May 12, 2026

Rheinard announces Awesomatix departure

Multiple World Champion Marc Rheinard has announced his departure from Awesomatix after six years with the manufacturer which only came into being at the height of the career of one RC racing’s true legends.  The electric onroad star has been their lead driver since his departure from Infinity at the end of 2019, the initial deal to run Aersomatix done through his brother’s successful Tonisport business.  While a fourth ISTC World title has eluded the German, achieving a podium in 2024 with the unique Oleg Babich designed touring car, they did enjoy plenty of successes including most recently the 2025 1:12 European title and the 2024 Electric Touring Car European title.  In a post on his social media, Rheinard said, ‘Hey Friends, Today I would like to announce my departure from Awesomatix. A bit more than 6 years ago, Oleg gave me the chance to join his fantastic race team.  At a time he backed me when I unfortunately did not have the best moments in my career and this will never be forgotten!  I would like to specially thank Oleg as well as Max Mächler for great years with good success for all of us.’  With 2026 marking 22-years since he claimed his first World Championship, he added, ‘A true honour for me but now it is time to move on!  I wish everyone in the team as well as the factory lots of success and I will always keep great memories in my mind!  Last but most important, I’m happy that after talking to Max and Oleg we end our cooperation in a good way and keep the relationship positive.  Thanks a lot for all and see you on track!’  With a huge following around the world, especially among Tamiya fans, it will be interesting to see what brand of car he will race next.

Source: Marc Rheinard [Facebook]


May 12, 2026

Power HD servos for Almonte

Leading servo manufacturer Power HD has announced that multiple ROAR Nitro Onroad Champion Jose R Almonte has officially joined its team.  The factory Serpent driver, who took the 1:8 GT win at this year’s 50th anniversary Florida Winternats, will officially represent Power HD as part of his dual 1:10 and 1:8 GT racing program.  On the announcement, the Dominican Republic racer, who other successes include the 2025 KO Propo Grand Prix, said, “I’m honoured to join Power HD. Their servos are known worldwide for their reliability, speed, and durability.  I’m excited to represent Power HD on the track, fight for more championships!’

Source: PowerHD [chd.hk]


May 11, 2026

Takashima D-13 TRF421X 1.1 | 1.2mm Spring Steel Chassis

Takashima D-13 has released their 1.1mm and 1.2mm spring steel chassis options featuring a black coated finish for the Tamiya TRF421X 1:10 Touring Car.  Like the previous releases in the Takashima D-13 spring steel chassis lineup, the chassis uses 120-degree countersunk screw holes, allowing perfect fitment on both the 1.1mm and 1.2mm thickness versions.  The black coating not only gives the chassis a unique stealth-style appearance, but also helps prevent rust and corrosion, eliminating one of the common concerns associated with spring steel chassis plates.  Developed for maximum consistency and performance, the new chassis is expected to be a strong option for dedicated Tamiya racing enthusiasts.

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May 11, 2026

Balestri & Groskamp win ENS season opener

The latest season of the Euro Nitro Series kicked off at Minidrom Ettlingen in Germany over the weekend where it was double success for Infinity with Dario Balestri winning 1:8 and Jilles Groskamp winning 1:10.  In 1:8 qualifying it was the Mugen Seiki of Simon Kurzbuch that set the pace, the Swiss driver topping all four qualifiers to secure TQ honours ahead of Balestri.  Counting two P2 runs it was the Capricorn of reigning champion Toni Gruber who completed the Top 3 on the grid ahead of Serpent pairing Marco Weigerding and Mirko Salemi.  In the 45-minute final, Kurzbuch would lead away but with 8-minutes done as the former World Champion exited pit lap after his second stop attempting to keep his lead he and Balestri made contact with the Italian land on his roof.  While Kurzbach waited this allowed Gruber to the lead.  The German would lead until the 25-minute to go mark when Balestri squeezed passed as the leader exited pit lane after refuelling.  Unfortunately just after stopping for new tyres Gruber would suffer a problem retire in pit lane.  This left Balestri to lead the race home for the final 20-minutes chased by Kurzbuch.  Starting from 11th on the grid, Dutch Infinity driver Robbin Hertong completed the podium ahead Weigerding, Rick Vrielijnck, and ARC’s Silvio Hächler.

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May 11, 2026

Xray GTXE’27 1:8 Electric GT

Xray has presented the latest edition of its European Championship winning 1:8 Electric GT, the GTXE’27.  A title they will try to defend at the end of this month in Portugal, features of the new kit include an all-new flat 3mm aluminium chassis with increased battery cooling & completely flat profile, including side sections, eliminating front kick-up for lower CG.  A new composite front bumper has been specifically designed for the flat chassis layout together with a new lightweight foam bumper for reduced weight.  The car also gets new front bulkheads adapted to the flat chassis configuration while new rear bulkheads are designed to accommodate upper centre top deck mounting.  A stronger, lowered motor mount has also been introduced for improved service access & reduced centre of gravity.

View the full GTXE’27 presentation here


May 11, 2026

3Racing Zero Cero Touring Car

3Racing has announced the upcoming release of its Zero Cero 1:10 Electric Touring Car.  Opening pre-order for their latest kit, the Hong Kong manufacturer say it is 15 years in the making.  Named after the legacy that started it all the Sakura (Zero) and Cero, this car is a complete reinvention.  95% all-new design and featuring an ultra-low centre of gravity architecture, 3Racing’s signature pink colour scheme also makes its return.  Key features of the Zero Cero include the chassis front end shortened by 15mm for sharper cornering with the full-width 77mm narrow chassis reducing lean contact in corners.  Ultra-short shock absorbers give an eye-to-eye of just 34.4mm eye-to-eye.  The kit also includes a dual-bearing differential with gasket oil seal and front triple-joint driveshaft with dual-cup for steering stability.  The carbon fibre chassis is short-cell battery compatible and some of the all-new parts also compatible with previous Gen Cero models  As a first batch bonus, due to ship on May 22, every kit will come with a free SAK-Z104B 1.2mm Steel Chassis.

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May 10, 2026

RaceOpt FFV4S Dolphin 1:10 FWD Touring Car

With the release of their FFV4 Dolphin at the start of 2025 generating lots of interest at the time, Hong Kong brand RaceOpt has updated its Front Wheel Drive Touring Car with the release of the FFV4S.  The S kit features a new dual rear long trailing arm independent suspension moving away from the single piece suspension set-up of the previous kit.  Having previously offer a limited edition Rear Suspension Conversion Kit, the updated FFV4S kit standard design of using two separate carbon fibre trailing arms helps to keep rear the wheels vertical, maximising grip and stability.

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May 9, 2026

Serpent legend Salven joins Ielasi Tuned

Ielasi Tuned engines has welcomed veteran 1:8 Onroad racer & Serpent legend Michael Salven to its team.  The announcement was made at this weekend’s opening round of the 2026 Euro Nitro Series at Minidrom Ettlingen in Germany.  A World Championship Top Qualifier, a European Champion, and multiple German Champion, Salven has been both successful as a racer, since joining Serpent in 1980, and as chief designer of their cars over the last three decades.  In joining Daniele Ielasi’s engine brand, a racer with whom he enjoyed many on track battles, Salven joins Serpent’s star driver Andrea Catanzani in representing the Italian company and running their Pista Team Edition engine.

Source: Ielasi Tuned [ielasituned.com]


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