Red RC » International

June 1, 2026

Garcia appointed IFMAR Interim IC Section Chairman

Well respected race referee and former EFRA President Javier Garcia has been appointed the IFMAR Interim IC Section Chairman. Making the announcement over the weekend, the Spaniard will take over the role for the remainder of the 2026 season from Sander de Graaf. After decades of service to the World governing body, Dutch native Graff made his final appearance in the role at the 1:8 Onroad World Championship in Chile last December. Garcia, who has vast experience of the sport having served as president of the European governing body for 5-years and referred numerous World Championships, has always been respected for his approachability and his ambition for the better promotion of racing and the RC hobby in general as well as always striving for a better racing experience for racers attending sanctioned events. In being appointed to the role, Garcia has promised to prepare a 4-year plan with the goal of leading IFMAR into a much needed new era as an organisation.

Read full announcement here

June 1, 2026

Baruffolo wins 26th edition of Kyosho Masters

Italy’a Marco Barufollo has won the 26th edition of the Kyosho Masters which took place at the RC94 track in France over the weekend. In qualifying it was multiple European Champion Renaud Savoya who took the Nitro Buggy TQ ahead of 2025 Champion Riccardo Berton, both drivers posting two TQ runs each but Savoya getting it on the tie-break. Barufollo would claim 3rd ahead of German driver Tim Kraus and Sweden’s Jessica Palsson. With Berton and Barufollo winning the Semi Finals, Barufollo’s win ahead of Savoya the faster, the Top 3 on the grid for the 45-minute final would be the reverse of qualifying order. From the front and setting the fastest lap of the race Barufollo would take the win by half a lap from Berton despite rain making an appearance during the final. Savoya would gamble on changing tyres for the rain but it didn’t last and with the track drying quickly he struggled to eventually finish P4 behind British racer Olivier Nattress who completed the podium. In eBuggy it was Barufollo who took qualifying but retiring from the first of the four 10-minute finals, he would lose out to Berton on tie-nreak after the both counted two wins and 2nd each.

Image: Marco Barufollo [Facebook]

May 31, 2026

Coelho wins ETS season opener

Fresh from getting married last week, Infinity’s Bruno Coelho has won the opening round of the 2026/27 ETS at Apeldoorn in the Netherlands. The World Champion would secure the overall TQ honours ahead defending series champion Michal Orlowski with two TQ runs compared to the Schumacher driver’s single TQ run in the fourth & final round. Fastest in Q3, Awesomatix’s Simon Lauter completed the Top 3 on the grid ahead of Serpent’s Dominic Greiner and Mugen Seiki’s Ronald Volker. Making his high profile debut for Xray at the Dutch race, Marc Rheinard would line up 7th on the grid. In the opening A-Main on Saturday evening it was Orlowski who came out the winner. Having got by Coelho on lap 1 when the pole sitter lost the rear of his car coming onto the straight, Orkowski would then run wide on the final lap. With Coelho going for the pass as Orlowski came back across to try get the line for the next corner the pair made contact. With Lauter in third, this should have played into his favour but as Coelho’s car landed the German made contact and was out with a broken car – Orlowski getting through for the win ahead of Volker with Coelho in third. Sunday’s morning’s A2 saw a dominant win by Coelho which he again repeated in A3 to take the overall ahead of Orlowski with Volker, winner of the previous ETS’s season finale, completing the podium ahead of Lauter, Greiner and Rheinard. In Pro Stock Olivier Bultynck got his title defence off to the perfect start, the Awesomatix driver securing the TQ and win ahead of the Xray of Jan Ratheisky and Dutch Awesomatix driver Timon Coenen.

Image: Bruno Coelho [Facebook]

May 31, 2026

Catanzani finally crowned European 1:8 GT Champions

Having led with 3-minutes to go in 2024 only to lose 2nd gear and the win, then crossed the line in 1st place only to have his fuel tank fail post tech in 2025, Serpent’s Andrea Catanzani is now finally the new EFRA 1:8 GT European Champion. Racing at the Vila Real track in Portugal, the rapid Italian would become the fourth champion of the nitro category with victory over the Genius racing team-mates of outgoing champion Filippo Beretta and two time champion Bernard-Alain Arnaldi. In qualifying it was the Raptor of World Champion Alessio Mazzeo who took the TQ honours ahead of World Championship Top Qualifier Catanzani, both drivers recording two TQ runs each but Mazzeo getting the tie-breaker with his Q5 time. Joining them directly onto the A-Main grid, Arnaldi secured 3rd, with the Q3 TQ run, ahead of Beretta. In the 45-minute final Mazzeo led them away and was leading at the half way mark when he broke a tyre and spinning out he was collected by another car which resulted in a broken servo ending his race. While Beretta took over the lead for a number of laps, it was Catazani, who set the fastest lap of the race, who led them home winning by a lap and a half. With 2024 Champion Natanaele Senesi finishing P4, it meant Catanzani’s win came ahead of all previous three champions. In GTE, Mazzeo would completed the perfect campaign securing the TQ and wrapping up the title with straight wins in A1 & A2. He was joined on the podium by the similar car of Burak Kilic, winner of A3, and Senesi. Xray’s defending Champion Adam Izsay would finish P5.

Image: Filippo Beretta [Facebook]

May 28, 2026

2026 IFMAR ISTC World C/ships Stage 1 Report – Huge RC

Just announced over the weekend as the new venue & host of the 2026 IFMAR ISTC World Championships, Huge RC in Bangkok, Thailand, has published the Stage 1 report for the 13th running of the 1:10 Electric Touring Car World title race. Taking place from November 8-14th, the report outlines the basics around the replacement event and general details around the 60m X 30m indoor asphalt facility which has previously hosted two IFMAR Nitro Touring Car World Championships, the most recent of which was in 2024. In terms of officials, as was planned for the original hosting of the event in China, Australia’s Clive Silva from IFMAR with be the Race Director. As yet no tyres or additive brands has been announced for the race, with more specific details around the event to be confirmed in the Stage 2 report that Surikarn Chaidajsuriya and his team will present. In terms of entries, IFMAR has stated that priority will be given to existing registrations and requested that racers please make it known to their BLOC should you wish to attend (or to not attend). For those who did not have a previous entry, IFMAR expect there will be some spots made available with interested racers asked to contact their local federation or BLOC to indicate their interest.

View Stage 1 Report here

May 27, 2026

Philippines ‘True North RC Raceway’ track nearing completion

Having reported back in March on the ground preparation work for the new True North RC Raceway in the Philippines, track builder Edward Sio has now shared aerial images showing the track nearing completion. Built on the grounds of the El Masfino Hotel and Resort in San Rafael, which is around 50km north of the capital city, True North RC Raceway is a completely new build to replace the iconic Circulo Verde Race Track which has hosted Asia most famous offroad race the Philippine Masters, which was last held in 2025. On the latest work to the track, Sio, who is known for his 3D track builds, posted, ‘Track is almost ready! Initial surface treatment is done, driver stand is up, and next up are pipe layout and pit lane. Dogbone Hobby Shop is coming soon. Excited to get back into RC after more than a year away – back to being a NEWBIE again!’ We are excited to see the final build and look forward to an announcement on the return of a ‘new’ Philippine Masters and the Philippines once again being back on the Asian Buggy Championship, the Scotty Ernst promoted championship born out of the success of the original Philippine Masters.

View more imsages here

May 26, 2026

Kobbevik doubles at 1:10 Euros Warm-up in Austria

Schumacher’s Daniel Kobbevik completed the double at the Warm-up Race for this Summer’s upcoming EFRA 1:10 Offroad European Championships in Austria. Racing at the ERT-Steyregg astro track, qualifying would see Kobbevik secure the TQ in both 2WD and 4WD as the Norwegian topped 3 of the 4 rounds in each. Behind him in both would be fellow Scandinavian Joona Haatanen, the Finnish Team Associated driver managing a TQ run in the second round of 4WD and the final round of 2WD. 2022 European Champion Tommy Hall completed the 2WD Top 3 with his Team Associated while the Xray of Bartek Zalewski completed the 4WD Top 3. In the finals, Kobbevik wrapped up both overall wins in A2 before going on to complete the perfect weekend with clean sweeps in A3. The 2WD podium would see him joined by Haatanen and Sworkz’s Micha Widmaier while 4WD it was a repeat of the Top 2 with Mugen Seiki’s Burak Kilic claiming the final step. Reigning 2WD Champion Martin Bayer would finish the Warm-up Race in 18th position while 4WD champion David Ronnefalk was 5th in the category having finished 10th in 2WD. The EFRA European Championship take place from July 27 to August 1st.

Image: Daniel Kobbevik [Facebook]

May 24, 2026

IFMAR announces Huge RC as replacement ISTC World C/ships host

After 2-months of working behind the scenes to negotiate & secure a new host for the cancelled 1:12 & ISTC Worlds in China, IFMAR has announced Huge RC in Thailand as the replacement track that will stage the 2026 ISTC World Championships. The 13th running of the 1:10 Electric Touring Car World Championships is now scheduled to run from the 10-14th of November, with two International Practice Days (IPD) running at the indoor asphalt track on November 8 & 9th. With the multi track facility Hongyu GDC in Foshan originally having been selected to host back to back 1:12 and ISTC World Championships in late March/early April, IFMAR are still working to secure a new venue for the 22nd edition of the 1:12 Worlds. Overwhelming feedback received from existing entrants following the cancellation of the event on the Hongyu GDC carpet track, expressed a strong preference for the 1:12 racing to be kept on carpet which was something that was not a viable option for Huge RC. Located in Bangkok, while the track has successfully hosted two previous Nitro Touring Car World Championships (2014 and 2024), staging the Electric Touring Car Worlds will special moment for the track owner, 2002 ISTC World Champion Surikarn Chaidajsuriya. The new dates means exactly 2-years after winning a record equalling 3rd ISTC World title in Bakersfield, California, Bruno Coelho will official begin his quest for a fourth consecutive title, a feat that would see him become the category most crowned World Champion. Winning the 2024 title with Xray, now racing with Infinity, Coelho shares same tally total honours with Marc Rheinard, the 2004, 2008, 2010 World Champion set to make his World Championship debut with Xray at Huge RC after joining the Slovakian manufacturer last week.

Read full IFMAR announcement here