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March 30, 2026

Ripoll gets title defence off to perfect start

Xray’s top international 1:8 Onroad racer Maxime Ripoll has got the defence of his French National title off to the perfect start with a dominant performance at the opening round of the 2026 Championship. The first encounter of the 5 round FFVRC Championship was hosted by the BMVRC club in the south east of the country with over 70 entries. Greeted by cold weather conditions, rain would effect qualifying with just 2 of the 4 scheduled rounds run but with his time from Q1 it was Ripoll who took the Elite class TQ with his Max engined RX8 ahead Baptiste Jimenez and Jules David. In the final Ripoll and Jimenez held the top 2 positions for the opening 20-laps before the later hot problems and soon retired. With the fastest lap of the race, Ripoll would take a comfortable victory over the No.8 car of Christophe Louis who finished just held off Stephane Riccobono.

Image: Maxime Ripoll [Facebook]

March 30, 2026

Boda opens French title defence with win

Defending French National 1:8 Nitro Buggy Champion Clement Boda has got his title defence off to the perfect start, the Team Associated driver winning the opening round of the 2026 championship at the ARCF42 track near Lyon. Securing the title with victory at last season’s finale, Boda would not have a great run in qualifying as 2025 title rival Noha Ben Mohamed took his Sparko to the TQ honours at the end of qualifying with Boda ending up starting P3 in his Semi final. Regrouping for the finals, Boda would take the win in his Semi to secure pole for the Main which the 21-year-old would duly go on to lead from start to finish. After struggling in his Semi final, Xray’s Rémy Bermudez would improve his buggy for the Main and the 18-year-old was able to finish 2nd with Tekno driver Theo Lemaire completing the first podium of the 5 round championship.

Image: ARCF42 [Facebook]

March 30, 2026

Polito wins Italian Nationals Round 2 from Ongaro

Sworkz’s Mattia Polito took the win at the second round of the AMSCI 1:8 Nitro Buggy Italian National Championship reversing the result of the season opener as he beat defending Champion Davide Ongaro. Racing at the OspyTeam track in the north of the country, after the four rounds of qualifying it was Polito who secured the TQ ahead of the Team Associated of Ongaro, Mugen Seiki’s Burak Kilic and Kyosho’s Marco Baruffolo. Polito posted TQ runs in the opening three rounds with Ongaro topping the final round. With Ongaro winning his Semi in the faster time, the 10-time consecutive National Champion secured pole for the final ahead of the WIRC of 5th place qualifier Andrea Trevisan who won the other Semi ahead of Polito. In the 45-minute final, with the Top 3 quickly breaking away, on lap 3 a bobble from Trevisan allowed Polito to move into second. Approaching the 7-minute mark a mistake from Ongaro would see him clip a corner pipe and spin around handing Polito a lead he would hold and extend to win by almost 4-seconds from the World Champion. Half a lap back Trevisan completed the podium ahead of Kyosho’s Riccardo Berton and Xray’s Alex Zanchettin with Kilic completing the Top 6. In eBuggy, Ongaro would make it two from two with the Round 2 win ahead of Top Qualifier Polito with Trevisan enjoying a double podium weekend with P3.

Image: Ielasi Tuned [Facebook]

March 24, 2026

New rule rules Canas out of Spanish Championship

Defending Spanish National Champion & professional 1:8 Offroad racer Juan Carlos Canas is to miss this weekend’s opening round of the National eBuggy Championship after a new administration process introduced by the national governing body AECAR. The factory Sworkz driver appears to have missed a new 24-hour registration window and has no entry for the opening encounter of the highly competitive national championship. Making a post on social media Canas, who won the nitro season opener, explained that once he noticed entries had opened, and given he was racing in the US with an 8-hour time difference, he made his entry and payment. However it was only when he contacted a ‘delegate of Spain’ about the race at RC Silla that he discovered he didn’t have a place due to the new 24-hour rule.

Read his full post here

March 24, 2026

Fernandez wins Spanish 1:8 Onroad National opener

Serpent’s Alvaro Fernandez Calvo has won the opening round of the AECAR 1:8 Onroad Spanish National Championship. Staged by the AUTET track in Almussafes the race attracted an impressive 56 drivers and offer the 4 rounds of qualifying it was Fernandez who would be fastest. Running FTD format, the 22-year-old laid down the fastest 5-minute run in the 3rd round with the Infinity of Nacho Lopez his closest rival with his time from Q2. The Mugen Seiki of Sergi Franch Codina completing the Top 3. While Fernandez, with the TQ, and Nachos, as winner of Super Pole, went direct to the final, after the Semi Finals it was Victor Pelaez with the faster Semi Final winning time who line-up 3rd on the grid. In the 45-minute final Fernandez would be pressured by Pelaez until the Mugen driver went out after 23-minutes. After that Fernandez controlled the race eventually winning by a 3-lap margin over Lopez with Ruben Olivares Muñoz completing the podium.

Image: Alvaro Fernandez Calvo [Facebook]

March 23, 2026

Kurzbuch wins Pepe Group International Race

Mugen Seiki’s Simon Kurzbuch has won the Pepe Group International Race which was hosted by the Minicar Fiorano track in Italy over the weekend. The group behind the well known Energy fuel brand, the race attracted all of Europe’s top 1:8 Onroad racer and after the three rounds of qualifying it was the Infinity of multiple World Champion Dario Balestri who secured the TQ topping final qualifier ahead Max Power team Jonathan Gandin who was fastest in Q2. Taking Q1, Kurzbuch’s Ielasi Tuned powered Mugen secured P3 ahead of the similarly powered Capricorn of Toni Gruber. In the half hour final, Kurzbuach would pass Gandin early to battle it out with Balestri at the front, the Swiss racer taking the win by 1/2 a second from the Italian with Gandin completing the podium. With Gruber, young Xray star Filippo Domanin, and Infinity’s Francesco Tironi all retirements in the final, ARC’s Silvio Hächler finished P4.

Image: Ielasi Tuned [Facebook]

March 22, 2026

Philippines ‘True North RC Raceway’ track build

A country that is home to Asia’s biggest & most famous annual 1:8 Offroad event, the Philippine Masters, the race’s new track location is starting to resemble its signature 3D look with track builder Edward Sio posting this image of the rough layout as he continues to build his latest creation. A race that has been responsible for bringing the likes of Davide Ongaro, Atsushi Hara, Dakotah Phend, Adam Drake, Ryan Cavalieri and many more international offroad stars to the Philippines, the original track in Manila hosted its final Philippine Masters in 2025, Infinity’s Kouki Kato taking the win, as that location was designated for development. Having become a part of Scotty Ernst’s successful Asian Buggy Championships since 2023, the Philippine Masters takes a year out in 2026 as it transitions to it new location. The team behind putting the event on the international stage securing a new location which is part of the El Masfino Hotel and Resort in San Rafael which is around 50km north of the capital city. With the track build now well underway, known for its oil treated surface dirt surface, the next stage in the build is the refine the jumps and transitions before moving onto the final stage of oil treatment and piping.

Image: Edward Sio [Facebook]

March 16, 2026

Catanzani opens Italian GT title defence with Naxos win

Serpent’s Andrea Catanzani opened his AMSCI 1:8 GT Italian National Championship title defence with the perfect weekend winning the opening race of 2026 with victory. Racing at Naxos World in Sicily, the home track of 1:8 GT World Champion Alessio Mazzeo, Catazani took the TQ honours with three TQ runs. Returning to the championship again in 2026, Nova Engines backed Turkish offroad ace Burak Kilic qualified P2 on his debut running a Raptor, with Raptor team driver Mazzeo completing the Top 3. Round 1 of the 3 round championship, setting the only 26-lap of the 30-minute final Catanzani took the win by 9-seconds over Mazzeo with Kilic completing the podium ahead of the Genius of reigning European Champion Filippo Beretta.

Image: Andrea Catanzani [Facebook]