Figueiredo and Kyosho Part Ways

Press Release From Joao Figueiredo:
www.facebook.com/JFRcDriver

Kyosho and Joao Figueiredo have announced that they will no longer be working together in 2024.

"Let me tell you a story!

The story about a kid who once dreamed about being part of the of the most well known and most accomplished brand of RC Racing in the whole world! Yes you are right, KYOSHO CORPORATION. The brand that won everything there was to win in various scales and categories of RC.

Well, in 2011 the young kid from Barcelos had a big surprise from his dad. His dad had bought a whole new MP9 TKi KIT. You should see is excitement knowing he finally had the chance to drive the same car as all his idols!

The next few years he started to win and make podiums at some local club races and some years later he had won his first title with his dream car becoming Northern Regional Champion!

He started to show up at some international races, Euros and Worlds as well and learned more and more from losing to the best in the business! You should see the hunger he had for more!

2014 is here and at 17 years old he was participating at the European B Championship at the well known Fuencarral, Madrid track! Little did he knew he would meet the mind behind the car he was driving at that day, Yuichi Kanai-San was there to help all the Red Samurais attending the race and oh my, oh my you should see his happiness and the will he had to do a good Euro B in front of the big boss! He made his first Euro B main final and started P2 to finish in a sweet n sour P5! The hunger for more was rising every day!

2015 arrived and he made his first TQ in the Euro B and European A Semifinal! By the end of that Euros in Italy a well know French Sir, Christophe Bouvet, approached him wearing the red Kyosho shirt and told him: We will speak for next year!

2016 he had become part of the official Kyosho Europe team and once again just fell short to make is first Euro A Main final!

Now we get to 2017, the year his dream came truth! 6 years after is first MP9 he had been invited to join the Kyosho International Team! This year had to be a big one and it was! He had achieved one of his main goals in his RC Career and got into the big show at the 2017 European Championship in Sweden! The kid who by that time had 21 years old was dreaming big for the next years to come!

2018 one more Nitro Buggy A-Main making it 2 and e-Buggy Euros A-Main!

2019 his first Portuguese National Championship title on both classes, 3 European Mains plus a 4th place at the E-Buggy Euros in Barcelona!

2020 with covid he won once again the Portuguese Cup on both classes!

2021 two more Portuguese Titles we are at 6 overall plus 2 in 1/10th class back in 2016!

2022 the Euros at Home! He wasn’t a kid anymore! 26 years old and he wanted to show the world he could do something huge! Him, his dad and some friends worked hard to make the biggest and best European Championship everyone had seen until that date! Once again, main final, not really the best result BUT we are at 4 European Mains and counting!

All this years had past and here I am today, 12 years later after smiling to my first Kyosho KIT at the dinners table, looking at the same table that KIT was standing and looking at the last MP10 TKI3 assembled for this year of racing carrying in my shoulders 8 Portuguese Titles 3x 1/8 Nitro, 3x 1/8 E-Buggy, 1x 1/10 2wd and 1x 1/10 4wd), 5 European 1/8th Nitro A main finals in a row, 3 European 1/8th E-Buggy A-Mains, 2 European B main finals and numerous main finals in international races all around the world with some few podiums and TQ’s in the mix, taking with me experience, knowledge, happiness, joy and love from this brand that took me in as part of their family.

I won’t be able to express the gratitude I have to all of the people behind this achievements. My dad, Christophe, Mick, Yuichi, Mitsuo, Kenji, Futoshi and many many others (I’m sorry not to mention all of you) a big big big THANK YOU to all of you for this amazing 12 years together and a big sorry for not achieving everything I wanted to with all of you by my side!

This was officially my last year with the Red Samurai Family, KYOSHO CORPORATION and I will part ways.

This was my story with the biggest brand RC History knows. I couldn’t be more proud of the 14 years old kid from 12 years ago! I’ll be forever grateful for everything this family did for me! I wouldn’t say this is a goodbye but a see you soon!

どうもありがとうございます

We still have one last dance together, aiming to bring two more National Championships to you

(I’m sorry for the long post but I had to do it so)" - Joao Figueiredo