December 1, 2025

A decade on – life is different, but the drive & focus on winning in Chile are the same for Kurzbuch

2025 marks a decade since Simon Kurzbuch became the Champion of the World.  A driver Red RC have had the pleasure of following on his journey up through the ranks and into 1:8 Onroad racing history books, we first got to know him through the early days of the Euro Nitro Series and as one half of the talented Swiss racing duo that was himself and Silvio Hachler.  Unfortunately we would miss him claiming the biggest prize the sport has to offer, Brazil in 2015 the only 1:8 Onroad World Championship we have missed since going online in 2006.  Thankfully Simon, being the super nice guy he is, hasn’t held that against us and just before he caught his long flight to Chile we had a quick chat to get his thoughts on where he feels he is at as he attempts to become only the 3rd driver to ever win IFMAR’s original WC category more than once.  If he can pull off that feat he would also be the first non Italian to ever do so.  While legend of the category Lamberto Collari won’t be in Santiago for a chance at a 10th World title, and defending Champion Dario Balestri’s chances of a hat trick are on hold as he also wont be there, Simon did address the big talking point around this year’s 24th running of the Worlds – the absence of the entire Infinity team.  ‘I am disappointed that the Infinity drivers are not coming, it is a real shame for Kenji that none of them are coming, but no Infinity does not affect anything from my side in how we approach this race.  In the end there are still very good drivers there and you need to beat them and to beat them you need to work properly before the race in your preparations and then work hard when you get to Chile.  I have a really good focus on the race so from this side it does not change anything if Infinity are there or not.’

Now 33-years old, on where he expects his main competition to come from, without hesitation he replied, ‘Toni (Gruber), Shoki (Takahata) and (Andrea) Catanzani, Catanzani is fast and someone to really watch.  Maybe there will be some other surprises, we will see, but I think these are the guys.’  Asked the difference between the Simon of then (Brazil, 2015) and the Simon of now he replied, ‘There is not a big difference I would say.  A lot of things are the same, of course my focus outside of racing is a bit more into work.  Back at that point of my life I was studying and also had a great time with Silvio Hachler, who is a really good friend.  We studied together and could manage to do as much racing as we wanted to and it was an amazing time that time which also boosted us for good results and everything.  That is the main difference.’  He added. ‘On the other hand my father is still there racing with me and supporting me a lot.  Alex (Kempe) was also there in Brazil as support for Shepherd and now he is directly helping my father so we are looking forward to defend the title of South America.’  While the same dream team that helped him secure the TQ honours at the last World Championship in Japan 2-year-old, and this year’s European Championships, bSimon said it’s not quite the ultimate dream team, his brother having partnered his dad in executing the many pit stops en-route to becoming the World No.1 in Brazil.

Asked if 1:8 Onroad and its high revving little 3.5cc engines have notably evolved since the last Worlds, the class having had almost 50 years to perfect the concept, he said, ‘I think the engines made a big step again the last two years.  The cars have developed a bit also.  I see the difference with my new Mugen but also the other manufacturers have worked to get more from their cars so it is for sure a bit faster.’  On engine and in particular his own program with Ielasi Tuned, owner Daniele Ielasi a rival in Brazil but now one Simon’s key sponsors along with Energy Fuel, who supplied the control fuel for both the 1:8 GT and now the 1:8 Onroad Worlds, he said, ‘reliability is now on a really really good level compared to what we had over the past 10-years in our sport.’  He added this is the result of ‘development but also hard work from Daniele.’

Showing that their is no doubts over his outright speed in terms of being one of the fastest drivers on the planet taking the TQ in Japan on Infinity’s home ground only for a wing issue and engine tuning to thwart his effort in the final, Simon said, ‘this year at the Euros I could manage to TQ against all the Infinity guys and everyone so the speed is there yes, for us it is important to have a clean final.  That is the main focus and it’s been the focus for the last weeks and months in preparation to have more consistency there.  Even though in the last ENS it was not the perfect final race practice but things that happen you learn from them and they are over’.  Suffering a flameout in the last fuel stop at the ENS finale, he explained this was the result of a ‘quick & messy pit stop and lets say a lot of fuel came out and the engine flame out was due to that.’

On going to Chile armed with the new Mugen Seriki MRX7, it three years to the month since he made the switch from then German brand Shepherd after a long stint to the Japanese manufacturer, Simon gave the upbeat reply, ‘Actually it was a great season for the new car.  I could use it since ENS Ettlingen so I have a lot of experience. Durability and everything is as Mugen always was.  I think we could make another step forward with the car in the last month before that I couldn’t spend too much time on the track practicing due to other reasons. We will also get so much practice in Chile I think we will improve the car even further.  There is a lot to discover still.’

Having not yet sampled the track (at the time of our chat), asked his thoughts from what he has seen he replied, ‘It looks like Fontana (2018 WC host track).  I think the grip level will be more suitable for me than it was in Fontana because that was super high grip.  The layout in Chile looks good, and fast, so I think it will make for a proper World Championship.’  On that note we can’t wait to follow how it all unfolds at the impressive CACH facility.

Red RC’s coverage from Chile, which is presented by Capricorn, Radbody, T-Works, and IFMAR, will start on Tuesday (Dec 2nd) with four rounds of seeding practice and continue through to Saturday’s title deciding 1-hour Main,.

November 30, 2025

1:8 Onroad World Championship coverage presented by Capricorn, Radbody, T-Works, and IFMAR

Having hit a landmark of telling the story of how 50 World Championships unfolded when we reported on Marcus Kaerup’s 1:10 4WD Buggy World title win in Australia, Red RC is excited to be travelling to Chile to cover the 1:8 Onroad World Championship, our coverage presented by Capricorn, Radbody, T-Works, and IFMAR.  As we kick off the first of our next 50 World Championships, this one is special because it was IFMAR’s original World Championship category that was also the first World Championship to be covered here on Red RC back in 2007 in Argentina.  With a certain Lamberto Collari racking up the 8th of his 9 World titles, now 18-years later the championship is back in South America and having missed the last one Red RC are definitely going this time round for what in our opinion is the Formula 1 of RC Racing.  Unfortunately while Collari and all of his team-mates at reigning World Champion manufacturer Infinity won’t be making the trip to the amazing CACH facility in Santiago, we are still going to be in for the intensity that only a World Championship brings out in drivers and manufacturers.  While Japan 2023 winner Dario Balestri doesn’t appear on the entry list, it is led by three World Champions – Simon Kurzbuch (2016 World Champion, Brazil), Shoki Takahata (2019 World Champion, USA) and Toni Gruber (1:8 GT 2023 World Champion, Australia) – they will face the next generation of potential World Champions in the form of drivers like Andrea Catanzani who unlike the three World Champions has been to the track previously where he was the Top Qualifier at the IFMAR 1:8 GT World Championships back in September.

Our coverage is only possible thanks to the support of our sponsors and a specialist manufacturer born out of Nitro Onroad racing, Capricorn and its owner Patrizio Rossi have been staunch supporters of the category so we are honoured that they came onboard for this the 24th running of the 1:8 Onroad Worlds which was the founding category for World Championship RC racing when it crowned its first Champion in 1977!  A company that has been instrumental in Red RC’s World Championship coverage post Covid, US body producer Radbody, as fans of all things fast and aerodynamic, are the third of our sponsors making the fourth & final stop on the 2025 World Championship World tour possible.  Long time supporters of Red RC, aftermarket parts and accessories producer T-Works need no introduction and we are delighted to team up with them once again after they supported us last year in attending the 1:10 Nitro Touring Car WC at Huge RC in Thailand.  Having dealt with them at each and every one of the previous 50 Worlds we’ve covered, they are the ones responsible for the race that awards the greatest prize in racing after all, we are very grateful to the World governing body IFMAR for their assistance in ensuring the race with the longest history records will get an in-dept 2025 chapter update!  Red RC’s coverage will begin on Tuesday with Seeding Practice and the Opening Ceremony before we quickly get down to the serious business of qualifying with it all culminating with the crowning of a new World Champion on Saturday (December 6th).