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February 13, 2026

Orlowski again in Q2 from Sobue & Lauter

Michal Orlowski has made it two from two in qualifying at the TITC however with his main rivals in the Top heat having issues it was Axon’s Akio Sobue and Awesomatix’s Simon Lauter from the second fastest heat that completed the Top 3, Sobue being a lot closer than Orlowksi had anticipated. Having opened with a P2 in Q1, Bruno Coelho would crash out as he tried to push the limits trying to go one better the second time of asking. After a great start to qualifying, setting the 3rd fastest time, unfortunately Naoto Matsukura would DNF with an ESC issue. Marc Rheinard would post only the 5th fastest time behind Korean racer Ji-Heon Yoo, who is seeded in the third fastest heat, with the multiple World Champion lost to explain his sudden loss of pace. In Open Brushless it was also a repeat TQ, with Lukas Ellerbrock fastest from Xpress’ Mongkolphan Lomrose, the Top Seed recovering from a poor Q1.

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February 13, 2026

Despite nervous start Orlowski takes Q1 at TITC

Despite by his own admission getting off to a nervous start, Schumacher’s Michal Orlowski has taken the opening round of qualifying at the TITC, the first of five rounds seeing a number of drivers taking turns at the top of the timing screens. In the end, having topped yesterday’s seeding, it was the defending Champion Orlowski who continues to lead the way at RC Addict securing the TQ run ahead of Bruno Coelho with Infinity team-mate Naoto Matsukura completing the Top 3. On the TQ pace for a time, Awesomatix’s Marc Rheinard opened his account with a 4th ahead of Akio Sobue, the Axon driver having a good run in the second fastest heat along with former TITC Open Brushless Champion Simon Lauter who would complete the Top 6 with his Awesomatix. In the Open Brushless Class it was the Awesomatix of Lukas Ellerbrock who topped the first round ahead of team-mate Olivier Bultynck with the Xpress of Top Seed Mongkolphan Lomrose managed only P6.

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February 12, 2026

No surprises in Bangkok, Orlowski Top Seed at TITC

Michal Orlowski is the Top Seed at the TITC, the Schumacher driver clearly having the edge on his rivals in Bangkok. Topping the first of the two seeding rounds in the middle of the day, the driver who stole the show on his debut at the iconic race last year, would prove he had an even greater advantage as the day concluded in the cooler ‘Happy Hour’ evening conditions. Having been Orlowski’s closest challenger in the first round, that high traction in Round 2 would catch out Bruno Coelho, the Infinity driver traction rolling to outside the track fencing, as Marc Rheinard claimed the No.2 seeding for tomorrow’s qualifying with his time. Rheinard’s fastest 3-consecutive laps would be over 3/10ths of a second off his good friend Orlowski and 17/100ths better than Coelho’s effort, the World Champion’s roll happening 2-minutes into the 5-minute run by which time most drivers had already got the best from their tyres. With seeding seeing the Top 7 times come from Round 2, Xray’s Jin Sawada claiming P8 as he failed to better his CP1, it was Infinity’s Naoto Matsukura who set the 4th fastest time having struggled with too much steering in the first one. Another big improvement and relieved to put himself in the top heat for qualifying as the No.5 car was Lucas Urbain, the Awesomatix driver having had a good showing last year to qualify 4th. Carrying the hopes of loyal Tamiya fans around the world, after a strong CP1, Souta Goto kept his TRF421X inside the Top 6 with an improved CP2 ahead of the Mugen Seiki of Ronald Volker. In Open Brushless, the grid attracting a strong European contingent, after a delay in publishing the ranking after a timing glitch in the second round it was local racer Mongkolphan Lomrose who is the top seed for RC Xpress ahead of Awesomatix’s Olivier Bultynck and Xray’s Adam Izsay who has podiumed the last two years. It is a rule that once a drivers wins Open Brushless they can’t return to the class. 2024 Champion and reigning Pro Stock World Champion Simon Lauter acquitted himself well last year making the Modified A-Main and back this year the German will go into qualifying as the 14th seed just ahead of former 1:8 Buggy World Champion David Ronnefalk.

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February 12, 2026

Orlowski tops opening seeding practice at TITC

Schumacher’s Michal Orlowski has topped the opening round of seeding practice at the TITC, the defending Champion remaining the man to beat in Bangkok having been the benchmark for a week of free practice. With practice fatigue starting to kick in around the pits, the first of the two rounds of seeding brought a sense of excitement as it would allow everyone to see where they and their rivals are at. While Orlowski appeared to lose some of his pace advantage in the final practice run that opened Day 1 of the race, it appeared to be only a temporary glitch with the Pole laying down the fastest 3-consecutive laps but Infinity’s Bruno Coelho was only 7/100ths of a second off Orlowski’s 42.406 pace. Despite suffering from heat stroke, an impressive showing from Xray’s Jin Sawada would see the Japanese driver set the third fastest time ahead of the Awesomatix of Marc Rheinard, the pair over 2/10th of a second off the current pace. Putting Tamiya in the final last year, Souta Goto ran the 5th fastest while 2-time Champion Akio Sobue made it 6 different manufacturers in the Top 6 with his Axon, the Japanese driver switching between two different cars here at RC Addict, one with new parts and the other with parts they ran at the FEMCA Championships in preparation for the upcoming Worlds at the same track.

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February 11, 2026

TITC Rewind – a quick look back on recent moments from the world’s greatest race

In 2003 when the first edition of the Thailand International Touring Car Championship was held no one could have ever imagined what this race would become. For sure the fact that the first ever 1:10 Electric Touring Car World Champion Surikarn Chaidajsuriya won it as the reigning World Champion brought attention to the race and got it off on the right footing, but over the 20 editions held since it has established itself into one of the races that every great driver of our sport wants to claim. Like the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indy 500, Le Mans, and the Dakar Rally, are to full size motorsport, the TITC is iconic and one of the most coveted wins there is in Electric Touring Car and RC racing in general. Manufacturers of all sizes flock to it such is its significance and only an IFMAR World title trumps it in terms of prestige but for that you must wait 2-years between attempts. For drivers it is not a case of flying out a day or two early to get into the swing of driving around the Infinity RC Addict track in conditions that are always changing due to the Thai heat & humidity. Drivers pretty much relocated themselves in Bangkok in search of finding that little something that might help them come out victorious at the end of what is officially only a 4-day event, all else going well because it can be a cruel race. Australian racer Michael Stone made his TITC debut last year and asking him on our arrival to cover the 2025 action how he was finding the experience his reply summed it up perfectly, ‘I am coming for longer next year.’ The race hadn’t even officially started at that stage but it highlights the unique atmosphere that you have to actually experience to truly appreciate. On the eve of the official action getting underway and the 22nd edition attracting the greatest media attention the TITC has ever seen, including its first proper livestream production by our friends RC Race Media, we want to rewind a little and take a look back at some of the more recent editions of the TITC as we look forward to telling the story of our sixth TITC.

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February 9, 2026

TITC coverage presented by Cayote | Gens ace

Race week has arrived for the world’s most important annual touring car race and Red RC is excited to announce we are teaming up with electronics manufacturer Cayote and battery manufacturer Gens ace to bring you coverage from the legendary TITC in Thailand. The 22nd edition of the race, this being Red RC’s sixth time to attend, it has become the most significant Modified Touring Car race in world coming second only in prestige to the IFMAR ISTC World Championship. An event that brings together all the right elements that make for a truly unique racing atmosphere – location, track, ever changing conditions, and the buzz in the busy pits – it sees manufacturers & drivers bring their A-game as they seek to claim a coveted TITC title. Last year we experienced the hugely impressive TITC debut of Michal Orlowski and the Schumacher star is back to try & defend his title, a feat that has only ever been achieved by World Champions. Surikarn Chaidajsuriya won the first running of the race in 2003 and again a year later. Atsushi Hara won in 2005 before going back to back in 2010. Winning again in 2013, Hara together with Bruno Coelho are the race’s most winning drivers with 4 wins each. The reigning World Champion, Coelho made his debut for Infinity at RC Addict last year. Racing a brand new prototype car he couldn’t quite complete three in a row finishing second to Orlowski, but now firmly settled in with his new team he will be a serious contender to become the races most winning driver but the best n the world have their own plans to be on the top step of the podium. With many drivers already well settled-in in Bangkok and clocking up mileage, some very heavy rain showers halting the action but hopefully not going to effect the race program, our coverage will start when the 2026 TITC officially gets underway on Thursday and concludes with the latest entry into the race’s Roll of Honour on Sunday.

February 9, 2026

Bruneau wins 50th anniversary Florida WinterNats

One of the world’s longest running nitro onroad races and celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2026, Joachim Bruneau has taken the 1:8 Open win at the end of the high rate of attrition 45-minute Florida WinterNats final. Hosted at Greg Esser’s Nuggets Ranch Raceway in Arcadia, after the four rounds of qualifying it was Infinity’s Teemu Leino who secured the TQ honours ahead of new Mugen Seiki signing Diego Morganti, Lazaro Alonso JR, former 1:10 Nitro Touring World Champion Ralph Burch and 2017 WinterNats Champion DJ Apolaro. With Morganti getting an early lead over Leino, the Finn having issues with his brakes, while pair would be the only drivers to run 13-seconds lap times during the race, unfortunately neither would go the distance. After just 5-minutes Leino was out with a throttle servo failure with Alonso JR next to go out 3-minutes later. Winner of November’s Cow Patty Classic, Apolaro wouldn’t get back to back wins at the track, the former ROAR Champion out at the 20-minute mark. He would be followed to the sidelines at 36-minute by another contender Burch. All the time it was Morganti who was out front and looking on target to add a 6th title to the family name, his father Paolo a 5-time Winternats Champion. With just over 5-minutes to go however a rear belt failure would put the 21-year-old out handing Cow Patty Classic podium finisher Bruneau the win. Some distance back Rafael Angula and Dutch visitor Gertjan Van Schaik completed the podium. In 1:8 Masters it was a Dutch win, as Infinity driver Arie Manten took victory from P5 on the grid. The 1:8 GT win went to Serpent’s Jose Almonte, Top Qualifier & World Championship Podium finisher Carlie Lopez having issues and dropping out of contention eventually finishing P10 with his Raptor. In 1:10 Nitro Touring, Apolaro brought home the win after getting passed Top Qualifier & defending Champion Michael Palazzola with Jerry Guerra completing the podium.

Image: Joe Kimble

February 8, 2026

Clean sweep for Zalewski at MKGP

Having taken the 4WD win last year, Xray’s Bartek Zalewski has completed a clean sweep of this year’s MKGP winning both 2WD and 4WD at the British Radio Car Association promoted event. The annual 1:10 carpet track event takes place in the Centre:MK shopping centre in Milton Keynes and showcases RC racing in front of weekend shoppers. In 2WD qualifying it would be Schumacher’s Daniel Kobbevik who took the opening round but it would be Zalewski who would go on to secure the TQ before dominating the remainder of the event. Winning the 2WD final ahead of Kobbevik, with Schumacher’s Ben Smith completing the podium, in 4WD the young Polish talent was untouchable. Topping all four rounds of qualifying, he would again start on pole ahead of Kobbevik, Smith, Sw0rkz’s Micha Widmaier and the Team Associated’s Joona Haatanen and World Champion Marcus Kaerup. In the triple finals, Zalewski wrapped up the perfect weekend with wins in a A1 and A2. Winning A3 ahead of Kaerup, Kobbevik claimed second with the Dane completing the podium.

Image: Bartek Zalewski [Facebook]