Ronnefalk is Top Seed at Offroad Worlds

Coming into the IFMAR 1:8 Offroad World Championship in Spain with some new found confidence, Xray’s David Ronnefalk has further boosted his form for the most important bi-annual racing week of the year by claiming the Top Seed honours for the start of qualifying tomorrow.  Fastest in first seeding practice from reigning Champion David Ongaro, the former World Champion went quickest again in the second round motivated by the hard charging back to back reigning European Champion Juan Carlos Canas.  Over the counting 3-consecutive laps only 0.038 of seconds separated them.  Third fastest for the round, that is where Ongaro finds himself seeded for quali in front of Boots, the British driver struggling with the increased grip and only managed 7th fastest time time for the round.  Fourth fastest in the second run of the day, Tekno’s Joao Figueiredo is the 5th seed, one spot ahead of fellow countryman Bruno Coelho, the Xray driver having to pit during the evening run after a rear tyre parted way from the rim.

Reacting to his 8/10ths of a second improvement, Ronnefalk explained, ‘we made a couple of changes to the car for that one as I had a good car in the first one.  Also I broke in a new drivetrain to put that one aside for later in the race just to keep everything fresh towards the end. The grip was up, we saw the track was faster the heat before so I knew that it was going to be a quicker run so I had to put everything together took a couple of laps for the driver to break in.  I also had the idle set too low before going out on the track,  it died there on me once, bumped it back up and after that it was really good to the end’.  On tomorrows qualifying, Ronnefalk said, ‘It should be all good, feeling confident, car is easy to drive . Everything we’ve been trying is good, I have always been in the Top 3-5 let’s say and it seems like we are on a really good track here so hopefully we can keep it going tomorrow in qualifying.’

With the potential to give the host nation a home winner, Canas was much happier with his Sworkz second time round.  He explained, ‘I changed things on the car and the tyre compound and I didn’t like it but for the last one I tried new things and it works really really good.  Asked about tomorrow’s first day of qualifying, 3 of the sixth rounds on the schedule, the Spaniard said , ‘yeh, yeh I feel confident cause I not only made three good laps also the 10-minutes was under 50 (seconds).  It’s a really good car to drive.  Asked about further changes ahead of Q1 he replied, ‘maybe we try to make it a little safer for the 10-minute run nothing more’.

Checking in with Ongaro about his evening run, the Italian was running in Heat 14 of 15 for seeding, said ‘Overall it was better so we are happy’.  Asked how he had improved his Associated, he explained, ‘We changed tyres and it was really really good.  The only thing is they are running after me so maybe they can see if the track is faster or not so they can change tyres and stuff.  On the 10-minutes I think I am the more consistent one so I mean that’s the goal for us and we see tomorrow.’

Summing up his second seeding run Boots said, ‘from the first one we wanted to try and increase a bit of rotation in the car and get a bit more speed but the grip came up so it was like a double whammy so it became a bit more edgy to drive so we’ll go back to our previous settings.  The track is coming in now and the grip is coming up so we’ll see tomorrow how the track is but definitely in that last one a lot of people were saying the grip has come up quite a lot, you could see it watching the cars as well.  We’ll go back to the set-up we had this morning just to make the car more calm and easier to drive now the track has become more aggressive.’

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Ronnefalk fastest in first seeding round at WC

After two days of free practice, today drivers finally got down to some serious business at the IFMAR 1:8 Offroad World Championship with the first of the two seeding rounds that saw Xray’s David Ronnefalk set the pace on the sloping RC Redovan track.  The 2016 World Champion was almost a second faster than the Team Associated of defending World Champion Davide Ongaro with Elliot Boots completing the Top 3 for Sworkz.  Overall it was a good start to the day for Xray with Bruno Coelho posting the fourth fastest time just ahead of WIRC Racing’s Marco Baruffolo.  Having set the pace both on Sunday & Monday, hotly tipped race favourite Juan Carlos Canas opened the day with a P6.  The back to back reigning European Champion won the first of those title at the RC Redovan track.

Summing up his first seeding effort Ronnefalk, who was runner-up here 2-years ago said, ‘The first one was good but it started a bit weird ’cause I changed the car from yesterday to today and it was a little bit different to drive.  It was struggling to hit apex of corners ’cause my brakes were too soft and it was understeering but then the tyres broke in just enough to have the right amount of grip I would say and from 3-4 laps into the run to the end I felt really strong’.  The Swede continued, ‘I was able to put 3 laps together and it was enough for the top spot by a second or so. Definitely happy with that even though there is still some room for improvement in terms of drivability the car is fast now it is just a matter of fine tuning the small little details here and there.’  Asked about the track layout change required as part of RC Redovan hosting back to back World Championships, he said, ‘I think the track is nice it’s definitely a little easier than the previous layout they had here but still there are some tricky sections were you need to be able to carry the speed, car needs to carry a lit of corner speed on this layout, lots of 180s were you need to have the right amount of steering without car scrubbing speed to much.  I think set-up on this layout might be a little more critical to have every close to perfect.  Track flows nicely and I like it.’

The hottest day drivers have experienced so far in the South of Spain, Ongaro was pleased with how his track time was going so far stating, ‘It was good.  I think they put some fresh glue on some corners because my car was different from yesterday.  Overall I am happy.  I just try to find the 10-minutes, I don’t care about the three laps.  Comparing the layout on which he won World title two years ago to the new layout he said, ‘I think it is easier to learn but more difficult to go fast, it is more critical.  We are trying to chase how the track is changing, we change something for the second seeding and we see, so far so good.’

Winning the second of his two European Champion titles here at RC Redovan in 2016, Boots was happy with his Reds Racing powered Sworkz.  The British driver said, ‘We got 3rd in first one the car was feeling really good and comfortable.  Going to make a few minor set-up changes just to see if we can extract a few more tenths but it’s very close between a few people.  The layout is a bit different but we have a good feeling of the surface.  It’s hard to say, it could go like Euros way when it went really black line and got more grippy or it could go polished like it did when we had Neobuggy here a few years ago.  We have to see.  At the moment it is in the trending stage of which way is it going to go so we just have to keep an eye on it.  We’re in the mix, we’ve been in the Top 5 all week so far, I know its only 3-laps but we also feel good over the full run’.

Asked how he was finding the early going here at the 19th running of the World Championship, Coelho said, ‘We are still kind of learning the track finding some 10ths here some 10th there but it’s looking very good.’  Asked how the track was developing, the first seeding run the 7th time drivers got out on the track, he replied, ‘The track is changing for sure’.  The Portuguese driver continued, ‘When we started there was only glue so grip was super high now it feels like the grip is a little bit lower but at the same time there is more corner speed.  Times are faster but soon I think it will get more oily and we will need to change tyres for different compounds which will again change everything.  I am confident because we are doing pretty well on these changes since the beginning, the pace is there I was never so ready like now in the past so I am pretty confident.  Small changes now, previous days we have been changing a lot now only small changes ’cause car is on point almost.  Last round I just missed to make third lap with small bobble.  I had fastest lap which proves car is fast and my 10-minutes was also really good- 3 consecutive laps were not amazing.’

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‘We don’t have to show to anyone who we are’ – Ongaro

Two years ago Davide Ongaro reigned in Spain making history as the first driver to defend his IFMAR 1:8 Offroad World Championship, the previous 17 Champions who went before him unable to execute a successful title defence.  Having been forced to wait double the length of time to defend his 2018 Perth victory due to the global Covid pandemic, the likeable Italian again finds himself in a unique title defence situation.  Originally set to travel to Brazil to chase the title hat trick, São Paulo was cancelled, and now he is this week lining up on the very same dirt he skimmed across for an hour 2-years ago en route to his historic feat of winning 1:8 Nitro Buggy’s biggest prize for the second time.  Now a 23-year-old veteran of the sport, this year marks a decade since Ongaro announced himself to the World on his championship debut in Sicily.  Having added a 1:10 Offroad World title to his CV last year in Arizona, putting himself into a very exclusive driver’s club, many a driver might find the prospects of lining up for an attempt at three in a row daunting.  However with Ongaro one might ask is the Team Associated star a master poker player and just one of the most laid back kids on the block?  While Davide was making his final preparations ahead of travelling out to Spain we took the opportunity to have a quick chat with him on the story so far and get his take on where things are at for the second coming of the Worlds at RC Redovan.

While his 2016 performance was the real warning shot of what was to come, it was his first World’s experience two years earlier on home soil that gave the first indications of the talent within.  The then 13-year-old would line up in the the same 1/4 final as 2010 World Champion Cody King (who went on to make the Main).  Sending the local crowd crazy when he took the lead of that race, unfortunately engine issues ended his impressive Worlds debut but his efforts had set the wheels in motion.  Davide said from this performance his journey to where he is today began,  ‘In Italy I had a fight with Cody King in the 1/4 final and then from that Ricky Acciari (former Red RC photographer), who you know, started to speak about me and this was what kick started what was to become my job.’  On his subsequent performance in Las Vegas, where he took the fight to eventual Champion David Ronnefalk, he explained,  ‘I was close to David but I had a problem with the pressure tube from the fuel tank going to the engine.  I didn’t flame out but I needed to go into the pit to repair it so I finished 6th overall.  I mean it was still a good result.’

Asked how the then 15 year old has evolved as a driver in the eight years since, Davide replied, ‘the biggest change between then and now is my driving style.’  Driving a Mugen Seiki in Sicily and Vegas, he then switched to current sponsor Team Associated adding, ‘the main thing for sure was changing the car as I changed my driving style because it was different.  Also I am older now and I know what to do with the car and stuff.  Mainly I think the driving style but personally before for me it was just say going there and having fun.  I am having fun also now for sure but for me now it’s my job so I have to do it like a real job.  I have to dedicate more time preparing everything at home, go for testing training with the others so it is different but it’s still for me about having fun, that’s the first thing.’

On the pressure of the three in a row, Davide replied, ‘there is no pressure, for sure it will be a special event because we won there but also maybe it will special for Canas because he won the Euros there last year.  To go back to the track you won at before is not easy but we will see, just go there, work harder, have fun, no pressure.  We don’t have to show to anyone who we are, just drive well and if everything works good, we have everything to do well.’  Asked if he will approach anything different to how he did last time he said, ‘It was the same for me last year when the Euros was at same track I won the Worlds so no for me it’s no problem.  They changed the layout so it is new for everyone so approach doesn’t change.’  Of the three World titles he has already racked up asked if any stood out more than others he replied, ‘for me the most important one was the one in Spain because we arrived just after the Covid so after 4 years without any World Championship and big events it was the hardest one.  Also because I won four years before so it was not easy for me. It will be not easy this year for sure but we go there without pressure, we go there and see what happens.

In the time Red RC have known Davide, one thing that has always stood out with Team Ongaro is relationship between Davide and his parents, and in particular his father Mauro.  Hanging out with them away from the track at the Philippine Masters earlier this year they seem more best friends than father & son.  Davide says, ‘I think like everyone we also had difficult times together because sometimes I want to do a thing and he wants to do another thing but then at the end we are super super close like you see us.  I think it is a good family hobby.  My mam comes to the races sometimes when she can so it’s a good thing but with my dad it is always a close relationship and I think this makes us strong on this side.’

Asked how he would sum up his 2024 season so far as preparation coming into the Worlds, Davide replied, ‘So far it’s good apart from the Euros, it is always strange racing in your home track, apart from that race it’s a good season so far.  We won the first two nationals, we have the third round after the Worlds, we won the eBuggy Euros in Montpellier, which ok is e-Buggy, but it is still a European Championship title.  We are happy but we need to work for sure like everyone, now the level is very high but so far we are proud.’  Asked if the dynamic has changed much as Davide gets older he said, ‘I also do a lot more work on the car now.  At home I always work on car and then at the races my dad wrenches the car.  I help gluing tyres and stuff but the set-up and everything he wrenches for me.’

With tyres a much talked about aspect of these Worlds, Davide’s view is, ‘honestly I think it will be like 2022 because we will start with a new surface with some glue on it and then the last 2-3 days the track will be different so it will be a tyre game for sure, 100%.  Also the run time for fuel because the track is really huge so the tyres and let’s say strategy will be difficult for everyone.’

With back to back European 1:8 Offroad Champion Juan Carlos Canas being the widely tipped race favourites for RC Redovan we asked Davide if that’s something he focuses any attention on to which he replied, ‘I think like everyone we have a rival in our thoughts but if we are there it is because we are all fast.  Sometimes it works for him, sometimes its works for David, sometimes it works for me so for sure he will be a rival at the race but we have to consider other drivers that are fast, Bruno and the others.  I think it’s a new race for everyone so we will see how it will be.’

2024 IFMAR 1:8 Offroad World Championship coverage presented by Ruddog

The first of three World Championships Red RC will attend this year, our coverage from 1:8 Offroad in Redovan is being supported by Ruddog.  This German based company is steeped in offroad racing history being a distributor for 32 times World Champion manufacturer Team Associated and iconic offroad tyre brand JConcepts to name but a few.  Founded in 2006 by Sven Rudig, himself an avid offroad racer, they have developed their own product ranges such as Ruddog Racing which offers a line of electronics and engines.  They are also behind Revolution Design Racing Products which has established itself as a designer & producer of high-quality tuning parts and are popular upgrades among offroad racers.