August 14, 2026

Singapore International Nitro GP – Announcement

This year the Singapore International Nitro Grand Prix will celebrate the race’s 20th anniversary in style with the action taking place on the newly resurfaced RCMC track.  Scheduled for October 10-11, the same weekend as the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix, hosts Radio Control Modellers’ Club has announced that registration is now open for the race which is once again proudly supported by World Champion manufacturer Infinity.  The country’s only permanent track, the event will see racing for 1:8 Onroad, 1:8 Nitro GT, and 1:10 Nitro Touring Car.  Over the two decades of hosting the race, the Singapore International Nitro Grand Prix has welcomed numerous World Champions including reigning 1:10 Nitro Touring World Champion Jilles Groskamp, two time 1:8 Onroad World Champion Dario Balestri, multiple World Champion Naoto Matsukura, reigning 3-time ISTC World Champion Bruno Coelho and nitro onroad legend Lamberto Collari.

Source: RCMC Singapore [Facebook]


August 10, 2026

2026 IFMAR 1:10 IC Track WC Stage 2 Report

IFMAR has published the Stage 2 Report for the upcoming 1:10 Nitro Touring Car World Championship in Italy, the 11th running of Worlds attracting a bumper 129 entries from 21 countries.  Cars will hit the track for the first on September 4th with the first of two days of IPD practice which will be followed by two more days of Free Practice.  The event gets underway proper on Tuesday, September 8th, with 4 rounds of Timed Practice which is when Red RC will begin its coverage from Gubbio.  In addition to a detailed time schedule, the other key points in the Stage 2 Report are details of the handout tyres which are being supplied by Italian manufacturer Hotrace.  The tyre specs are 35 shore/62mm fronts and 37 shore 64mm rears.  In relation to fuel, drivers will have the option to choose one of 3 different suppliers.  Italy’s Pepe Group brand Energy will offer their Thunder 16% EU fuel, with Runner Time, also produced in Italy offering its FAST 16EU.  Thailand’s Maxima will supply its Core 16% EU.  Fuel for IPD and Free Practice sessions is the driver ‘s responsibility with fuel subject to Parc Fermé regulations from Timed Practice.  View the full Stage 2 report here.

Source: IFMAR [ifmar.org]


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 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]


July 27, 2026

Phend doubles at Wicked Weekend

Xray’s Dakotah Phend pulled off the buggy double at the ‘The Wicked Weekend’ in Gainesville, Georgia, RaceTime Entertainment’s  annual event attracting over 750 entries.  Phend would secure the TQ in both Nitro and Electric Buggy.  In Nitro qualifying after a DNF in Q1, he would topped Q2 & 3 to secure pole for the final ahead of Tekno’s Ryan Maifield and Team Associated pairing Spencer Rivkin and Brandon Rose.  In eBuggy qualifying Phend took the overall TQ with the fastest time in the final qualifier with the Sparko of Jonah Wilson, fastest in Q1, lining up second ahead of Rivkin and Sworkz’s Mason Fuller, winner of the Nitro Buggy final last year.  In the single 10-minute eBuggy Main, Phend would win by a comfortable 11-seconds over Rivkin with last years Top Qualifier Rose again completing the electric podium.  In the earlier half hour 18 Buggy Nitro Final, Phend cruised to the win with the battle for who joined on the podium going the way of Rose in second and Tekno’s DNC double winner Seth VanDalen in third.  In Nitro Truggy Maifield would take the win ahead of Phend and Fuller.

Image: JConcepts [jconcepts.net]


July 25, 2026

4 in a row as Balestri defends European title in France

Infinity’s Dario Balestri has successfully defended his EFRA 1:8 Onroad European Championship title, the Italian taking his Max powered IF18-3 to a fourth consecutive victory in France today.  Racing at the Bourg-en-Bresse track, qualifying opened with French ace Maxime Ripoll topping the first of the five rounds with his Xray.  New 2026 Serpent signing & 2023 Euro Nitro Series Champion Mirko Salemi would set the pace in Q2 before Top Seed Balestri went quickest in Q3.  Another TQ run from Salemi in Q4 and Balestri in Q5 left the compatriots tied but on tie break it was 2-time World Champion Balestri who was the Top Qualifier.  2nd in qualifying would secure Salemi together with Infinity’s Carmine Raiola and 4th placed Ripoll direct spots into the Main final.  The 2026 1:8 GT European Champion, Serpent’s Andrea Catanzani would qualify fifth to secure pole in his Semi with the other Semi pole going to the Capricorn of Toni Gruber.  Unfortunately for the 2025 World Championship Top Qualifier,  Catanzani would be given penalties over his refuelling that would leave him 4th at the end of the 20-minute encounter with only the Top 3 progressing.  In the Last Chance Final he would retire with the Xray of Filippo Domanin becoming the 11th car on the grid.  In the 45-minute final Balestri showed just why he is such a decorated 1:8 racer, eventually securing his 6th European title by almost 3-seconds from team-mate Riola with an impressive drive from Domanin seeing him come through the field to complete the podium at the 24th running of the championships just ahead of Salemi.  Gruber would finish P5 with Ripoll, who ran as high as second & set the fastest lap of the race, completing the Top 6 at his home track.

Image: EFRA [Facebook]


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