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June 9, 2025

Harleman wins Dutch EFRA Large Scale GP

The second round of the 2025 3-race Large Scale EFRA GP series took place in the Netherlands over the weekend where Mecatech driver Marco Harleman took the win. With rain having affected the opening round in Spain, where Bernard-Alain Arnaldi took the win, racing at the Real80 track in Groningen drivers again faced difficult wet weather conditions with qualifying seeing limited running. With the 3rd of the 6 scheduled qualifiers proving the quickest, it was Hessel Roskam who secured pole position. For the wet 30-minute final, a number of drivers would not start the race, leaving 3rd place qualifier Harleman to take a commanding win. The Dutch driver was joined on the podium by Luke Van den Berg and Pieter Netten. The third of the EFRA Large Scale Grand Prix races takes place on September 13/14 in Lostallo, Switzerland, where drivers will be hoping for a break from wet conditions.

Source: Mecatech Racing Components [Facebook]

June 2, 2025

Berton wins 25th edition of Kyosho Masters

Riccardo Berton took the Nitro Buggy win at the Kyosho Masters, this year’s event marking the 25th anniversary of the iconic Japanese manufacturer’s flagship annual event. With almost 200 Kyosho drivers plus JQ making the trip to the RC94 track in France, where they got to see the new MP11 Prototype in person, in Elite qualifying it was Berton who took the TQ ahead of Reno Savoya, Marco Baruffolo and Phi-Long Nguyen. With Berton and Savoya winning their respective Semi Finals, it was the 3-time European Champion who would line up on pole on home soil. With Berton starting P2, American Ryan Lutz, only 12th after qualifier, had a great Semi Final to secure P3 on the grid ahead Baruffolo and 13-year-old Nguyen. Over the 45-minute final, Berton set the fastest lap of the race to win by 2-laps over last weekend’s Kyosho Italia Meeting winner Baruffolo. With second through 5th all finishing on the same lap, back to back FEMCA 1:8 Offroad Champion Nguyen claimed the final podium step just ahead of Savoya with Lutz in fifth. In eBuggy it was Savoya who took the TQ and win ahead of Italian duo Berton and Baruffolo.

Image: Riccardo Berton [Facebook]

May 27, 2025

Canas wins Round 2 of Spanish Championship

Round 2 of the AECAR Spanish 1:8 Nitro Buggy Championship took place at La Masia Raceway in Girona where Sworkz’s Juan Carlos Canas took the win. Having missed the season opener due to racing at the Silverstate in the US, defending Champion Canas secured the TQ after topping 2 of the 5 qualifiers. Behind him a very on form 6mik team driver Adrian Pariente ended qualifying P2 ahead of the Mugen Seiki of Round 1 race winner David Todd. Winning the faster of the Semi finals from Oscar Baldo, his brother Bryan winning the second encounter to start P2, Canas took the pole for the 45-minute Main. An an impressive drive by Pariente would keep European Champion Canas honest the entire final the No.3 starter only 2-seconds behind at the finish. Unable to match the hot pace of the Top 2, the Xray of Bryan Baldo, who was runner up at the season opener, completed the podium just ahead of Robert Batlle’s Sworkz, the former World Champion report a number of mechanical issues. Having ran as high as 3rd position Todd would finish 7th.

Image: Adrian Pariente [Facebook]

May 27, 2025

Phend wins ‘The Dirt’ Lonestar Challenge

Over the Memorial weekend in the US, expected 2026 IFMAR 1:8 Offroad World Championship venue Thornhill RC Raceway in Hutto, Texas played host to ‘The Dirt’ Lonestar Challenge where Xray’s Dakotah Phend took the Nitro Buggy win. After 3 rounds of qualifying, 2 to count, it was Tekno’s Seth VanDalen who claimed the TQ honours from Phend, Ryan Maifield and 2025 Silver State dominator Mason Fuller. While VanDalen lead for the first 15-minutes, having already taken the Nitro Truggy win once Phend hit the front he stayed there to win by almost a full lap over the pole sitter while Maifield, winner of eBuggy, completed the podium with his Tekno. Fuller would finish 4th after a close finish with Xray’s Chase Lemieux who round out the Top 5 just 0.893 of a second back.

Image: Tekno RC [Facebook]

May 26, 2025

Baruffolo wins 23rd edition of Kyosho Italia Meeting

Celebrating its 23rd edition, the Kyosho Italia Meeting saw Marco Baruffolo do the double as he won both nitro and eBuggy from his international factory team mates at the Pista Offroad Campogalliano track in the north of the country. In qualifying it was Frenchman Reno Savoya who took the TQ for the 45-minute final ahead of Baruffolo and Riccardo Berton. In eBuggy pole position went to Baruffolo as he topped all three qualifying rounds with Savoya P2 as Berton again made up the Top 3. Converting his pole position into victory in eBuggy with A1 and A2 wins, the podium would be the same order as the Top 3 started. In the Nitro final, setting the fastest lap of the race Baruffolo took the win by 2-laps from Berton as a communication problem put Savoya’s refuelling strategy out of sync dropping the multiple European Champion to 3rd. Next weekend all three drivers will get to battle it out again at the Japanese manufacturer’s flagship 25th annual Kyosho Masters at Robot Club 94 in France where they will also be joined by US team drivers Ryan Lutz and now Phi-Long Nguyen.

Image: Pista Offroad Campogalliano [Facebook]

May 20, 2025

2 from 2 for Boots in British Championship

Sworkz/Reds Racing factory driver Elliott Boots maintained his perfect start to his BRCA British 1:8 Nitro Buggy Championship title defence with another win at Round 2 which was hosted at a sunny Brookthorpe track. Taking maximum points at the season opener at Herts last month, Boots again ticked all the boxes at the second stop on the 5 race schedule securing the TQ and the win. In qualifying he took the TQ on tie break with the Mugen Seiki of Dom Nunn, both drivers topping two rounds each. Having set the pace in the opening qualifier, the Xray of Jonny Skidmore, who was runner-up to boots at Round 1, would qualify third. Winning his Semi Final to line-up on pole in the 14 car 45-minute final, from there Boots went on to win by 3/4 of a lap over the Agama of junior racer Erik Lykke. Having started P2, unfortunately Jonny Skidmore’s race lasted less than 5-minutes after he collided with another buggy travelling backwards down the straight. Team-mate Lee Martin, who started P7, would complete the podium.

Image: Elliott Boots [Facebook]

May 20, 2025

Ongaro again at Round 2 of Italian Nationals

Team Associated’s Davide Ongaro made it 2 from 2 in the AMSCI Italian National Championship over the weekend taking the win at his home track, the Ongaroring. The World Champion and reigning Italian Champion topped 3 of the four rounds of qualifying to secure the TQ ahead of Kyosho pairing Marco Baruffolo, who topped Q4, and Riccardo Berton. Starting the 45-minute from pole ahead of Berton and Sworkz’s Mattia Polito after winning the faster of the Semi Finals, Ongaro would secure his second win of the 4-round championship by a lap over Berton, who suffered a DNF at Round 1. With the Top 3 finishing as they started the final, Polito claimed his second podium finish of the season having finished P2 at the season opener at River Park RC track back in March.

Image: Mattia Polito [Facebook]

May 19, 2025

Double win for Canas at International Buggy Challenge

The seventh edition of the International Buggy Challenge took place in Portugal over the weekend where Sworkz’s Juan Carlos Canas took a double victory. With the Barcelos track in for a busy 2025 as its hosts the inaugural IFMAR 1:8 Electric Buggy World Championship and the EFRA 1:8 Nitro Buggy European Championship, this year’s IBC would also double up as the official Warm-up race for both championships. Having been forced to rescheduled the race, originally set for May 2-4, as a knock on effect of a major national power outage that effected both Portugal and Spain recently, the race attracted just over 90 racers as a number of top drivers had other race commitments. In qualifying it was Spanish youngster Adrian Pariente who took the nitro TQ ahead of his older brother Daniel after they each TQ’d a round. Canas TQ’d the opening round but ended up P6 on the grid with the Infinity of Bruni Coelho completing the Top 3. In the 45-minute final, reigning European Champion Canas would lay down the fastest lap of the race as he worked his way to the front to win by just under half a lap from Adrian. Former World Champion Robert Batlle competed the podium with his Sworkz 20-seconds behind Pariente. Local hero Joao Figueiredo would finish fourth ahead of Coelho. In eBuggy, Canas dominated topping all three qualifiers before winning all three A-Mains with Coelho and Adrian Pariente joining him on the podium.

Image: Robert Batlle [Facebook]