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]


February 8, 2026

Anderson & Ratheisky claim Mod wins at Snowbirds

Awesomatix’s Kemp Anderson and Xray’s Jan Ratheisky took the main Modified wins at the 32nd running of the world famous Snowbird Nationals in Florida, Anderson taking the 1:12 title while Ratheisky took Touring Car honours.  With long time Snowbirds stalwart and 2025 double winner Alexander Hagberg missing this year’s edition due to the earlier running of the legendary TITC race in Thailand, qualifying would see Xcelerate RC’s Ollie Payne and Ratheisky dominate the time sheets in Orlando.  British driver Payne would top both 1:12 Modified, ahead of Anderson and Xray’s Keven Hebert, and 13.5 Super Stock, ahead of Awesomatix pairing of Jeff Dayger and Team EAM owner Eric Anderson.  In Modified Touring Car, German Ratheisky secured the TQ from Hebert, Kemp Anderson and Xray’s Drew Ellis, a feat he would repeat in 21.5 Super Stock ahead of Eric Anderson, Ellis, and Clayton Young.  Attracting 246 entries, in the single A-Main finals Payne would lead Modified for 51 of the 68 laps before relinquishing the lead to Anderson and having to settle for second with Canadian Hebert completing the podium.  He would redeem himself in Super Stock but only after getting back passed Dayger.  The podium  was completed by fellow Brit & fifth place qualifier Morgan Williams.  Ratheisky would convert both his TQ’s in to tone to tone wins, taking Super Stock ahead of ROAR President Young and Michael Hanulec while in Mod it won by almost 2-seconds from Hebert while Kemp Anderson completed the podium.

Image: RC Discharger [Facebook]


February 8, 2026

Canas wins Montpellier GP after Ongaro error

Sworkz Juan Carlos Canas has opened the European 1:8 Nitro Buggy season with victory at the Montpellier Grand Prix, his second consecutive win of the famous French classic coming after a mistake from weekend dominator Davide Ongaro saw the Team Associated driver eventually finish P3.  With rain effecting proceedings at Circuit du MBM, qualifying for the 20th edition of the race would after the completion of 3 rounds see Ongaro take the TQ honours ahead of Mugen Seiki’s 2025 Montpellier GP race leader & podium finisher Berkan Kilic.  Canas would complete the Top 3 ahead Sworkz team-mate Mattio Polito, the Mugen Seiki of last year’s Top Qualifier Burak Kilic, and Tekno’s Joao Figueiredo. Winning their respective Semi-Finals, it was Ongaro and fellow Italian Polito who lead away the field for the shortened 45-minute main.  Last winner of the Montpellier GP in 2023, Ongaro looked on target for the win having built up a huge lead however a high speed mistake resulted in contact with a fencing post which gifted his rivals the race as he struggled with buggy after the impact.  With the Top 3 finishing on the same lap, Canas’s took the win by 9-seconds from an impressive Polito with Ongaro a further 7-seconds back.  Behind, Figueiredo, Sparko’s Adrian Pariente, and Sworkz’s Elliott Boots completed the Top 6.

Image: Sworkz [Facebook] 


February 3, 2026

Sworkz confirm Boots & Widmaier for MIBO International

Sworkz RC has confirmed that it will be represented at the fourth edition of MIBO International later this month by factory drivers Elliott Boots and Micha Widmaier.  Sworkz are past winners of the Czech race with former team driver Joern Neumann winning 2WD Buggy at the 2024 edition of the race that brings together offroad and onroad racing under the one roof of the Sports V Hotel in Hrotovice in the South of the country.  Austrian National Champion & European Championship finalist Widmaier is a MIBO International regular returning this year for his third appearance.  Two time European 1:8 Buggy Champion & World Championship podium finisher Boots however will make first appearance at the Michal Bok organised race, the British racer hoping to make an impression as he continues to reacclimatise with 1:10 Offroad.  Full details of the 2026 MIBO International Race, which takes place on February 27-March 1st, can be viewed on the Mibosport website by clicking here.

View MIBO International Roll of Honour here


February 2, 2026

VanDalen wins TNR Fuels A-Main Challenge

Tekno RC’s Seth VanDalen was the big winner at the annual TNR Fuels A-Main Challenge held in Norco, California, over the weekend, as he took the win in 1:8 Nitro Buggy.  With the 2026 edition attracting 761 entries over 21 classes!, two rounds of qualifying would result in VanDalen taking the TQ honours ahead of Sworkz’s Camden Lime as his Q1 time was faster than Lime’s Q2 topping pace.  Making the trip over from Europe, Mugen Seiki’s Burak Kilic would start P3 followed by Kyosho’s Phi-Long Nguyen, the Tekno of last year’s Top Qualifier Ryan Maifield, while the Team Associated of 2025 winner Spencer Rivkin completed the Top 6.  Over the half hour final, while Kilic would lead for a lengthy stint, it was Van Dalen who took a close win over the Turkish visitor with Nguyen, who took a turn at leading, completing the podium.  Kilic wouldn’t go home empty handed however taking the Nitro Truggy win ahead 2025 winner Maifield with Van Dalen in third.  In eBuggy, Nguyen would get the better of Top Qualifier VanDalen to come away with the win as Kilic rounded out the podium ahead of the Mayako of Ryan Cavalieri.

Image: JConcepts [Facebook]


January 30, 2026

2026 Asia Nitro Party Chassis Focus Index

Last weekend Red RC kicked off our 2026 race coverage by travelling to China to the impressive Hongyu GDC track in Foshan for the inaugural running of the Asia Nitro Party.  A brand new nitro onroad race providing an international stage for the category, it attracted a stacked international entry that only looks set to grow after a successful first edition.  With newly crowned IFMAR 1:8 GT World Champion Alessio Mazzeo and his Raptor leading the biggest category, 1:8 GT, in 1:8 GP it was IFMAR 1:8 Onroad World Championship Top Qualifier Andrea Catanzani and his Serpent who led the entry.  Come the finals however the Italians couldn’t put their name on the race’s opening role of honour, that instead going to France’s double European Champion Bernard-Alain Arnaldi and Genius in GT and Infinity’s Naoto Matsukura in 1:8 GP.   Over the busy weekend of high revving racing action we managed to get our hands on 8 cars from 6 different manufacturers and for those who missed the any of these chassis focuses as part of coverage from the Asia Nitro Party we have compiled them in our first Chassis Focus Index of 2026.

View Chassis Focus Index here


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