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August 16, 2026

Van Dalen is new ROAR National Champion

Having started the season with an impressive double win at the Dirt Nitro Challenge, Tekno’s Seth Van Dalen has just become the new ROAR 1:8 Nitro Buggy National Champion. Qualifying P2 behind Top Qualifier & defending Champion Dakotah Phend, Van Dalen would line up 6th for the decider after he dropped from pole in his Semi to P4, that race won by team-mate Ryan Maifield who completed the Truggy double earlier in the Silver Dollar Raceway hosted championships. Double Champion in 2024, Maifield would start 2nd for the 15 buggy World Championhip length 1-hour Main behind Phend’s Xray and ahead of the Xray of Chase Lemieux with Team Associated Davey Batta lining up P4 and Sparko’s Jonah Wilson carrying no.5. Having won the eBuggy title on Saturday from Kyosho’s Phi Long Nguyen, Phend led away the nitro final before his first fuel stop at 10-minutes but going an extra lap before his stop, a quicker stop by his pitman Billy Fischer, saw Lemieux come back out still in the lead. The 2026 ROAR 1:10 4WD Buggy Champion stayed out front until his second stop at the 20-minute mark, but on his in lap the Wisconsin driver had a roll and needed to be marshalled handing Maifield a brief lead. Out of sequence with the Xrays, Maifield’s 3rd stop handed the lead to Van Dalen. In the second half of the race Van Dalen and Lemieux would go wheel to wheel. After a roll that saw his buggy cut the track on his in lap, with the final stops compete it was Lemieux in the lead with just over 7-minutes on the clock but a mistake as the final 6-minutes approached handed the lead back to Van Dalen. With Lemieux retaking the lead the pair would tangle with 4-minutes remaining, the battle resuming with Lemieux in front. Inside 3-minute Van Dalen would make the pass for the lead with a mistake from Lemieux giving his rival his biggest lead of the final which he maintained to claim his first national title by a winning margin of 4.4-seconds over Lemieux. Finishing on the lead lap, Sworkz’s Mason Fuller completed the podium from P11 on the grid. After a late issue Maifield would fall back to P7 while Phend would be a DNF, retiring at the 2/3rd race distance.

Image: JConcepts [jconcepts.net]

August 16, 2026

Groskamp takes ENS title with third win in a row

Over a decade after winning his first Euro Nitro Series Championship title, Infinity’s Jilles Groskamp has claimed the 2026 Nitro Touring Car title with his third consecutive win of the season today in Austria. With Round 3 of the championship’s 4-race calendar taking place at the MAV Aigen-Schlägl track, the reigning World Champion secured the TQ as his took his Ielasi Tuned powered IF15 to the fastest time in 3 of the 4 qualifiers, a perfect start to his new engine sponsorship deal with Daniele Ielasi’s engine brand. Topping the fourth & final qualifier, 2025 Champion Jakub Rozycki would line up second for Capricorn with 2024 Champion Melvin Diekmann securing P3 ahead of reigning 1:8 ENS Champion Toni Gruber. In the 12 car 45-minute A-Main, from the front the veteran Dutch racer dominated the final taking an emotional win by a lap over Diekmann. A strong race from Carmine Raiola, who qualified his infinity in P8, would see the Italian complete the podium just ahead of Rozycki, the Polish driver setting the fastest lap of the race. In 1:8 it was Dario Balestri who took the win ahead of Top Qualifier Simon Kurzbuch. Kurzbuch put his Mugen Seki on pole for the final ahead of the Infinity driver but 7-laps into the race the Swiss racer flipped his car over the curbing handing the lead to the 2-time World Champion who would stay there for the remaining 43-minutes for his second win of the season – the Italian the winner of the season opener in Germany. Winner of the Dutch round of the Championship, Kurzbuch would finish second half a lap down while 3rd place qualifier Marco Weigerding completed the podium for Serpent.

Image: Infinity [Facebook]

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]