New from T-Works comes this Aluminium Eccentric Bearing Hub for the Xray X4’26 Touring Car. Made of high-quality 7075-T6 aluminium alloy it provides high tensile strength & lightweight, wear resistance, durability and resistance to deformation. Precisely matching the original bearing hub it firmly supports the bearing, reduces operational friction, balances lightweight and durability, and requires no modifications during installation.
Nitro RC Accessories producer Smart-Workshop has announced the SMART Tire Truer Version 3.0. More than just an upgrade, they claim the Version 3.0 represents ‘a monumental leap forward in precision engineering and intelligent design’. Focusing on six core enhancements to deliver a professional tire truing experience these include High-Precision Lead Screw Transmission. The X and Y axes now features a finer pitch lead screw guide system. This ensures exceptionally smooth, stable, and precise movement, forming the perfect foundation for flawless cuts. A Fully-Sealed X-Axis Rail protects the guide rail from invasive sponge debris. This critical upgrade eliminates jamming, reduces wear, and guarantees long-term accuracy and durability. On the Version 3.0 they replaced the reflective sensor with a through-beam infrared system. This new technology completely eliminates errors from tire texture, color, or rim fillets, providing consistently stable and accurate measurements for every cut. They have also optimized the cutting algorithm, the entire cutting path and motion control have been refined. The result is a more coherent and synergistic process with less idle travel, significantly boosting efficiency and reducing total processing time. A dedicated new button allows for effortless batch processing. For tires of the same specification, simply load a new tire and press the button—no rescanning or resetting required. Double your efficiency for race days and team workflows. Dual Offset Smart Calibration means you now have two configurable Offset data sets. The system can store independent calibrations for different tire diameters (e.g., large vs. small). It automatically identifies the tire size and selects the optimal Offset, ensuring absolute precision for every tire, every time.
The 2025/2026 Essex Winter Series presented by Team Cayote continued last weekend with Round 2 where Alex Thurston would take the big win. The LRP Modified Class was one to watch, with defending champion Olly Jefferies returning to the series after missing the first event, and Round 1 winner Kyle Branson looking to capitalise on his early championship lead. It was a tight battle for TQ between Kyle and his Awesomatix, and Alex Thurston. Branson took Q1, whilst Alex topped Q2 and Q3. The drivers traded positions in Q4 initially, with Alex then taking the lead, only to have a battery failure two laps from the end. Kyle took the round, but lost out on the tie-break by just 0.002 seconds! Elliott Harper lined up third for Schumacher, with Olly taking his factory Awesomatix to fourth ahead of the privately-entered example of Stefan Chodzynski. In the A Final, Alex led off with Kyle close behind. Olly immediately put Elliott under pressure and was able to get by on the second lap, and then set about closing on the leaders. Alex soaked up the pressure from Kyle, and the battle up front became a four-way fight as Olly closed in and pulled Elliott along with him. The four drivers circulated at high speed for the remaining four minutes of the race, often getting nose-to-tail but everyone keeping the door closed and not allowing the car behind the chance of an overtake. The high-speed freight train entertained the watching crowd as Alex stayed out front, crossing the line to take his second ever victory at EWS.
FIA Formula 1 World Championship title contender Oscar Piastri has unveiled a special helmet design for this weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix that is inspired by his National Championship winning RC car body shell paint scheme. The McLaren driver won his National 1:10 Electric Touring Car Championship 15-years ago to the weekend and to mark that achievement, which the Australian describes himself as his ‘first success in racing’, he has replicated the colour scheme onto his Bell helmet that he will race around the streets of Las Vegas. The 9-time Grand Prix winner’s reveal gives some nice exposure to both Xray and LRP, with whom he won his 2010 Australian RC National title.
Continuing its roll out of Asia Championship title races, FEMCA has announced the inaugural 1:8 Nitro GT Championship for 2026. The Far East Model Car Association (FEMCA), the governing body for RC racing that represents 15 nations in Asia and Australasia, has awarded the first 1:8 GT title race to the very impressive X-RC Complex in Lam Dong, Vietnam. An event that crowns the ‘Champion of Asia’, while titled the Asia 1:8 GT Nitro Championship, alongside the nitro cars the event will also cater for Electric GT. With GT crowning only its third World Champion this year in Chile, Raptor/Gimar driver Alessio Mazzeo doing the double, the first Asian Champions are set to be crowned between July 17-19th, 2026. FEMCA will publish further details on the championship in due course.
New from Ielasi Tuned comes this hard coated 1:8 Onroad WR03 EFRA 2196 Pipe set. An ideal match for the Italian engine tuner’s latest ‘Pista’ .21 Onroad engine which was launched in July, the O.S. manufactured and Ielasi Tuned treated pipe plus W4 manifold was used by team drivers at this year’s EFRA 1:8 Onroad European Championship in Halifax where team driver Simon Kurzbuch secured the TQ. Following its success, the Hardcoated option has now been added to their product line-up.
Source: Ielasi Tuned [ielasituned.com]
Capricorn has announced that Dutch 1:8 Onroad racing stalwart Rick Vrielijnck has joined its official race team. A podium finisher during this year’s Euro Nitro Series, the World and European Championship finalist returns to the Italian manufacturer having previous signed with them back in 2016. Representing Infinity for the past number of seasons Vrielijnck announced his departure from the Japanese team at the end of last month. On welcoming back Vrielijnck to its line-up Capricorn posted, ‘His comeback is not only a technical and competitive choice, but also proof that when there is mutual trust, shared goals and real passion, you always return to the place where you felt you truly belonged.’
Source: Capricorn [capricornrc.com]
Serpent has released this Link Suspension Upgrade Set for their X25 1:10 Electric Touring Car. The set is designed to give racers finer and more accurate caster adjustment. It has also been engineered to ensures no suspension binding, giving a smoother, more consistent response across every driving condition.
