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May 13, 2026

2026 1:8 Nitro Buggy European C/ship – Stage 2 Report

The organisers of this year’s EFRA 1:8 Nitro Buggy European Championship which will take place in Spain from June 23-27 has published its Stage 2 report for the event. Home to the annual Buggyland race, Club CARTT Fuencarral in Madrid will host the 44th running of the European Championship for the category with Xray’s David Ronnefalk heading the entry as the defending Champion. With the track prepared by Miguelo Izquierdo, the man who successfully brought back the Neo Race this year as Neoland, the race will be directed by Javier Garcia. View the full Stage 2 Report here.

Source: EFRA [efra.ws]

May 11, 2026

Balestri & Groskamp win ENS season opener

The latest season of the Euro Nitro Series kicked off at Minidrom Ettlingen in Germany over the weekend where it was double success for Infinity with Dario Balestri winning 1:8 and Jilles Groskamp winning 1:10. In 1:8 qualifying it was the Mugen Seiki of Simon Kurzbuch that set the pace, the Swiss driver topping all four qualifiers to secure TQ honours ahead of Balestri. Counting two P2 runs it was the Capricorn of reigning champion Toni Gruber who completed the Top 3 on the grid ahead of Serpent pairing Marco Weigerding and Mirko Salemi. In the 45-minute final, Kurzbuch would lead away but with 8-minutes done as the former World Champion exited pit lap after his second stop attempting to keep his lead he and Balestri made contact with the Italian land on his roof. While Kurzbach waited this allowed Gruber to the lead. The German would lead until the 25-minute to go mark when Balestri squeezed passed as the leader exited pit lane after refuelling. Unfortunately just after stopping for new tyres Gruber would suffer a problem retire in pit lane. This left Balestri to lead the race home for the final 20-minutes chased by Kurzbuch. Starting from 11th on the grid, Dutch Infinity driver Robbin Hertong completed the podium ahead Weigerding, Rick Vrielijnck, and ARC’s Silvio Hächler.

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May 11, 2026

Ongaro wins Worlds Warm-up Race at Thornhill

With this year’s 13th annual The Dirt Lonestar Challenge doubling up as the official Warm-Up Race for the 1:8 Nitro Buggy World Championship later this year it was Team Associated’s Davide Ongaro who took the win. Racing at the covered Thornhill Racing Circuit in Texas, it would be an Italian 1-2 as Ongaro was followed home by Sworkz’s of Mattia Polito while American Ryan Maifield completed the podium for Tekno. In qualifying it was Ongaro who was fastest in the opening two qualifiers to secure the overall RQ ahead of Sworkz’s Mason Fuller who topped the third & final round. Polito would end qualifying P3 ahead of the Kyosho of recent Asian Buggy Championships Indonesia winner Phi-Long Nguyen with European Champion Juan Carlos Canas completing the Top 5. Winning his Semi final from Canas’ Sworkz, Ongaro would like up on pole for the 1-hour final ahead of the Spaniard, Polito and Brandon Rose winner of the first Semi. From the front Ongaro, who will chase a fourth consecutive World title in September, took control of the race to win by 2-laps. He would make it double winning weekend in Hutto, also taking the eBuggy win comfortably ahead of team-mate Spencer Rivkin and Fuller as Top Qualifier Nguyen dropped to fourth.

Image: Matrix Racing Tires [Facebook]

May 7, 2026

LAP Paradise Int. Buggy Party 2026 – Announcement

With its track going viral on the internet when the world tuned in for its hosting of the Asian Buggy Championships two weeks ago, Malaysian track LAP Paradise RC Raceway has announced details of its annual International Buggy Party Race which takes place December 11-13th. With the track undergoing huge development works in preparations for its first hosting of an Asian Buggy Championships round, its large 3D layout and sealed surface, contrasted by its blue infield, was a huge hit with visiting racers including young Kyosho star Phi-Long Nguyen who took the double win and his main rival & Top Qualifier Mayako’s Pekko Iivonen. Situated in the south of the country in Johor Bahru, LAP Paradise RC Raceway is only an hour drive from major international hub airport Singapore Changi Airport. The amazing Malaysian hospitality also makes LAP Paradise RC Raceway a must visit race destination for 1:8 Offroad racers.

View more track images here

May 5, 2026

Arnaldi wins EFRA 1:5 GP in Luxembourg

Genius Racing’s Bernard-Alain Arnaldi took the win at the first EFRA 1:5 Grand Prix of the season, the Frenchman claiming victory in a rain effected finals day at the Mini Circuit “Ville de Luxembourg”. In Touring Car qualifying it was the Mecatech of Belgium’s Giovanni Verbrugghe who secured the TQ honours, his final run of the three qualifiers the fastest. With Arnaldi second fastest, behind him the qualifying order was Cédric Prevot, Norwegian Marius Hetland, and reigning European Champion Carsten Keller from Germany. Winning Super Pole, Prevot booked his direct spot on the final grid as the rest had to battle it out in their respective Semi Finals. With Arnaldi winning his in the faster time, the 2-time European Champion would line up 3rd on the grid ahead of 2022 European Champion Edoardo Repetti from Italy who won the other Semi. In a wet 20-minute final, weather conditions extremely challenging, setting the fastest lap of the race Arnaldi would come out tops to win by a comfortable margin over Repetti and the Top Qualifier Verbrugghe. The second of the three 2026 scheduled EFRA Grand Prix’s will take place on June 6/7th in Macon, France.

Image: Mecatech Racing Components [Facebook]

May 4, 2026

Kobbevik doubles at INS16 Round 2

Making the trip Stateside, Schumacher’s Daniel Kobbevik completed the double at the second round of the JConcepts Indoor National Series. Racing at the RC One Racing offroad facility in Michigan, the Norwegian would secure the TQ in 2WD on the carpet track ahead of team-mate and reigning INS Champion Broc Champlin, the World Champion topping the opening of the three qualifier. Team Associated’s Aydin Horne completed the Top 3 on the grid. In 4WD it was season opening double winner Chase Lemieux who claimed the TQ, the Xray driver topping Q1. While Kobbevik topped Q2, it was team-mate Brennan Schimmel, fastest in Q3, he lined up P2. In the finals, while Lemieux took A1, Kobbevik took A2 & 3 to secure the overall win with Lemieux and Schimmel completing the podium. In 2WD, Kobbevik took A1 ahead of Horne, but from 4th on the grid 2023 2WD World Champion Tater Sontag took the win from the visitor. Staying out front in A3 Kobbevik completed the double with Sontag and Horne joining his on the podium.

Image: JConcepts [jconcepts.net]

April 27, 2026

Balestri wins Campionato Costruttori at MyCandy Arena

Infinity’s Dario Balestri has won the annual Italian ‘Campionato Costruttori’ which was this year staged at the MyCandy Arena in the north of the country. In qualifying it was new Max Power engines signing Carmine Raiola who took the TQ with a dominant run topping all four rounds. Behind it was Balestri who claimed second on the grid ahead of Jonathan Gandin, Francesci Tironi, Lamberto Collari, and Silvio Hächler. In the 45-minute final however Riola’s form in qualifying wouldn’t continue as he retired 30-minutes into the encounter joining Collari and British visit Alex Thurston as retirees. At the front, putting in the only 13-second lap of the race, it was 2-time World Champion Balestri who took the win by 11-seconds over the Xray of teenager Filippo Domanin. Swiss driver Silvio Hächler would complete the podium for ARC half a lap ahead of Gandin. In the 1:8 GT Nitro Class, it was Genius Racing’s Leonardo Valente who took the TQ ahead of the Sworkz of Austrian Tobias Sutrich but with Valente’s race lasting just 5-minutes it was third place qualifier Adam Izsay who took the win for Xray by a lap over Sutrich.

Image: Infinity [Facebook]

April 26, 2026

Nguyen does double on Asian Buggy Championships debut

Young Kyosho star Phi-Long Nguyen has completed the double on his Asian Buggy Championships debut adding the main Nitro Buggy win to his eBuggy victory from earlier in the day in Malaysia. Starting from second on the grid behind Top Qualifier Pekko Iivonen, the American would benefit from the Mayako driver running out of fuel as the second round of fuel stops approached during the 45-minute encounter. Having built up a 12-second advantage over Nguyen and the rest of the 15 car field, a flame out during Nguyen’s first fuel stop adding to the Finn’s advantage, it looked like it was finally going to Iivonen’s big day. A driver who has looked like he has progressed a step up in his driving every time he took the impressive LAP Paradise RC Raceway track here at the second round of the ABC, unfortunately it wasn’t going to be a case of third time lucky. His third appearance in the Team Cayote/VP-Pro backed championship, having raced in the Philippines and Australia last season, he would run out of fuel just before the loop meaning he lost an entire lap on the field. This gave Nguyen, who on taking the win was quick to state his rival was the faster driver in the final despite posting the fastest lap himself, a comfortable lead that he could manage and would never relinquish. 9-seconds back at the finish, Sworkz’s Caleb Noble backed up his win of the season opener in New Zealand with a second place while fellow Aussie Jayden Edmunds completed the podium. Dropping back to fifth after his flame out, a clearly disappointed Iivonen would only be rewarded with a P4 for his otherwise impressive showing with Jared Ment and Ken NG completing the Top 6 on what has been a hugely successful debut visit to a track whose elevation has been a huge hit with racers.

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