Red RC » R Off Road

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 2025 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 Juriya Kajiwara 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 5th.

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]

July 13, 2026

Boots takes British Championship Round 4 win

Sworkz/Reds Racing/GRP factory driver Elliott Boots came away with the win at the fourth & penultimate round of the BRCA 1:8 Nitro Buggy Championship held at Brookthorpe track over the weekend. Winner of the season opener at Herts, the defending British Champion claimed his second win of the season after starting on pole having won his Semi Final in the fastest time. In Qualifying it was Xray’s Jonathan Skidmore, winner of the Round 2 of the Championship, who secured the overall TQ, with Boots securing P2 ahead of the Agama of Round 3 winner Erik Lykke. In the 45-minute final, with Skidmore lining up P2, Boots lead from start to finish as Skidmore suffered a steering issue that cost him 5-laps to fix and left him with a P9. At the end it was Lykke who claimed second to lead the championship standings with WIRC’s Jack Willets completing the podium. The final round of the 2026 championship takes place at Shrewsbury on August 15/16.

Image: Elliott Boots [Facebook]

July 13, 2026

Kilic wins Italian Nationals Round 3 from Polito

Mugen Seiki’s Burak Kilic became the third different winner in as many rounds of the highly competitive AMSCI 1:8 Nitro Buggy Italian National Championship, the Turkish driver winning Round 3 at the NitroBuggy track in Genzone just ahead of Round 2 winner Mattia Polito. In qualifying it was Kilic who took the TQ honours, the championship regular topping two of the four rounds. Fastest in Q3, Kyosho’s Marco Baruffolo would secure 2nd at his home track ahead of reigning Champion & Round 1 winner Davide Ongaro with Polito ending up 4th. In the 45-minute final after plenty of closing racing it was Kilic’s Nova Engines powered MBX-8R that came out the winner just 6/10ths of a second ahead of a hard charging Polito who set the fastest lap of the race with his Sworkz. Baruffolo completed the podium with Ongaro’s Team Associated finishing 4th on the same lap from P11 on the grid after problems in his Semi. With one round remaining in the championship, it is Polito who leads the standings from Ongaro with Kilic moving up into 3rd. The fourth & final round doesn’t take place until November.

Image: Nova Engines [Facebook]

July 7, 2026

Sturdy doubles at Queensland State Titles

Christopher Sturdy pulled off the double at the SpeedyRC backed 2026 QLD 1:10 Offroad State Titles, the Schumacher driver taking his 30th State title when he backed up his 2WD win with the 4WD title on the Sunday. Racing at his home track Chargers RC, Sturdy, who joined Schumacher for the 2026, secured the 4WD TQ after topping all four rounds of qualifying with Jordan Isergin and Lachlan Munday completing the Top 3 on the grid. In the finals, Sturdy took the opening encounter ahead of Munday and wrapped up the title in A2 with the win over Isergin who claimed P2 overall. In the previous day’s 2WD action the multiple Australian National Champion secured the TQ ahead of Munday’s Team Associated and Phoenix Eggleton’s Sworkz. From the front Sturdy won A1 & 2 to secure the title with Munday and young Eggleton completing the podium. In the Stock classes it was also a double weekend for Team Associated’s Rob Maycock winning 2WD from Nathan Graham and 4WD from Gopal Pavlich.

Image: Chris Sturdy [Facebook]

June 29, 2026

Canas reclaims European title as Spanish legend Batlle bids farewell

Sworkz’s Juan Carlos Canas has reclaimed his title as EFRA 1:8 Nitro Buggy Champion on home soil, the 44th running of the championships also marking the 20th & final European Championship appearance of Spanish Offroad legend Robert Batlle. Racing at the Fuencarral in Madrid, where last October Canas took the win at track builder Miguelo Izquierdo’s Buggyland race, qualifying would see 4 different drivers top the times over the 5 rounds. With rain causing a 3-delay during the qualifiers, it was Canas who opened proceedings with the fastest time in Q1. World Champion Davide Ongaro went to the top in Q2 before Batlle marked his final event with a TQ performance in Q3. Fastest in Q4 and again in Q5, it was Italian Mattia Polito who was the Top Qualifier ahead of his Sworlz team-mate Canas, Ongaro, Sparko’s Adrian Pariente, and Batlle, with defending Champion David Ronnefalk qualifying his Xray in P9. Unfortunately for Polito his event would go downhill after qualifying. Problems in the Semi final put him in the LCQ race from which he would retire, Mayako’s Pekko Iivonen getting that win to line-up 13th in the main event. Winning his Semi in a fractionally faster time than Ongaro’s win of the other Semi, it was Canas on pole for the 45-minute encounter with Mugen Seiki’s Berkan Kilic lining up 3rd in front of Adrian Pariente. While Ongaro would find a way to the front early in the final, Canas got the spot back with Pariente, who set the fastest lap of the final, making it a Spanish one-two 6.9-seconds back as they crossed the finish line. First to congratulate an emotional Canas on his win was Batlle, the 2012 World Champion & 3-time European Champion signing off with an 11th place after a tyre issue. Ongaro would complete the podium, the European title once again eluding the 3-time World Champion, while Ronnefalk took claimed 4th ahead of Burak Kilic, his brother Berkan retiring from the race just before the half hour mark.

Inage: Sworkz [sworkz.com]

June 24, 2026

Edmunds joins Sparko

Having been without a 1:8 Buggy sponsor since his departure from the Mayako Youth Mentoring Program last year, Australian offroad talent Jayden Edmunds has been announced as Sparko Racing’s latest team recruit. The 20-year-old from Adelaide native has already proved himself as a formidable competitors and brings a wealth of experience and an impressive list of achievements to the Taiwanese manufacturer. A winner and multiple podium finisher in the Asia Buggy Championships, on the announced Edmunds, who represents Schumacher in 1:10 Offroad, said, ‘Super happy for this to be announced! A massive thank you to Jaden Power for the opportunity to be apart of the team for a long term partnership, I’ll be with the team for the rest of 2026 and 2027. Lots of time and thought went into this decision and I’m confident I made the right one for a long term home.’

Source: Sparko Racing [sparkoracing.com]