Red RC » National

May 26, 2026

Ongaro wraps up Italian eBuggy title with 3rd win

Team Associated’s Davide Ongaro has wrapped up the AMSCI Italian eBuggy Championship with Round 3 victory at the Buggylandia track in Montopoli over the weekend. With the Mayako team of Pekko Iivonen and Joseph Quagraine joining the race, qualifying would see Ongaro top all four rounds to secure the TQ ahead of Iivonen. Having topped seeding Kyosho’s Marco Baruffolo completed the Top 3 ahead of Sworkz’s Mattia Polito. While Iivonen would win A1 ahead of Ongaro and Polito, Ongaro would win A2 & 3 to claim his third win of the season and the overall title. Despite dropping down the order in the next two Mains and ending up equal on points with Barufollo and Polito, it would be Iivonen who took second with Baruffolo completing the podium.

Image: Pekko Iivonen [Facebook]

May 26, 2026

Ben Mohamed again at 3rd round of French Nationals

Noha Ben Mohamed took another win in the FFVRC French National 1:8 Nitro Buggy Championship, the Sparko driver winning the third round hosted by Limousin Mini Racing Car over the weekend in Limoges. After the five rounds of qualifying it was the Round 2 winner Ben Mohamed who took the TQ honours with three fastest runs ahead of Hugo Tavernon who was fastest in Q1. Behind Remy Bermudez would end up 3rd ahead of Rayan Medjoubi with reigning Champion Clement Boda completing the Top 5. Winning his Semi from Boda, Ben Mohamed would start on pole for the 13 car/45-minute final. With some big mistakes from Boda, winner of the season opener, early on while the Team Associated driver but in a charge to chase down Ben Mohamed setting the fastest lap of the race he took the win albeit just by 8/10th of a second. Also finishing on the lead lap, Bermudez completed the podium for Xray.

Image: Noha Ben Mohamed [Facebook]

May 25, 2026

First French National win for Baranger

Shepherd driver Fabien Baranger claimed his first Elite Class National win over the weekend with victory at Round 3 of the FFVRC 1:8 Onroad National Championship. Having finished P2 behind reigning Champion Maxime Ripoll last month in Châteaubourg, young Baranger would go one better at the RSMA track near Paris. In qualifying it was Mugen Seiki’s Christophe Louis, podium finisher at Rounds 1 & 2, who secured the TQ ahead of Ripoll’s Xray with Baptiste Jimenez third and Baranger fourth. With Baranger winning his Semi Final he would bump up a spot to start P3 for the 45-minute final. With Louis leading early on, the race would see dramas for many racers including the leader, Ripoll and Baranger who suffered a flame out while in the lead. In the end strong pace, only himself & Ripoll posting 16-second lap times, would allow Baranger recover to take the win and end Ripoll run of race wins, the World Championship finalist recovering from his issues to finish 2nd. Louis would not be able to keep his run of 2026 podium finish going finishing fourth as Simon Bergoin, who initially took over the lead from Louis, claimed the final step on the podium.

Image: Shepherd Micro Racing [Facebook]

May 25, 2026

Matsukura takes Japanese 1:8 Onroad title

Naoto Matsukura is the new 2026 JMRCA 1:8 Onroad National Champion, the Infinity driver taking the title from reigning World Champion Shouki Takahata. Racing at 2023 World Championship host circuit Infinity International RC Speedway in Suzuka, the annual stand alone championship event would be effected by rain on Saturday causing the action to be cancelled. Managing to resume racing on Sunday, qualifying would be reduced to two rounds with Takaaki Shimo’s Infinity securing the TQ with his time from Q1. Topping Q2 ahead of Matsukura, Takahata’s Mugen Seiki claimed P2 with Matsukura ending up third. Having to come through from the Semi Finals Matsukura woould win his ahead of 2 time World Champion Tadahiko Sahashi. The other Semi final was won by the other half of the famous Japanese siblings Yuya Sahashi. In the 45-minute Main, 2024 Champion Shimo led from the front for the first 84-laps before Takahata took over at the front but he wouldn’t be able to repeat his 2025 win, as Matsukura found his way to the front where he would stay to win by just 4/10ths of a second. Setting the fastest lap of the race Shimo completed the podium on the same lap with Yuya Sahashi finishing P4.

Image: Infinity [Facebook]

May 18, 2026

Double Round 2 win for McBurney at Irish 1:10 Offroad Nationals

Round 2 of the RCCAOI Irish 1:10 Offroad National Championships saw the Schumacher of Dylan McBurney complete the double as he took both 2WD and 4WD Mod Buggy wins in Ballymena in Northern Ireland. Having finished second to double winner and defending Champion Bradley Baird at the season opener, McBurney would dominated the second of the stops on the 5 round calendar. Racing on the astro surface Ecos Raceway, after topping dry qualifying he would also master the wet finals. In 2WD he took the win ahead of Denzell McBurney with William Whilte making it an all Schumacher podium. In 4WD it was White who took second with Paul Dagg completing the Top 3. Round 3 of the championship will be hosted by East Antrim Buggy Club on June 28th.

Source: RCCAOI [rccaoi.com]

May 18, 2026

Phend & Lemieux wins ROAR Dirt National titles

Xray pairing Dakotah Phend and Chase Lemieux are the 2026 ROAR 1:10 Dirt National Champions after winning the 2WD and 4WD Mod Buggy titles respectively at SDRC Raceway in San Diego over the weekend. Coming into the annual event as the reigning 4WD Champion, it was Phend who secured the 2WD TQ honours over the four rounds of qualifying ahead of Team Associated’s Aydin Horne, Spencer Rivkin and Davey Batta with defending champion Brennan Schimmel ending up back in P7. From the front Phend would win the opening two A-Main to secure the title with A3 winner Horne and Rivkin completing the podium ahead of Schummel who got up to fourth overall. Fresh from claiming his first ever ROAR National title last month in 2WD Buggy at Carpet Offroad Nationals at Maximus R/C Raceway in New Hampshire, Lemieux would claim the 4WD TQ on tie break from the Schumacher of Broc Champion, both driver having two TQ runs each. Phend, Rivkin, and Batta completed the top half of the 10-car A-Main grid. Winning a very close A1 from 2WD World Champion Champlin, Lemieux repeated the win in A2, this time ahead of Rivkin, to claim his second National title. Winning A3 from Rivkin, Champlin finished runner up ahead of the 2015 & 2019 World Champion with Phend missing out on the podium.

Image: Xray [Facebook]

May 12, 2026

Martin & Smith take Round 2 at British Buggy Nationals

Xray’s Lee Martin and Schumacher’s Ben Smith took the wins at the second round of the BRCA British 1:10 Offroad National Championships which took place at Bingham Model Raceway over the weekend. Opening with the 2WD action it was Round 1 4WD winner Smith who secured the TQ ahead of Xray’s Thomas Phipps with the winner of the season opener Josh Holdsworth qualifying P5. After a DNF in A1, Daniel Pole taking the win from P6, Smith would win A2 and 3 to overall and the lead of the championship. Defending Champion Tommy Hall and Pole would complete the podium. In Sunday’s 4WD action it was the Team Associated of Hall that took the TQ ahead of Martin and Smith. In the opening final Martin took the narrowest of wins ahead of Hall but the latter would deliver in A2 with himself and Martin again super close but a mistake a minute and a half into A3 by Hall handed Martin the lead and the veteran of 1:10 offroad stayed there to claim the overall win. Smith completed the podium. Round 3 of the championship will take racers to Robin Hood Raceway on May 30/31st.

Image: Xray [Facebook]

May 7, 2026

Baird wins Irish Championship opener

Mugen Seiki driver Bradley Baird got his RCCAOI 1:8 Nitro Buggy Irish National Championship title defence off to a perfect start taking the win at the NIMCC hosted season opener. Round 1 of the 5 round new look championship took drivers to Ballymena in Northern Ireland and on the astro track it was Baird who dominated a rain effected qualifying. Topping all 5 rounds he would secured the TQ ahead of Dylan McBurney and Alan Scroggie. In the 45-minute final, Baird continued his form to win ahead of Andrew McClean, who started 4th, with McBurney completing the podium. Round 2 of the championship will see racers compete on dirt at the RCNI track in Bandbridge on June 20/21.

Source: RCCAOI [rccaoi.com]