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November 10, 2025

Asian Buggy Championships announce 2026 calendar

With their new 2025 Champion Kouki Kato taking a thrilling win at the Sunpadow International Grand Prix in China over the weekend, the organisers of the Team Cayote Asian Buggy Championships have announced the venues & dates for the 2026 Championship. Set to enter into its fourth season, the 1:8 Offroad championship will again consist of 4-rounds that visit four countries across the Asia-Pacific region, including three returning tracks and one new destination. Again the ‘ABC’ will kick off in New Zealand, the opening round set for the end of February/start of March. With the championship growing out of Asia’s most famous annual offroad race, the Philippine Masters, after the hugely popular Circulo Verde track closed following the 2025 edition, the Philippines will opt out of the schedule for 2026 with racers instead travelling to new territories and the LAP Paradise RC Raceway in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, for Round 2. Attracting its biggest international entry this year, Pine Hills Dirt Racing track in Brisbane, Australia, hosts Round 3 in the middle of July. The championship, which has enjoyed growth each season, will then conclude at West Side RaceWay in Jakarta, Indonesia, which proved a massive hit with racers on its ABC debut. With championship points accrued across all four races, the best three of four rounds will crown the 2026 champions. Details on race entry, including classes for each round, will be announced shortly.

View 2026 Calendar here

November 9, 2025

Kato takes thrilling last lap SIGP victory in China

Infinity’s Kouki Kato has just taken one of the most exciting wins of his career, the Japanese driver winning the Sunpadow International Grand Prix after a thrilling last lap duel with Top Qualifier & majority race leader David Ronnefalk following 45-minutes of racing around the very challenging 3 Circles track in Xiamen. With Chinese host track of the 2017 1:10 Offroad World Championships famed for its challenging bumpy conditions, it looked like Ronnefalk had taken control of the race with the main battle being for second place between Kato and his team-mate Bruno Coelho. However a track that even the world’s best respect as being one of the most challenge there is, it didn’t take much for Ronnefalk’s lead to be eroded. Passed by Kato on lap 56 of 80, the 19-year-old with hold the former World Champion at bay for 9-laps until a mistake with 7-minutes remaining, the local crowd invested in the racing and providing exciting audio as the leading drivers fell foul of track conditions. Back in front and with the clock ticking down, Ronnefalk would again get tripped up by the track on the penultimate lap. Coming of the main straight side by side to start the final lap, just as the computer signalled the finish of the 45-minutes, the pair took the jump on to the back straight and touched in the air both buggies tumbling but Kato having the better luck landing on his wheels. While Ronnefalk tried to get back in touch over the remainder of the 34-seconds lap it wasn’t to happen and Kato took the win, the crowd appreciative of the thrilling finish. Behind, by over 8-seconds, it was once again Coelho, winner of the eBuggy finals, who completed the nitro podium while Pekko Iivonen and Jung Hyunkyu were best of the rest in fourth & fifth.

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November 8, 2025

Ronnefalk is Top Qualifier at SIGP as Coelho takes Q5

David Ronnefalk is the Top Qualifier at the 2025 Sunpadow International Grand Prix, the Xray driver securing his direct stop in tomorrow’s 45-minute Main in Xiamen, China, thanks to his outright fastest TQ run in the penultimate qualifier. With it all to play for going into the fifth & final qualifier, Ronnefalk and Infinity’s Kouki Kato both having two TQ runs each and a second, neither would be able to deliver a third TQ run. Instead that would come from Bruno Coelho, the Infinity driver appearing to have finally found his way just in time for finals. After a trouble start to the day, with Q2 & 3 becoming throw outs, Pekko Iivonen was another to conclude qualifying on a positive as he set the second fastest time in Q5 with his Mayako. Overall while Ronnefalk doesn’t have the worry of Semi finals, the TQ secured on the tiebreak, in the final qualifying order it was Kato who ended up second to give the Japanese driver pole in the second of the 25-minute Semis, while Coelho’s 3rd overall means he lines up on pole for the first Semi. Iivonen’s strong finish to the day bumped him up to 4th ahead of leading Team Associated contender Jung Hyunkyu while Jason Nugroho made it three Infinity IFB8s in the final Top 6 qualification ranking.

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November 8, 2025

Ronnefalk delivers in Q3 at SIGP

David Ronnefalk has delivered a TQ run at the Sunpadow International Grand Prix, the Xray driver ending Kouki Kato’s reign at the top pf the time sheets as he took the third round ahead of the Japanese driver and his Infinity team-mate Bruno Coelho. Setting the fastest lap of the round with a 32.725, Ronnefalk would eventually finish a massive 13-seconds up on Kato who, like Ronnefalk the previous round, needed to be marshalled only in Kato’s case he had double the mistakes on each opposite side of the track. With drivers reporting track conditions as even more difficult for Q3, Coelho also had two bad laps resulting in him failing to run 15-laps however overall the time still gave him a three for the round. 5-seconds behind the multiple class World Champion, promising future hope Jung Hyunkyu enjoyed his best round result with P4 for the Team Associated teenager ahead of Mayako’s Joseph Quagraine. Unfortunately for JQ’s lead driver Pekko Iivonen it was another throw away round as he lasted just over 2-minutes before his engine moved.

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November 8, 2025

SIGP Day 2 qualifying opens with another Kato TQ run

Day 2 of qualifying at the SIGP in China has opened with Infinity’s Kouki Kato laying down another TQ run, the Japanese driver carrying the form that saw him top seeding and Q1 yesterday into another very hot day in Xiamen. Managing to better his Q1 time by 3.5 seconds, Kato would lead an Infinity 1-2 as Bruno Coelho set the second fastest time 2.5-seconds adrift of his team-mate. Having opened qualifying with a P2 yesterday evening, David Ronnefalk looked to be close to challenging Kato this morning but on his fuel stop in lap his edgy looking Xray crashed and needing to be marshalled he lost over 7-seconds to drop back to record the third fastest time. After his P4 in Q1, round 2 would end up being a throw away for Pekko Iivonen, the Mayako driver entering the pits with caution after yesterday’s timing issues but finding a new bump that caused him to crash which he then followed up with a far more spectacular crash exiting the pits. This allowed Indonesian Infinity driver Jason Nugroho to record the fourth fastest time ahead of Team Associated’s young Korean talent Jung Hyunkyu with Mr. Mayako Joseph Quagraine completing the Top 6.

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November 7, 2025

Kato tops seeding at SIGP in China

Japan’s Kouki Kato is the top seed at the SIGP Offroad Race in Xiamen, the Infinity team having the early advantage in China on the challenging 3-Circles track as team-mate Bruno Coelho managed to set the second fastest 3-consecutive laps. Over the two rounds of controlled practice Kato would set his best time in CP1 while Coelho would top the second round improving on his earlier time but unable to better that of Kato. Fresh from his double win last weekend at the new Hongyu GDC track in Guangzhou, Xray’s David Ronnefalk completed the Top 3 with his opening effort. Building his confidence on the bumpy track, Korean youngster Jung Hyunkyu took his Team Associated to the fourth fastest time ahead of Mayako pairing Pekko Iivonen and Joesph Quagraine.

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October 27, 2025

Nitro Party 2026 China – Race Announcement

The brand new world class Hongyu GDC RC facility in Foshan, China, has announced an exciting new annual race for Nitro Onroad racing which it has titled ‘Nitro Party’. Scheduled for January 24-25, 2026, and with categories for 1:8 Nitro Onroad, 1:8 Nitro GT, 1:10 Nitro Touring Car, and Spec Kyosho FW06 Nitro Touring Car, the timing of the race is the perfect opportunity for European nitro racers to break-up the traditional Winter off season and compete at an event that the track intends to build up into a major annual event on the international nitro onroad race calendar. Racing will take place on the facility’s main 80m X 43m asphalt circuit on which the next IFMAR ISTC World Champion will be decided next April. With China lifting Visa entry requirements for many European countries and Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN) one of the country’s main international airports attending the race is very accessible. The Hongyu GDC facility is also within walking distance of a number of hotel options for visiting drivers.

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October 13, 2025

Widmaier crowned Austria 1:8 Buggy Champion

Sworkz’s Micha Widmaier added to his 2025 Austrian National Championship tally by securing the 1:8 Nitro Buggy title at the MAX RC Car Racing track over the weekend. Recently crowned both the 1:10 2WD and 4WD National Champion, Widmaier would take the overall TQ on tiebreak with the similar buggy of Julius Siklodi, each posting two TQ runs from the four rounds of qualifying with Martin Wollanka completing the Top 3. Each driver would win their respective Semi Final with Widmaier’s win over Marc De Zwart securing him pole position for the 45-minute Main with Siklodi lining up P3. While Siklodi would keep Widmaier on his toes in the final, setting the fastest lap of the race as he tried to chase him down, it was Austria’s top international driver who took the win by just over half a lap. From 7th on the grid the Team Associated of Andreas Mayr completed the podium as he just held off De Zwart.

Image: Sworkz [Facebook]