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January 24, 2026

Yokoyama Top Qualifier at inaugural Asia Nitro Party

In a Mugen Seiki duel for the overall TQ honours in 1:8 Onroad at the inaugural Asia Nitro Party race, it was O.S. Speed’s Sinnosuke Yokoyama who delivered in Q4 to deny Q1 & Q2 winner JJ Wang from becoming Top Qualifier on home soil. Taking place at the impressive Hongyu GDC track in China, fuel consumption caused issues in the first half of qualifying with Wang’s decision to stop for fuel playing in his favour as others came up short over the 4-minutes. For the final two qualifiers however Yokoyama would get everything perfectly aligned. Taking Q3 ahead of Nicole Marron’s Infinity and Wang similat O.S. powered MRX7, the Japanese driver repeated in the fourth & final round and with that time the fastest run of the day he secured the overall TQ at the new high profile international nitro onroad event. With Wang putting in an all out effort to try and hold on to the top spot in Q4, he would hit the curbing and send his car airborne, ending what has been an impressive performance on his 1:8 Onroad return. Behind, a consistent effort from Hotrace’s Nicole Marrone saw his Infinity end qualifying in third place. Ending his day with his best run by 3-seconds, for another P3 run, Serpent’s Andrea Catanzani completed the Top 4. The driver to set the pace in practice yesterday, Infinity’s Naoto Matsukura would finally get a decent run in Q4, but despite the P2 effort he ended qualifying down in P14 to make the back end of the Semi finals grid.

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January 24, 2026

Senesi takes Asia Nitro Party TQ honours

Natanaele Senesi has taken the TQ honours in 1:8 GT at the inaugural Asia Nitro Party race in China. The Italian would go up against newly crowned World Champion Alessio Mazzeo and France’s Bernard-Alain Arnaldi as the fight to secure pole position & the only direct spot into the 45-minute Main went down to the fourth & final qualifier at the Hongyu GDC track. With Mazzeo finding a new level of speed from his Raptor in Q4, he looked like getting the job done in style however with a minute & a half to run in the 6-minute heat his throttle servo would fail. His second DNF, having had an engine issue in Q3, the Italian would end up qualifying 4th overall. Despite running out off fuel three corners before the line, Senesi’s Raptor would take the round ahead of Arnaldi’s Genius who also was on the limit getting to the line and that is how they would complete the final ranking. The biggest surprise of the day ‘s qualifying would be the performance of Hobbywing technical guru Salton Dong, the experienced electric racer steering Mazzeo’s spare World Championship car to P3 on his GT debut.

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January 24, 2026

Wang takes opening 2 qualifiers to lead the way at Asia Nitro Party

After two rounds of qualifying at the inaugural Asia Nitro Party it is JJ Wang who leads the way, Mugen Seiki holding the top two spots as qualifying reaches the half way distance at the Hongyu GDC track in China. A much warmer day than drivers experienced yesterday in Foshan, run time was the big talking point of qualifying with Wang’s strategy to refuel in each of his 4-minute runs paying dividends. The Chinese American admitting himself that he may not be the fastest driver on track as he gets used to his brand new MRX7, his last competitive 1:8 Onroad outing being the 2019 IFMAR 1:8 Onroad World Championship in California. With a second in Q1 and running at the top of the timing screens again in Q2 until he again started running out of fuel, this time dropping him to 5th, it is O.S. Speed’s Sinnosuke Yokoyama who holds second in a ranking that is completely scrambled due to the number of drivers running out of fuel. Having topped practice yesterday, Infinity’s Naoto Matsukura was on for a TQ in Q1 until Nicole Marrone traction rolled in front of him leading to contact that broke the Japanese driver’s car. Having opted to do a fuel stop in Q1, after his opening DNF Matsukura risked going the full 4-minutes in Q2 but came up well sort on his runtime. One of the favourite’s coming into the event, Serpent’s Andrea Catanzani has yet to shine. Making a mistake in Q1 he would eventually run out of fuel leading him to do a stop in Q2 but the Italian said they lacked speed in the car and he ended up P3 behind Wang & Marrone.

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January 23, 2026

Matsukura tops Asia Nitro Party free practice

Infinity’s Naoto Matsukura set the pace in Free Practice today ahead of the first running of the new ‘Asia Nitro Party’ onroad race at Hongyu CDG in China. A driver would just a month ago TQ’d a round of qualifying around the same track at the FEMCA Asia Championship, he would top the times from fellow Japanese compatriot Sinnosuke Yokoyama. Returning to nitro racing to support the hosting of what track boss Gavin Kwok will become a major race fixture on the international nitro racing calendar, Chinese American racer JJ Wang made it two Mugen Seiki’s in the Top 3 behind Yokoyama MRX-7. Expected to be the pace setter in the 1:8 Onroad class, Serpent’s World Championship Top Qualifier Andrea Catanzani would have a difficult day struggling to find a good balance but once we down to times counting tomorrow in qualifying he is sure to be right in the mix.

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January 23, 2026

Senesi sets GT practice pace at Asia Nitro Party

1:8 GT specialist Natanaele Senesi has set the pace in free practice ahead of this weekend’s inaugural Asia Nitro Party at the impressive Hongyu GDC track in China. An event that has generated a lot of excitement within the Asian nitro racing scene since the 2026 1:12 & ISTC World Championship venue facility announced the annual event last October, 1:8 GT is the biggest category with over 50 drivers taking part. The 2024 European Champion would top the times from reigning World Champion Alessio Mazzeo, both drivers running Raptor cars after Senesi, who runs under his own Senesi Motorsport banner, made the switch from an Xray based car to Raptor. The move came about as a result of Senesi’s engine sponsor Gimar, which in 2024 took over the Raptor project. Also a factor in the switch was the ability for Senesi to produce his own Senesi Motorsport edition Raptor kit which features a number of his own design elements. Another of the fast European’s making the trip to Foshan, and believing the would escape the cold weather back home, it would be Genius Racing’s Bernard-Alain Arnaldi who completed the Top 3. While all hugely impressed with the new RC facility, drivers have been badly caught off guard by an unseasonable cold spell to hit southern China. With most drivers seeing the podium photo from last weekend’s Sweep Asia Cup race at the track, in which winner Bruno Coelho, Michal Orlowski are both wearing shorts, and basing their clothing choices from that they packed for much warmer conditions than what has greeted them. There does however appear to be a big jump up in temperatures for tomorrow’s qualifying with it then set to hit in the region of 23 degrees for Sunday’s finals. On track the low temperatures have also added to the challenge of getting heat into the Sweep rubber tyres used in 1:8 GT, the compound selected ahead of the race based on racing in temperatures double that of what has been experienced so far.

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January 19, 2026

O.S. Speed confirms Yokoyama for Nitro Party

O.S. Engines has confirmed that it will now also be official represented on the track at Hongyu GDC’s inaugural Nitro Party race this coming weekend (Jan 24/25th) with the addition of multiple World Championship finalist Sinnosuke Yokoyama to the entry list. The iconic Japanese engine manufacturer was already committed to attending Asia’s brand new high profile nitro onroad event with trackside technical support for O.S. Speed engine users but has now added their factory driver to the race’s impressive international entry. Also a multiple Japanese National Champion, Yokoyama joins a stacked field that includes compatriot & World Champion Naoto Matsukura from Infinity, Serpent’s 2025 1:8 Onroad Worlds’ Top Qualifier Andrea Catanzani, double reigning IFMAR 1:8 GT World Champion Alessio Mazzeo, European GT Champion Natanaele Senesi, Xray’s Italian young gun Filippo Domanin, and Genius Racing’s very experienced Bernard-Alain Arnaldi. The first edition of what the 2026 IFMAR 1:12 and ISTC World Championship host venue plans to build into a major annual event on the international nitro racing 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: Hongyu GDC [Facebook]

January 13, 2026

Back to back Silver State wins for Fuller

Sworkz’s Mason Fuller has claimed back to back Nitro Buggy victories at Silver State Indoor Championships. With the young American talent taking a break through win at the high profile annual Las Vegas based race last April, he would back it up with victory at this year’s earlier running of the Joey Christensen event. In qualifying it was Kyosho’s Phi-Long Nguyen, who was on the podium last year, who took the TQ ahead of the Tekno pairing Seth VanDalen & Ryan Maifield, Sworkz’s Camden Lime, and Kyosho’s Ryan Lutz, the latter topping the first of the 3 qualifiers. In the 45-minute final it was looking set to be a super close battle between Nguyen and Fuller but a flame out as the race reached 3/4 distant would deny the talented teenager a chance at his first big win. With his main challenger gone, Fuller was able to claim the win with a 24-seconds advantage over Team Associated’s Spencer Rivkin while VanDalen completed the podium. In eBuggy, Nguyen also took the TQ and after an incident packed final lap claimed the win ahead of Fuller and Tekno’s Jared Wiggins. Lutz had looked on target to win the 10-minute encounter but landed funny on the last lap handing Fuller the lead but he got hit by Maifield who in turn received contact from eventual winner Nguyen. In Truggy it was Maifield who took both the Nitro and Electric wins.

Image: JConcepts [Facebook]

January 9, 2026

Serpent’s Catanzani confirmed for inaugural Nitro Party

Currently one of the fastest Nitro Onroad racers in the World, Serpent’s Andrea Catazani is the latest top international driver to be confirmed for the inaugural Nitro Party race in Foshan, China, later this month. The 20-year-old Italian, who was the Top Qualifier at both the IFMAR 1:8 Onroad and the 1:8 GT World Championships at the end of the last year, joins the already stacked entry in making the trip to the new Hongyu GDC facility for its first major nitro onroad event. The reigning Italian GT Champion, he joins compatriots Alessio Mazzeo, Natanaele Senesi, and Filippo Domanin for the first edition of what the 2026 ISTC World Championship host venue plans to build into a major annual event on the nitro racing calendar. Other confirmed entries for the January 24-25th race include Infinity’s Naoto Matsukura and Genius Racing’s Bernard-Alain Arnaldi.

Source: Hongyu GDC [Facebook]