March 5, 2026

Serpent sign Florida WinterNats winner Bruneau

Serpent has announced the signing of Joachim Bruneau to its factory team, the US racer the winner of the recent 50th edition of the famous Florida Winternats.  Campaigning the pioneering nitro onroad manufacturer’s Viper 990R, which was released at the end of 2025, on the announcement Bruneau said, ‘I spent the first 8 years of my RC Racing career driving serpent cars and having owned my first Serpent car more than 25 years ago, joining Serpent as a factory driver is a dream come true.  I can’t wait to learn from the incredible talent that is already at Serpent and to offer any value I may have to bring.  Special thanks to Joaquin Desoto for the opportunity!’

Source: Serpent [serpent.com]


March 5, 2026

Boost RC F1Ultra R5 Spring Steel Chassis

Boost RC has introduced its first chassis dedicated to the 1:10 Formula category, developed specifically for the Exotek F1Ultra R5.  The project was conceived around one of the most unique cars in the modern Formula class.  Compared to the standard carbon chassis, the 1.5mm spring steel plate delivers a smoother and more progressive handling characteristic, increasing overall traction while reducing the sudden reactions typically caused by chassis flex during rapid direction changes.  Beyond the handling improvements, the steel construction also lowers the centre of gravity and provides a more planted feel, helping the car maintain speed through technical sections on both carpet and asphalt tracks.  Due to the 1.5mm chassis thickness, Boost RC adopted custom 90-degree countersunk M3 screws with Torx T10 head across the entire chassis.  This solution ensures perfect fitment while improving durability and screw engagement during assembly and maintenance.  The original Exotek design uses an M4 screw for the front wing mount, which also acts as the front body post mounting point.  To maintain compatibility with the new chassis design while keeping the use of M3 hardware, Boost RC developed a dedicated mounting system consisting of a rear mounting insert with a dedicated M3 nut pocket, a custom front body post with a 4mm insert, compatible with the standard front wing mounting hole used by most Formula wings, but designed for an M3 screw.  A spacer plate installed between chassis and front wing to compensate for the 1.0mm thickness difference compared to the original 2.5mm carbon chassis.

View more images here


March 4, 2026

The Direct Drive Experiment by Jilles Groskamp

This has the potential to break the internet as touring car racers dissect every aspect of his creation but credit to Jilles Groskamp for this super interesting build he has called ‘The Direct Drive Experiment’.  A driver renowned for his technical knowledge and attention to detail in developing car set-ups, having been a kingpin in the glory days of the Tamiya Racing Factory team, the IFMAR World Champion has created a very special Infinity IF14 Speciale that no longer features a drivetrain!  Instead the Cayote electronics sponsored driver has fitted the car with four in-wheel drone 1400Kv motors with independent control of each using a micro controllers.  Putting the car through its paces at his home track the MACH in the Netherlands, where he won his 2012 ISTC World Championship, could the reigning Nitro Touring Car World Champion be onto something and have just created the future direction for electric touring car design?  Watch his video of the experiment here.

Source: Jilles Groskamp [Facebook]


March 4, 2026

Titanium RC ‘The Engine Heater’

Titanium RC, the RC business of Dutch 1:8 Nitro Onroad stalwart John Ermen, has released an updated version of its engine heater, ‘The Engine Heater’ now also available in a Buggy/GT engine version.  Key features of the Titanium RC heater are that it is designed to heat the engine to the correct start-up temperature, preventing issues with fuel evaporation in the fuel line, and the function is operated by a simple on/off switch.  Another big advantage of the heater is that it is designed to only draw 150 watt of power compared to the draw of commonly used hair driers at 700w or paint strippers at 2000w.  At big races like ENS, such heavy power consumption can cause power issues for tracks so the ‘The Engine Heater’ can alleviate such problems.  With pre-heating of engines becoming more and more popular in offroad, due to demand Titanium RC has added an Offroad version to suit the different head type which has a 62mm diameter compared to the onroad’s 55mm diameter.

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March 4, 2026

MR33 Pan Car Body Stiffener Set

New from MR33, the brand of multiple electric onroad World Champion Marc Rheinard, comes this Pan Car Body Stiffener Set.  Consisting of rear body stiffeners for 1:12 pan cars, they allows you to stiffen the rear of a pan car body, particularly at the wheel arches and rear end, making it better suited for track action.  The 3D-printed ring reinforces the side bodywork around the wheel arches, ensuring it remains in the correct position. Especially if you’re running a very wide rear axle and the tires protrude beyond the body, this reinforcement allows you to precisely adjust the rearmost area so the wheels run neatly within the bodywork.  One big advantage: You don’t have to cut out the rear wheel arch unnecessarily large.  Weighing only 1.5 gram for the set, they can be easily attached either with body adhesive or double-sided adhesive tape.

View more images here


March 4, 2026

Neumann joins XTR for accessories & fuel

Spanish brand XTR has announced that new WIRC signing Joern Neumann will use their accessories and Shoot fuel as part of his race program for the upcoming seasons.  The highly accomplished offroad racer and former 1:8 GT World Champion, joined Italian manufacturer WIRC for 2026 after an 8-year stint with Taiwanese manufacturer Sworkz.  Running Reds Racing engines, Neumann joins multiple time European Champions Elliott Boots and Reno Savoya in representing XTR and running Shoot fuel.

Source: XTR Racing [xtr-rc.com]


March 3, 2026

Hotrace ‘Hawaii’ 1:8 Buggy tyre

Italian tyre manufacturer Hotrace Tyres has announced its newest 1:8 Buggy racing tyre release, the Hawaii.  Based off their successful Sahara carcass, it’s pattern features a smaller tread package making it ideal for smoother track conditions, consistent racing and high-end performance.  The design revolves around the centre structure which has medium sized,  The lugs have strategically placed cuts and grooves to allow flex in dusty conditions.  The outer portion of the tread fits together like blocks, but also work together to flex laterally to provide a great side-bite.  The Hawaii is available pre-glued and in all of Hotrace’s compound options.

View tyre thread pattern here


March 3, 2026

Milansport Tire Gripper for Matrix F1 Wheels

New from Polish brand Milansport comes the Tire Gripper, a tool to make your additive application easier on F1 tires from Matrix Racing Tires.  It was designed to fit into the rim providing an easier way to rotate the wheel during additive application, keeping your hands clean.  The Tire Gripper has an integrated wheel hex if you would like to use a electric screw driver to rotate the wheel.

View additional image here


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