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September 7, 2026

1:10 Nitro TC Worlds coverage presented by LensBodies, Energy, Gimar, and PowerHD

The 2-year wait is over with the week on which IFMAR will crown the latest World Champion of 1:10 Nitro Touring Car having finally arrived, and thanks to LensBodies, Energy fuel, Gimar engines, and PowerHD servos, Red RC are travelling to Gubbio in Italy to tell the story of how these championships unfold. Racing in the ‘world capital of nitro onroad racing’, the 2026 World Championships has attracted a bumper entry and one of the biggest nation counts in the classes history with over 120 entries from 21 countries. A decade since Club Automodellistico 5Colli previously hosted the championship, it is reigning World Champion Jilles Groskamp who heads the entry for Infinity on the return to the beautiful Gubbio track which is located in central Italy. 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, and he has been enjoying great form leading into the event claiming the Euro Nitro Series title with an emotional win in Austria last month. With numerous drivers capable of winning come Saturday, all looking to put heir names into the RC racing history records, we also must remember that particular at a World Championship things need to go right. As Jared Tebo famously said at the 2023 1:10 Offroad Worlds in Chico, USA, where he won the 2WD title, ‘To win you have to have so many things go right, to lose you only have to have one thing go wrong.’ With Nitro Touring Car you have so many inputs, and that’s what makes it so exciting. Red RC’s coverage will begin on Tuesday (Sept 8th) with Controlled Practice before we quickly get down to the serious business of 2 days of qualifying with it all culminating with the crowning of a new World Champion on Saturday (Sept 12th).

Coverage Update – Having been in Jakarta over the weekend to cover the season finale of the Asian Buggy Championships, a volcano eruption has lead to the closure of all airports meaning Red RC’s is currently grounded in Indonesia. While our original flight has been rescheduled to take off 14-hours later than planned, the situation is on going but it looks like we might be a little later getting to Gubbio than planned.

View past IFMAR World Champions here

September 6, 2026

Bernadzik wins ABC finale as Iivonen’s gamble fails

Team Associated’s Alex Bernadzik has won the season finale of the Asian Buggy Championships in Indonesia, his safe fuel strategy paying dividends in the 1-hour Nitro final as main rival Pekko Iivonen gambled on going one less stop, that high risk approach eventually ending the Finn’s quest for his first win of the championship. His first international race win, it would see Bernadzik pocket US$1,000 for his efforts. On securing the overall TQ at West Side Raceway on Saturday, Bernadzik declared he would ‘play it pretty safe’ in terms of refuelling in the final, a decision that was to be key to the Australian claiming his first ever international race win. From the front Bernadzik established a lead over Iivonen as they quickly pulled clear of the field with the first notable moment being the retirement of third pace qualifier Hyunkyu Jung at the 18-minute mark. Having won eBuggy earlier in the day the young Korean talent’s chance of a double was thwarted by drivetrain failure. While the differing pit strategies had still to play out, holding the lead on track, a mistake as the race entered the final 20-minutes saw Bernadzik on his roof and needing to be marshalled as Iivonen went through for the lead. The Mayako driver’s fuel gamble however was about to take this bonus opportunity of the leader’s mistake right back away from him. Coming in for his penultimate stop, he would run out of fuel rolling to a halt at the start of the pit lane. While JQ, who was positioned the other end of pit lane, got him quickly back up & running, Bernadzik was back in front and now with a 13-second lead. With Iivonen making his final stop and still on the lead lap despite his rear left tyre starting to come unglued, Bernadzik had the opportunity to play it even more save with a splash & dash with two minutes to go. As Bernadzik began his final lap, Iivonen’s gamble to run long would again get him as he ran out of fuel, this time before the loop, and losing a lap but rejoining to cross the finish line he still secured second spot. Behind Infinity’s Jason Nugroho would complete the podium a further lap down, the Indonesian championship regular delighted to claim his first podium ahead of the championship newly crowned overall champion Jayden Edmunds in fourth.

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September 5, 2026

Bernadzik ‘Top Qualifier’ at ABC Indonesia with blistering Q5 run

Team Associated’s Alex Bernadzik is the Top Qualifier at the Asian Buggy Championships Finale in Indonesia, the Australian putting together a blistering Q5 run to secure pole for tomorrow’s 1-hour Nitro Buggy main on the tie-breaker with Pekko Iivonen. Having hinted in the penultimate round of quali that he had the potential to better Iivonen’s Q2 time, a mistake on lap 6 of 8 ending that effort, with nothing to lose Bernadzik went for it in the decider. Opening with a 41.7 second lap he then added to his tally of fastest laps for each round by taking the benchmark down to a 41.098 with Iivonen unable to respond. Passing Sparko’s Ken NG on his final lap with just two corners to go, he look like he might again through it away when he clipped the pipping and sending his RC8 into a spin. Luckily he bounced off NG’s buggy to recover facing in the right direction and most importantly crossing the loop with a time that bettered Iivonen’s Q2 by 1.5-seconds. Despite adding a 3rd TQ run to his tally when he took Q4, with only 2 from 5 to count, Iivonen will start P2 tomorrow at West Side Raceway. Counting P2 runs from Q3 & 4, Hyunkyu Jung will line-up 3rd on the grid ahead of Indonesia’s very own Jason Nugroho. Newly crowned FEMCA Champion Jayden Edmunds completes the Top 5 on what will become a 15-car final after bump ups from the lower finals.

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September 5, 2026

Bernadzik takes Q3 at Asian Buggy Champs

Alex Bernadzik has kicked off Day 2 of qualifying at the Asian Buggy Championships finale in Jarkarta with a TQ run, the 3rd of the 5 qualifiers producing a Team Associated 1-2 as Hyunkyu Jung recorded the second fastest time on what was a slower track than yesterday. With Pekko Iivonen making the first day of qualifying at West Side Raceway his own, topping both qualifiers, it was Jung and Bernadzik who battled out Q3 as the Finn used the round to test a harder compound tyre. Unfortunately for Jung traffic in the closing stages of the run cost him the top spot with Bernadzik, once again setting the fastest lap of the round, securing his first TQ by half a second from the young Korean. With the run the slowest of the three so far, the track almost 5-seconds off yesterday afternoon’s Q2, the Top 3 would be completed by Infinity’s Jason Nugroho. A 46-second lap half way through the round saw Iivonen stop the clock with the fourth fastest time ahead of Jayden Edmunds, the Sparko driver struggling for pace after putting on a brand new set of tyre for the run.

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September 5, 2026

2026 MonTech New York Grand Prix – Announcement

The organisers of the MonTech New York Grand Prix have announced details of the eight edition of the annual indoor race hosted by 360v2 RC track in New Rochelle, New York. Taking place from October 15th to 18th, the event has become one of the highlights on the annual US onroad racing calendar and draws an international entry stateside. Last year it was Awesomatix’s Sam Isaacs who did the double winning both 1:12 Mod and Touring Car with NYGP debutant Lucas Urbain heading the international challenge. The French touring car ace would claim the final step on the Mod TC podium behind the race’s big 2024 winner Kemp Anderson. Another of the international visitors, Xray’s Jan Ratheisky took fourth along with a podium in Super Stock Touring. The vision of long time 1:12 racer and multiple World Championship finalist Donny Lia, the NYGP is the nearest thing RC will get to having a race in Time Square, the track just a 20-minute train ride from the centre of the City That Never Sleeps. Counting multiple World Champions Marc Rheinard (2022 NYGP Winner), Ronald Volker (2019 NYGP Winner), Alexander Hagberg, reigning 1:12 Stock World Champion Max Mächler, and Ollie Payne as previous participants, 360V2 is one of the biggest indoor tracks in the US with racing takes place on a track layout covering an area of 105 X 48 feet. For 2026 the race expands to 10 classes, with race entries opening on September 8th, and once again Red RC is excited to travel across the Atlantic to cover this year’s NYGP action.

View official NYGP race poster here

September 4, 2026

2 from 2 for Iivonen as last lap error costs Bernadzik Q2

Mayako’s Pekko Iivonen made it 2 from 2 on the opening day of qualifying at the fourth & final round of the Asian Buggy Championships in Indonesia, the Finn taking Q2 after a late mistake by Top Seed Alex Bernadzik. Having topped the opening qualifier, Iivonen set the early pace of the afternoon run but again setting the fastest lap of the round Bernadzik’s Team Associated went to the top of the timing screens 2-minutes into the 5-minute qualifier. On the final lap however a mistake from the Australian would see him drop 1-second on his previous lap time, allowing Iivonen to top times by 1.061 of a second. Behind it was Korean teenager Hyunkyu Jung who posted the third fastest time ahead of Jason Nugroho and Sparko’s Jayden Edmunds.

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September 4, 2026

Iivonen takes opening ABC qualifier in Jakarta

Mayako’s Pekko Iivonen has TQ’d the opening qualifier at the concluding round of the 2026 Asian Buggy Championships in Jarkata, Indonesia. The Finn took the first of the five scheduled qualifiers at West Side Raceway ahead of Top Seed Alex Bernadzik, the Team Associated driver 2.7-seconds off the TQ pace after a slow start on new tyres. Making it three different manufacturers in the Top 3, Sparko’s new FEMCA Champion Jayden Edmunds was a similar margin off his fellow countryman Bernadzik to open with a P3 effort. While taking the opening TQ in eBuggy ahead of Edmunds with his Team Associated, Hyunkyu Jung encountered traffic on the opening laps of his first nitro qualifier hampering his chances of a double, but it was a costly mistake on the teenager’s penultimate lap that meant the 4th fastest for Q1. Infinity’s Jason Nugroho upheld home honours as he set the fifth fastest time ahead of the Mugen Seiki of Australian teenager Zac Foster.

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September 4, 2026

World Champion Takahata confirmed for Singapore International Nitro GP

Mugen Seiki’s reigning 1:8 Onroad World Champion Shoki Takahata has been confirmed for October’s Singapore International Nitro Grand Prix. The Japanese driver joined a very exclusive club in Chile last December when he won the IFMAR World title for a second time having previously won in 2019 in the United States. Takahata joins Infinity’s defending Singapore International Nitro GP Champion Dario Balestri, the duo having held the World No.1 status between them for the last 9-years, for what will be an extra special edition of the race as it celebrates its 20th anniversary. Taking place on October 10-11, the same weekend as the Singapore F1 Grand Prix, over the last two decades the Radio Control Modellers’ Club’s annual international race has welcomed numerous World Champions. 2026 looks like attracting its most World Champion stack field yet.

Source: RCMC Singapore [Facebook]