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Oct. 16, 2015, 1:08 p.m.
By Aaron Waldron
LiveRC.com
Everybody knows that Friday is meant for reminiscing old times. Each week we take you back in time as we flashback to some of R/C racing's greatest moments, products, drivers, and more!
Flashback: 1985
Every winner of the IFMAR Electric Off-Road World Championships
By the time the first IFMAR World Championship for off-road RC cars was organized in 1985, RC car racing had been happening on an international scale for over a decade – with the first "world championship" race held in 1977 for 1/8-scale nitro on-road cars. The International Federation for Model Auto Racing formed in 1979, and they added 1/12-scale electric cars to the world championship rotation in 1982. After the 1/12-scale pan car class had started picking up steam, manufacturers started to look for the next big thing - and they found it in the dirt.
Inspired by full-size dune buggies popular in Southern California and Baja California, Tamiya and Kyosho were the first to create 2WD racing platforms in the late 1970s, and Kyosho's Scorpion in 1982 was purpose-built for competition. The class caught fire in the U.S. and West Germany in addition to Japan. Yokomo built its first 4WD racing buggy, the YZ-834B Dog Fighter, in 1983, and Team Associated created prototypes of the first RC10 in time to win the inaugural ROAR Nationals in 1984. Even companies like Hirobo and Marui began producing off-road buggies in response to the growth of off-road racing around the globe.
By the time IFMAR organized the first electric off-road world championship in 1985, the segment had become the largest and fastest-growing portion of the RC car industry - and has remained among the most prestigious titles to win. Here's a list of every driver to win the 2WD and 4WD class:
2WD Buggy
YearDriverCountryChassisMotorLocation1985Jay HalseyUSATeam AssociatedReedyPomona, California, USA1987Joel JohnsonUSAKyoshoTrinityRomsey, England1989Masami HirosakaJapanTeam AssociatedReedySt. Ives, NSW, Australia1991Masami HirosakaJapanTeam AssociatedReedySterling Heights, Michigan, USA1993Brian KinwaldUSATeam AssociatedReedyBasildon, England1995Matt FrancisUSATeam AssociatedReedy Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan1997Brian KinwaldUSATeam LosiTrinityPomona, California, USA1999Masami HirosakaJapanTeam AssociatedReedyRauma, Finland2002*Matt FrancisUSATeam LosiTrinityPretoria, Gauteng, South Africa2003Billy EastonUSATeam AssociatedReedyLargo, Florida, USA2005Neil CraggEnglandTeam AssociatedReedyCollegno, Italy2007Hayato MatsuzakiJapanTeam AssociatedCheckpointHakusan, Ishikawa, Japan2009Martin AchterGermanyTeam AssociatedCS ElectronicPretoria, Gauteng, South Africa2011Ryan CavalieriUSATeam AssociatedOrionVaasa, Finland2013Jared TeboUSAKyoshoOrionChico, California, USA2015Spencer RivkinUSATeam AssociatedReedyTsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
4WD Buggy
YearDriverCountryChassisMotorLocation1985*Gil Losi Jr.USAYokomoTrinityPomona, California, USA1987Masami HirosakaJapanSchumacherHPIRomsey, England1989Masami HirosakaJapanYokomoReedySt. Ives, NSW, Australia1991Cliff LettUSAYokomoReedySterling Heights, Michigan, USA1993Masami HirosakaJapanYokomoReedyBasildon, England1995Mark PavidisUSAYokomoReedy Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan1997Masami HirosakaJapanYokomoReedyPomona, California, USA1999Jukka SteenariFinlandTeam LosiOrionRauma, Finland2002*Jukka SteenariFinlandTeam LosiOrionPretoria, Gauteng, South Africa2003Ryan CavalieriUSATeam LosiTrinityLargo, Florida, USA2005Ryan CavalieriUSAJConceptsTrinityCollegno, Italy2007Jared TeboUSATeam AssociatedCheckpointHakusan, Ishikawa, Japan2009Martin AchterGermanyTeam DurangoCS ElectronicPretoria, Gauteng, South Africa2011Ryan CavalieriUSATeam AssociatedOrionVaasa, Finland2013Steven HartsonUSATeam AssociatedLRPChico, California, USA2015Bruno CoelhoPortugalXRAYLRPTsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
*The 2001 World Championships were postponed due to the September 11 attacks.
Most wins by driver:
2WD:
- Masami Hirosaka - 3
- Brian Kinwald and Matt Francis (tied) - 2
- Nine others tied with 1
4WD:
- Masami Hirosaka - 4
- Ryan Cavalieri - 3
- Jukka Steenari - 2
- Seven others tied with 1
Total:
- Masami Hirosaka - 7
- Ryan Cavalieri - 4
- Brian Kinwald, Matt Francis, Jukka Steenari, and Jared Tebo (tied) - 2
- Fifteen others tied with 1
Most wins by nation:
2WD:
- USA - 10
- Japan - 4
- England and Germany (tied) - 1
4WD:
- USA - 8
- Japan - 4
- Finland - 2
- Germany and Portugal (tied) - 1
Total:
- USA - 18
- Japan - 8
- Finland and Germany (tied) - 2
- England and Portugal (tied) - 1
Most wins by car manufacturer:
2WD:
- Team Associated - 12
- Kyosho and Team Losi (tied) - 2
4WD:
- Yokomo - 6
- Team Losi and Team Associated (tied) - 3
- Four others tied with 1
Total:
- Team Associated - 15
- Yokomo - 6
- Team Losi - 5
- Kyosho - 2
- Four others tied with 1
Most wins by motor:
2WD:
- Reedy - 9
- Trinity - 3
- Orion - 2
- Checkpoint and CS Electronic (tied) - 1
4WD:
- Reedy - 5
- Trinity and Orion (tied) - 3
- LRP - 2
- HPI, Checkpoint and CS Electronic (tied) - 1
Total:
- Reedy - 16
- Trinity - 6
- Orion - 5
- Checkpoint and CS Electronic (tied) - 2
- HPI - 1
Most races hosted by nation:
- USA - 5
- Japan - 3
- England and South Africa (tied) - 2
- Four tied with 1
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