Red RC » Racing

July 20, 2026

Woulhunter wins Asian Buggy Championships Australia

Factory Kyosho driver Christian Wolhuter took the big win at the Australian round of the Asian Buggy Championships, the 2004 ABC Champion taking the top step of the podium ahead of Jackson Beale and Jayden Edmunds at the Pine Pills track in Brisbane. With the 3rd stop on the 4 round calendar attracting over 300 entries, it was to be a challenging weekend for both the race organisers and racers as rain and further incoming bad weather forced the racing to be condensed to finish under the lights on Saturday night. In qualifying it was the Team Associated of last year’s Australian round winner Alex Bernadzik who took the TQ honours from Beale’s Tekno, each having a TQ run from the 2 rounds of qualifying Race Director Scotty Ernst & his team managed to squeeze in around the weather. With a P2 in Q2, Wolhuter would line up P3 ahead of the Xray of New Zealand Champion Logan Toia, and new Sparko signing Edmunds. In the 45-minute final unfortunately a bad batch of glow plugs would end Bernadzik’s chances of repeating his 2025 win on lap 1 as he suffered a series of flameouts. Despite putting in the fastest lap of the race and rising back up to 7th in the 14 buggy field, he would retire in the closing stages of the race. Up front Wolhuter took the win by a comfortable 24-seconds from Beale while Edmunds just held off Zan Ryan by 4-second to complete the podium. In eBuggy, it was Bernadzik who also took the TQ which he was able to convert to the win ahead of Edmunds and Wolhuter. The fourth season of the Asian Buggy Championships concludes in Indonesia with the fourth round at West Side Raceway in Jakarta from September 3-6th.

Image: Asian Buggy Championships [Facebook]

July 20, 2026

Kato takes back Japanese National 1:8 Buggy title

Kouki Kato has taken back his JMRCA Japanese 1:8 Nitro Buggy National title, the Infinity driver declared the winner of the weather curtailed championships over the weekend. Racing at the Honzawa Off-Road Park, in Kitami city on Japan’s Hokkaido island, unfortunately bad weather would halt the action half way through qualifying forcing the result to be declared based on the 2 two of the 4 rounds they managed to get completed. Fastest in controlled practice ahead of Mugen Seiki designer Shin Adachi, it was 2024 Champion Kato who topped both rounds giving him back the title he lost to Yusuke Sugiura last year. Second fastest over his two qualifiers Adachi would be declared the runner-up with Ayato Tsuruta, 3rd fastest in Q1, completing the podium. Making his return to his National Championship for the first time in 9-years, 2008 World Champion Atsushi Hara would be classified 6th based on his P5 run in Q1.

Image: Kouki Kato [Facebook]

July 19, 2026

Figueiredo claims first European title in Estonia

João Figueiredo has claimed his first European Championship title, the personable Portuguese driver also giving his Tekno team its first EFRA title with victory at the eBuggy Euros in Estonia. Attracting 118 drivers to the RC Rakvere Racetrack, four rounds of qualifying would see Figueiredo take his Hobbywing powered EB48 2.2 to the overall TQ after topping Q2 & 4. With the second fastest times in Q3 & 4, Mugen Seiki’s Berkan Kilic secured the second spot on the grid ahead of Sparko’s Noha Ben Mohamed who opened qualifying with TQ run but struggled to repeat that form over the remaining three rounds. Travelling to the 10th running of the 1:8 Electric Buggy Euros chasing a third consecutive title, Team Associated’s Davide Ongaro qualified fourth ahead of Spain’s David Todd who took his Mugen Seiki to a TQ run in the third qualifier. As the reigning eBuggy World Champion, Marcus Kaerup struggled with the mixed conditions and would just scrap into the A-Main with P13. In the triple finals, A1 saw Figueiredo lead home Kilic as former double Champion David Ronnefalk came through from 9th to 3rd with his Xray. In A2, with Kilic in tow Figueiredo had a bobble at the 2 & a half minute mark that handed the lead to the Turkish racer. Holding that lead for 3-minutes it was Kilic’s turn to have a bobble handing the lead back to the pole sitter but on lap 12 Figueiredo would jump badly and on landing catch a track post that would break his buggy allowing Kilic to cruise to the win ahead of Ongaro and newly crowned European Nitro Buggy Champion Juan Carlos Canas who qualified his Sworkz in P11. In A3 an early mistake from Figueiredo handed Kilic the lead briefly, but touching in the air shortly after, the Tekno driver was back in front from where he took control of the race to win and claim his first European title. With Kilic in second, Ongaro completed the podium ahead of Ronnefalk and Kaerup.

Image: EFRA [Facebook]

July 17, 2026

New RC Book – ‘Empty: Competitive Racing Through the Practice of Emptiness’

RC related books are far & few between, Ryan Maker’s Speed Secrets and JQ’s Invisible Speeds books the only two that come to mind, but American racer turned author Arthur Scrimo has added to the library with the release of this RC related book called, ‘Empty: Competitive Racing Through the Practice of Emptiness’. After more than 20 years of competitive RC racing, Scrimo has written this book that explores a side of our hobby that rarely gets discussed, the mental game. Rather than focusing on setup sheets or driving techniques, the book examines how mindfulness and the Buddhist practice of emptiness can help racers overcome frustration, manage expectations, stay present, and ultimately enjoy racing at a deeper level while still competing at a high level. The book, which is available in both Kindle format and Paperback, targets racers of all skill levels, using real track experiences to illustrate how mindset significantly impacts performance.

Source: Arthur Scrimo [amazon.com]

July 17, 2026

Factory Team RC10B7.1 HT1 Steering Block Arms

Team Associated option parts & accessories line Factory Team has introduced these new HT1 line of steering block arms for the RC10B7.1 1:10 2WD Buggy. The HT1 name indicates that they have moved the ballstud position rearward by one step. These plates can also add extra steering throw to certain configurations that experience interference with the steering plate and caster block assembly.

Source: Associated [associatedelectrics.com]

July 17, 2026

Hara to race at Team Associated 1:28 International

In an another boost for the burgeoning 1:28 racing scene, legend of the sport Atsushi Hara is joining the category with Team Associated announcing his entry for the 2026 Team Associated 1:28 International which takes place in Las Vegas from September 4-6th. The two time World Champion, who is now an ambassador for electronics manufacturer Team Cayote, will race in the LiPo 3500 Lexan class at the first running of the event which comes about following the famed US manufacturer’s entry into the category 12-months ago with the release of the RC28R. A race that is open to all brands of cars, it takes place in The Orleans Hotel and Casino alongside the record-breaking 2026 Team Associated Vintage Offroad Championships in which Hara will also be racing 1:10 Buggy. Following the 28SRA ruleset, the 2026 Team Associated 1:28 International will cater for LiPo 2500, LiPo 2500 Pan, LiPo 3500, 2WD Mod, Open Pan, Box Stock, Formula 1, and AWD Mod classes.

Source: Team Associated [Facebook]

July 13, 2026

Boots takes British Championship Round 4 win

Sworkz/Reds Racing/GRP factory driver Elliott Boots came away with the win at the fourth & penultimate round of the BRCA 1:8 Nitro Buggy Championship held at Brookthorpe track over the weekend. Winner of the season opener at Herts, the defending British Champion claimed his second win of the season after starting on pole having won his Semi Final in the fastest time. In Qualifying it was Xray’s Jonathan Skidmore, winner of the Round 2 of the Championship, who secured the overall TQ, with Boots securing P2 ahead of the Agama of Round 3 winner Erik Lykke. In the 45-minute final, with Skidmore lining up P2, Boots lead from start to finish as Skidmore suffered a steering issue that cost him 5-laps to fix and left him with a P9. At the end it was Lykke who claimed second to lead the championship standings with WIRC’s Jack Willets completing the podium. The final round of the 2026 championship takes place at Shrewsbury on August 15/16.

Image: Elliott Boots [Facebook]

July 13, 2026

Kilic wins Italian Nationals Round 3 from Polito

Mugen Seiki’s Burak Kilic became the third different winner in as many rounds of the highly competitive AMSCI 1:8 Nitro Buggy Italian National Championship, the Turkish driver winning Round 3 at the NitroBuggy track in Genzone just ahead of Round 2 winner Mattia Polito. In qualifying it was Kilic who took the TQ honours, the championship regular topping two of the four rounds. Fastest in Q3, Kyosho’s Marco Baruffolo would secure 2nd at his home track ahead of reigning Champion & Round 1 winner Davide Ongaro with Polito ending up 4th. In the 45-minute final after plenty of closing racing it was Kilic’s Nova Engines powered MBX-8R that came out the winner just 6/10ths of a second ahead of a hard charging Polito who set the fastest lap of the race with his Sworkz. Baruffolo completed the podium with Ongaro’s Team Associated finishing 4th on the same lap from P11 on the grid after problems in his Semi. With one round remaining in the championship, it is Polito who leads the standings from Ongaro with Kilic moving up into 3rd. The fourth & final round doesn’t take place until November.

Image: Nova Engines [Facebook]