Red RC » P Off Road

August 26, 2025

Phend fastest as Day 1 of eBuggy Worlds concludes

Xray’s Dakotah Phend has set the pace on the opening day of the inaugural IFMAR 1:8 Electric Offroad World Championship, the American topping the times after 5 rounds of free practice at the Barcelos Buggy Arena in Portugal. Setting his fastest 3-consecutive laps in the penultimate round of the day’s free practice, many drivers feeling they made the wrong call on tyre compound for the cooler evening’s final run, Phend was fastest from Juan Carlos Canas, the Sworkz driver topping that final round to record his best time of the day. The pace setter after the first three rounds, David Ronnefalk finished the day out in P3 ahead of Sworkz’ Elliott Boots. With reigning Nitro Buggy World Champion Davide Ongaro having a challenging day, which ended in him being only 13th fastest, it was his younger team-mate Marcus Kaerup who led the way for Team Associated. Second fastest in FP5, which was 10-minutes long with the previous four rounds having been 5-minutes each, he ended the day fourth fastest. Another improvement in FP5 came from Tekno’s João Figueirdo, the Nitro World Championship finalist, whose family are the hosts of these World Championships, completing the Top 5.

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August 26, 2025

First ever 1:8 Electric Buggy Worlds is go in Portugal

eBuggy is now officially an IFMAR World Championship class with free practice for the inaugural 1:8 Electric Offroad Worlds getting underway at the beautifully presented Barcelos track in Northern Portugal today. Arriving this morning to foggy conditions, which caused an hour delay to the start of the day’s five rounds of free practice, once drivers got on track they quickly gave the fresh surface and new layout plenty of abuse, even the top title contenders looking somewhat rookie level as they tried to put early laps together. With the second round of practice completed, drivers’ general feedback on the track was positive with many of those who raced here at the European 1:8 Nitro Buggy Championship last month saying track builder Miguelo Izquierdo Rodriguez’ latest build was more technical and difficult. With the lack of noise being something that takes getting used to when you walk around the pits surrounded by the best 1:8 Nitro Buggy in the World, in terms of early pace it was Xray’s David Ronnefalk who led the way after 3 rounds ahead of Mugen Seiki’s Bruak Kilic, fastest after Round 2, with Sworkz’s Elliott Boots completing the Top 3.

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August 26, 2025

RC-Project MBX8R Shock Towers

Italian option parts brand RC-Project has released new shock towers for the Mugen Seiki MBX8R. The result of months of testing in both Europe and the United States, they are manufactured from 7075-T6 Ergal aluminium with a 5 mm thickness and hard anodised finish ensuring high torsional rigidity, excellent mechanical strength, and improved driving precision. A key feature of the new towers is the dual mounting options for a customisable setup. The upper holes are recommended for bumpy or rough tracks offering increased stability and control, while the Lower hole are ideal for smooth, high-grip surfaces, enhancing traction and responsiveness. The rear tower has additional mounting holes with two new positions allowing for a higher roll centre compared to the original design, improving cornering response and load transfer management.

Source: RC-Project [rc-project.it]

August 25, 2025

Mugen Seiki Europe MBX8R Premium Edition

Mugen Seiki Europe has announced a limited ‘Premium Edition’ of the MBX8R 1:8 Buggy platform in both nitro and electric versions. Exclusive to MSE and the European market, it is aimed at drivers who expect race-ready, durable performance and precise control straight out of the box. This exclusive special set includes, in addition to the standard kit, a selection of high-quality optional parts that noticeably improve handling, durability and serviceability, ideal for ambitious hobbyists and club racers. These options benefit the buggy by significantly improving robustness and longevity of key drivetrain and steering components. It also makes for better traction and more consistent power delivery under racing conditions.

View Premium Edition parts list here

August 25, 2025

1:8 Electric Offroad World Championship coverage presented by Team Cayote

The week on which IFMAR will crown a brand new World Champion has finally arrived and thanks to electronics manufacturer Team Cayote, Red RC are travelling to Barcelos in Portugal to tell the story of how the inaugural 1:8 Electric Offroad World Champion is crowned. Having run in the shadow of 1:8 Nitro Buggy, which since crowning its first World Champion back in 1986 has established itself as the ‘Rock Star’ category of all RC racing classes, this week is eBuggy’s moment to shine on the world stage. Revealing over the weekend the layout on which all the leading buggy manufacturers will battle it out to go down in history as the first ever eBuggy World Champions, the Barcelos track in North Portugal will play host to almost 120 drivers from around the globe. With Europe’s governing body EFRA enjoying crowning 1:8 eBuggy Champions over the last decade with their stand alone championship event, the reigning champion is none other that three time back to back Nitro Buggy World Champion Davide Ongaro. Despite the European Nitro Buggy title still eluding the Italian, he is the back to back Champion of eBuggy having also won the title previously in 2019. With Barcelos hosting the 2025 EFRA European Nitro Buggy Championship back in early July of this year, the European’s should have slight home advantage. David Ronnefalk lifted the title for a fourth time, and the Swede would love nothing more than to complete the set by adding an Electric World title to the Nitro Worlds win he took in 2016 in Las Vegas. While the US team is relatively small by their standards, they do have their defending eBuggy Champion Dakotah Phend making the trip. Unlike 1:8 Nitro Buggy, in which fuel stops and tyre changes come into play over the long races, 1:8 electric is more heads up racing and we are excited to see how things unfold over the next 5-days. Our coverage presented by Team Cayote, who offer competition spec ESC’s, Motors, and Batteries, will begin on Day 1 of the event, Tuesday, when drivers start off two days of practice, followed by 2-days of qualifying with the finals on Saturday.

View aerial view of track layout here

August 22, 2025

JConcepts B84 Pre-cut Chassis Protective Sheet

Continuing its tradition of making tape since 2008, JConcepts has released its Pre-cut Chassis Protective Sheet for the Team Associated RC10B84 1:10 4WD Buggy. Pre-cut to line-up perfectly to the popular new buggy, the abstract design catches the eye and carries on a legacy of high-end chassis protectors. The 2-piece design, which includes three separate rear chassis pieces features italicised graphics in a high-speed fashion. The chassis protective sheet is produced in a highly durable material making it ideal for carpet, turf, and dirt offroad racing. The profile lines the chassis shape and tucks into the front kick-up of the chassis and rests underneath the bumper to limit forward edge access. Each package includes 2 complete protective sheets.

View additional image here

August 22, 2025

Boots gets Gen ace power for eBuggy

Gens ace have announced that leading international 1:8 Offroad racer Elliott Boots will use its batteries to power his factory Sworkz eBuggy campaign. The already crowned 2025 British National Nitro Buggy Champion, who last weekend made it 5 wins from as many rounds, will debut his new deal at the inaugural IFMAR 1:8 Electric Offroad World Championship next week in Portugal. On annoumcing their latest driver signing, Gens ace posted, ‘We proudly welcome the world-class British off-road driver Elliott Boots to the Gens ace team. As a 2x European Champion, DNC Champion, Silverstate Champion, and 9x British Champion, Elliott has proven his skill across the toughest off-road tracks. With his extensive experience and passion for pushing limits, we believe Elliott’s addition will strengthen the Gens ace team and help achieve even greater victories in the off-road scene.’

Source: Gens Ace [gensace.de]

August 21, 2025

Ielasi Tuned Terra EVO .21 Offroad Engine

After the recent releases of its line-up of new onroad engines, Italian engine tuner Ielasi Tuned has released a new Evo version of its Terra .21 Offroad Engine. With team driver Joao Figueiredo using the engine in the back of Tekno to make the 2024 IFMAR 1:8 Nitro Buggy World Championship in Spain, the Terra EVO isn’t a true new engine but rather an upgrade from the previous model that changes the exhaust timing. This modification slightly alters power delivery, optimising it at low revs and consequently improving fuel economy.

View Terra EVO internals here