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August 7, 2026

Hobby Expo China – Turbo Racing, small scale with big potential!

With the date for the 25th edition of the Hobby Expo China recently announced as 16-18th April 2027, and this year’s Expo the biggest one yet with an official attendance figure of 72,000, we wanted to revisit this ‘seeing is believing’ exhibition with a look at one of the stand out exhibitors for us. On travelling to the Beijing Exhibition Centre, one of the manufacturers we were keen to chat with was Turbo Racing. While not a brand that would feature much in Red RC’s daily product news, this producer of small scale hobby grade RC cars had caught our attention. The first time we became aware of the brand and what they produced was at the original GDC Indoor Track in Foshan, China, while attending the inaugural Foshan Invitation RC Championship in 2023, their branding appearing around the indoor track. That support of RC racing transferred to the impressive new Hongyu GDC track, widely recognised as the one of the greatest RC facilities in the world. The logo of this maker of small cars appearing alongside some of the biggest brands in the world of competition RC racing. However what really made us take serious notice was when this Chinese company announced none other than 3-time back to back Electric Touring Car World Champion Bruno Coelho as a brand ambassador. This wasn’t a sign that they suddenly had ambitions to enter the 1:10 Touring Car market but rather them seeing a value in being associated with one of the greatest drivers in the world and using that to get more kids into playing with their products. Greeted by the Turbo Racing stand on first entering the Beijing Exhibition Centre through the impressive main entrance arch, it got us thinking could Turbo Racing be a brand that is sowing the seed of future RC racers – its small scale having big potential!

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August 6, 2026

IFMAR publishes bumper 1:10 Nitro Touring Car World Championship entry list

With the countdown underway to the 2026 1:10 Nitro Touring Car World Championship in Italy, IFMAR has published a bumper entry list for next month’s 11th running of category’s biggest race. A decade since Club Automodellistico 5Colli hosted the 7th running of the championship, 129 drivers will travel to Gubbio with reigning World Champion Jilles Groskamp heading the entry for Infinity. The Dutch driver added the nitro title to his 2012 Electric Touring Car World title when he took the win at Huge RC two years ago, the Bangkok venue stepping in as a late replacement host for the race after Costa Rica was forced to cancel due to noise issues. Due to the original location and subsequent change of host in 2024, the entry was just 58 drivers but returning to the nation that is the spiritual home of nitro racing, this is one of the highest entries the category has enjoyed. While Portugal 2008 attracted 133 entries, this year sees more nations represented with 21 countries making up the entry. Winner of the 2018 Worlds in Florida, Naoto Matsukura is the only other past champion in the field. Two-time 1:8 Onroad World Champion and reigning back to back European Champion Dario Balestri, who was Top Qualifier 10-years ago in Gubbio, will be looking to try complete the nitro title set on home soil but he’s faces some others searching for that first title. Representing Capricorn, Toni Gruber is always fast and a title contender and Serpent will be looking to 1:8 Onroad World Championship Top Qualifier Andrea Catazani to try regain the title they won last time out in Gubbio thanks to Dominic Greiner. As the current 1:8 GT World Champion and a hugely popular runner-up in 2016, Alessio Mazzeo will be one of the hopes of 2014 Champions Xray. Mugen Seiki’s challenge is expected to come from British Champion Alex Thurston and O.S Speed’s Shinnosuke Yokoyama. Running from September 4th to 12th, the IFMAR 1:10 Nitro Touring Car World Championships kick starts Red RC’s 2026 World Championship coverage with us looking forward to returning to the medieval town of Gubbio and telling the story of how things unfold at Miniautodromo Internazionale M.Rosati.

View entry list here

August 5, 2026

2026 Speed King Tour Rd3 – Report

The re-scheduled Speed King Tour 2026 Round 3 took place at the TM Circuit Wakayama outdoor track in Wakayama prefecture Japan last weekend with Xpress driver Masaya Okazaki claiming his first win of the high profile Japanese series. The event was originally scheduled for 24th of May, but had been postponed to this new date due to rain. Track master Kazushige Tomita scored highest point and took TQ honours in the TC0 (Modified) class ahead of Ryoma Yoshida and Takara Sano. The first few laps after the start were utter chaos, with Okazaki moving into the race lead from 6th on the grid very beginning of the A final. Okazaki showed consistent speed and never gave his position up tp secure that first win. Infinity driver Ryosuke Yamamoto finished second from 4th on the grid while Top Qualifier driver Tomita recovered from his mistake with the fastest lap to finished P3 with his Tamiya.

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August 3, 2026

Morganti adds ROAR 1:8 Onroad National title to CV

Diego Morganti is the new ROAR 1:8 Onroad National Champion, the new for 2026 Mugen Seiki signing adding the title to his CV at the new Groove R/C Raceway track in Sheridan, Illinois. Winner of the track’s opening race in June, the United States Grand Prix presented by Ulti Tires, qualifying would see the 21-year-old secure second as Michael Palazzola secured the overall TQ on the completion of the three rounds. RC legend Joel Johnson completed the Top 3 on the grid ahead of Christopher Tosolini, the Top 4 direct qualifiers, with the Xray of 2023 Champion Max Kuenning ending up P5. Unfortunately a stripped second gear prevented Kuenning from progressing from his Semi final, Ralph Birch winning that to start the Main P5. In the 45-minute final, Morganti would quickly go to the front with Palazzola unfortunately retiring from second spot after just 6-minutes. This promoted Tosolini to second, the World Championship finalist managing to run at the front in the second half of the race for 40-laps before Morganti re-took the lead with his Ielasi Tuned powered MRX7 to eventually win by almost 3-laps. Birch, a 32-time ROAR US National Champion, would make it an all Mugen Seiki podium. In 1:10 Nitro Touring it was also a Mugen Seiki success with Jacob Cerrato securing the win while the 1:8 GT title went to Serpent’s Jose Almonte.

Image: ROAR Racing [Facebook]

August 3, 2026

Hamon crowned inaugural FEMCA 1:8 GT Asia Champion

Jeff Hamon has become FEMCA’s inaugural 1:8 GT Asia Champion, the new Capricorn signing winning the title at England Park Raceway in Australia over the weekend. An event that the Asian governing body had originally awarded to Vietnam, the switch to the Brisbane track would see the city’s top international racer set the pace from the off. Fastest in seeding, the 1:8 GT and 1:8 Onroad World Championship finalist would secure the overall TQ after topping 3 of the 4 rounds. Topping Q2 as Hamon suffered a DNF, former 1:5 World Champion Russell Grenenger would secure P2 for Hong Nor with team-mate Rick Bartolozzi completing the Top 3 ahead of New Zealand’s Lockie Roachie. In the 45-minute final, Hamon controlled the race with his Ielasi Tuned powered GT2 setting the fastest lap of the race en route to a convincing victory. With Grenenger holding second for much of the race, unfortunately he would retire with 5-minutes to go promoting Roachie to second. Starting from 12th on the grid after fighting issues in qualifying, Serpent’s Anthony Wasson would work his way up through the field to complete the podium ahead of Bartolozzi.

Image: Jeff Hamon [Facebook]

August 1, 2026

D’amico new 1:5 Touring Car World Champion

Italian Mecatech driver Emanuele D’amico is the new IFMAR 1:5 Touring Car World Champion, the 2024 European Champion winning the 12th running of the World Championship today at Lostallo in Switzerland. Qualifying P2 behind compatriot and team-mate Edoardo Repetti, D’amico would win the 1-hour final ahead of the Top Qualifier by a margin of almost 10-seconds with 2016 European Champion Giovanni Verbrugghe from Belgium completing the podium, the Semi Final winner having started from P3. Repetti lead away the 10-car grid but 8-minutes in had a mistake that allowed D’amico to go to the front while defending Champion Markus Feldmann had worked his way into 3rd from P5 on the grid. Coming up to the half way distance, D’amico advantage was 5-seconds as Repetti was coming under pressure from Feldmann. Unfortunately for the German, who was chasing a third World title, he would run out of fuel with 32-minutes remaining on the clock. With everyone else pitting at the half way distance, once the race settled after the fuel stops it was D’amico who still controlled the race, his last lap a victory lap as Repetti’s time had already expired. While Feldmann would rejoin the race and go about setting the fastest lap, he would not complete final ending up classified P7.

Image: AMSCI [Facebook]

August 1, 2026

Kobbevik finally becomes European Champion

Schumacher’s Daniel Kobbevik has finally turned years of raw speed into his first major international championship title, the Norwegian today becoming the 2026 EFRA 1:10 4WD Offroad European Champion at the ERT-Steyregg astro track in Austria. In qualifying, it was the Sworkz of Micha Widmaier who opened with a TQ run but rising to the top in Q2 & 3 it was Kobbevik who would be the Top Qualifier. Fastest in Q4, 2023 Champion Orlowski made it a 1-2 on the grid for the CAT PB followed by the Xray of Bartosz Zalewski who wrapped up qualifying with the fastest time in Q5. As the defending Champion, David Ronnefalk’s Xray would start P4 ahead of Widmaier with newly crowned 2WD Champion Marcus Kaerup finding himself P6 on the grid. In A1, the two Schumachers pulled clear and with 1-minute to go Orlowski got down the inside to go the front. A lap later however Kobbevik was back in front as he jumped over his team-mate but it still wasn’t decided. On the final lap the duo touched a number of times but with Kobbevik just running wide on the final run to the line it was enough for Orlowski to get through for an exciting win. In A2 Kobbevik was able to stay out front from start to finish, Orlowski shadowing him until a mistake in the final minute. With the decider going to A3, an early error from Orlowski lifted the pressure on Kobbevik. While a mistake on lap 3 allowed Zalewski to go to the front, it was short lived as the Pole landed on the track piping allowing Kobbevik back to the front to take his first title in style. Overall Orlowski would claim the runner-up spot with Ronnefalk completing the podium ahead of Zalewski, Widmaier, and Kaerup.

Image: RC Racing TV [rcracingtv.com]

July 30, 2026

Repetti Top Qualifier at Large Scale World Championship

Mecatech driver Edoardo Repetti is the Top Qualifier at the IFMAR Large Scale World Championship in Switzerland, qualifying resulting in an Italian 1-2 as Emanuele D’amico booked the only other direct starting spot in Saturday’s title deciding race. With 97 drivers competing in the ‘Open’ category, of the 4 rounds of qualifying it was Q2 that proved the fastest with 2022 European Champion Repetti 1.5-seconds faster than 2024 European Champion D’amico, the pairing the only drivers to manage 26-lap runs. Fastest of those with 25-lap runs, it was reigning World Champion Markus Feldmann who completed the all Mecatech Top 3. The German was 7/10ths of second quicker than Genius Racing’s Bernard Alain Arnaldi, the Frenchman setting his best time in Q3. Top Qualifier at the last Worlds, Dane Marius Hetland completed the Top 5. The third time the MRTM Lostallo track has hosted the Large Scale Worlds it was Feldmann who won the first of his 2-titles on the last visit in 2013. This year will see the crowning of the 12th World Champion of the category, the cancellation of the 2024 WC in Australia meaning it has been 4-years that Feldmann has held his current title which he won in the USA in 2022.

Image: AMSCI [Facebook]