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February 28, 2026

Zalewski & 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

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 23, 2026

Sturdy & McMillan win South Australian State Titles

Schumacher’s Christopher Sturdy and Team Associated’s Jack McMillan are the RCRA 1:10 Buggy South Australian State Title Champions for 2026. Racing at Adelaide Radio Controlled Raceway, it was Sturdy who took the TQ honours in both 2WD and 4WD, the race having to be condensed down to 3 qualifiers and a hectic single day of race action due to rain forecast for Sunday. In 2WD, starting on pole ahead of McMillan, Sturdy took his first title for new for 2026 chassis sponsor Schumacher by winning A1 and A3 with A2 winner & team-mate Jayden Edmunds making it 1-2 for the British manufacturer. McMillan would complete the podium. In 4WD, starting on pole ahead of Phoenix Eggleton and McMillen, while Sturdy won A1, errors in A2 & 3 denied him a shot at the double. Winning A2 and finishing second to Edmunds in A3, McMillan took the overall title. With Edmunds again runner-up it was Sworkz driver Eggleton who completed the podium having won the SA State title in Stadium Truck.

Image: Christopher Sturdy [Facebook]

February 23, 2026

Ongaro opens Italian National Champs with double win

The four round 2026 1:8 Buggy AMSCI Italian National Championship kicked off over the weekend with 10-time consecutive Champion Davide Ongaro doing the double with wins in Nitro & eBuggy. Racing at the Nitro Plaza Off Road Marigllanella track near Naples, qualifying would see Ongaro’s Team Associated top the ranking with 3 TQ runs ahead of the Sworkz of Mattia Polito, who took the opening round, and Xray’s Alex Zanchettin. After Semi finals however it was Polito who would start on pole for the 45-minute main from Ongaro and Serpent’s Giuseppe Tescione. Despite laying down the fastest lap of the race, Polito wouldn’t be able to deny Ongaro the win. They would be joined on the podium by Mugen Seiki’s Burak Kilic, the Turkish racer winning the Last Chance Fnal to come from 13th in the grid to deny the WIRC of Andrea Trevisan a Top 3 finish. In eBuggy Onagro also took the TQ and win ahead of Polito with Trevisan completing the podium.

Image: Mauro Ongaro [Facebook]

February 23, 2026

2026 IFMAR 1:10 IC Track World C/ship Stage 1 Report

IFMAR, the World governing body of RC racing, has published the Stage 1 report for the 2026 1:10 Nitro Touring Car World Championship which will be hosted by Club Automodellistico 5 Colli a decade after the iconic track staged the previous European hosting of the race. The 11th running of the championships, it will take place from September 4th to 12th in the medieval town of Gubbio in central Italy and given the nations unofficial title as ‘the world capital of nitro onroad racing’ it is expected to attract a large and competitive entry. In 2016 it was Dominc Greiner who became World Champion with a flawless drive ahead of then Serpent team-mate Alessio Mazzeo, who gave the local crowd plenty to cheer about, with then reigning 1:8 World Champion Simon Kurzbuch completing the podium for Shepherd just ahead of Bruno Coelho. Since then the track has hosted the 2022 IFMAR ISTC World Championship, Coelho taking the win on that occasion, with the club highly regarded for its strong organisation and presentation of races. The previous two 1:10 Nitro Touring Car World Championships where staged in Thailand, the 2024 race held at Huge RC in Bangkok after original host Costa Rica hit issues surrounding noise. Jilles Groskamp would take a hugely popular victory at the former ISTC World Champion Surikarn Chaidajsuriya owned track, to become only the second driver to win the biggest prize in both Electric and Nitro Touring Car. View the full 2026 Stage 1 Report here.

Source: IFMAR [ifmar.org]