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April 24, 2026

First big TQ for Iivonen at ABC Malaysia

Mayako’s Pekko Iivonen is the Top Qualifier at the second round of the Asian Buggy Championship, the Finn taking the final round of qualifying to win the shot out with Kyosho’s Phi-Long Nguyen and Sworkz’s Caleb Noble. The battle for pole between the drivers from three different continents was set as they each posted a TQ run over the opening qualifiers but laying down the fastest time to take the fourth round it was Iivonen who claimed his first major international TQ honours. His third appearance in the Team Cayote/VP-Pro backed Championship, the Finn drove a near perfect final qualifier in a close battle with ABC debutant Nguyen until on the last lap. With Iivonen running just behind him on track, the teenager made a mistake that sealed the deal for Iivonen. The American will line-up P2 for the 45-minute final with ABC race winners Noble and Jayden Edmunds starting 3rd and 4th respectively. Nguyen would get the better of Iivonen in eBuggy taking the final round in the fastest time to become the Top Qualifier on tie-break, both drivers having two TQ runs each. In Nitro Truggy, with Noble having already secured pole position in Q3, Ken NG would take the final round and his Sparko truggy will line-up second on the track which he has been a key figure in developing into an impressive facility.

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April 24, 2026

Nguyen & Iivonen add TQ runs at Asian Buggy Championships

With three rounds of qualifying in the books at the Asian Buggy Championships, the LAP Paradise RC Raceway in Malaysia has given us different TQ runs from three different drivers representing 3 different manufacturers, Kyosho’s Phi-Long Nguyen topping Q2 and Mayako’s Pekko Iivonen delivering in Q3. With Sworkz’s Caleb Noble opening nitro buggy qualifying with the fastest time, the stage is now set for an exciting fourth & final qualifier with all three drivers in the hunt for the overall TQ honours. After a mistake in Q1, Top Seed Nguyen made amends with a cleaner run to take a close TQ ahead of Iivonen and Noble, the three covered by just over a second. In Q3 it was Iivonen’s turn to execute a clean 5-minute run and he took the round by a significant 4.2-second margin over his Australian and American rivals who both had mistakes resulting in costly seconds lost. In eBuggy, Iivonen would make it back to back TQ run in Q3, while in Nitro Truggy, ABC New Zealand winner Noble locked in the overall TQ with a third consecutive TQ run allowing him to sit out Q4 and focus solely on buggy.

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April 24, 2026

Noble TQ’s opening qualifier at ABC Malaysia

Sworkz’s Caleb Noble has TQ’d the opening round of qualifying at the second round of the Asian Buggy Championships in Malaysia. The Australian set the pace in the first of the four scheduled Nitro Buggy qualifiers at LAP Paradise RC Raceway by just over a second from Mayako’s Pekko Iivonen. Having topped yesterday’s seeding, Kyosho’s Phi-Long Nguyen would suffer two mistakes on his opening effort, the second of which cost him over 6-seconds. While setting the fastest lap the American wouldn’t recover the loss and finished P3 almost 5-seconds back on Noble. Australian Jared Ment at the wheel of a Team Associated would set the fourth fastest time followed by the Sworkz of Adrian Wicaksono. Having dominated the Team Cayote/VP-Pro backed ABC season opener in New Zealand, Noble would do the double in the nitro classes this morning also TQ’ing Truggy ahead of Jayden Edmunds while a clean run in eBuggy saw Nguyen top the times ahead of Iivonen and Edmunds.

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April 23, 2026

Nguyen top seed at Malaysian ABC encounter

Making his Asian Buggy Championships debut as the 1:8 Offroad Championship makes its first visit to Malaysia this weekend, Kyosho’s Phi-Long Nguyen has topped seeding at the impressive LAP Paradise RC Raceway in Johor Bahru. With rain briefly interrupting proceedings during the second of the two seeding rounds, the 15-year-old American talent set the fastest two consecutive laps for both rounds both in Nitro and eBuggy. Behind it was Mayako’s Pekko Iivonen who was the closest challenger, the Finn 8/10ths of a second off in the first & faster of the rounds, driver’s fastest laps being in the 38-seconds. Having dominated the opening round of the Team Cayote/VP-Pro backed ABC in New Zealand in March, new 2026 Sworkz signing Caleb Noble completed the Top 3 half a second off Iivonen. In was an another of the championship’s Australian regulars and race winners Jayden Edmunds, also driving an Sworkz in fourth, with Ken NG, a key figure behind Round 2 host track, completing the Top 5 with his Kyosho.

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April 21, 2026

Nguyen to make Asian Buggy Champs debut at first Malaysian encounter

Young Kyosho star Phi-Long Nguyen will make his Asian Buggy Championships debut this weekend as Malaysia hosts the latest round of the Scotty Ernst promoted championship for the very first time. Now in its fourth season, reigning back to back FEMCA Champion Nguyen will join ABC championship regulars at the impressive LAP Paradise RC Raceway for the second of the 4 round Team Cayote/VP Pro backed 1:8 Offroad Championship. The American will be compete against Mayako’s Pekko Iivonen, Sworkz’s Caleb Noble, who dominated the season opener in New Zealand in March, team-mate Jayden Edmunds and Mayako’s Logan Toia. On his Asian Buggy Championships debut the teenager said, ‘The series as I have seen in the past is amazingly organized and well run with Scotty behind the mic the world will be heard. Lap Paradise looks like a perfect track to improve on high traction and we can’t wait to visit Malaysia which is another beautiful Asian country.’

Source: Asian Buggy Championships [Facebook]

April 20, 2026

Pariente brothers 1-2 at Spanish Nationals Round 2

The Pariente brothers achieved a special 1-2 finish at the second round of the AECAR 1:8 Nitro Buggy Spanish National Championship, while Adrian took the TQ honours it was Daniel who took the win by 5-seconds over his sibling. Racing at the Circuito CARTT Fuencarral in Madrid, host track of this year’s European Championships, qualifying would open with the Sworkz of Robert Batlle taking Q1 but fastest over the next three rounds it was Adrian’s Sparko that secure the overall TQ ahead Daniel’s Tekno. Batlle would end up P3 ahead of Round 1 winner and defending Champion Juan Carlos Canas. With no major dramas in the Semi Finals, in the 45-minute final the brothers executed a perfect race with a flawless drive from Daniel netting him the win from Adrian, who won last year’s season finale. Finishing on the same lap as the brothers Canas couldn’t take the challenge to them but adds valuable championship points with a podium finish. Mugen’s David Todd Nieto would finish P4.

Image: Adrian Pariente [Facebook]

April 20, 2026

Zalewski dominates EOS finale, Orlowski double series Champion

Having taken the 2WD win on Friday, Xray’s Bartek Zalewski made it a dominant weekend at the second & final round of the Euro Offroad Series by also taking the 4WD TQ and win. Claiming his first ever EOS win in 2WD, the switch to 4WD at the Hudy Arena hosted event saw the young Polish racer continue his form as he took 3 of the 5 qualifiers to secure pole position. Lining up behind him, having topped two rounds, would be EOS Daun double winner Michal Orlowski with his Schumacher team-mate Daniel Kobbevik completing the Top 3. In the finals on the long 30-second lap times polished dirt track, A1 would see Zalewski win from Kobbevik who got ahead of his team-mate. With both Zalewski and Orlowski dipping into the 29-seconds with their fastest laps in A2, the latter couldn’t do anything to deny his countryman the double as he again took the win. Orlowski would win A3 from Kobbevik and this was the order they would join Zalweski on the podium. Overall, it was Orlowski who became the overall series Champion of both 2WD and 4WD.

Image: Michal Orlowski [Facebook]

April 20, 2026

Champlin & Lemieux win ROAR Carpet Offroad Nationals

Schumacher’s Broc Champlin and Xray’s Chase Lemieux are the 2026 ROAR Carpet Offroad National Champions, Champlin defending his 4WD title while Lemieux becomes the new 2WD Champion. Racing at Maximus R/C Raceway in Seabrook, New Hampshire, it was Champlin who came into the event as the double back tp back defending Champion and qualifying would see the 2WD World Champion line-up P3 for both classes. In 2WD it was Phend who took the TQ over the four qualifiers ahead of team-mate Lemieux. In 4WD, it was Schumacher’s Brennan Schimmel who took the TQ on tiebreak with Lemieux, them both recording two TQ runs each. In 2WD it was Lemieux who took the A1 win ahead of Champlin as Phend dropped to P4 and again getting to the front to win A2, this time aheads of Phend, Lemieux locked in his first National title. With Phend second, Schimmel completed the podium. In 4WD Schimmel converted TQ into an A1 but winning A2 & tasking a later A3 win it was Champlin who tok the overall to retain his title. Despite a rough A2, Schimmel fnished runner-up with Phend taking the final step on the podium.

Image: ROAR Racing [Facebook]