Red RC » R Off Road

August 1, 2026

Kobbevik finally becomes European Champion

Schumacher’s Daniel Kobbevik has finally turned years of raw speed into his first major international championship title, the Norwegian today becoming the 2026 EFRA 1:10 4WD Offroad European Champion at the ERT-Steyregg astro track in Austria. In qualifying, it was the Sworkz of Micha Widmaier who opened with a TQ run but rising to the top in Q2 & 3 it was Kobbevik who would be the Top Qualifier. Fastest in Q4, 2023 Champion Orlowski made it a 1-2 on the grid for the CAT PB followed by the Xray of Bartosz Zalewski who wrapped up qualifying with the fastest time in Q5. As the defending Champion, David Ronnefalk’s Xray would start P4 ahead of Widmaier with newly crowned 2WD Champion Marcus Kaerup finding himself P6 on the grid. In A1, the two Schumachers pulled clear and with 1-minute to go Orlowski got down the inside to go the front. A lap later however Kobbevik was back in front as he jumped over his team-mate but it still wasn’t decided. On the final lap the duo touched a number of times but with Kobbevik just running wide on the final run to the line it was enough for Orlowski to get through for an exciting win. In A2 Kobbevik was able to stay out front from start to finish, Orlowski shadowing him until a mistake in the final minute. With the decider going to A3, an early error from Orlowski lifted the pressure on Kobbevik. While a mistake on lap 3 allowed Zalewski to go to the front, it was short lived as the Pole landed on the track piping allowing Kobbevik back to the front to take his first title in style. Overall Orlowski would claim the runner-up spot with Ronnefalk completing the podium ahead of Zalewski, Widmaier, and Kaerup.

Image: RC Racing TV [rcracingtv.com]

July 29, 2026

Kaerup claims 2nd European 2WD title in Austria

Team Associated’s Marcus Kaerup has retaken the EFRA 1:10 2WD Offroad European Championship title, the reigning 4WD World Champion putting in a pretty dominant performance in Austria. In qualifying at the ERT-Steyregg astro track, it was 2023 Champion Kaerup who secured the overall TQ honours with 3 TQ runs from the 5 rounds. Having held the overnight TQ after going fastest in Q2, Sworkz’s Micha Widmaier secured second ahead of Team Associated Joona Hataanen who opened qualifying at the 36th running of the championships with the fastest run. 2024 Champion Michal Orlowski would line P4 with Schumacher team-mate Daniel Kobbevik completing the top half of the grid. With defending champion Martin Bayer finding himself in the D Final, the final would decide a new champion. In A1, Kaerup cruised to a massive 9-second win over Kobbevik, a number of early pile-ups behind the leader giving him an easy passage to the win. In A2, Kaerup again took control of the race but a mistake just coming up on the final minute allowed Widmaier back into the battle as the two drivers got jammed as Kaerup came back onto the track. While Widmaier pushed, he couldn’t find a way passed with the win securing Kaerup his 3rd 1:10 Offroad title. Winning A3, Hataanen made it a championship 1-2 for Associated with Kobbevik completing the podium. The attention now switches to 4WD for the rest of the week with the new Champion targeting the double and trying to reclaim the 4WD title which he previously held in 2022.

Image: Team Associated [Facebook]

July 27, 2026

Phend doubles at Wicked Weekend

Xray’s Dakotah Phend pulled off the buggy double at the ‘The Wicked Weekend’ in Gainesville, Georgia, RaceTime Entertainment’s annual event attracting over 750 entries. Phend would secure the TQ in both Nitro and Electric Buggy. In Nitro qualifying after a DNF in Q1, he would topped Q2 & 3 to secure pole for the final ahead of Tekno’s Ryan Maifield and Team Associated pairing Spencer Rivkin and Brandon Rose. In eBuggy qualifying Phend took the overall TQ with the fastest time in the final qualifier with the Sparko of Jonah Wilson, fastest in Q1, lining up second ahead of Rivkin and Sworkz’s Mason Fuller, winner of the Nitro Buggy final last year. In the single 10-minute eBuggy Main, Phend would win by a comfortable 11-seconds over Rivkin with last years Top Qualifier Rose again completing the electric podium. In the earlier half hour 18 Buggy Nitro Final, Phend cruised to the win with the battle for who joined on the podium going the way of Rose in second and Tekno’s DNC double winner Seth VanDalen in third. In Nitro Truggy Maifield would take the win ahead of Phend and Fuller.

Image: JConcepts [jconcepts.net]

July 20, 2026

Woulhunter wins Asian Buggy Championships Australia

Factory Kyosho driver Christian Wolhuter took the big win at the Australian round of the Asian Buggy Championships, the 2004 ABC Champion taking the top step of the podium ahead of Jackson Beale and Jayden Edmunds at the Pine Pills track in Brisbane. With the 3rd stop on the 4 round calendar attracting over 300 entries, it was to be a challenging weekend for both the race organisers and racers as rain and further incoming bad weather forced the racing to be condensed to finish under the lights on Saturday night. In qualifying it was the Team Associated of last year’s Australian round winner Alex Bernadzik who took the TQ honours from Beale’s Tekno, each having a TQ run from the 2 rounds of qualifying Race Director Scotty Ernst & his team managed to squeeze in around the weather. With a P2 in Q2, Wolhuter would line up P3 ahead of the Xray of New Zealand Champion Logan Toia, and new Sparko signing Edmunds. In the 45-minute final unfortunately a bad batch of glow plugs would end Bernadzik’s chances of repeating his 2025 win on lap 1 as he suffered a series of flameouts. Despite putting in the fastest lap of the race and rising back up to 7th in the 14 buggy field, he would retire in the closing stages of the race. Up front Wolhuter took the win by a comfortable 24-seconds from Beale while Edmunds just held off Zan Ryan by 4-second to complete the podium. In eBuggy, it was Bernadzik who also took the TQ which he was able to convert to the win ahead of Edmunds and Wolhuter. The fourth season of the Asian Buggy Championships concludes in Indonesia with the fourth round at West Side Raceway in Jakarta from September 3-6th.

Image: Asian Buggy Championships [Facebook]

July 20, 2026

T-Works MP11 Carbon Fibre Side Guards

T-Works has added these carbon fibre side guards to its range of aftermarket parts for the Kyosho MP1 1:8 Buggy platforms. Made using high quality carbon fibre material, they offer reduced weight, rigidity and durability with no change in handling characteristics. The package includes one left and one right side guard plus mounting screws.

Source: T-Works [rc-tworks.com]

July 20, 2026

Kato takes back Japanese National 1:8 Buggy title

Kouki Kato has taken back his JMRCA Japanese 1:8 Nitro Buggy National title, the Infinity driver declared the winner of the weather curtailed championships over the weekend. Racing at the Honzawa Off-Road Park, in Kitami city on Japan’s Hokkaido island, unfortunately bad weather would halt the action half way through qualifying forcing the result to be declared based on the 2 two of the 4 rounds they managed to get completed. Fastest in controlled practice ahead of Mugen Seiki designer Shin Adachi, it was 2024 Champion Kato who topped both rounds giving him back the title he lost to Yusuke Sugiura last year. Second fastest over his two qualifiers Adachi would be declared the runner-up with Ayato Tsuruta, 3rd fastest in Q1, completing the podium. Making his return to his National Championship for the first time in 9-years, 2008 World Champion Atsushi Hara would be classified 6th based on his P5 run in Q1.

Image: Kouki Kato [Facebook]

July 19, 2026

Figueiredo claims first European title in Estonia

João Figueiredo has claimed his first European Championship title, the personable Portuguese driver also giving his Tekno team its first EFRA title with victory at the eBuggy Euros in Estonia. Attracting 118 drivers to the RC Rakvere Racetrack, four rounds of qualifying would see Figueiredo take his Hobbywing powered EB48 2.2 to the overall TQ after topping Q2 & 4. With the second fastest times in Q3 & 4, Mugen Seiki’s Berkan Kilic secured the second spot on the grid ahead of Sparko’s Noha Ben Mohamed who opened qualifying with TQ run but struggled to repeat that form over the remaining three rounds. Travelling to the 10th running of the 1:8 Electric Buggy Euros chasing a third consecutive title, Team Associated’s Davide Ongaro qualified fourth ahead of Spain’s David Todd who took his Mugen Seiki to a TQ run in the third qualifier. As the reigning eBuggy World Champion, Marcus Kaerup struggled with the mixed conditions and would just scrap into the A-Main with P13. In the triple finals, A1 saw Figueiredo lead home Kilic as former double Champion David Ronnefalk came through from 9th to 3rd with his Xray. In A2, with Kilic in tow Figueiredo had a bobble at the 2 & a half minute mark that handed the lead to the Turkish racer. Holding that lead for 3-minutes it was Kilic’s turn to have a bobble handing the lead back to the pole sitter but on lap 12 Figueiredo would jump badly and on landing catch a track post that would break his buggy allowing Kilic to cruise to the win ahead of Ongaro and newly crowned European Nitro Buggy Champion Juan Carlos Canas who qualified his Sworkz in P11. In A3 an early mistake from Figueiredo handed Kilic the lead briefly, but touching in the air shortly after, the Tekno driver was back in front from where he took control of the race to win and claim his first European title. With Kilic in second, Ongaro completed the podium ahead of Ronnefalk and Kaerup.

Image: EFRA [Facebook]

July 14, 2026

WIRC SBX4 Alu Center Diff Support

Italian manufacturer WIRC Racing is now offering the option of this Aluminium Center Diff Support for its flagship SBX4 1:8 Nitro Competition Buggy. Made from 7075 T6 aluminium, it is a direct replacement for the plastic kit mounts and provides greater rigidity.

Source: WIRC Racing [wirc-racing.com]