Red RC

March 4, 2026

The Direct Drive Experiment by Jilles Groskamp

This has the potential to break the internet as touring car racers dissect every aspect of his creation but credit to Jilles Groskamp for this super interesting build he has called ‘The Direct Drive Experiment’. A driver renowned for his technical knowledge and attention to detail in developing car set-ups, having been a kingpin in the glory days of the Tamiya Racing Factory team, the IFMAR World Champion has created a very special Infinity IF14 Speciale that no longer features a drivetrain! Instead the Cayote electronics sponsored driver has fitted the car with four in-wheel drone 1400Kv motors with independent control of each using a micro controllers. Putting the car through its paces at his home track the MACH in the Netherlands, where he won his 2012 ISTC World Championship, could the reigning Nitro Touring Car World Champion be onto something and have just created the future direction for electric touring car design? Watch his video of the experiment here.

Source: Jilles Groskamp [Facebook]

March 4, 2026

Titanium RC ‘The Engine Heater’

Titanium RC, the RC business of Dutch 1:8 Nitro Onroad stalwart John Ermen, has released an updated version of its engine heater, ‘The Engine Heater’ now also available in a Buggy/GT engine version. Key features of the Titanium RC heater are that it is designed to heat the engine to the correct start-up temperature, preventing issues with fuel evaporation in the fuel line, and the function is operated by a simple on/off switch. Another big advantage of the heater is that it is designed to only draw 150 watt of power compared to the draw of commonly used hair driers at 700w or paint strippers at 2000w. At big races like ENS, such heavy power consumption can cause power issues for tracks so the ‘The Engine Heater’ can alleviate such problems. With pre-heating of engines becoming more and more popular in offroad, due to demand Titanium RC has added an Offroad version to suit the different head type which has a 62mm diameter compared to the onroad’s 55mm diameter.

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March 4, 2026

MR33 Pan Car Body Stiffener Set

New from MR33, the brand of multiple electric onroad World Champion Marc Rheinard, comes this Pan Car Body Stiffener Set. Consisting of rear body stiffeners for 1:12 pan cars, they allows you to stiffen the rear of a pan car body, particularly at the wheel arches and rear end, making it better suited for track action. The 3D-printed ring reinforces the side bodywork around the wheel arches, ensuring it remains in the correct position. Especially if you’re running a very wide rear axle and the tires protrude beyond the body, this reinforcement allows you to precisely adjust the rearmost area so the wheels run neatly within the bodywork. One big advantage: You don’t have to cut out the rear wheel arch unnecessarily large. Weighing only 1.5 gram for the set, they can be easily attached either with body adhesive or double-sided adhesive tape.

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March 4, 2026

Neumann joins XTR for accessories & fuel

Spanish brand XTR has announced that new WIRC signing Joern Neumann will use their accessories and Shoot fuel as part of his race program for the upcoming seasons. The highly accomplished offroad racer and former 1:8 GT World Champion, joined Italian manufacturer WIRC for 2026 after an 8-year stint with Taiwanese manufacturer Sworkz. Running Reds Racing engines, Neumann joins multiple time European Champions Elliott Boots and Reno Savoya in representing XTR and running Shoot fuel.

Source: XTR Racing [xtr-rc.com]

March 3, 2026

Hotrace ‘Hawaii’ 1:8 Buggy tyre

Italian tyre manufacturer Hotrace Tyres has announced its newest 1:8 Buggy racing tyre release, the Hawaii. Based off their successful Sahara carcass, it’s pattern features a smaller tread package making it ideal for smoother track conditions, consistent racing and high-end performance. The design revolves around the centre structure which has medium sized, The lugs have strategically placed cuts and grooves to allow flex in dusty conditions. The outer portion of the tread fits together like blocks, but also work together to flex laterally to provide a great side-bite. The Hawaii is available pre-glued and in all of Hotrace’s compound options.

View tyre thread pattern here

March 3, 2026

Milansport Tire Gripper for Matrix F1 Wheels

New from Polish brand Milansport comes the Tire Gripper, a tool to make your additive application easier on F1 tires from Matrix Racing Tires. It was designed to fit into the rim providing an easier way to rotate the wheel during additive application, keeping your hands clean. The Tire Gripper has an integrated wheel hex if you would like to use a electric screw driver to rotate the wheel.

View additional image here

March 3, 2026

2025/26 RugRacers Season Finale – Report

The final round of the Herts based RugRacers Series took place over the weekend with Schumacher’s Elliot Harper, who already secured the Modified title, capping off the season with another win. While the Modified & Stock titles were already decided, Front Wheel Drive would go to the wire along with the Masters & Juniors for each class. In Modified, Round 3 would see Harper pushed all the way by Harley Eldridge & Alex Thurston, looking to maintain his perfect record he would close out Q1 by 1.3secs from Harley, Alex & Chris Grainger, Q2 again going to Elliot with Alex 2 secs back ahead of Harley, Q3 & Q4 were alsi in favour of Elliott giving him the TQ for the 2 Leg Finals. Leg 1, Elliott dropping the hammer immediately, he pulled a gap of 1.5s over the 1st few laps a gap he would maintain and grow as the race ran on to take victory in Leg 1, Harley 2nd with Alex just behind. Leg 2, Elliot had to work hard in the early part of the race before establishing enough of a gap he would be able to keep his 100% record intact out front, all the action was happening behind with Matthieu Dambrine making his way up to the 2nd spot ahead of Alex, Harley & Chris, Elliott getting the job done to secure the win, over both legs with a perfect championship score & TQs as the Rugracers Champion.

Continue reading here

March 3, 2026

Canas wins Spanish Nationals opener

Champion of the highly competitive AECAR 1:8 Nitro Buggy Spanish National Championship, Sworkz’s Juan Carlos Canas opened his 2026 campaign with a TQ and win. The Circuito RC Fernando Robles track in San Jose de la Rinconada played host to the first race of the 4-round championship with Canas taking 4 of the 5 qualifiers. Behind Robert Batlle made it an Sworkz 1-2 with a string of P2 runs while Tekno’s Joao Figueiredo completed the Top 3 having TQ’d the final qualifier. Winning his Semi final from Mugen Seiki’s David Todd Nieto, winner of the 2025 season opener, Figueiredo, and Sparko’s Daniel Pariente, winner of 2025 season finale, it was Canas who would start on pole, the Top 4 on the grid coming from the Semi A. Winner of the Semi B, Battle would line up P5. In the 45-minute final, Canas steered his Reds Racing powered Sworkz to the victory half a lap clear of Mugen’s Jose Miguel Sanchez with Adrian Pariente’s Sparko completing the podium ahead of Battle and Xray’s Oscar Baldo with Todd Nieto finishing sixth. In F2 category, the race attracting a combined 81 entries between F1 and F2, Saul Ordonez Ortiz made it a double celebration for Sworkz by also taking the TQ and win.

Image: Sworkz [Facebook]