Tekno RC at the World Indoor Buggy Cup 2k17!

The WIBC 2k17 International Race was held this past weekend at the IBR Padova track near Venice, Italy. Ilias Arkoudaris with Alex Zancettin made the trip to the race, which proved to be very favorable for Tekno RC as our drivers managed to win 2 out of 3 classes! Here is a report from Ilias:

“IBR Padova is one of the premier facilities in Europe, pretty much the home of 1/8th Indoor racing, like every year the World Indoor Buggy Cup is one of the last races of the season which always attracts fast local and International drivers. I was looking forward to this race since it was the first year we had a good amount of Tekno RC drivers attending.

I arrived in Venice Wednesday afternoon and after Alex picking me up from the airport we went directly to the track for some practice. This was the first time I had the chance to see the newly built layout and I can say it was a good improvement. After the first couple of tanks, we were sure things would be good for us since Alex’s cars were dialed right out of the gate. Wednesday was a free practice day so the driver’s stand and the track were really busy… With no changes made to the cars for Thursday, we went for dinner and called it a day.

Thursday was again a free practice, more organized this time as drivers were divided into heats, ensuring everyone would have the same amount of practice. At the end of the day Alex managed to top the unofficial practice sheets in both E-Buggy and Nitro Buggy classes boosting our confidence for a good race result. 

Friday was qualifying with one round of practice in the morning, which was used for reseeding. The whole Tekno RC team was present for the day with Lucca Iotti, Cristian Pasotti, Luca “Mambo” Mambriani arriving at the track. Alex was seeded first in both Pro Nitro Buggy and E-Buggy classes with Luca Iotti sitting fourth overall in the F2 class. After discussing with everyone, we made sure cars were set up properly and ready for qualifying. 

At the end of a day that seemed to last forever, everyone was happy with their cars and results. Alex was sitting second in Pro Nitro Buggy and E-Buggy with Luca fifth in F2 class. Time to rebuild the cars and get ready for the two remaining qualifying rounds.

Saturday proved to be a good day since Alex managed to top the remaining two E-Buggy qualifying rounds, getting the overall TQ and sitting second overall in the Nitro Buggy class. Luca Iotti would qualify third overall in the Sport class showing good speed and consistency.

Sunday was the finals day and everyone was ready to give their 100%, first up was the E-Buggy Semi. Alex would win it by a good margin continuing his dominant performance in the class. Proceeding to the E-Buggy finals Alex won A1 and A3 getting the overall win!

In the Nitro Sport class Luca Iotti won his semi with smooth and consistent driving and would start from the number one spot in the 45-minute Sport class Amain. Due to a rough start, he went to last after the first corner. Without losing his cool he ended up taking the win, which put a great smile on his face!

In the Pro Nitro Buggy class, Alex won his semi despite a few driving errors, starting him in the second position for the 45-minute grand finale.  After some wrenching and final preparations, everything was ready for the last contest. At the drop of the flag, Alex had a clean start and was able to maintain his position towards the front of the pack for the entire race. After some intensely close battles, he would settle into the third finishing position, with the top three drivers on the same closing lap.