May 25, 2026

First French National win for Baranger

Shepherd driver Fabien Baranger claimed his first Elite Class National win over the weekend with victory at Round 3 of the FFVRC 1:8 Onroad National Championship.  Having finished P2 behind reigning Champion Maxime Ripoll last month in Châteaubourg, young Baranger would go one better at the RSMA track near Paris.  In qualifying it was Mugen Seiki’s Christophe Louis, podium finisher at Rounds 1 & 2, who secured the TQ ahead of Ripoll’s Xray with Baptiste Jimenez third and Baranger fourth.  With Baranger winning his Semi Final he would bump up a spot to start P3 for the 45-minute final.  With Louis leading early on, the race would see dramas for many racers including the leader, Ripoll and Baranger who suffered a flame out while in the lead.  In the end strong pace, only himself & Ripoll posting 16-second lap times, would allow Baranger recover to take the win and end Ripoll run of race wins, the World Championship finalist recovering from his issues to finish 2nd.  Louis would not be able to keep his run of 2026 podium finish going finishing fourth as Simon Bergoin, who initially took over the lead from Louis, claimed the final step on the podium.

Image: Shepherd Micro Racing [Facebook]


May 25, 2026

Matsukura takes Japanese 1:8 Onroad title

Naoto Matsukura is the new 2026 JMRCA 1:8 Onroad National Champion, the Infinity driver taking the title from reigning World Champion Shouki Takahata.  Racing at 2023 World Championship host circuit Infinity International RC Speedway in Suzuka, the annual stand alone championship event would be effected by rain on Saturday causing the action to be cancelled.  Managing to resume racing on Sunday, qualifying would be reduced to two rounds with Takaaki Shimo’s Infinity securing the TQ with his time from Q1.  Topping Q2 ahead of Matsukura, Takahata’s Mugen Seiki claimed P2 with Matsukura ending up third.   Having to come through from the Semi Finals Matsukura woould win his ahead of 2 time World Champion Tadahiko Sahashi.  The other Semi final was won by the other half of the famous Japanese siblings Yuya Sahashi.  In the 45-minute Main, 2024 Champion Shimo led from the front for the first 84-laps before Takahata took over at the front but he wouldn’t be able to repeat his 2025 win, as Matsukura found his way to the front where he would stay to win by just 4/10ths of a second.  Setting the fastest lap of the race Shimo completed the podium on the same lap with Yuya Sahashi finishing P4.

Image: Infinity [Facebook]


May 24, 2026

IFMAR announces Huge RC as replacement ISTC World C/ships host

After 2-months of working behind the scenes to negotiate & secure a new host for the cancelled 1:12 & ISTC Worlds in China, IFMAR has announced Huge RC in Thailand as the replacement track that will stage the 2026 ISTC World Championships.  The 13th running of the 1:10 Electric Touring Car World Championships is now scheduled to run from the 10-14th of November, with two International Practice Days (IPD) running at the indoor asphalt track on November 8 & 9th.  With the multi track facility Hongyu GDC in Foshan originally having been selected to host back to back 1:12 and ISTC World Championships in late March/early April, IFMAR are still working to secure a new venue for the 22nd edition of the 1:12 Worlds.  Overwhelming feedback received from existing entrants following the cancellation of the event on the Hongyu GDC carpet track, expressed a strong preference for the 1:12 racing to be kept on carpet which was something that was not a viable option for Huge RC.  Located in Bangkok, while the track has successfully hosted two previous Nitro Touring Car World Championships (2014 and 2024), staging the Electric Touring Car Worlds will special moment for the track owner, 2002 ISTC World Champion Surikarn Chaidajsuriya.  The new dates means exactly 2-years after winning a record equalling 3rd ISTC World title in Bakersfield, California, Bruno Coelho will official begin his quest for a fourth consecutive title, a feat that would see him become the category most crowned World Champion.  Winning the 2024 title with Xray, now racing with Infinity, Coelho shares same tally total honours with Marc Rheinard, the 2004, 2008, 2010 World Champion set to make his World Championship debut with Xray at Huge RC after joining the Slovakian manufacturer last week.

Read full IFMAR announcement here


May 19, 2026

FEMCA Nitro Onroad C/ships 2027 – Announcement

FEMCA, the governing body for RC racing that represents 15 nations in Asia and Australasia, has announced that the 2027 Asia Nitro Onroad Championships are to be stage in Brisbane, Australia.  This is the second major international race awarded to England Park Raceway who stepped into host the 2026 Asia 1:8 GT Championships which where originally to take place in Vietnam.  With each FEMCA Asia Championships stand alone race events that crown the ‘Champion of Asia’, the Onroad Championship will crown the 1:10 200mm and 1:8 Onroad Champions with the race scheduled to run from March 11 – 14, 2027.  While based in Asia, the championships are open to drivers from around the world with the current FEMCA Electric Onroad Asia Champions both being Europeans.   In 1:12, Schumacher’s current World Champion Michal Orlowski holds the title while in Touring Car the title is held by Infinity driver & 3 time back to back ISTC World Champion Bruno Coelho.

Source: FEMCA [Facebook]


May 18, 2026

Double Round 2 win for McBurney at Irish 1:10 Offroad Nationals

Round 2 of the RCCAOI Irish 1:10 Offroad National Championships saw the Schumacher of Dylan McBurney complete the double as he took both 2WD and 4WD Mod Buggy wins in Ballymena in Northern Ireland.  Having finished second to double winner and defending Champion Bradley Baird at the season opener,  McBurney would dominated the second of the stops on the 5 round calendar.  Racing on the astro surface Ecos Raceway, after topping dry qualifying  he would also master the wet finals.  In 2WD he took the win ahead of Denzell McBurney with William Whilte making it an all Schumacher podium.  In 4WD it was White who took second with Paul Dagg completing the Top 3.  Round 3 of the championship will be hosted by East Antrim Buggy Club on June 28th.

Source: RCCAOI [rccaoi.com]


May 18, 2026

Orlowski wins ‘King of Estonia’ with Schumacher eBuggy Prototype

Schumacher’s Michal Orlowski has won the ‘King of Estonia’ race with a prototype 1:8 eBuggy from the British manufacturer.  Set to host the EFRA eBuggy European Championship this Summer from July 17-19, the impressive RC Rakvere facility attracted 55 drivers including a number of factory entries who were using the event to prepare for the Euros.  With 55 racers taking part, they would face mixed weather conditions with the three rounds of qualifying each topped by different drivers and manufacturers.  Topping the opening round it was Mugen Seiki’s Berkan Kilic who secured the TQ ahead Mayako’s Pekko Iivonen, fastest in Q2, and Orlowski who took the final round.  In the triple A-Mains, there would also be three different winners but taking A1 in the fastest time it was Orlowski who took the overall on tie break from Iivonen, winner of A2.  Winning A3 ahead of Berkan Kilic, Schumacher’s Daniel Kobbevik would complete the podium ahead of Kilic with his brother Burak Kilic in fifth.

Image: Schumacher [Facebook]


May 18, 2026

Phend & Lemieux wins ROAR Dirt National titles

Xray pairing Dakotah Phend and Chase Lemieux are the 2026 ROAR 1:10 Dirt National Champions after winning the 2WD and 4WD Mod Buggy titles respectively at SDRC Raceway in San Diego over the weekend.  Coming into the annual event as the reigning 4WD Champion, it was Phend who secured the 2WD TQ honours over the four rounds of qualifying ahead of Team Associated’s Aydin Horne, Spencer Rivkin and Davey Batta with defending champion Brennan Schimmel ending up back in P7.  From the front Phend would win the opening two A-Main to secure the title with A3 winner Horne and Rivkin completing the podium ahead of Schummel who got up to fourth overall.  Fresh from claiming his first ever ROAR National title last month in 2WD Buggy at Carpet Offroad Nationals at Maximus R/C Raceway in New Hampshire, Lemieux would claim the 4WD TQ on tie break from the Schumacher of Broc Champion, both driver having two TQ runs each.  Phend, Rivkin, and Batta completed the top half of the 10-car A-Main grid.  Winning a very close A1 from 2WD World Champion Champlin, Lemieux repeated the win in A2, this time ahead of Rivkin, to claim his second National title.  Winning A3 from Rivkin, Champlin finished runner up ahead of the 2015 & 2019 World Champion with Phend missing out on the podium.

Image: Xray [Facebook]


May 14, 2026

Hudy Balkan RC Series – Summer Edition Announcement

Following a successful Winter Series, the organisers of the Hudy Balkan Series has announced details of its 2026 Summer Edition.  With the Winter Edition attracting 175 entries, the four round Summer racing calendar will again visit both Bulgaria and Greece with racing categories for 10 electric and 3 nitro classes, which are open to all brands of cars.  With Round 1 in Shumen in June, Round 2 travels to Sofia in August, before returning to Sumen in September for Round 3.  The fourth round, the Grand Finals, will take racers to Dionisos in Greece at the end of October.

Source: Hudy Balkan Series [Facebook]


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