June 2, 2026

Sobue wins ‘Bali International Race of Champion’

Across all forms of sport ‘Destination Races’ have become a big thing and in terms of destinations Bali has to be up there for the world of RC racing with Axon’s Akio Sobue making the trip to and winning the Bali International Race of Champions.   Famed as a destination for Digital Nomads, the Indonesian Island is also home to the Keramas Aero Park circuit and over the weekend it attracted an international 93 entries to compete over 4 categories of 1:10 Electric Touring Car.  In Modified it was World Championship podium finisher Sobue who took the win ahead of Singapore’s Zak Lam making for an Axon 1-2.  Porsha Mangilit, the first ever female racer to win the Tamiya Asia Cup, would compete the podium.  In 13.5 Blinky it was Lam who took the TQ and win ahead of young Australian RC Maker driver Logan Rintoul who in turn took the win in FWD.  Looking to combine racing with a holiday next season?, look out for the 2027 Bali International Race of Champion.

View track image here


June 1, 2026

Garcia appointed IFMAR Interim IC Section Chairman

Well respected race referee and former EFRA President Javier Garcia has been appointed the IFMAR Interim IC Section Chairman.  Making the announcement over the weekend, the Spaniard will take over the role for the remainder of the 2026 season from Sander de Graaf.  After decades of service to the World governing body, Dutch native Graff made his final appearance in the role at the 1:8 Onroad World Championship in Chile last December.  Garcia, who has vast experience of the sport having served as president of the European governing body for 5-years and referred numerous World Championships, has always been respected for his approachability and his ambition for the better promotion of racing and the RC hobby in general as well as always striving for a better racing experience for racers attending sanctioned events.  In being appointed to the role, Garcia has promised to prepare a 4-year plan with the goal of leading IFMAR into a much needed new era as an organisation.

Read full announcement here


May 31, 2026

Coelho wins ETS season opener

Fresh from getting married last week, Infinity’s Bruno Coelho has won the opening round of the 2026/27 ETS at Apeldoorn in the Netherlands.  The World Champion would secure the overall TQ honours ahead defending series champion Michal Orlowski with two TQ runs compared to the Schumacher driver’s single TQ run in the fourth & final round.  Fastest in Q3, Awesomatix’s Simon Lauter completed the Top 3 on the grid ahead of Serpent’s Dominic Greiner and Mugen Seiki’s Ronald Volker.  Making his high profile debut for Xray at the Dutch race, Marc Rheinard would line up 7th on the grid.  In the opening A-Main on Saturday evening it was Orlowski who came out the winner.  Having got by Coelho on lap 1 when the pole sitter lost the rear of his car coming onto the straight, Orkowski would then run wide on the final lap.  With Coelho going for the pass as Orlowski came back across to try get the line for the next corner the pair made contact.  With Lauter in third, this should have played into his favour but as Coelho’s car landed the German made contact and was out with a broken car – Orlowski getting through for the win ahead of Volker with Coelho in third.  Sunday’s morning’s A2 saw a dominant win by Coelho which he again repeated in A3 to take the overall ahead of Orlowski with Volker, winner of the previous ETS’s season finale, completing the podium ahead of Lauter, Greiner and Rheinard.  In Pro Stock Olivier Bultynck got his title defence off to the perfect start, the Awesomatix driver securing the TQ and win ahead of the Xray of Jan Ratheisky and Dutch Awesomatix driver Timon Coenen.

Image: Bruno Coelho [Facebook]


May 31, 2026

Catanzani finally crowned European 1:8 GT Champions

Having led with 3-minutes to go in 2024 only to lose 2nd gear and the win, then crossed the line in 1st place only to have his fuel tank fail post tech in 2025, Serpent’s Andrea Catanzani is now finally the new EFRA 1:8 GT European Champion.  Racing at the Vila Real track in Portugal, the rapid Italian would become the fourth champion of the nitro category with victory over the Genius racing team-mates of outgoing champion Filippo Beretta and two time champion Bernard-Alain Arnaldi.  In qualifying it was the Raptor of World Champion Alessio Mazzeo who took the TQ honours ahead of World Championship Top Qualifier Catanzani, both drivers recording two TQ runs each but Mazzeo getting the tie-breaker with his Q5 time.  Joining them directly onto the A-Main grid, Arnaldi secured 3rd, with the Q3 TQ run, ahead of Beretta.  In the 45-minute final Mazzeo led them away and was leading at the half way mark when he broke a tyre and spinning out he was collected by another car which resulted in a broken servo ending his race.  While Beretta took over the lead for a number of laps, it was Catazani, who set the fastest lap of the race, who led them home winning by a lap and a half.  With 2024 Champion Natanaele Senesi finishing P4, it meant Catanzani’s win came ahead of all previous three champions.  In GTE, Mazzeo would completed the perfect campaign securing the TQ and wrapping up the title with straight wins in A1 & A2.  He was joined on the podium by the similar car of Burak Kilic, winner of A3, and Senesi.  Xray’s defending Champion Adam Izsay would finish P5.

Image: Filippo Beretta [Facebook]


May 29, 2026

Xray NT1’27 Nitro Touring Car

With the 11th running of the IFMAR Nitro Touring Car World Championship just 3-months away in Gubbio, Italy, Xray has unveiled its latest 1:10 20mm contender the NT1 ’27.  The latest kit from the World Champion manufacturer comes 4-years after the latest kit release, the NT1’23, the Slovakian manufacturer last releasing a 2026 Conversion Set at the end of 2025.  New features of the ’27 kit include a solid carbon front shock tower and lowered rear carbon shock tower which allows wider shock mounting positions for improved stability.  New front & rear shortened shocks with aluminium shock bodies & shortened shock shafts are standard.  Front c4.o springs give increased mid-corner steering while c3.5 rear springs increase traction.  A new radio plate offers multi-flex adjustment via adjustable bushings.  Up front there is also a new carbon reinforcement brace for body post support allowing front chassis flex adjustment.  The car also gets rear CVD driveshaft set for easier driveshaft setup adjustment.

View the full NT1’27 presentation here


May 29, 2026

Krazed Builds A12F Veyron Kit

US based Krazed Builds has opened pre-orders for its A12F Veyron Kit, a competition Formula 1 conversation kit for the Awesomatix A12 platform.  Designed for original A12 donor cars, it features a new 7075 2mm alloy chassis and customisable suspension with the kit including necessary components for assembly and tuning, while maintaining compatibility with certain existing parts.  Battery requirements are specified, emphasising the use of a 2S lipo that fits without modification.  Drivers will need to provide their own axle and F1 hubs and body work to complete the build.

View Kit details & more images here


May 29, 2026

Takashima D-13 Mi10 High-Strength 3D Printed Bumper

New from Takashima D-13 comes this high-strength 3D composite printed front bumper designed specifically for Schumacher’s new Mi10 and previous Mi9 touring car platforms.  The bumper features an innovative dual-durometer composite structure engineered for maximum protection and performance.  The outer perimeter is printed using a high-strength premium material to provide superior overall rigidity and resistance to deformation.  This ensures the bumper maintains its structural integrity during high-speed impacts while evenly distributing forces across the chassis.  In contrast, the inner energy-absorbing core utilises a flexible TPU honeycomb matrix.  This design delivers a progressive compression effect upon impact, effectively absorbing and dampening crash energy to protect critical components such as the main chassis, front shock tower, and bulkheads.  Compared to traditional solid composite bumpers, this dual-material design offers vastly superior crash protection while weighing in at a lightweight 10.2 grams.  Additionally, its rapid rebound characteristics minimise car bounce and disruption immediately following a deflection, significantly improving on-track stability and long-term durability.

View additional images here


May 28, 2026

Kyosho Mini-Z ‘Carpet Track 50’

With its urethane “Grand Prix Circuit 50′ track the gold standard for Mini-Z and 1:28 racing for decades, Kyosho has just unveiled the ‘Mini-Z Carpet Track 50’ track system which is made using specialised carpet material.  With the basic set containing 40 pieces, the biggest highlight of the new track is its 5mm thick sublime grip making it the perfect home circuit, but it’s also great for gathering with friends to set up a pop-up track in a meeting room or recreational facility for racing.  The joints have been redesigned to be easier to install, instead of using screw holes it now features an Easy Lock – just a 60-degree twist of the joint.  Just like the urethane ‘Grand Prix Circuit 50’, a full line-up of Expansion Sets, Large Corners, and 90-degree Fence Sets are being released simultaneously, giving you total freedom over your course layouts.  A much slimmer track material the new Mini-Z Carpet Track 50 is not compatible with the conventional track.

View more images here


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