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January 20, 2026

Urbain wins 2026 ‘Charity Race’

The biggest winner is always the charities the race continues to raise money for each year, but the 2026 records will show Awesomatix’s Lucas Urbain took victory at the 15th running of the annual Charity Race in Scandiano, Italy. The French driver would secure the TQ honours on tie break with Xray’s Filippo Domanin as they each recorded two TQ runs over the four qualifiers. Multiple 1:8 Onroad World Champion Dario Balestri completed the Top 3 on the grid for Infinity ahead of Luca Romagnoli and Alessio Menicucci. Urbain would go on to take the overall win with victories in A1 & 2 while A3 victory would secure Balestri second on the podium ahead of Domanin. In 17.5 Stock Nico Catelani took the TQ and win for Infinity.

Image: RC Landia [Facebook]

January 20, 2026

Double win for Payne at latest BRCA 1:12 encounter

Excelerate RC’s Ollie Payne kicked off his 2026 season with a double win at the latest rounds of the BRCA 2025/25 Stock 13.5 National Championship. Rounds 7 & 8 were hosted by the Dorset Model Car Racing Club and it was championship leader Payne who set the pace all weekend. Securing the TQ with his R1 Wurks powered Prodigy 12 for Saturday’s Round 7 action he would go on to take the win ahead of the Awesomatix of Michael Bolt and Excelerate team-mate Morgan Williams, the podium the same order as they qualified. In Round 8 it was again Payne with the TQ which he duly converted into the win for the perfect weekend. He was joined on Sunday’s podium by the Schumacher pairing of Finley Whitelock and Louis Parker. Payne’s closest title rival going into the weekend, it was to be a difficult one for Mark Stiles with the Awesomatix driver suffering a P10 (DNF) in Saturday’s final and P5 on Sunday.

Image: Schumacher [Facebook]

January 20, 2026

VP-Pro Universal 1:8 Buggy Body

Chinese tyre and accessories manufacturer VP-Pro, who recently announced the signing of leading offroad racer Berkan Kilic, has release this universal body shell for 1:8 Buggy. Its design features an integrated shark fin on the cab and helps add stability and increases high speed handling. It’s low-slung design also features a laid-back windshield and long centre fin for better stability and side bite. Made from high-quality clear polycarbonate with protective film and available in lightweight 0.8mm thickness, the body comes with window masks for painting and official VP-Pro decals.

View more images here

January 20, 2026

XC-ESC 1:18 & 1:24 Crawlers/Drift Combo

New from XC-ESC comes this compact size, high torque C18 ESC/E1212 Motor Power Combo specifically designed for 1:18 & 1:24 Crawlers and RC Drift cars. Featuring a Ssensorless FOC drive, this precision control technology means low-speed torque is increased by 30%, you get smoother startup and more linear power output, and it is more stable at low speed with stronger burst performance under load. With a built-in High-Performance BEC it is also equipped with a high-power DC/DC conversion circuit supporting 6.0V output voltage with 3A continuous current. This easily drives various receivers and high-performance servos. Built-in Bluetooth communication gives direct smartphone connection with rich parameters adjustable freely via your mobile device. It offers 9 Core Adjustable Parameters for full control over every aspect of power output. The 10 grams ESC input is equipped with an MX2.0 female connector, compatible with multiple batteries. No need to re-solder connectors, making installation easier and more convenient.

View ESC & Motor Specs here

January 20, 2026

SMJ 40g Tungsten Balance Weight

Adding to its range of Tungsten Balance Weights, Japan’s SMJ has introduced this 40 gram version designed for adjusting weight distribution when using a shorty battery in electric touring cars. For optimal use they recommend using one weight in front of the battery and one behind it (a total of 80 grams).

Source: SMJ [smj-rc.com]

January 20, 2026

SkyRC GD-401A Drift Car Gyro

SkyRC has announced the release of its new GD-401A drift car gyro, designed specifically for rear-wheel-drive (RWD) platforms but fully compatible with touring, rally, and short course vehicles. At its core, the GD-401A features a 32-bit processor working seamlessly with a high-precision gyro sensor to deliver ultra-fast correction and smooth, natural control. The unit offers nine pre-tuned sensitivity curves accessible via a single button, allowing drivers to quickly adapt to different surfaces and driving styles. A standout feature is the intuitive EPA (End Point Adjustment) function, enabling precise servo travel tuning within its 180° range to prevent oversteer or wheel interference. The one-touch reverse setup makes installation frustration-free when control logic flips due to chassis orientation. Housed in a CNC-machined aluminium case for optimal rigidity and heat dissipation, GD-401A combines performance and refinement in an ultra-compact footprint that virtually disappears into the chassis.

View Specs & more images here

January 20, 2026

US Masters of Foam 2026 – Report

The inaugural US Masters of Foam took place over the weekend at Skagit River Raceway in Washington State, USA, featuring competitive indoor carpet racing across six classes, and honouring the late Steve Curry. The event also marked the revival of foam tire touring car racing in the United States. The Modified Touring class saw Weylin Rose dominate with his Xray, taking both top qualifying and the overall win. Multi-time foam touring national champion Travis Schreven finished second with his Team Associated TC8, while Peter Robinson (Xray/RCAmerica) completed the podium with his X4’26.

Continue reading here

January 19, 2026

Takashima D-13 1.1mm Spring Steel Chassis

Following the successful release of their 1.2mm spring steel touring car chassis, Takashima D-13 continues to push development forward with the introduction of a new 1.1mm spring steel chassis. By utilising 120-degree ultra-low profile M3 countersunk screws, the new 1.1mm chassis uses exactly the same hardware as the 1.2mm version. This smart design choice allows drivers to upgrade without the need to purchase additional screws, keeping costs to a minimum. The main features of the 1.1mm spring steel chassis include Reduced Weight. With the same chassis layout, a 0.1mm reduction in thickness results in a weight saving of approximately 10–15 grams, depending on the platform. Another benefit is increased chassis flex with extensive laboratory testing combined with real-world track testing has showing that the 1.1mm chassis offers increased flex, delivering improved chassis flow and overall handling, especially on lower grip conditions. Another feature is Predictable flex behaviour. Both the 1.1mm and 1.2mm chassis share identical outer dimensions and the same cut-out design for each platform. This ensures a similar flex trend between the two options, allowing drivers to easily predict handling changes when switching thicknesses. With the chassis thickness reduced by a further 0.1mm, the overall centre of gravity is lowered again, contributing to improved on-track performance. These make the 1.1mm spring steel chassis is an excellent choice for medium to low grip tracks and low-power Stock class racing. With this latest development, Takashima D-13 continues to deliver some of the lowest centre of gravity chassis options available worldwide.

Source: Target RC [targetrc.com]