AECAR Statement in response to Canas having no entry for eBuggy National C/ship opener
AECAR, the governing body for RC racing in Spain, has issued a statement in response to yesterday’s news that Juan Carlos Canas will not be at this weekend’s opening round of the 1:8 Electric Buggy National Championship as he has no entry following a new ruling for the new season. With the new for 2026 ruling also affecting other racers including Xray team driver Bryan Baldo, and causing plenty of international online discussion, in the statement AECAR outlines its reasoning behind the introduction of 24-hour ruling. It would still appear however that Canas and Baldo will have a free weekend from racing and hopefully for the remaining rounds a more workable solution is found.
The reason of this statement is basically to present our point of view regarding the news published yesterday in social media. AECAR would like to clarify the following points:
• All drivers have the same rights within AECAR, regardless of they are professional drivers or amateur drivers who are new to the class or inside of RC Community.
• AECAR invests a significant amount of resources (thanks to all of you) to promote our sport, and we consider it’s important to have TOP international drivers participating in our championships. However, while we acknowledge their relevance, we want to be clear that they are not the only factor to consider. Therefore, no individual exceptions will be made, and we will always act in the best interest of drivers and organizer as a whole.
• Neither the general regulations nor the specific regulations for this category (1/8 Off ROAD EP) include any type of entry reservation based on ranking. Therefore, registrations are handled as in any other event, except for 1/8 OFF ROAD: the order of registration and payment determines the alloca1on of places. As a new rule for 2026, it was agreed among the category delegates to get priority of drivers who have followed the championship (participating in at least 3 of the 4 events in the previous year), reserving their place during the first 24 hours. After this period, places are allocated strictly in order of payment. AECAR has the responsibility to organize competitions in the best possible way; however, we do not consider it our role to contact specific drivers individually to remind them to register and prevent them from losing their place. Nevertheless, we understand the frustration that may arise from missing out on a major event.
If any driver considers that the rules & regulations are not appropriate or could be improved, there are fully democratic channels available through regional and national delegates to submit proposals for rules changes. The 2026 Spanish rules are the result of a consensus between drivers, regional delegates, and the national delegate.
• 1/8 OFF ROAD EP , like any other, has its own characteristics and a defined race format. For over a year, it has been agreed to limit the number of entries in order to avoid reducing track 1me and to maintain the quality of the event. Making exceptions by increasing the number of participants would inevitably reduce track time and could lead to complaints from other drivers.
• At AECAR, as well as within most clubs, a significant amount of time and effort is devoted to organizing events on a voluntary basis. For this reason, we consider the level of pressure that is some1mes applied to be unnecessary. The AECAR Board fully supports our National Section Chairman, in the management of the category and in the application of the rules in this particular situation. We also ask for maximum respect and support for all our chairmans and organizing clubs. We kindly request that, before raising any complaint, you consider both the person you are addressing and the circumstances they are in.
We look forward to see you all this weekend in Silla or at any of the upcoming events across the different classes. We appreciate the time you have taken to read this statement and your understanding.
Kind regards
