July 19, 2026

Figueiredo claims first European title in Estonia

João Figueiredo has claimed his first European Championship title, the personable Portuguese driver also giving his Tekno team its first EFRA title with victory at the eBuggy Euros in Estonia.  Attracting 118 drivers to the RC Rakvere Racetrack, four rounds of qualifying would see Figueiredo take his Hobbywing powered EB48 2.2 to the overall TQ after topping Q2 & 4.  With the second fastest times in Q3 & 4, Mugen Seiki’s Berkan Kilic secured the second spot on the grid ahead of Sparko’s Noha Ben Mohamed who opened qualifying with TQ run but struggled to repeat that form over the remaining three rounds.  Travelling to the 10th running of the 1:8 Electric Buggy Euros chasing a third consecutive title, Team Associated’s Davide Ongaro qualified fourth ahead of Spain’s David Todd who took his Mugen Seiki to a TQ run in the third qualifier.  As the reigning eBuggy World Champion, Marcus Kaerup struggled with the mixed conditions and would just scrap into the A-Main with P13.  In the triple finals, A1 saw Figueiredo lead home Kilic as former double Champion David Ronnefalk came through from 9th to 3rd with his Xray.  In A2, with Kilic in tow Figueiredo had a bobble at the 2 & a half minute mark that handed the lead to the Turkish racer.  Holding that lead for 3-minutes it was Kilic’s turn to have a bobble handing the lead back to the pole sitter but on lap 12 Figueiredo would jump badly and on landing catch a track post that would break his buggy allowing Kilic to cruise to the win ahead of Ongaro and newly crowned European Nitro Buggy Champion Juan Carlos Canas who qualified his Sworkz in P11.  In A3 an early mistake from Figueiredo handed Kilic the lead briefly, but touching in the air shortly after, the Tekno driver was back in front from where he took control of the race to win and claim his first European title.  With Kilic in second, Ongaro completed the podium ahead of Ronnefalk and Kaerup.

Image: EFRA [Facebook]


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 13, 2026

Kilic wins Italian Nationals Round 3 from Polito

Mugen Seiki’s Burak Kilic became the third different winner in as many rounds of the highly competitive AMSCI 1:8 Nitro Buggy Italian National Championship, the Turkish driver winning Round 3 at the NitroBuggy track in Genzone just ahead of Round 2 winner Mattia Polito.  In qualifying it was Kilic who took the TQ honours, the championship regular topping two of the four rounds.  Fastest in Q3, Kyosho’s Marco Baruffolo would secure 2nd at his home track ahead of reigning Champion & Round 1 winner Davide Ongaro with Polito ending up 4th.  In the 45-minute final after plenty of closing racing it was Kilic’s Nova Engines powered MBX-8R that came out the winner just 6/10ths of a second ahead of a hard charging Polito who set the fastest lap of the race with his Sworkz.  Baruffolo completed the podium with Ongaro’s Team Associated finishing 4th on the same lap from P11 on the grid after problems in his Semi.  With one round remaining in the championship, it is Polito who leads the standings from Ongaro with Kilic moving up into 3rd.  The fourth & final round doesn’t take place until November.

Image: Nova Engines [Facebook]


July 12, 2026

Stanley makes it 3-in-a-row at PDNR Winter Champs

ARC’s Brayden Stanley has made it 3-in-a-row at the annual PDNR Winter Champs in Sydney, Australia, by again winning Modified Touring Car at the Penrith District Nitro Racing club’s 18th edition of the event.  The champion of the parking lot track event for the past two years, this year Stanley faced increased competition with Infinity’s Jesse Davis attending the event for the first time as well as former winner Simon Nicholson returning  & representing Schumacher.  Qualifying would see the A11 of recently crowned back to back QLD State Title Champion Stanley top all three qualifiers.  Behind it was Davis who lined up second ahead of Nicholson and RC Maker’s young Lincoln Codd.  Wrapping up the overall with wins in A1 & 2, the podium would be a repeat of the qualifying order with Davis & Nicolson finishing on the same points but Davis’ A3 win giving him second.  John Puse would finish P4.  In 13.5 Stock, RC Maker’s Logan Rintoul took the win ahead of Xray’s Michael Stone and Chris Mitchell, while in Nitro Touring Car Tate Firth took the TQ & win ahead of Tye Moylan.  In 1:8 GT Nitro the Hong Nor of Rick Seymonsbergen took the win ahead of a certain US visitor Scotty Ernst with Cameron Kendall completing the podium.  Top Qualifier Anthony Wasson had a mechanical and DNF’d in the final.

Image: Brayden Stanley [Facebook]


July 12, 2026

Coelho wins Euros Warm-up Race

Infinity’s Bruno Coelho has won the Warm-Up race for this year’s upcoming EFRA European Championships which takes place at the famous Mini Circuit “Ville de Luxembourg”.  The reigning World Champion secured the TQ after taking his Hobbywing powered IF14 Speciale to the fastest time in 3 of the four qaulifiers.  Topping Q3, Awesomatix’s Simon Lauter secured second on the grid ahead team-mate Lucas Urbain and the Schumacher of reigning European Champion Michal Orlowski.  Heading the Xray challenge, Marc Rheinard completed the top half of the grid.  In the finals with Coelho struggling for traction in A1, it was reigning Spec Touring Car World Champion Lauter who took the win.  Improving his car for A2, Coelho would stay out front for the win just ahead of Lauter with Tim Wahl completing the Top 3.  Set to chase a fourth European title in Luxembourg from August 6th-9th, Coelho would secure the Warm-up win with A3 victory over Orlowski and 2024 Champion Rheinard.  Despite a DNF in A3, Lauter would finish second overall with Orlowski completing the podium.  In the Spec Class, 2022 & 2023 Champion Olivier Bultynck secured the TQ & win ahead of Awesomatix team-mates Lukas Ellerbrock and Louis Kretschmer.

Image: Bruno Coelho [Facebook]


July 8, 2026

IFMAR issues clarification on ISTC World C/ships Approved Bodies

RC racing’s world governing body IFMAR has issued clarification on body shells for the upcoming 2026 ISTC World Championships which will take place at Huge RC in Bangkok, Thailand.  Having last week issued a statement regarding the ineligibility of the Xtreme Aerodynamics CZ1 Nitro Touring Body for the Nitro Touring Car World Championship which take place Italy in September, IFMAR made the clarification on the 190mm Electric bodies after they had ‘received some queries regarding use of recently approved bodies’.  Body shells in 1:10 Electric Touring Car has been a huge talking point since the arrival of the Avalon Vortex.  For the 13th running of the 1:10 Electric Touring Car World Championships, IFMAR said, ‘We wish to clarify that there are no proposed changes to the rules for bodies for the event.  This means that all bodies currently approved by EFRA, ROAR, FAMAR and FEMCA that comply with the GBS rules are allowed to be used.’  They did add that, ‘the wing must be fitted directly to the body without spacers *and* no part of the wing may extend above the roofline of the body.’

Read full claificiation here


July 8, 2026

2026/27 Essex Winter Series – Announcement

While most of Europe is currently basking in sunshine and enjoying racing outdoors, the popular British based Essex Winter Series has unveiled their 2026/27 race schedule.   Led by well known race announcer Oli Meggitt, the indoor EWS celebrates its 15th season this winter with 5 rounds of 1-day racing at the Deanes Sports Centre, in Thundersley, Essex.   With EWS events built on a shared passion for racing and a respect for the time and effort put in by organisers and competitors alike, the series takes place on ETS-type carpet with the layout defined by their unique wooden corner kerbs.  Sticking to its traditional format, qualifying is a round-by-round points system with the doors for each meeting opening at 7:30am and racing concluding around 5:00pm.  In addition to the regular series, EWS International, a 2-day event that has become the UK’s top annual international Touring Car race, will takes place at the same venue over the weekend of December 5 & 6th.

View EWS Race dates here


July 7, 2026

Sturdy doubles at Queensland State Titles

Christopher Sturdy pulled off the double at the SpeedyRC backed 2026 QLD 1:10 Offroad State Titles, the Schumacher driver taking his 30th State title when he backed up his 2WD win with the 4WD title on the Sunday.  Racing at his home track Chargers RC, Sturdy, who joined Schumacher for the 2026, secured the 4WD TQ after topping all four rounds of qualifying with Jordan Isergin and Lachlan Munday completing the Top 3 on the grid.  In the finals, Sturdy took the opening encounter ahead of Munday and wrapped up the title in A2 with the win over Isergin who claimed P2 overall.  In the previous day’s 2WD action the multiple Australian National Champion secured the TQ ahead of Munday’s Team Associated and Phoenix Eggleton’s Sworkz.   From the front Sturdy won A1 & 2 to secure the title with Munday and young Eggleton completing the podium.  In the Stock classes it was also a double weekend for Team Associated’s Rob Maycock winning 2WD from Nathan Graham and 4WD from Gopal Pavlich.

Image: Chris Sturdy [Facebook]


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