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November 19, 2025

2025 SIGP Offroad Chassis Focus Index

China’s top annual international offroad race, the 2025 Sunpadow International Grand Prix (SIGP) once again earned itself a reputation of being ‘challenging’, the 3 Circles track one where suspension set-up is critical. Only the second edition of the race since its return to the former 1:10 Offroad World Championship venue following a 4-year break, World Champions Bruno Coelho and David Ronnefalk returned knowing what to expect. For newcomers like Kouki Kato, who would go on to take the nitro win, Pekko Iivonen, and young Korean talent Jung Hyunkyu, the track would be a completely new experience that would test their set-up skills on a new level. Ronnefalk summed up the SIGP track very well when he said, ‘You’re not justing battling the other guy, I feel like more here you are battling the track out there so that’s offroad. It’s not many times you race on a track like this anymore so it’s good to feel what it used to be like in the old days I guess.’ With shocks the big focus of drivers, Belgian shock components specialist brand TRC busy assisting many drivers with getting their buggies dialled in, getting our hands on buggies for our Chassis Focus proved a little more challenging than normal as drivers switched shocks between Nitro and eBuggy. In the end we managed to feature 10 buggies from 6 drivers and 4 different manufacturers and we have compiled them in our latest Chassis Focus Index.

View Chassis Focus Index here

November 17, 2025

Champlin wins Florida Carpet Championships

In a repeat of last year’s result it was Schumacher pairing Broc Champlin and Michal Orlowski who took the wins at the annual JConcepts Florida Carpet Championship, Champlin however crowned overall Champion at at Beachline Raceway in Orlando. In 2WD Buggy it was the newly crowned World Champion Champlin who took the TQ with 3 TQ runs from 4 rounds ahead of Orlowski with new 4WD World Champion Marcus Kaerup’s Associated third ahead of team-mate Joona Haatanen, who topped Q3, and the Xray of Dakotah Phend. In 4WD, again Champlin set the pace this time ahead of his other Schumacher team-mate Daniel Kobbevik, the Norwegian the only other driver to manage a TQ run. Team Associated’s Aydin Horne would secure third ahead of Orlowski with Brennan Schimmel the best of the Xrays in P5. In the finals it was Orlowski who took the opening 2WD win ahead of Haatanen and Champlin who had a mistake while out front. Unfortunately contact at the start of A2 between Champlin and Orlowski ended the Polish drivers challenge as his buggy ended up on its roof while Champlin remained out front to win ahead of Haatanen and Phend. With another win in A3 Champlin was able to repeat his 2024 2WD victory. In 4WD Orlowski took the opener from Champlin after a mistake from the pole sitter and he would seal the 4WD victory with another win in A2 after Champlin again had a moment while in the lead just after the 1-minute mark. Champlin won A3 to finish runner-up in 4WD which together with his 2WD crowned his the overall JConcepts Florida Carpet Championships winner for the second year in a row.

Image: JConcepts [Facebook]

November 14, 2025

Jones joins Team Cayote USA

Team Cayote USA has announced the addition of Tyler Jones to its race team. The 2021 Silver State Pro eBuggy winner and two-time Georgia Peach State Classic Pro Nitro Buggy Champion will be running Team Cayote electronics to power his Sparko eBuggy and with use the company’s recently released X5 Charger as part of his race equipment. Earlier this year Jones made his international race debut when he travelled to Brisbane, Australia, for Round 3 of the Team Cayote Asian Buggy Championships finishing 3rd overall in eBuggy and 5th in Nitro.

Source: Team Cayote USA [Facebook]

November 14, 2025

Vintage Bash 4.0 Sets New Record 483 Entries – Report

Taking place in Melbourne recently with Atsushi Hara among those in attendance, Vintage Bash 4.0 has cemented its position as Australia’s premier vintage off-road RC event, delivering a spectacular four-day celebration that blended nostalgia, racing heritage, and modern festival energy. Hosted at the Knox RC Track, VB4.0 once again raised the bar with an incredible 483 entries, breaking its own national record and reaffirming its status as the largest RC racing event ever held in Australia. The Vintage Bash attracts racers from across Australia, along with an impressive roster of international visitors flying in from Japan, Spain, Indonesia, New Zealand, Canada, and the USA. This global participation added a remarkable multicultural richness to the paddock, reflecting the universal appeal of vintage RC racing and the strong reputation the Bash has built worldwide. More than just a race meeting, Vintage Bash 4.0 delivered a full festival-style experience. Enthusiasts of classic-era machines were treated to relaxed racing across iconic classes, a beautifully curated concours, and the crowd-favourite 1989 IFMAR Worlds re-enactment, which became a centrepiece of the weekend’s nostalgia.

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November 10, 2025

Maifield wins Alabama Manufacturers Shootout

Ryan Maifield took the big win at this year’s Alabama Manufacturers Shootout, the Tekno driver beating 2024 winner Juan Carlos Canas to take Nitro Buggy at the 16th edition of the race. With AMS 16.0 attracting a strong European entry, it was Maifield who secured the TQ honours ahead of his team-mate Seth Vandalen, Mugen Seiki’s Burak Kilic, Canas’ Sworkz, and the Xray of Dakotah Phend. Winning the Super Pole race from Vandalen, Phend, Berkan Kilic, as Canas finished back in 12th behind Burak putting them towards the back of the starting grid, Maifield would lead away the 16-car 45-minute main. From the front he led from start to finish as Spaniard Canas and Turk Burak worked their way up through the field, Canas setting the fastest to finish second with Burak completing the podium ahead of Vandalen. Maifield would also TQ Nitro Truggy ahead of Kyosho’s Phi Long Nguyen before going on to win from Burak Kilic and Phend. In eBuggy Phend would deny Canas a repeat of his win from last year with Brandon Rose completing the podium.

Image: JConcepts [jconcepts.net]

November 10, 2025

TRC signs suspension deal with Coelho

With them working with and advising a number of top drivers at both the Hongyu GDC opening race and the Sunpadow International Grand Prix in China the past two weekends, Belgian shock components specialist brand TRC has announced the signing of multiple World and European Champion Bruno Coelho to their team. The Portuguese driver will be representing TRC on the international stage, using their shock pistons and suspension components along with calling on its founder’s suspension knowledge at upcoming races. Known for his precision and versatility across both electric touring and nitro offroad classes, Coelho, who took the SIGP eBuggy win on the suspension critical 3 Circles track, brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record to the brand. TRC stated that they are proud to support Coelho’s racing program and view the partnership as a step forward in their commitment to performance and reliability. The collaboration marks a new chapter for TRC, aligning with their focus on innovation and precision to perform.

Source: TRC [trc-store.com]

November 10, 2025

Asian Buggy Championships announce 2026 calendar

With their new 2025 Champion Kouki Kato taking a thrilling win at the Sunpadow International Grand Prix in China over the weekend, the organisers of the Team Cayote Asian Buggy Championships have announced the venues & dates for the 2026 Championship. Set to enter into its fourth season, the 1:8 Offroad championship will again consist of 4-rounds that visit four countries across the Asia-Pacific region, including three returning tracks and one new destination. Again the ‘ABC’ will kick off in New Zealand, the opening round set for the end of February/start of March. With the championship growing out of Asia’s most famous annual offroad race, the Philippine Masters, after the hugely popular Circulo Verde track closed following the 2025 edition, the Philippines will opt out of the schedule for 2026 with racers instead travelling to new territories and the LAP Paradise RC Raceway in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, for Round 2. Attracting its biggest international entry this year, Pine Hills Dirt Racing track in Brisbane, Australia, hosts Round 3 in the middle of July. The championship, which has enjoyed growth each season, will then conclude at West Side RaceWay in Jakarta, Indonesia, which proved a massive hit with racers on its ABC debut. With championship points accrued across all four races, the best three of four rounds will crown the 2026 champions. Details on race entry, including classes for each round, will be announced shortly.

View 2026 Calendar here

November 9, 2025

Kato takes thrilling last lap SIGP victory in China

Infinity’s Kouki Kato has just taken one of the most exciting wins of his career, the Japanese driver winning the Sunpadow International Grand Prix after a thrilling last lap duel with Top Qualifier & majority race leader David Ronnefalk following 45-minutes of racing around the very challenging 3 Circles track in Xiamen. With Chinese host track of the 2017 1:10 Offroad World Championships famed for its challenging bumpy conditions, it looked like Ronnefalk had taken control of the race with the main battle being for second place between Kato and his team-mate Bruno Coelho. However a track that even the world’s best respect as being one of the most challenge there is, it didn’t take much for Ronnefalk’s lead to be eroded. Passed by Kato on lap 56 of 80, the 19-year-old with hold the former World Champion at bay for 9-laps until a mistake with 7-minutes remaining, the local crowd invested in the racing and providing exciting audio as the leading drivers fell foul of track conditions. Back in front and with the clock ticking down, Ronnefalk would again get tripped up by the track on the penultimate lap. Coming of the main straight side by side to start the final lap, just as the computer signalled the finish of the 45-minutes, the pair took the jump on to the back straight and touched in the air both buggies tumbling but Kato having the better luck landing on his wheels. While Ronnefalk tried to get back in touch over the remainder of the 34-seconds lap it wasn’t to happen and Kato took the win, the crowd appreciative of the thrilling finish. Behind, by over 8-seconds, it was once again Coelho, winner of the eBuggy finals, who completed the nitro podium while Pekko Iivonen and Jung Hyunkyu were best of the rest in fourth & fifth.

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