Word on the street is that all-time R/C legend Masami Hirosaka has announced his retirement from big-time international competition.  Japanese blog RC Maniax (translated by google here) say that Masami’s last race will take place at Yatabe Arena on May 3 – and will be a two part race featuring touring cars, and 4wd buggies utilising two of the famed Japanese facility’s tracks.
After he captured his first WC in 1987 driving for Schumacher, we first saw Masami when he won both 2wd and 4wd classes at the 1989 World Championship in Sydney.  He was awesome then, and went on to win a staggering 14 IFMAR World Championships, together with holding at least one all-Japan championship in various classes for something like 18 years running.
He is unquestionably the man with the strongest claim to the throne as the best R/C racer of all time, having won world championships in 2wd and 4wd offroad, 12th scale and 10th scale pancars.  The only EP title to elude him has been the 10th Touring class.  In 2006 he finished second in Italy, and last year finished 3rd in Thailand…..so close.
Assuming these reports are true, at 39 years of age, Masami has hung up the trusty KO stick radio.  One has to wonder….will we ever see the likes of him again?
Farewell to a master blaster.