Red RC » GRP

July 13, 2026

Boots takes British Championship Round 4 win

Sworkz/Reds Racing/GRP factory driver Elliott Boots came away with the win at the fourth & penultimate round of the BRCA 1:8 Nitro Buggy Championship held at Brookthorpe track over the weekend. Winner of the season opener at Herts, the defending British Champion claimed his second win of the season after starting on pole having won his Semi Final in the fastest time. In Qualifying it was Xray’s Jonathan Skidmore, winner of the Round 2 of the Championship, who secured the overall TQ, with Boots securing P2 ahead of the Agama of Round 3 winner Erik Lykke. In the 45-minute final, with Skidmore lining up P2, Boots lead from start to finish as Skidmore suffered a steering issue that cost him 5-laps to fix and left him with a P9. At the end it was Lykke who claimed second to lead the championship standings with WIRC’s Jack Willets completing the podium. The final round of the 2026 championship takes place at Shrewsbury on August 15/16.

Image: Elliott Boots [Facebook]

July 6, 2026

GRP Prime 1:8 Buggy Tyre

After the strong results achieved during the latest testing at the recent European Championship in Madrid, Italian tyre manufacturer GRP has officially introduced their new Prime 1:8 Buggy tyre. The latest addition to their 1:8 Buggy tyre lineup, the Prime pattern is designed to deliver maximum performance on high-grip, clean tracks. A tyre that was developed with input from team drivers including multiple European Champion Elliot Boots, GRP claim the Prime offers outstanding traction, exceptional lateral grip with smooth and predictable handling, high steering precision, and consistent performance and long-lasting durability.

Source: GRP [grpgandini.it]

January 15, 2026

Duraes joins Boots at GRP Tyres

Following the major announcement of top 1:8 Offroad racer Elliott Boots as their first factory supported driver for 2026, GRP Tyres continues to finalise its team line-up with the announcement of new Hong Nor signing Carlos Duraes. The Portuguese driver will now officially represent the Italian tyre manufacturer using their Ai-TECH 1:8 Buggy Tyre Ranged which it introduced last May. Adding to the range with the launch of their 5th pattern, the Micro, at the end of last year, announcing their latest driver signing GRP founder Maurizio Gandini posted, ‘I, Maurizio, together with Susi and Sara, owners of GRP, are proud to announce Carlos Duraes as an official GRP Factory Team driver for 2026. Fast. Experienced. Consistent. Carlos has been a proven reference on Portuguese tracks for years, recognized for his racing mindset, technical precision, and ability to push development where it really matters: on the track. This is not just another signing. It’s a clear step forward in our Buggy program. And it’s only the beginning.’ Duraes added, ‘Extremely happy to join GRP! I’ve been racing with their tires from last year and felt their quality was top notch with great performance and comfort driving around different track conditions. Thank you.’

Source: GRP [grpgandini.it]

January 2, 2026

GRP Tyres sign Boots

In a major signing for GRP, the Italian tyre manufacturer has announced that multiple European Champion and World Championship Top Qualifier Elliott Boots will represent the brand in 2026. Unveiling the factory Sworkz/Reds Racing driver, GRP posted, ‘After the launch of the new 1:8 Buggy line last May, we weren’t simply looking for a driver. We were looking for the right driver. Fast when it matters, solid in development, with real experience, a true racing mindset, and real weight in the international Buggy scene. Profiles like this are rare. Very rare. Among them all, Elliott was an immediate choice. We’ve known each other for years—we know what he can deliver on track and off track. He immediately understood the direction of the project and embraced our proposal with enthusiasm and determination. I, Maurizio, together with Susi and Sara, owners of GRP, are proud and excited to announce Elliott as the new official GRP Factory driver for the 2026 season. This is not just a new driver. It’s a step forward in our Buggy program. And it’s only the beginning.’ Reacting to his new tyre deal Boots said, ‘I’m so excited to share with you all that I will be joining GRP Tyres for the 2026 season. I’ve known Grp for many years, but since Maurizio, Susi, and Sara took over eight years ago, everything has changed for the better. I visited the company personally and found it to be truly impressive. They produce everything in-house, have direct control over the compound formulation, the laser-finished molds are fantastic, the tires they produce are unmatched on the current market, and their quality control is obsessive. Despite having many years of experience, I was impressed by their quality and enthusiasm. I’ll publish several tutorials in the coming weeks to better explain all the technical characteristics of the various components. I’m extremely grateful for this opportunity and really looking to our first race together.’

Source: GRP [grpgandini.it]

December 4, 2025

GRP expands Ai-TECH Offroad range with ‘Micro’ pattern

Having brought its brand new Ai-TECH 1:8 Buggy tyre range to market earlier this year, Italian tyre producer GRP has expanded the range with the introduction of a fifth pattern, the ‘Micro’. With the results for the new line very impressive, after many races and testing GRP saw they needed to add a new design to complete the line with a tyre for low/middle grip condition. Completely designed by Maurizio Gandini, who together with his wife Susan and daughter Sara have owned MRP since 2017, they worked on developing this new pattern and preparing the mould in very short time and now after many tests they present the new Micro. The big difference of the Micro compared to other similar products on market is the quality of the mould, the mould produced with special chromed steel, CNC machined and finished with new laser technology. The pins of the Micro tyre are very sharp, this guaranteeing maximum grip and long life. Feedback for the Ai-TECH range being their string performance, long life and very high quality for all components like the wheel, insert and tyre.

View more info here

September 29, 2025

Van Der Bol caps off Dutch 1:5 title with Rucphen win

The final round of the Dutch 1:5 National Championship took place at Rucphen, where it was Mecatech/GRP driver Rick Van der Bol who capped off his 2025 title success with a race win. In qualifying Hessel Roskam secured the TQ ahead of Van der Bol thanks to his time from the second of the three 8-minute qualifying runs. Luke Van den Berg completed the Top 3 on the grid for the 30-minute final. In the main, with set-up changes improving the speed of his car, World & European Championship finalist Van der Bol quickly got to the front before Roskam retired from the race. Staying clear out front, multiple Dutch Champion Van der Bol would win ahead of sixth place qualifier Bas Aalders with Marco Harleman completing the podium ahead of Van den Berg who recorded the fastest lap of the final.

Source: GRP [grpgandini.it]

September 15, 2025

Feldmann wins EFRA GP at Lostallo

Reigning 1:5 Touring Car World Champion Markus Feldmann enjoyed a perfect weekend in Switzerland as he took the TQ and win the concluding EFRA GP for Large Scale at the iconic Lostallo circuit. With the 3rd GP of the season attracting 91 entries to the 2026 World Champion host track, qualifying would see the German driver take his GRP Tyres shod Mecatech to pole position with the fourth round of qualifying proving fastest. Behind him, 2024 European Champion Emanuele D’Amico was second fastest followed by France’s Cédric Prevot and 2022 European Champion Edoardo Repetti. In Super Pole it was Repetti who booked his direct spot into the final behind with D’Amico winning his Semi Final to line-up 3rd with Prevot winning the other Semi to carry No.4. In the half hour, despite setting the fastest lap Repetti couldn’t deny Feldmann the win. With D’Amico having issues, it was Belgium’s Giovanni Verbrugghe who completed the podium ahead 2023 European Champion Dario Veseli from Croatia.

Image: GRP [grpgandini.it]

July 31, 2025

Feldmann Top Qualifier at 1:5 TC European Championship

Reigning 1:5 Touring Car World Champion Markus Feldmann is the Top Qualifier at the EFRA 1:5 TC European Championship in Luxembourg. Racing at the Mini Circuit “Ville de Luxembourg”, the German Mecatech/GRP Tyres driver set the fastest time of the four rounds of qualifying in Q1 with France’s Bernard-Alain Arnaldi his closest rival – the Genius driver setting his fastest time in Q3. 2022 European Champion & winner of Round 2 of Euro Large Scale Series (ELS) held at the same track earlier this month, Italy’s Edoardo Repetti completed the Top 3 ahead of Norway’s Marius Hetland. Defending Champion Emanuele D’amico would finish qualifying in P4 while for 2023 Champion Dario Veseli it was a tough qualifying with the Croatian MCD driver finding himself P11.

Image: GRP [grpgandini.it]