Red RC » Racing

February 28, 2026

Volker Top Qualifier at MIBO International

As a two time winner of MIBO International, Mugen Seiki’s Ronald Volker will chase a third win of the Czech race tomorrow from pole position after claiming the overall TQ honours will a perfect day on the carpet. While it was Xray’s Adam Izsay who set the pace in Friday’s free practice, Volker made Saturday his own kicking off official proceedings by topping the 2 seeding rounds. Leading away the top heat of Modified qualifying, the German then completed a clean sweep securing the TQ in Q3 before capping off the day with a fourth TQ run in the penultimate round. With one last qualifier in the morning, Volker will look to repeat the 5 from 5 he took last year on his way to victory over Michal Orlowski. Behind the 2016 World Champion it is Iszay who holds second overnight but three drivers recorded runs to the second fastest times and between Iszay, the reigning Stock Champion who will defend that title from the TQ, MIBO International debutant Sören Sparbier, 2025 podium finisher Patrick Gollner it is still all to play for to see who starts directly behind Volker.

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February 28, 2026

Zalweski & Volker on top at MIBO after opening 2 qualifiers

The opening two rounds of qualifying at the fourth edition of MIBO International in the Czech Republic saw repeat TQ runs from Xray’s Bartek Zalewski on the event’s offroad track while over on the onroad track Mugen Seiki’s Ronald Volker continued his reign over touring car. With both drivers topping the morning seeding practice, Zalewski opened qualifying with a TQ run in 2WD which he duly repeated on the switch over to 4WD. Repeating the feat again in the second of the five planned qualifiers, the Polish racer leads the 2WD ranking from the Sworkz of Micha Vidmaier, the Australia opening with a P5 but improving to go second fastest in Q2. With No.2 seed Michal Orlowski struggling with his driving in 2WD, sitting only P8 after 2 rounds, it is Sweden’s Elias Johansson who leads the Schumacher challenge in third, team-mate Daniel Kobbevik suffering a DNF less than a minute into Q2. In 4WD, Kobbevik looked for a time like he might be the first to knock Zalewski off the top of the timing sheets this weekend but a mistake in Q2 cost him around 1-second and Zalewski moved a step closer to wrapping up an early overall TQ by 3/10ths of a second. With a pair of P3 runs Orlowski sits third ahead of Johansson. For the defending Touring Car Champion Volker, Xray’s Adam Iszay is keeping the former World Champion honest and got very close in Q2. Setting the third fastest time in both rounds Sören Sparbier holds third ahead of Mugen team-mate Patrick Gollner. In Stock, like the other Top Seeds, Izsay converted his No.1 starting position in to two TQ runs.

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February 28, 2026

New electronics for Matsukura as ORCA departure announced

Multiple 1:12 and 1:10 Electric Touring Car World Champion Naoto Matsukura has announced his depart from ORCA, the Japanese star having been with the electronics brand since 2020. Having played a big role in ORCA’s recent pre World Championship preparations, including staying on for a number of days of testing with engineer Frankie Lui after his Asia Nitro Party win at Hongyu GDC last month, Matsukura made the announcement on his social media. He posted, ‘I started with Team ORCA in 2020, and after almost 6 years together, my contract will come to an end in February. I’m grateful for all the support and help throughout this time. Special thanks to Michael Lo, Frankie Lui and Keith!’ With the start of the IFMAR Electric Onroad World Championship just a month away, and the Infinity driver having shown some good pace when he TQ’d the opening round of qualifying at the FEMCA Asian Championships hosted by the world’s track in December, it will be interesting to see which brand he will represent given the current battle of the electronics brands for supremacy.

Source: Naoto Matsukura [Facebook]

February 28, 2026

Zalewski top seed in Czech Republic

Xray’s Bartek Zalewski continues to set the pace at MIBO International, the defending 2WD Champion topping Saturday morning’s seeding practice in both 2WD and 4WD. The Polish driver set the pace in yesterday’s free practice with the Schumacher of compatriot Michal Orlowski his closest challenger after the 5-round and it was a repeat of that over the 2 seeding rounds today. In 2WD, Zalewski had almost 3/10ths of a second advantage over Orlowski with European Champion Martin Bayer completing the Top 3 ahead of Czech racer Dominik Vlasek, Schumacher’s Daniel Kobbevik and Sworkz’s Micha Vidmaier. In 4WD Orlowski was only 4/100ths off, with last year’s runner-up Kobbevik completing the Top 3 despite failing to improve on his SP1 time. British Schumacher team driver Ben Smith seeds fourth ahead of Bayer with Vidmaier again completing the Top 6.

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February 28, 2026

Volker tops seeding at MIBO International

Defending MIBO International Champion Ronald Volker has topped Touring Car seeding in the Czech Republic this morning, the Mugen Seiki driver fastest ahead of Xray’s Adam Izsay who had set the pace in yesterday’s five rounds of free practice. Making his MIBO debut, it was Volker’s young team-mate Sören Sparbier who completed the Top 3. In the first of the two seeding runs on the new for 2026 Racestar’s built track, it was a very Mugen affair at the top of the timing sheets with Volker fastest from Sparbier and last year podium finisher Patrick Gollner with Izsay only managing P4. With the track’s new carpet continuing to grip up, Volker would knock another 2/10ths off his time in SP2 with an improved Izsay the only on to manage to join him on 29-seconds for his 3-consecutive fastest laps. Gollner will carry the No.4 for seeding ahead inaugural 2023 MIBO podium finisher Oliver Havranek with the Yokomo of Christopher Krapp, who stripped a spur gear in SP2, completing the Top 6. In 17.5 Stock, Izsay continued to set the pace in Hrotovice, topping seeding from the Mugen Seiki of German Phil Langer and Austrian Tobias Sutrich.

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February 28, 2026

Noble TQs Asian Buggy C/ships opener in New Zealand

Round 1 of the Team Cayote and VP-Pro backed Asian Buggy Championships is underway this weekend at Counties R/C Car Club, just outside Auckland, New Zealand, where Sworkz’s Caleb Noble has secured the TQ. It’s the third time the series has visited Counties for it’s season opener, with its old-school loamy clay track, and Australian Noble has been the star of the show in qualifying. Sweeping all four rounds across Nitro Buggy, eBuggy and Nitro Truggy he’ll start the A-Mains for all three classes from the TQ position. In Nitro Buggy, it’s his Sworkz teammate, New Zealand’s Jayden Jamieson who’ll line up behind Noble for Sunday’s 45-minute encounter, ahead of countryman, Mayako’s Dylan Toia, and Hotbodies’ Shane O’Connor. For Noble, it’s his first run with new chassis sponsor Sworkz, the switch for the new season also accompanied by a move to JConcepts. In eBuggy, a dominant Noble will line up in front of Jamieson, with Logan Toia (Mayako) starting out third ahead of younger brother Dylan. Mike Stratford has top qualified both 45+ Masters classes, and Shane O’Connor the eTruggy category. The series next moves to Malaysia’s Lap Paradise RC Raceway in late April, with Scotty Ernst today opening entries for Round 2 of the popular high profile Asian based four-round series.

Source: Asian Buggy Championships [asianbuggychamps.com]

February 27, 2026

Zalewski & Izsay top first day of MIBO International

Xray’s Bartek Zalewski and Adam Izsay have set the early pace at MIBO International, Zalewski proving quickest in 2WD & 4WD Buggy while on the opposite side of the sports hall it was Izsay who mastered the onroad track to top both Modified and Stock Touring Car. A race concept that Michal Bok came up with when racing at the 2022 IFMAR ISTC World Championship in Italy, 2026 marks the fourth edition of MIBO International and has again attracted a capacity entry who this year have been treated to two new tracks prepared by Polish track builders Racestars. Switching from last year’s red infield to blue, drivers on both sides of the central drivers stand have been complimentary of the layouts created by Pawel Kowalski. With fresh new black carpet and completely new jumps, on the offroad track it was the Schumacher pairing of Michal Orlowski and 2WD Top Qualifier of the last two MIBO races Daniel Kobbevik who were closest to Zalewski over the half day of practice. Officially a 2 & a half day event, practice only gets underway at 15:30 local time to allow racers use Friday morning for travelling to Hrotovice in southern Czech. In Modified Touring Car it was defending Champion Ronald Volker and his Mugen Seiki team-mate Sören Sparbier who were closest to Izsay’s fastest 3-laps which he set in the 5th & final round of free practice.

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February 25, 2026

O.S. Engines announces Kaerup signing

Iconic Japanese engine manufacturer O.S. Engines has announced that electric offroad World Champion Marcus Kaerup has joined its official factory team. With 2026 a World Championship year for Nitro Buggy, the reigning 1:8 eBuggy and 1:10 4WD World Champion joins defending Nitro Buggy World Champion & Team Associated team-mate Davide Ongaro in using O.S. engines to power his nitro programme. The Danish teenager had been running Ruddog Racing branded engines and his new deal with O.S. is a significant one ahead of the 20th running of the IFMAR 1:8 Nitro Buggy World Championships which will be hosted by Thornhill Racing Circuit in Texas and run from September 26th to October 3rd.

Source: O.S. Engines [oos-engines.co.jp]