Red RC » Events

November 9, 2026

3rd consecutive World title for Pequito at PNWC

Xbility driver & designer Jose Pequito has taken his 3rd consecutive 2WD Open World title at the 1:28 PN Racing World Cup which was staged at the Mini-Zshop track in the Netherlands over the weekend. The Portuguese driver, who won the title in Colorado last year, would qualify second for the finals with the TQ honours going to RTRC driver Thomas Robin who set the fastest time of the 3 rounds in Q3. In the 8-minute triple finals, wins in A1 and A2 ahead of RTRC’s Mathieu Da Rocha would secure Pequito his World title hat trick. Winning A3, French RTRC team driver Guillaume Loie would snatch the runner-up spot from his team-mate and fellow countryman Da Rocha. Xbility would also claim the World title in the Formula 1 class, with Dutch driver Ruben Klomp taking the TQ and win.

Image: MOD Live Media [Facebook]

November 8, 2026

IPD Day 1 in the books – ISTC Worlds Chit Chat in Bangkok

The first of 2 days of IPD (International Practice Day) was completed at Huge RC in Bangkok today ahead of the IFMAR ISTC World Championships which officially gets underway on Wednesday, but taking today as a day to chat & catch up with what is a full house of drivers it seems there is a bit of a mixed view to the introduction of IPD to the category. Around for a number of years now in nitro onroad, it has merit to give drivers not in the position to attend the track for pre-event testing an opportunity to get extra track time as part of a single trip to the host track. In the case of nitro however the tracks are usual permanent. Think Gubbio, the Nitro Touring Car Worlds was held on the same layout this year as was used to decide the World Champion back in 2016 – both great events but neither won by Italians who had raced there many times more than their rivals over the decade in between! With a number of Pro drivers having done up to 10-days of practice leading up to IPD, one driver rumoured to have run 150 batteries in that time (that’s a lot of tyres), sure it is great for the rest of the drivers to get the two days to try catch up with set-up but the main talking point seems to be that all the testing is on a layout that won’t even be used for the event! On Tuesday’s registration day, 2002 ISTC World Champion Surikarn Chaidajsuriya, owner of Huge RC, and his crew will change track layout and the changes are pretty significant with a number of leading drivers saying the new layout will make for a much slower lap time and require a set-up change to get more steering as the track tightens up. Sure these guys are the best in the world and they will probably figure it out by Wednesday lunch time but many, both who came for a week or more of pre-event running or just the IPD, feel that had the race layout been done for IPD it might have encouraged teams to just come for the IPD. One driver pointed out also that had the race been held in Europe or the US, teams might have viewed the costs of an extra week of testing differently so for sure its sometime that maybe needs to be reviewed going forward. While World Championships are extra special events and teams go above & beyond for this once every two years opportunity to take the greatest prize, it is interesting to note that event duration was a point that was raised at a Section Meeting held during the recent IFMAR 1:8 Nitro Buggy Worlds in Texas. The majority feeling that event is too long as the ISTC Worlds just got three days longer. That said racers and manufacturers have for years complained and looked to have the Nitro Onroad Worlds made shorter yet the 2027 calendar lists the event as 10-days!

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November 5, 2026

Capricorn announce team for Asia Nitro Party

Italian manufacturer Capricorn has just announced a strong team line-up for the 2nd edition of the Asia Nitro Party at the world class Hongyu GDC track in China. Taking place from January 15-17, 2027 marks Capricorn’s official debut at the race as they field Toni Gruber in 1:8 Onroad, Kyle Branson in 1:10 Nitro Touring, and Gabriele Paloschi in 1:8 GT. Gruber becomes the latest World Champion set to visit the track in Foshan for the first time, the German sure to be a contender for the 1:8 win. Making an impressive return to nitro racing at the IFMAR Nitro Touring Car World Championships in Gubbio, Italy, this year, Branson also makes the trip to Hongyu GDC for the first time as does Italian Championship race winner Paloschi. A race that is quickly establishing itself as the international season opener in the same way Electric Touring Car racers have the TITC in Thailand, Capricorn’s factory entry further endorses the Asia Nitro Party international status which saw Infinity, Serpent, Genius Racing, Raptor, and O.S. Speed all send team drivers for the inaugural event. Attracting a high quality entry, with the multi circuit facility making a major impression on those visitors, it was Infinity’s Naoto Matsukura who took the 1:8 Onorad win from Italian Xray driver Filippo Domanin and Serpent’s Andrea Catanzani. In 1:8 GT, Frenchman Bernard-Alain Arnaldi took the win for Genius ahead of the Raptors of World Champion Alessio Mazzeo and Natanaele Senesi. With Southern China experiencing mild weather in January, the timing of the Asian Nitro Party is the perfect opportunity for European nitro racers to break-up the traditional Winter off-season and compete at an event that has already made a mark on establishing itself as a major annual event on the international nitro onroad race calendar. Red RC are looking forward to kicking off a busy season of race coverage by travelling to the city of Foshan and returning to this very impressive venue to cover the Nitro Party which will see the facility echo to the sound of nitro engines.

Source: Capricorn [capricornrc.com]

November 3, 2026

Hongyu GDC announces Kwok departure as Principal Manager

Having been the face of the world class RC facility that is Hongyu GDC in Foshan, China, it has been announced that Gavin Kwok has amicable concluded his relationship with Foshan Xiangyue Sports Technology Co., Ltd., the company behind the venue. The announcement was made that Kwok has officially departed his role as Principal Manager effective October 30, 2026. Only opened in September 2025, the Hongyu GDC International Racing Center was four years in the making with Kwok at the helm and using his own international racing experience to attract international drivers to the city of Foshan. While the track was dealt a major blow when it was forced to cancel the ISTC World Championship earlier this year, it successfully opened its first full season with the hosting of the Asian Nitro Party race which proved a massive international success. With the 2nd edition of this nitro onroad race already announced for January 15-17, 2027, and set to attract an even greater international attendance, Red RC understands that Kwok’s departure does not in any way effect the racing calendar at Hongyu GDC. Following the official announcement (see below), Kwok posted on his social media, ‘Looking back on these four years of building and running the race track, it has been an unforgettable journey. I am truly grateful to everyone who has given trust, support and companionship along the way. Being able to take part in and witness the gradual growth of this project is an incredibly precious experience for me. I have received many messages of concern recently, and there have been all sorts of rumours circulating. Please refer only to official announcements. Do not believe or spread unconfirmed information. With sincere gratitude, I wish everything the very best for the future.’

Read full statement here

November 2, 2026

Jung becomes Korean 1:8 Buggy National Champion

One of Korea’s promising young international talents, Team Associated’ s Hyunkyu Jung has claimed the country’s KMRCA 1:8 Nitro Buggy National title. Finishing runner-up at the 2025 Championships, Spain’s Daniel Pariente the winner, Jung would dominate racing at the ‘TheTrack’ in Gimpo in South Korea. With his eBuggy win at the season final of the Asian Buggy Championships in Indonesia one of the Jung’s 2026 international racing highlights, in qualifying for the Nationals Jung would top all three qualifiers to secure the TQ ahead of the Mugen Seiki of Tony Jeon and veteran Korean racer Dani Choi. Setting the fastest lap of the 1-hour final, Jung would take a comfortable win ahead of Choi, the Kyosho driver getting ahead of Jeon with them both finishing on the same lap.

Image: KMRCA [Facebook]

November 2, 2026

Polito crowned new Italian Champion

Mattia Polito is the new AMSCI Italian 1:8 Nitro Buggy Champion, the Sworkz driver securing the title with victory over reigning Champion Davide Ongaro. The fourth & final round of the championship took drivers to the Ongaroring where it was Ongaro, winner of the season opener, who took the TQ honours after the Team Associated driver topped 3 of the 4 qualifiers. Fastest in the final qualifier Polito would rank 2nd ahead of the Kilic brothers, Berkan in P3 with Round 3 winner Burak taking his Mugen Seiki to P4 ahead of Xray’s Alex Zanchettin. With Ongaro winning his Semi final he secured pole ahead of Kyosho’s Marco Baruffolo for the 45-minute concluding race of the 2026 season. In the final a close race would see Polito come through from fourth to win his second race of the season by 7-seconds from Ongaro, ending the multiple World Champion’s reign over the Italian National Championship. Burak Kilic would complete the Nitro podium. In eBuggy Ongaro, who already clinched the title at the previous round, took the TQ and win ahead of Baruffolo with Polito completing the podium.

Image: ModellismoRC [modellismorc.net]

November 2, 2026

Double JMRCA 1:10 Offroad titles for Kaino

The Japanese Federation JMRCA hosted their annual 1:10 Electric Buggy Nationals over the weekend where Mugen Seiki’s Yui Kaino completed the title double. Hosted again at RC Park Gojo, venue of the 2025 Championships, having taken the TQ in 2WD defending Champion Kaino went on to successfully defend his title ahead of the Associated of Infinity factory driver Kouki Kato with the Xray of Nana Kaiho completing the podium. In 4WD, it was again Kaino who took the TQ honours this time ahead of Kaiho with defending Champion Kato qualifying 3rd. In the triple finals the order would remain the same with Kaino the new champion.

Image: Kouki Kato [Facebook]

November 1, 2026

Hobby Culture Festival China – Planting Seeds for the Future!

While Friday was officially the opening day of the 2nd Edition of Hobby Culture Festival China (HCFC), it was Day 2 that really saw this interactive Expo come to life as we witnessed first hand how it was actively planting the seeds for the future of the hobbies it represents! Having walked in with ease on Friday morning while most people wrapped up their work week, on arriving at the Hangzhou International Expo Center on Saturday morning the queues where already out the door. With no school to attend, the stand out of those queues was the number of young kids – each and everyone of them buzzing with excitement waiting to check out the two halls of goodies inside. Impressed by the Expo organiser’s various interactive set ups we seen on Friday, now we were seeing how above all the noise of the thousands of visitors these were engaging kids and their families. Sitting in the media centre, every time a goal was scored over at the RC Soccer track the cheers & roars of the families rose above everything (so did the Refs whistle!) – that was kids & their parents having a very positive hands on first experience of RC and that was just one of many RC activities around the Expo. Of all the activities, one that really stood out for us was due to just how simple yet effective it was and how it was subtly ‘Planting Seeds for the Future’ with the kids. Getting the attention of 200 families (that’s almost 500 people) is not easy but with a simple car body painting competition the Expo was doing just that.

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