protest, having taken onboard feedback received since making its first decision, the IFMAR International Jury met once again and after discussing various scenarios made the decision to all Pre-Technical inspection for all finals taking place on Saturday.  With tyre manufacturers spending most of today trying to find solutions to ensure they didn’t fall foul of the minimum diameter post-tech, the move to pre-tech means they are now able to cover their drivers needs and that drivers, making young up & coming stars, can now race and show their true talents instead of being held back by a lack of tyres.  Understandable for the Baldo family, who with just 5-months notice essentially came to the rescue of IFMAR when Brazil cancelled, ‘Tyre Gate’ has been a hugely frustrating matter to overshadow their amazing work and investment in trying to present a world class stage for the great prize in our sport.  Taking the attention off the intense battles we have witnessed right through qualifying, today’s decision means we can now focus again on the action on the track, and see who is the best driver in the World come Saturday evening.

IFMAR International Jury meeting 13/09/2024

With reference to the decision made yesterday by the International Jury and all the comments received. This morning, the International Jury has met again to discuss rule 2.4.c The decision to check tires after the race was discussed at length and after discussing various scenario’s the International jury has changed their vote and has made the decision to allow Pre-Technical inspection for all finals running on Saturday.

At the end of the final, technical inspection will take place in the same manner as the previous IFMAR World Championships hosted at REDOVAN in 2022.

The following rule along with all others will be followed: 3.27.h All cars of semi-finalists and finalists go into a ‘Parc Ferme’ immediately after the finish of their race and are inspected. Cars must remain with the officials and be untouched by drivers or mechanics.

Any race distortion must be ignored. Inspection be on at least: engine, tank capacity, chassis (dimensions).

To confirm above all doubt that in 1/8th Off Road Buggy – ”Race distortion” includes the wear of the rubber tyre. Moving forward, there will be a clarification of the ruling to close this interpretation. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding on this difficult situation and we look forward to all working together to better this sport.

Sander de Graaf / IC Section Chairman

IFMAR to implement 109mm minimum tire diameter rule

With concerns over the interpretation of the rule on minimum tyre diameter rumbling around the pits today from around lunch time, IFMAR has this evening made a clear decision that it will implement the ruling as it stands post race despite the concerns over the high tyre wear being experienced at the 1:8 Offroad World Championship in Spain.  Many leading drivers had expressed concerns as to how the rule would be implemented, confusion appearing to stem from issues at the European Championship where a pre-race inspection was used.  When we were first made aware of the concerns of the ruling an official source told us that almost 50% of cars in qualifying would have been DQ’d had the post run rule been implemented.

It is understood that there was a major push from one tyre manufacturer to have the 109mm minimum diameter ruling implemented post race given the overall larger diameter of its tyres while the rest are at risk of disqualification due to the high wear being experienced at the RC-Redovan track.  While rules are in place for a reason, it appears the timing, right after the conclusion of qualifying, could now over shadow the race given drivers had used the final few qualifiers to gather tyre data for the finals.  For some drivers the ruling could mean having to switch to pin tyre with no previous running on such a set-up.

With the rule sure to affect many of the amateur drivers who have made the trip to Spain, the matter raises the issue of whether or not future World Championships should run a spec tyres.

IFMAR issued the following bulletin on the matter –

IFMAR International Jury meeting 12/09/2024

This meeting has to do with the minimum tire diameter of 109mm.

Rule 2.4c
2.4.c. Wheel/tire overall diameter must be:
Max dia. 120.00 mm / 4.724 inches
Min. dia. 109.00 mm / 4.29 inches
Width 47.00 mm / 1.85 inches

No rim specs
Tire wear here at Redovan is an issue and for the main final we foresee a problem, perhaps already in the earlier finals of 30 minutes, due to the rule above.

After a meeting with the manufacturers followed by a long discussion and a second meeting with the international jury, also with a long discussion the final decision was made to stick to the rules. During the meeting with the tire brands the majority of tire manufacturers told us that preparing a tire for 60 minutes is possible and asked us to stick to the rules.

The tire diameter must be respected , also after the final when cars are checked in technical inspection.

We stick to the rule, meaning 109mm after each race is the minimum for each tire. If smaller you will be disqualified.

For the main final 2 or more sets of tires per driver will be marked and after the final all marked tires must return to technical inspection to be measured.

Sander de Graaf / IC Section Chairman