1:12 & ISTC 2026 IFMAR World C/ship Stage 2 Report

With the 1:12 & ISTC World Championships in China just 2-months away, IFMAR has published the Stage 2 Report from race host Hongyu GDC.  The 22nd running of the 1:12 World Championship (March 26-29th) and the 13th running of the World Championship (April 1-4) for 1:10 Electric Touring Car, 2026 will see the return of the two classes running back to back as was previously the case up until 2019 when both titles where decided at the Welkom R/C Arena in South Africa.  The third time China will host an IFMAR World Championship, this will be the the second time the 1:12 and ISTC titles will be decided there.  A decade ago Naoto Matsukura won the title for Roche in Beijing with the Touring Car title going to Ronald Volker and Yokomo a few days later.  The latest World Championship at the very impressive Hongyu GDC track, appears to have attracted a strong entry for both events.  While 1:12 has at times struggled with numbers, over 80 drivers from 18 nations are already confirmed to contest the title with that number expected to exceed 90 once entries are finalised.  Winner of the last Worlds in Florida in 2023, Michal Orlowski heads that entry with Japan set to be the best represented country on the indoor track.  The previous host nation, the United States looks set to have 9-drivers.  Out on the asphalt track, the Touring Car entry, which will be headed by reigning 3-time World Champion Bruno Coelho, is expected to reach 165 made up of drivers from 20 countries.  With the last Touring Car Worlds also hosted in the US but on the opposite side of the country at Finishline RC Raceway in California in 2024, the country looks set to be represented in Foshan by 14-drivers.  View full Stage 2 Report here.

Source: IFMAR [ifmar.org]