Red RC » R Off Road

January 28, 2026

JConcepts 2026 Race Team Apparel

JConcepts has a fresh new look for the 2026 season with a new ‘Reload’ apparel line to go with its fresh and rejuvenated racing team. Each year, the Florida brands design team inspires racers with a new logo, and new theme for what is sure to be another action-packed year on the circuit. The range includes two t-shirt designs, a pull-over hoodie sweatshirt, a zipper hoodie sweatshirt, and a choice of 4 hat types. Each items feature some of JConcepts favourite imagery, the globe representing world participation, along with the traditional checkerboard that will have racers dashing for the finish line. In the logo comes in white and blue printed colours with an option of retro inspired pink and teal colours available in the t-shirts.

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January 27, 2026

Rasmussen joins Schumacher

Schumacher Racing has announced the return of leading Danish racer & Spec Touring Car World Championship Finalist Jesper Rasmussen who will represent the British manufacturer in both onroad and offroad. The move comes after 11-years of racing for Team Associated in offroad and a one year stint with IRIS for his onroad program. Kicking off his new chassis sponsorship this weekend in Stock Touring Car at ETS Daun, on the announcement Rassmussen said, ‘I’m super happy to be back “home” after more than 10 years away from team. Looking forward to work together with team in On road and Off Road. I plan to do all ETS races in 2026, European Championship and World Championship in On Road, National races in On road and Off road fit in my race schedule. My first race will be ETS Daun with my Mi9.’

Source: Schumacher [racing-cars.com]

January 26, 2026

Orlowski completes double at EOS Daun

Having won 2WD Buggy on Friday, Schumacher’s Michal Orlowski completed the perfect weekend at EOS Daun in Germany as he carried that form into 4WD to again take the TQ & win. Setting the pace in practice ahead of Xray’s Bartosz Zalewski, in the four qualifiers the Pole would go fastest in the opening and closing rounds to secure pole for the finals. Topping the second round of qualifying ahead of Orlowski and Daniel Kobbevik, Zalewski would secure P2 on the grid. With a TQ run in Q3, 2WD runner-up Kobbevik put his Schumacher third on the grid with Joona Hataanen the best of the Team Associated drivers in fourth. In A1, Orlowski would take an easy win with Kobbevik finishing second 4-seconds back having touched with Zalewski on the opening lap. A2 would be a much closer affair as Zalewski pushed his compatriot hard, the duo the only drivers to run 16-second fastest lap times, but Orlowski stayed out front and wrapped up the perfect weekend. With A3 deciding who would join him on the podium, Zalewski cruised to the win ahead of Haatanen to claim second place overall. With Kobbevik making a number of errors and finishing A3 in 9th it allowed Haatanen to claim the final step on the podium.

Image: Michal Orlowski [Facebook]

January 23, 2026

Orlowski wins 2WD at EOS Daun

Schumacher’s Michal Orlowski has kicked off his 2026 Offroad season with victory, taking the 2WD win at EOS Daun in Germany on Friday afternoon. Qualifying would see the Schumacher team dominate with Sweden’s Elias Johansson taking the first of the 4 rounds. In Q2 it was Daniel Kobbevik who set the pace before Orlowski found his form to top Q3 & 4. Securing the TQ ahead of Kobbevik, Johansson and practice Top Seed Marcus Kaerup, the Pole would take A1 from Kobbevik and Xray’s Bartosz Zalewski. He would repeat again in A2 to secure the overall victory. A3 would see Kaerup win ahead of Kobbevik but poor opening A-Main results mean’t he couldn’t deny Schumacher a 1-2 as he completed the podium for Associated ahead of Zalewski, AE’s Joona Haatanen and Johansson.

Image: Schumacher [Facebook]

January 16, 2026

Team Cayote adds Bayer to team line-up

Team Cayote has added reigning European 2WD Buggy Champion Martin Bayer to its team line-up. A driver who has played a key role in the launch of successful Czech ESC manufacturer Elceram, the head of offroad car design at Xray will use motors and batteries from the Cayote having previously represent Sunpadow batteries. On the announcement, the Czech driver said, ‘I’m proud to officially join Team Cayote as a team driver! In my cars, I will be using Cayote motors and batteries, and I must say their performance and quality truly impressed me. Reliability, consistency, and power — exactly what is needed at the highest racing level. I’m honored to represent Cayote products at races and I’m really looking forward to this new chapter and upcoming challenges on track. Thank you for the trust and support!’

Source: Team Cayote [cayote.com]

January 15, 2026

Smith & Stafford win at EssexCarpetClash Rd4

The fourth encounter of the 6 round EssexCarpetClash took place last weekend in the UK where Round 3 double winner Ben Smith & his Schumacher took the 2WD while the Team Associated of Ellis Stafford took the 4WD honours. For many it was the first race of the year, with a few looking forward to trying their new equipment they had received from Christmas, with the organisers creating a flowing track with a double jump section and dog leg table top would challenge the drivers. In 2WD it seemed to be a battle between Smith and Harley Eldridge for the entire day. Both managed to top the qualifying sheets twice so it came down to the fastest time which was Smith. Next to line up on the grid for third and fourth would be a fight between Aaron Nash and Oliver Nattress, again joint on points with Nash having the faster time. Alfie Castle would get to grips with the track after round one putting in some decent times with Billy Fletcher having a very consistent day. The finals would be a continuation of qualifying and would be a fight on track between Smith and Eldridge. Smith was able to wrap up the day with two leg wins with Eldridge consistently finishing in the top three. Aaron Nash was able to secure the bottom step of the podium with two decent leg finishes.

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January 15, 2026

Duraes joins Boots at GRP Tyres

Following the major announcement of top 1:8 Offroad racer Elliott Boots as their first factory supported driver for 2026, GRP Tyres continues to finalise its team line-up with the announcement of new Hong Nor signing Carlos Duraes. The Portuguese driver will now officially represent the Italian tyre manufacturer using their Ai-TECH 1:8 Buggy Tyre Ranged which it introduced last May. Adding to the range with the launch of their 5th pattern, the Micro, at the end of last year, announcing their latest driver signing GRP founder Maurizio Gandini posted, ‘I, Maurizio, together with Susi and Sara, owners of GRP, are proud to announce Carlos Duraes as an official GRP Factory Team driver for 2026. Fast. Experienced. Consistent. Carlos has been a proven reference on Portuguese tracks for years, recognized for his racing mindset, technical precision, and ability to push development where it really matters: on the track. This is not just another signing. It’s a clear step forward in our Buggy program. And it’s only the beginning.’ Duraes added, ‘Extremely happy to join GRP! I’ve been racing with their tires from last year and felt their quality was top notch with great performance and comfort driving around different track conditions. Thank you.’

Source: GRP [grpgandini.it]

January 14, 2026

Haatanen completes ’26 program with Matrix tyres

Having switched electronics for 2026 from Reedy to Ruddog Racing, long time Team Associated team driver Joona Haatanen has been announced as part of the Matrix Tires offroad team. The 2025 European 2WD Buggy podium finisher and German National Champion makes the switch between Italian tyre manufacturers finalising his 2026 race package with the move to Matrix from Hotrace. On the announcement, the popular Finn, who now lives in Germany, posted, ‘Last announcement for program of 2026! Joining Matrix Racing Tires/Xtreme Aerodynamics and will be using their products on my Team Associated 1/8 and 1/10 buggies! Thanks to Christian and rest of the team for this opportunity, let’s see what we can achieve together.’

Source: Joona Haatanen [Facebook]