Red RC » R Off Road

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]

January 13, 2026

2026 Desert Classic – Announcement

2023 IFMAR 1:10 Offroad World Championship host venue Hobby Action has opened registration for the 10th Annual Desert Classic which takes place at the Arizona indoor track from March 5-8th. Under track owner Larry Tom, the Desert Classic has established itself as an early season fixture on the 1:10 Offroad calendar filling the void left after the iconic Cactus Classic lost its outdoor track location after the 2014 edition. Attracting 32o entries, last year’s edition saw wins for Xray’s Chase Lemieux (2WD) and Team Associated’s Aydin Horne (4WD). Continuing to be supported by long time sponsor Stickit1 Racing, the race schedule will consist of 4 rounds of qualifying with the best three to count with triple finals for all 2WD and 4WD classes and 10-minute Mains for Truck classes.

View race poster here

January 13, 2026

Back to back Silver State wins for Fuller

Sworkz’s Mason Fuller has claimed back to back Nitro Buggy victories at Silver State Indoor Championships. With the young American talent taking a break through win at the high profile annual Las Vegas based race last April, he would back it up with victory at this year’s earlier running of the Joey Christensen event. In qualifying it was Kyosho’s Phi-Long Nguyen, who was on the podium last year, who took the TQ ahead of the Tekno pairing Seth VanDalen & Ryan Maifield, Sworkz’s Camden Lime, and Kyosho’s Ryan Lutz, the latter topping the first of the 3 qualifiers. In the 45-minute final it was looking set to be a super close battle between Nguyen and Fuller but a flame out as the race reached 3/4 distant would deny the talented teenager a chance at his first big win. With his main challenger gone, Fuller was able to claim the win with a 24-seconds advantage over Team Associated’s Spencer Rivkin while VanDalen completed the podium. In eBuggy, Nguyen also took the TQ and after an incident packed final lap claimed the win ahead of Fuller and Tekno’s Jared Wiggins. Lutz had looked on target to win the 10-minute encounter but landed funny on the last lap handing Fuller the lead but he got hit by Maifield who in turn received contact from eventual winner Nguyen. In Truggy it was Maifield who took both the Nitro and Electric wins.

Image: JConcepts [Facebook]

January 7, 2026

Alpha Plus to power Cavalieri’s Nitro Program

Taiwanese engine manufacturer Alpha Plus has announced that it has signed multiple 1:10 Electric Offroad World Champion Ryan Cavalieri to its factory team. A brand that is best known for powering factory Kyosho driver Ryan Lutz, who has represent them well for a number of years now, Alpha Plus will supply engines for Cavalieri’s Mayako buggies which he races as part of his deal with Joseph Quagraine’s Invisible Speed brand. Cavalieri had previously run for Italian engine manufacturer Nova Engines. On making the announcement, Alpha Plus posted they were ‘excited to announce that World Champion Ryan Cavalieri has officially joined the Alpha Plus factory team as a driver for the 2026 season and beyond. With Ryan’s experience, talent, and championship pedigree, we’re proud to welcome him to the Alpha Plus family and look forward to pushing the limits together on tracks around the world. Be sure to look out for Ryan at this week’s Silverstate race in Las Vegas, where he will be running the Alpha Falcon Spec-B engine paired with the Alpha 2159 exhaust pipe system. Welcome to the team, Ryan.’ In addition to his engine change for 2026, Cavalieri has also switched from TZO tyres to Hotrace for the new season.

Source: Alpha Plus [alpha-rc.com]

January 6, 2026

Sturdy moves to Schumacher for 2026

After 9-years with Team Associated, multiple Australian National Offroad Champion Chris Sturdy has been confirmed as joining Schumacher for 2026. Schumacher described the signing of Sturdy as ‘a great addition to our high level Off Road team.’ Announcing his departure from Team Associated back in November, giving his reaction to joining the British manufacturer & newly crowned 1:10 2WD World Champions Sturdy said, ‘I am beyond thrilled to be joining Schumacher for the 2026 season! Schumacher is where my story began and this feels like a homecoming for me. I look forward to joining the Schumacher Family and representing the Historic name and brand, as well as working with the team, both locally and abroad. A thank you to Harvey, Robin and all those at Schumacher for welcoming me on board for 2026.’

Source: Schumacher [racing-cars.com]

January 6, 2026

Batta joins Hobbywing

Hobbywing has officially announced the addition of IFMAR 1:10 2WD Offroad World Championship podium finisher Davey Batta to their team for 2026 and beyond. The 20-year-old, who previously represented R1 Wurks, returns to Hobbywing and will use their electronics as part of his package as a Team Associated driver. Winning 2WD over the weekend at the Clash of Champions, on the announcement the American said, ‘Really Excited to be back with Hobbywing for the 2026 Season and Beyond! Huge thank you to Charlie, Matty G, and Spencer Rivkin for helping me hit the ground running with the equipment. Hobbywing has proven to set and raise the bar for power. I’m excited to be a part of the amazing team!’

Source: Hobbywing [hobbywing.com]