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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]

March 16, 2026

DNC double for Tekno’s Van Dalen

Tekno’s Seth VanDalen completed the classic double at the Dirt Nitro Challenge over the weekend winning both Nitro Buggy and Nitro Truggy as the Joey Christensen signature event. The 27th edition of US race, it was the second year in a row the now California based event has been a happy hunting group for the US manufacturer, Ryan Maifield (Nitro Buggy) and VanDalen (Nitro Truggy) last year’s winners. With a 755 entries over all classes this year, in qualifying it was the Xray of Dakotah Phend who secured the Nitro Buggy TQ after three rounds of qualifying ahead of Sworkz’s Juan Carlos Canas and Team Associated’s Spencer Rivkin with VanDalen securing P4. In Truggy it was Maifield who took the TQ from team-mates VanDalen and Spencer Heckert. In Saturday’s Truggy final, Maifield led the way until he crashed and took a wheel off his Tekno just before the 2/3rd mark of the 45-minute encounter allowing VanDalen to take over the lead and successfully defend his title. The Sworkz of Silver State Indoor Champion Mason Fuller and Kyosho’s Ryan Lutz completed the podium. In the main event, Nitro Buggy final bringing racing at The Dirt at Peris track to a conclusion, it was Phend who led away from pole for more than half the race until a mistake. Winning the B Final to book 15th spot on the A-Main grid, Maifield would work his way into contention running second within 5-seconds of Phend, but at the 28-minute mark he flamed out and his race was done. After Phend’s error it was VanDalen who was out front where he wold stay to complete the DNC double. In eBuggy it was Sworkz’s Camden Lime would took the TQ and win, winning the 10-minute final from Canas and Phend.

Image: Tekno [Facebook]

March 10, 2026

Paloschi wins Senesi GT International GP

Hosted by 2024 EFRA European GT Champion Natanaele Senesi, the Senesi GT International Grand Prix took place over the weekend where Capricorn’s Gabriele Paloschi took the win. The third edition of the race which takes place at the Pista Leno track in the north of the country, qualifying in the Pro Nitro class would see Senesi and his Senesi Motorsport Raptor secure the TQ ahead of Paloschi. The WIRC of 2020 IFMAR GT World Champion Joern Neumann completed the Top 3 ahead of 2023 Worlds Top Qualifier Alex D’angelo. In the half hour final, the Pro class running a controlled Sweep GT2-D40 tyre, after the early retirement for Neumann it was Paloschi who took the win by 5-seconds from the Genius of Leonardo Valente. Having led for the opening 12-minutes unfortunately contact from behind saw Senesi end up on the grass. Losing half a lap, he rejoined in 5th place from where would work his way back up 3rd to complete the podium just ahead of D’angelo. In electric GT, Neumann took the TQ and win while in Open Nitro Manuel Baruzzi took the win from pole.

Image: Senesi Motorport [Facebook]

March 9, 2026

Noble becomes back to back Australian Champion

New 2026 Sworkz signing Caleb Noble has become back to back RCRA 1:8 Nitro Buggy Australia National Champion, the 19-year-old successfully defending his 2025 title at the Canberra Off Road Model Car Club hosted title race over the weekend. Having kicked off his new program with Sworkz with a dominant performance at the opening round of the Asian Buggy Championships in New Zealand a week earlier, Noble would secure the TQ in Canberra ahead of Team Associated’s Alex Bernadzik, both drivers recording two TQ runs each over the 4 rounds of qualifying. A race that attracted 331 entries over the various classes, Aaron Dexter, Christian Wolhunter and Logan Toia completed the Top 5. With Dexter and Wolhunter winners of their resoective Semi finals this would be the Top 3 order for the grid behind Noble. After a number of lead changes in the early stages of the 1-hour final, Dexter, Jarod Mont, Bernadzik and Wolhunter all taking stints at the front, as the race approached mid distance Noble would get to the front and stay there to eventually win by a 2-lap margin over Team Associated pairing Lachlan Donnelly and Bernadzik with last year’s runner up Wolhunter missing out on the podium in P4. In eBuggy Bernadzik took the title from the TQ spot ahead of Noble and Ment while in Truggy Noble added another National title with the win ahead of Felix Koegler and Dexter.

Image: RC Race Media [Facebook]

March 4, 2026

Neumann joins XTR for accessories & fuel

Spanish brand XTR has announced that new WIRC signing Joern Neumann will use their accessories and Shoot fuel as part of his race program for the upcoming seasons. The highly accomplished offroad racer and former 1:8 GT World Champion, joined Italian manufacturer WIRC for 2026 after an 8-year stint with Taiwanese manufacturer Sworkz. Running Reds Racing engines, Neumann joins multiple time European Champions Elliott Boots and Reno Savoya in representing XTR and running Shoot fuel.

Source: XTR Racing [xtr-rc.com]

March 3, 2026

Canas wins Spanish Nationals opener

Champion of the highly competitive AECAR 1:8 Nitro Buggy Spanish National Championship, Sworkz’s Juan Carlos Canas opened his 2026 campaign with a TQ and win. The Circuito RC Fernando Robles track in San Jose de la Rinconada played host to the first race of the 4-round championship with Canas taking 4 of the 5 qualifiers. Behind Robert Batlle made it an Sworkz 1-2 with a string of P2 runs while Tekno’s Joao Figueiredo completed the Top 3 having TQ’d the final qualifier. Winning his Semi final from Mugen Seiki’s David Todd Nieto, winner of the 2025 season opener, Figueiredo, and Sparko’s Daniel Pariente, winner of 2025 season finale, it was Canas who would start on pole, the Top 4 on the grid coming from the Semi A. Winner of the Semi B, Battle would line up P5. In the 45-minute final, Canas steered his Reds Racing powered Sworkz to the victory half a lap clear of Mugen’s Jose Miguel Sanchez with Adrian Pariente’s Sparko completing the podium ahead of Battle and Xray’s Oscar Baldo with Todd Nieto finishing sixth. In F2 category, the race attracting a combined 81 entries between F1 and F2, Saul Ordonez Ortiz made it a double celebration for Sworkz by also taking the TQ and win.

Image: Sworkz [Facebook]