Red RC » Team Associated

September 17, 2026

Team Associated RC28R.1 Team Kit

Fresh on the heels of the first running of the Team Associated 1:28 International which took place in Las Vegas at the start of this month, Team Associated has released the latest version of their 1:28 contender, the RC28R.1 Team Kit. The new kit gets an updated steel chassis plate and new centre bulkhead design that allows for 24mm wide battery packs and more space for mounting electronics while also reducing chassis scrub. Also featuring a new FT carbon fibre upper arm brace, front bulkhead shim and upper arm options, offered in .5 and 1 degree camber with 2 and 4 degrees of caster. The torsion side links (soft, medium, and hard included) replace the need for a side spring making setup easy while adding performance in areas a conventional spring does not.

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September 16, 2026

Masami Hirosaka’s Team Associated RC28R – Chassis Focus

The inaugural Team Associated 1:28 International took place in Las Vegas recently running from September 4-6th, where the category that has been enjoying huge interest saw two legends of racing, Masami Hirosaka and Atsushi Hara, travel from Japan to join the action. While Red RC has covered many of latest car and product releases from the category’s growing number of manufacturers, we have yet to cover any of the racing in person but thanks to specialist 1:28 body shell producer Radbody we are excited to share a special Chassis Focus on the Team Associated RC28R raced by Masami in the 3500 Lipo class at the event. With Radbody owner Joe Chen wrenching on Masami’s car, he has put together a Chassis Focus, with Team Associated providing the photos, to give an insight into the car and the set-up used by Masami. Radbody is the official kit body supplier to Team Associated with the Mako X2 included with each RC28R kit.

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September 15, 2026

Team Associated RB10 Factory Team Retro Kit

Team Associated has just expanded its already extensive catalogue of 1:10 2WD Buggy kit offerings with the latest addition this RB10 Factory Team Retro Kit. The kit blends classic offroad buggy styling with proven B5 engineering for a true old-school look backed by modern durability and adjustability. Featuring a rear-motor layout, the RB10 Factory Team Retro delivers familiar handling characteristics with updated materials, race-ready components, and some Factory Team upgrades. At its core is a Retro Bronze anodised aluminium B5 tub chassis, paired with a matching Retro Bronze aluminium front nose plate and exclusive grey molded plastics throughout for an unmistakable vintage appearance. An authentic retro Viper body and high-downforce 5.5” retro wing complete the classic silhouette, while 12mm hex dish wheels and your choice of tires (not included) ensure confident performance on today’s tracks. Under the body this retro kit features Kashima coated 13mm big bore coil-over shocks, a B5 rear-motor Stealth transmission, rear CVA driveshafts, and a 2.6:1 sealed B5 Ball differential provides smooth, reliable power delivery. Fully adjustable suspension geometry, steel turnbuckles, vertical ball ends, and an adjustable V2 slipper system give drivers a full range of tuning options.

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September 7, 2026

Double Buggyland win for Ongaro

Buggyland 12 + 1, the 13th edition of the signature event of Spanish track builder Miguelo Izquierdo Rodriguez, took place over the weekend where it was Team Associated’s Davide Ongaro who took the double win. Missing last year’s event due the 1:10 Offroad Worlds in Australia, having done the Buggyland double in 2024, Ongaro would dominate the weekend securing the TQ before going on to take 1-hour final by 20-seconds from the Sworkz of fellow Italian Mattia Polito. Setting the fastest lap of the final, Polito would have a good battle with team-mate & 2025 winner Juan Carlos Canas in the closing stages of the race. Qualifying 5th, the Spaniard would complete the podium 1.5 seconds back on Polito. Former European B Champion David Todd finished P4 having qualified his Mugen Seiki in 8th, the Top 4 all finishing on the lead lap. Behind the Spaniard, Sparko’s Adrian Pariente and Tekno’s Joao Figueiredo rounded out the Top 6. In eBuggy it was reigning European Champion Figueiredo who topped seeding but come qualifying Ongaro took the TQ ahead of team-mate & eBuggy World Champion Marcus Kaerup and Todd. Qualifying P6, Polito would force the decider to go to A3 as he won A2 ahead of Ongaro but repeating his A1 win in the latter took the overall. They would be joined on the podium Adrian Pariente.

Image: Matrix Tires [Facebook]

September 6, 2026

Bernadzik wins ABC finale as Iivonen’s gamble fails

Team Associated’s Alex Bernadzik has won the season finale of the Asian Buggy Championships in Indonesia, his safe fuel strategy paying dividends in the 1-hour Nitro final as main rival Pekko Iivonen gambled on going one less stop, that high risk approach eventually ending the Finn’s quest for his first win of the championship. His first international race win, it would see Bernadzik pocket US$1,000 for his efforts. On securing the overall TQ at West Side Raceway on Saturday, Bernadzik declared he would ‘play it pretty safe’ in terms of refuelling in the final, a decision that was to be key to the Australian claiming his first ever international race win. From the front Bernadzik established a lead over Iivonen as they quickly pulled clear of the field with the first notable moment being the retirement of third pace qualifier Hyunkyu Jung at the 18-minute mark. Having won eBuggy earlier in the day the young Korean talent’s chance of a double was thwarted by drivetrain failure. While the differing pit strategies had still to play out, holding the lead on track, a mistake as the race entered the final 20-minutes saw Bernadzik on his roof and needing to be marshalled as Iivonen went through for the lead. The Mayako driver’s fuel gamble however was about to take this bonus opportunity of the leader’s mistake right back away from him. Coming in for his penultimate stop, he would run out of fuel rolling to a halt at the start of the pit lane. While JQ, who was positioned the other end of pit lane, got him quickly back up & running, Bernadzik was back in front and now with a 13-second lead. With Iivonen making his final stop and still on the lead lap despite his rear left tyre starting to come unglued, Bernadzik had the opportunity to play it even more save with a splash & dash with two minutes to go. As Bernadzik began his final lap, Iivonen’s gamble to run long would again get him as he ran out of fuel, this time before the loop, and losing a lap but rejoining to cross the finish line he still secured second spot. Behind Infinity’s Jason Nugroho would complete the podium a further lap down, the Indonesian championship regular delighted to claim his first podium ahead of the championship newly crowned overall champion Jayden Edmunds in fourth.

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September 5, 2026

Bernadzik ‘Top Qualifier’ at ABC Indonesia with blistering Q5 run

Team Associated’s Alex Bernadzik is the Top Qualifier at the Asian Buggy Championships Finale in Indonesia, the Australian putting together a blistering Q5 run to secure pole for tomorrow’s 1-hour Nitro Buggy main on the tie-breaker with Pekko Iivonen. Having hinted in the penultimate round of quali that he had the potential to better Iivonen’s Q2 time, a mistake on lap 6 of 8 ending that effort, with nothing to lose Bernadzik went for it in the decider. Opening with a 41.7 second lap he then added to his tally of fastest laps for each round by taking the benchmark down to a 41.098 with Iivonen unable to respond. Passing Sparko’s Ken NG on his final lap with just two corners to go, he look like he might again through it away when he clipped the pipping and sending his RC8 into a spin. Luckily he bounced off NG’s buggy to recover facing in the right direction and most importantly crossing the loop with a time that bettered Iivonen’s Q2 by 1.5-seconds. Despite adding a 3rd TQ run to his tally when he took Q4, with only 2 from 5 to count, Iivonen will start P2 tomorrow at West Side Raceway. Counting P2 runs from Q3 & 4, Hyunkyu Jung will line-up 3rd on the grid ahead of Indonesia’s very own Jason Nugroho. Newly crowned FEMCA Champion Jayden Edmunds completes the Top 5 on what will become a 15-car final after bump ups from the lower finals.

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September 5, 2026

Bernadzik takes Q3 at Asian Buggy Champs

Alex Bernadzik has kicked off Day 2 of qualifying at the Asian Buggy Championships finale in Jarkarta with a TQ run, the 3rd of the 5 qualifiers producing a Team Associated 1-2 as Hyunkyu Jung recorded the second fastest time on what was a slower track than yesterday. With Pekko Iivonen making the first day of qualifying at West Side Raceway his own, topping both qualifiers, it was Jung and Bernadzik who battled out Q3 as the Finn used the round to test a harder compound tyre. Unfortunately for Jung traffic in the closing stages of the run cost him the top spot with Bernadzik, once again setting the fastest lap of the round, securing his first TQ by half a second from the young Korean. With the run the slowest of the three so far, the track almost 5-seconds off yesterday afternoon’s Q2, the Top 3 would be completed by Infinity’s Jason Nugroho. A 46-second lap half way through the round saw Iivonen stop the clock with the fourth fastest time ahead of Jayden Edmunds, the Sparko driver struggling for pace after putting on a brand new set of tyre for the run.

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September 3, 2026

Bernadzik tops first seeding in Indonesia

Alex Bernadzik topped the opening round of seeding at the season finale of the Asian Buggy Championships today in Indonesia, the Australian heading a 1-2 for Team Associated. Over the 41-seconds West Side Raceway lap, he would have a 4/10ths of a second advantage over team-mate Hyunkyu Jung as each drivers best two consecutive laps were recorded. A more technical track layout than the Championships’ previous 2024 visit to the dirt track, traffic seemed to be the biggest challenge for drivers in the randomly created seeding groups. Completing the Top 3 for the first of the two seeding rounds, the second getting Friday’s action underway here in Jakarta, was Mayako’s Pekko Iivonen who was 7/10ths off Bernadzik’s pace. The Sparko of Jayden Edmunds was next up, the Australia fourth fastest ahead of the Infinity of Jason Nugroho, one of the few drivers not to sauce his tyres, and the Sworkz of fellow Indonesian Adrian Wicaksono.

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