1/4 Finals Update

Just 24 drivers remain in contention for the 15th 1:8 Offroad World title with the 1/4 Finals eliminating some big names, the most notable being Atsushi Hara. Having been a podium finisher since winning the title in 2008, the S-Workz driver’s event is done. Competing in the first of the 1/4 finals having bumped up after winning his 1/8 final, the Japanese legend could only manage 8th.

Up front after some rough early laps TLR’s Dakotah Phend recovered from running as low as 10th to take control of the race to take the win ahead of Team Associated’s Yannick Aigoin. Working his way up from the 1/8 Final, Radiosistemi driver Riccardo Rabitti continued his form to finish third from 10th on the grid to book his place in the Semi along with Serpent’s 2008 World Championship podium finisher Mike Truhe. There was a frantic battle behind Truhe involving Xray’s 2012 Finalist Josh Wheeler, Agama’s Darren Bloomfield and Durango’s Joern Neumann, the latter two getting together a number of times ultimately costing them a shot of bumping up. Other casualties of the race included Jeremy Kotz who while holding a bump position crashed at the double before the straight with the barrier knocking the front left shock off his Agama. Although he continued he would finish 9th behind Hara. The race would also bring an end to former runner-up Renaud Savoya’s campaign.

In the 1/4 B 2010 World Champion Cody King took the win. Starting from pole position, the Kyosho driver faced a number of challenges with European Championship runner-up Martin Wollanka taking an early lead. The race also saw TLR’s Ricardo Monteiro head the field along with Davide Ongaro. Unfortunately for the 13-year-old talent, his move to the front getting a huge cheer from onlookers, engine issues would end his race, his Mugen coming to a stop on two occasions. Wollanka’s race was scuppered by engine cuts dropping him to 10th. In the end King would take a comfortable win over Monteiro, French Champion Jerome Aigoin and Xray’s Miguel Matias who had to see off a strong challenge from LRP team driver Marcel Guske who bumped up from yesterday’s 1/16 Final.

View the complete results online here.

View our event image gallery here.

1/8 Finals Update

The deciding day of the extended 10-day 1:8 Offroad World Championship is here and getting the big day’s proceedings underway was the 1/8th Finals.  The first of the 3-minute encounters would be a closely run affair with Top 5 running closely packed for much of the race.  In the end it was S-Workz’ Atsushi Hara, a driver with a unpredicted record of being on the podium at the previous three runnings of these championships, that would take the win from the Radiosistemi of Italian driver Riccardo Rabitti, former HB team mate Teemu Leino and 2012 Finalist Josh Wheeler.  Wheeler would come under pressure in the latter part of the race for the final bump up spot with JQ Racing boss Joseph Quagraine swapping positions with the RC America team driver,  the Xray driver eventually able to cruise to 4th after some bad laps from Quagraine who would drop to 6th behind 1/16 A Final winner Bruno Coelho.

In the 1/8 B Final, there was cruel luck for European Championship finalist Carsten Keller.  Holding a solid lead the Kyosho driver would come to a halt on the track with the car still running but the throttle servo not responding.  With the car returned to the pits a reset of the cars power cured the problem but the German’s race was done.  In the end 13-year-old up & coming Italian talent David Ongaro took the win with his Mugen from 1/16 Final graduates Carlos Duraes, Marcel Guske and Jorge Soler Diaz.  Unfortunately for Tyler Vik it was a very short race with him having to head for the pits with a rear corner hanging from his Xray.  He would rejoin the race but 9-laps down he would finish last.

View the complete results online here.

View our event image gallery here.

The Worlds according to Ruona – Friday Finals

I read an article once where Billy Easton was asked about racing and getting to the top. He claimed it was a lot like the song by AC/DC. It’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock and roll. It’s so true, it’s a very long path and some never get there.

You start off wanting to have some fun, you hear of R/C maybe through a neighbor or a friend. You get involved by visiting a hobby shop and getting pointed in the right direction. If you are lucky you have some support of your parents. They see a benefit in having a harmless hobby. “It’s for the kids right”

You pick a vehicle that appeals to you and your budget and probably more specfically, your parents budget. You take it home and have your dad or parents help build the vehicle. You have some issues along the way but your dad “has the ultimate set of tools” he can fix it. You fix it with Tie-wraps, duct tape, super glue, wood, scotch tape, aluminum, welding rods, Vaseline and WD40 (water displacement 40th revision).

Your experience requires some dedication. You bring vehicles back to the hobby shop if they don’t work and look for a quick fix. You beg the parents for a better vehicle and start all over again. This time you are a little better at it and recognize the errors you are making before they happen. You start fixing the cars with the proper parts. You convince your friends to get something “so you can race”. You start doing all the work yourself because your parents are busy and paying the bills. You can’t get enough.

You build a track in your backyard based on a vision in your head of what a bad azz track should look like. Figure 8 track it is!! You build some jumps and use some trees as the corners. You charge a few batteries and run the track, in between your favorite monster truck videos.

You quickly gain the reputation of the guy that has a track in your backyard. Your cousin and your neighbor are your toughest competition but somehow you always have enough races where you end up winning. Once you master the track it’s time for photos and video of the action to show your parents and others what you are doing. Interviews, changeable bodies, you have thought of everything to make these videos legit. ESPN 2 ready!!

The hobby shop mentions a race track nearby the store….what!!?? There is actual racing and a track somewhere? Yes, it’s real and you should check it out. Your parents drive you to the track and before you can get out of the car, you are in love. This is the real deal! After pulling some strings you get a real race car. You have the best of what the hobby store recommends for the local track. Your first practice day is a blast and you are looking for your cousin and neighbor to attend but they don’t. It’s just you, your parents and your race car. Sliding around, drifting and jumping on the “real” track is fun.

Next weekend you signup for the race and don’t know anything. Transponder? Lap-times? A-main? B-main? Your parents are just as lost. You are up, kid! Just go when the horn goes off. You got this! Sliding around, drifting and jumping on the “real” track is fun. Race over.
Hey kid, have you raced before? No, it’s my first time….BS, you must have raced before, you are fast out there. How do you know I’m fast? I looked at your lap-times and they are quicker than other veteran racers here. Oh, so you mean I can drive good? Yes, I can’t believe it.

You meet your first friend, then your next friend. Everyone has a ton in common. You are there every week moving up the ranks. Someone says are you running the “big one” in February? What is the “big one”? It’s only the biggest race in the U.S.A. and it’s just 2 short hours away. Yeah, I’m in.

Arrive to the “big one” to find huge tents and people everywhere. Woah, there is Cliff Lett… He’s in the magazine. This is the coolest thing ever. There is a line for practice? Start here and wait your turn for a 4 minute run. You are almost shaking, so nervous to be around so many people. Do you belong? Qualifying starts and it’s just you and the track. You find a way to make it happen and pull off decent finishes. You don’t know what you are doing. Woah, it’s Jay Halsey….he’s the coolest.

Pretty soon it’s state champs, regionals, nationals and unique paint schemes. You can’t get enough, grass is growing on the old backyard track. Your schedule revolves around practice, racing and the track. You win your first race! Things are moving at a fast pace. You see improvement in yourself, it’s exciting and rewarding.

One day you arrive to the track and there is a buzz in the air. Someone tells you there is a sponsored driver racing at your local track. Oh no! What is sponsored? Basically he gets everything for free and thinks he’s the best. Not on my home track he’s not….you get your azz kicked anyway. Man, I need to be sponsored.!.! That’s how he’s so fast.

You find out where they are from and want to race them all the time. If I beat them, I have to be the best. All I need is more track time and a sponsor. You fall for any sponsor you can get and it’s temporary happiness. I still can’t beat these guys…man, they are really good. I need to talk to them. How are they good? What is their setup? Do I need a different sponsor? Follow them around like a puppy dog.

Wow, I’m getting better. I’m getting closer. This is a lot harder than I thought, though. When I was in novice I was told I was good? The “big one” is back in town again. Damn, I made the B-main and raced with Gil Losi JR and Rick Hohwart. I don’t even know what I’m doing. Your parents call for more sponsorships and get them. B-main was good at the “big one” I guess. You win your first state championship. Someone pours water on your head. Cue the Karate Kid music, “you’re the best…around”

You are on fire locally, people ask you for advice. Your wall is full of trophies. You get more vehicles, you have more success. More sponsors on-board. You get a few haters a long the way. He’s got everything, he’s not that good, he’s lucky. More winning. Respected people take you under their wing. You qualify for the Worlds. You are on the Worlds team! A trip to the Worlds! Your old backyard track is completely grass. Submerged in the new life, trying to make a name for yourself. You’ve made it to the Worlds. You get on the drivers stand and the nerves kick in. You are back to square one, you are back at your first “big one” all over again. It’s intense, cut throat, secretive, and political. You resort back to your parents and friends for comfort. Everyone looks at you like a threat. “This is my house”

You succeed while being incredibly nervous while feeling out of place. You are making a name for yourself. You fly home and race right away with new confidence and comfort. You are a local big shot and have the look of a hired gun. You travel anywhere to take people down on their home track. Your first question when you arrive to a new track. “What’s the track record”

2 years goes by and you attend another World Championship. Only this time you aren’t afraid or intimated. You are the one setting the pace, the setup and trends. You compete, you do well, but not the champion. The guy wins standing next to you on the drivers stand. You can’t stand it but congratulate anyways. You want to skip the banquet, you want to throw away your trophy, you don’t care about free food. You are a poor sport! Your old backyard track has 7 years of grass on it with a little bit of clay peaking out. The old tree turn is still there but now it’s more a tree and less a turn. Man, it’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock and roll.

Tomorrow, at the 2014 IFMAR World Championships. 24 drivers who’ve all had similar experiences to mine will sit in the Semi-Final. 2 absolute winners sit at the top of their respective Semis. They have impressed the field, done things nobody else can do. Who wins? Who loses? Do they even make the show? Is the winner at least standing next to you? Who carries the trophy home? Who wants to throw theirs away? Who has the most grass growing on their old backyard track?

Photos of the day – Friday

Photo Booth – Naxos World

Our super star photographer Riccardo Acciari set up his lights and camera in the lounge area of the Naxos World track and captured some interesting people, faces and gestures for some fun results. Check out the fun shots below and feel free to share them.

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1/16 Finals Update

The penultimate day of the 15th running of the 1:8 Offroad World Championships in Sicily was made up of the lower finals and the last chance for eight drivers to make up the 56 drivers who get to race in the big day of this extended event.  Running up to & including the 1/16 Finals, the concluding two races of Day 9 would see success for Portuguese drivers, Xray’s Bruno Coelho and Serpent’s Carlos Duraes.  In the first of the 20-minute encounters, the Top 4 progressing to tomorrow morning’s 1/8th A Final, newly crowned Portuguese National Champion Coelho took victory by 5-seconds from France’s Jo Bacro followed by Italian Alessandro Stocco and German driver Hannes Kaufler.  Having bumped up after winning the 1/32 A Final, top Austrian offroad racer Hupo Honigl looked set to take his Team C through to the final day.  Running ‘an easy second’, as the race entered the final 5-minutes he would crash at the chicane breaking his car, putting him out on the spot.

In the 1/16 B encounter, the race was much closer with just 8/10ths separating the Top 2 at the flag.  Having lead 2/3 of the race with his all LRP buggy & engine combination, former European Championship finalist Marcel Guske would lose the lead to Duraes in the final 5-minutes.  Behind, Italian Kyosho/Novarossi driver Federico Ruggeri claimed third ahead of the battling Jorge Soler Diaz and Lorenzo Crolla.  On the final lap a move by Crolla saw the Frenchman spin out the Spaniard to take fourth but Crolla, who set the fastest lap of the race, was penalised for the move giving Soler Diaz back the final bump up spot.  The race would see the demise of some big names including 2006 World Champion Mark Pavidis.  Having won his 1/32 Final, the TLR driver would tangle with another car down the main straight on lap 2 resulting in both drivers ending up against the pitlane wall. Ending up being a 50-second lap for the AKA front man the incident ended any hopes of a bump up with his race ultimately ending with a flame out in the final minute.  Also ending their event in the race were 2012 Semi Finalist Barry Pettit, the Mugen driver missing the cut by 4-seconds in fifth, and fellow American Travis Amezcua.

View the complete results online here.

View our event image gallery here.