July 12, 2025

Sobue ‘Top Seed’ at eSIC

Axon’s Akio Sobue has got his debut with the new TC10/4 off to a strong start as the Japanese driver topped seeding at the Electric Singapore International Challenge (eSIC).  After drivers woke to rain this morning in Singapore, once the track dried out and the first official laps of the event where completed it was Sobue who laid down the fastest 3-consecutive laps ahead of Xray’s Alexander Hagberg. Separated by 4/10ths of a second over the 3-laps, Sobue’s fastest around the RCMC track a 13.695, unfortunately Hagberg’s run would be cut short as he found the circuit’s dreaded bump on the straight.  Sending his car flying off the track, the impact means the Swede will miss the opening qualifier as he rebuilds his car.  Completing the Top 3 would be Jan Ratheisky, the German visitor 7/100ths faster than pre-race favourite & team-mate Nicholas Lee, the Singapore driver struggling with a set-up change he made for seeding.

‘Completely different to yesterday’, was Sobue’s reaction after topping the times.  The former TITC Champion added, ‘I mean the traction is completely different and the line I had to drive was different compared to yesterday.  Some inside lines are still dusty so it was difficult to find a good line’.  While his Swedish rival didn’t compete the full run, Sobue feels the former World Champion has found extra pace saying, ‘Today Alex is faster.  I think 3-laps for me is fast but over 5-minute I think it is super close with Alex.’  Having changed his set-up based off his expectations of this morning’s track conditions, Sobue thinks now that the track will have even more time to dry he will revert back to yesterday’s set-up for Q1.

‘That wasn’t good.  The car flew on the bump on the straight and hit the wall and it is now completely destroyed’, was Hagbrerg’s summary after the single seeding round.  Prior to his off, he said his package was ‘not too bad in terms of pace’, adding ‘the track didn’t feel all that different to yesterday even though it was after raining.  The car just needs a bit more steering but I was pretty happy with the car.  I will try and repair it and see, I am definitely not going to have time to run Q1 because the car is needing some repairs.’  He concluded, ‘with some small adjustments for Q2 I hope to be competitive.’  Team-mate Ratheisky appeared to have no issues with adjusting to the track saying, ‘for me it was a little more slippery which I technically super like cause I have more steering.  Everything worked so I can’t complain about anything and I will leave the car the same for Q2.’

Lee described his seeding run as ‘not very good’.  The most experienced among the record field with two eSIC podiums to his credit, he explained, ‘it was drizzling a little bit during the run so I had no grip.  Also though, I did some changes which I think were worse so I will revert back to the same set-up as yesterday.’  Behind Lee the Top 6 was completed by the the Axon of Hayato Ishioka and Schumacher of Atsushi Hara.  With the move to July not having the desired positive weather effects, more forecast overnight/morning rain has forced the the organisers to push through with trying to get all four rounds of qualifying in today so as to leave tomorrow’s schedule free for just finals.


July 11, 2025

Drivers settle-in in Singapore ahead of biggest eSIC

With the biggest Electric Singapore International Challenge (eSIC) taking place this weekend, drivers have been settling themselves in with open practice at the country’s only permanent track RCMC over the past few days.  Just 10-minutes from the country’s famous Jewel Changi Airport, the third edition of eSIC is living up to its international title with drivers from 14-nations making up this year’s entry.  This is also the first time the event has a greater number of international entries versus locals with 60% of the entry being drivers from other countries, Malaysia topping the visitor count followed by China.  2025 also marks the first factory entries from Xray and Axon.  Singapore’s very own Nicholas Lee, a driving force behind the race, takes on eSIC for the first time in Xray colours and is joined by Alexander Hagberg and Jan Ratheisky.  Hagberg returns to the track a decade on from his last visit.  Axon are here with their up coming TC10/4 touring car release and while Sobue has raced here before with his previous team Infinity, the Japanese driver says he is going to count this as his first visit as he was very sick on the previous occasion and doesn’t remember too much about that particular trip.  Another RCMC rookie this weekend is Atsushi Hara and the legend of the sport has a new Hara purple edition ride in the form of a Mi9 from Schumacher, this being his first run with the car on a ‘proper track’.

Originally built as a nitro track, eSIC runs on a shorter layout option that cuts out two sections on the left side, one of the reason’s being as the track is built on government owned land and surrounded by trees, if it was to rain the slightly banked section would become very difficult to drive even after drying in the shade of the trees.  Switching from the September date of the last two years to July, the hope is that they will enjoy a dry third edition although rain has effected open practice.  While now his home track that wasn’t always the case for Lee as the electronics available at the time of his early racing career struggled with the size of the track so he never race here.  That would change however for the country’s best known international racer, Lee explaining, ‘a few years ago I came back to test & try it and I thought it was really good to run electric again and then more & more people came to run electric here.’  Coming up with the idea for eSIC over a drink with Chhua Jookiah, the two local racers wanting to have another big race in Asia as there are not so many, and with the intention of exposing local racers to international competition to help develop the level of driving.  He added. ‘It took a lot of time & effort to come out with eSIC, we had our ups & downs, but this is our 3rd edition and everything is going well’.  On his own on track performance over the last few days he responded, ‘the track is proving to have much higher traction than normal this year.’  Asked why he felt this was, he attributed the high grip to the record number of drivers running, the use of controlled additive, and the fact there is no nitro cars on the track ‘so it is not oily and with the controlled additive everything is more consistent.’  Asked if he felt he was dialled in for the weekend, he responded, ‘I think it is going to be close, it is going to be close with Alex, with Akio and the Axon guys, EC Kim so everyone has a chance’.

‘It’s good to be back here.  It’s the first time in 10-years.  I love the atmosphere, the people are very friendly and the food is great.’ was Hagberg’s response when ask about making the trip to eSIC.  He continued, ‘the last time I was here was 2015, it was also for electric touring car, but a lot has changed since then.  The track has been resurfaced, the grip is a little higher than it was back then but on the other hand it is a little bumpier.  So the biggest challenge is to deal with the bumps and make the car aggressive enough but have good handling for the bumps.  Finding the right balance is what we have been working on the last few days.’  A big fan of the local food, he continued, ‘It looks like it is going to be a close race between the Top 4 or 5 guys.  I am working close together with Nicholas of course to find the right set-up, we are running a pretty similar set-up.  It’s not a huge race in terms of number but it’s still a very competitive race with many nations represented.’

Using a production version of the Axon TC10/4 for the very time at eSIC having run a ‘Concept’ version at the TITC earlier in the year, asked how open practice had gone, Sobue said, ‘for the first time here the performance is good I think’.  Looking to add an eSIC win to go along with wins of Asia’s most famous race, the TITC, the World Championship podium finisher said the biggest issue he has been dealing with is a bump towards the end of the straight.  With the bump on the inside line catching out a lot of drivers, he said it is very important to be careful there cause the car can get launched off the track.  On the pace he has seen so far he said ‘this is Nicholas (Lee) home track so he was fast but now I think a few of us have similar lap times.  Nicholas has the advantage of knowing how to change the car for the conditions at different stages but I think for us we are still good cause in every condition my car felt the same and was easy to drive.  With team-mate Hayato Ishioka also running the new TC10/4, having both started out on the same basic set-up but not liking the way the car worked for him, Ishioka has now gone his own direction with set-up ahead the race action.

The start of a busy back to back two weeks of racing, his eSIC trip followed by a quick flight back to Japan to swap his touring cars for his 1:8 Buggy gear for the Asian Buggy Championships in Brisbane, Hara likes the RCMC track layout.  He said, ‘The right side section is pretty similar to Apeldoorn I think’, the Japanese driver referring to the crowd favourite Dutch circuit.  ‘The left side is a bit different but having raced Apeldoorn last month I have easily adapted to the track here.’  Asked what set-ups he has been working on, he said, ‘I have a different car again.  This time I am running a Schumacher.  I chose it because they are the distributor for Cayote in England.  I was also interested to try one time the Schumacher.  I drove it one time in Japan but I never driven it on this kind of track and its working good but touring car is getting more & more difficult with small details needed in everything.’

Track Images


May 10, 2025

Haberg confirmed for eSIC debut

Two time World Champion Alexander Hagberg is the latest driver to be confirmed for the Electric Singapore International Challenge (eSIC), the factory Xray driver set to make his debut at the third edition of race on July 12-13.   A race that continues to establish itself as a key race on the international touring car calendar, 2025 will mark the first factory representation at the event which is the headed up by Singapore’s touring car racer Nicholas Lee together with Chhua Jookiah.  Racing at the Marine Parade Radio Control Modellers Club track, the event has attracted official team entries from Mugen Seiki, Infinity, Awesomatix, Yokomo, ARC and Xpress and in 2025 adds both Axon, with  Hayato Ishioka, and Xray whose challenge will be led by Hagberg.  On the confirmation of his trip to Singapore, the Swede said, ‘Looking forward to racing in Singapore again after a few years!  The eSIC has established itself as one of the most competitive Asian TC events.  Can’t wait to be a part of it – and to meet both old & new friends as well as Xray customers and team drivers!  See you in Singapore in July!’

Source: eSIC [Facebook]


May 9, 2025

2025 Philippine Masters – Chassis Focus Index

Last weekend we attended the world class 1:8 Offroad race that is the Philippine Masters.  Asia’s premier annual offroad event akin to what the TITC is to the world of Electric Touring Car, 2025 marked the biggest edition of the Manila based race yet in terms of total entries, the number of countries represented, and the dept of top level team drivers.  The second round of the Cayote backed Asian Buggy Championships, it was Philippine Masters regular Davide Ongaro who took the TQ from first time visitors Burak Kilic and Kouki Kato.  In the 1-hour main however Ongaro suffered a rare mechanical (receiver failure) while fuel tank issues also ended Kilic’s race early.  Putting in a super consistent drive Infinity’s Kato took the win, the Japanese talent making it 2 from 2 in the Asian Buggy Championships adding to his win at the season finale in Indonesia last year.  In eBuggy, A1 proved the entertainment highlight of the weekend as Ongaro, having being passed for the lead by Pekko Iivonen, tried to retake the lead on a thrilling final lap.  With Iivonen holding on for a hugely popular win, Ongaro took A2 before Ryan Lutz took the third however overall it was Ongaro’s victory.  During our time at the Circulo Verde Track we got the chance to photograph 9 buggies from 6 different manufacturers including Mayako’s all new prototype eBuggy.  In case you missed any of the Chassis Focus’ during our coverage of the race, we have compiled them all in our latest Chassis Focus index.

Nitro Buggy

Kouki Kato (Q3/Winner) – Infinity

Mattia Poilto (Q6/P3 ) – Sworkz

Davide Ongaro  (Top Qualifiers/DNF) – Team Associated

Burak Kilic (Q2/DNF) – Mugen Seiki

Pekko Iivonen – (Q7/P4) – Mayako

Ryan Lutz (Q5/P5) – Kyosho

eBuggy

Davide Ongaro  (Top Qualifiers/Winner) – Team Associated

Pekko Iivonen – (Q2/P2) – Mayako

Ryan Lutz (Q4/P3) – Kyosho


May 4, 2025

Kato wins PM25 as Ongaro & Kilic fail to finish in Manila

It was only his second Asian Buggy Championships appearance but Infinity’s young Japanese prospect Kouki Kato made it 2 from 2 with the biggest win of his career taking victory today at the famous Philippine Masters which is Round 2 of the Cayote backed championship.  Having won last year’s season finale in Indonesia, Kato would line-up third on the grid in Manila behind Mugen Seiki’s Burak Kilic and Top Qualifier Davide Ongaro, the Team Associated driver chasing three in a row at Asia’s biggest annual 1:8 Offroad race.  With the 1-hour final underway Ongaro and Kilic would establish a lead with Kouki driving his own calculated race in 3rd.  With a change coming up front after a mistake by Ongaro allowed Kilic to go to the front.  Unfortunately the Turkish driver’s Philippine Masters debut was to come to a premature end as he suffered the first of two flame-outs 15-minutes into the race.  It would turn out that the pick-up in his fuel tank had shifted and was longer positioned in the bottom of the tank hence the reason he was flaming out after just 5-minutes of running.  With the demise of Kilic allowing Ongaro back to the lead, it wasn’t to be the World Champion’s day either.  With 24-minutes remaining he too looked to flame out but the problem was more terminal.  Doing a battery pack change as the car’s radio was not responding it turned out that his receiver had failed and the 26-year-old was out.  In all the drama Kato was getting on with his race and took over the lead which he would hold until the finish, the crowd being entertained by the battle for the other podium places.  The Sworkz of Asian Buggy Championships Champion Christian Wolhuter and Mayako’s Pekko Iivonen went at it with Sworkz Mattia Polito also in the mix.  Looking on target to repeat his impressive P2 eBuggy result, Iivonen would cruelly run out of fuel on the penultimate lap allowing Wolhuter to claim second 14-seconds back on Kato.  While also running out of fuel, but on his last lap, Polito took third as Iivonen was classified fourth ahead of Kyosho’s Ryan Lutz with Alex Bernadzik completing the Top 6 as the dust settled on the biggest edition of the Philippine Masters yet.

Reminded of his 2 from 2 ABC recorded Kato replied, ‘I am very happy about this’.   On his race, the very likeable 18-year-old explained, ‘Kilic and Davide were super fast so I just tried to run a consistent race and I ran my race no problem with no mistake and was there when they had problems.’  Once he had established a comfortable lead the Japanese National Champion said they switched from 7:30 stops to 6:45 stops to play the safe game.  A driver who has been very involved in Infinity’s entry into the 1:8 Buggy market, he said they managed to improve the car between qualifying and the final and this was also a contributing factor to his clean race.  Following his win Kato confirmed he will travel to Round 3 of the championship in Australia on July 16-20.

Admitting his ‘qualifying could have been better’ adding traffic was his main issue, Wolunter said, ‘I knew as long as I am Top 10 or just in the Main being a 1-hour race I could just work at it as I am a consistent driver and get positions one by one.’  The 18-year-old from Perth explained, ‘I started 9th and was able to get a clean track and all of us didn’t make a mistake for I’d say at least 10-minutes so it was just a big train of cars and then I just picked them off as they made mistakes.’  He continued,  ‘I almost flamed out.  The engine was bogging but it picked up.  We cut it very close but that was only on one stop luckily.’  Describing his brain as ‘fried’ following the final asked how he found the hot 1-hour encounter he said, ‘to be far it went really quickly for me.  I was under the pump by so many people it didn’t feel like it was a long time which was a good thing I guess’.  Unfortunately due to commitments of racing in the US, we won’t see Wolunter again in the remaining two Asian Buggy Championships in Brisbane and Jakarta.

Asked to sum up his race, Polito said, ‘It was so difficult because my father put the car down on the grid to early and my engine was then slow off the line so I lost 1 or 2 positions.  Then I made a mistake and I was at the back but then in the second half of the race the car was so fast and I was able to come back a finish with P3’  His first time to attended the Philippine Masters, this year the 13th running of the race, he described his podium finish with ‘it is OK’ vouching ‘next year will be better’, this his second big international podium finish along with his second place ahead of David Ronnefalk and Bruno Coelho at the SIGP Offroad race in December.

Understandably disappointed to come so close to a podium only to be denied it by something outside of his control, Iivonen, who qualifying P7 on the 15 buggy grid, said, ‘It started out with me gaining a couple of positions, the car was feeling super good, for sure the changes we made for the main making the car feel much better and more stable and less edgy.’  The 22-year-old continued, ‘my driving was OK, a couple of small stupid mistakes but otherwise it came down to the flame out at the end.  The flameout in the pits was also unfortunate but thats racing’.  On his pit lane flame out, his pitman Joesph Quagraine explain that Iivonen thought he had a tyre coming undone but as they checked it during the pit stop he, JQ, must have caught flywheel and cut the engine.  It turned out the tyre was ok and it was only dirt that was giving the impression it was coming off.  JQ also explain that they knew the fuel run time was tight but had they opted for an extra stop to be safe then they wouldn’t have ever been in the battle for the podium.


May 4, 2025

Chassis Focus – Mattia Polito (Sworkz)

Chassis – Sworkz S35-4 EVO
Engine – Gimar MARS Next
Fuel – Energy
Tires – Matrix Blackhole
Radio – Futaba T10PX
Servos – KO Propo RSx4S Power HC (Steering)/AGFRC (Throttle)
Body – Xtreme Aria

Image Gallery