December 22, 2025

Weiss joins RC Maker for racing return

Former European Championship Top Qualifier & Vice Champion Steve Weiss is returning to competitive Electric Touring Car racing with Australian manufacturer RC Maker announcing the signing of the German driver.  After almost nine years away from active competition, Weiss will support RC Maker as a Technical Advisor, assisting the team at all major races. With his deep knowledge of car setup, car development, and race strategy, he will play a key role in helping the team grow stronger and move forward.  On the announcement Weiss said, ‘I am very proud to be part of this young and talented team. I first met Ryan in 2008 at the IFMAR World Championship in Bangkok, Thailand, and now, 18 years later, we are working together again.  Even though I stopped my active racing career in 2016, my passion for the sport never stopped.  I have followed RC Maker from the beginning, starting with the release of the SP1. I am really impressed by the design, the performance on track, and how fast the brand has grown in such a short time. Being part of this journey means a lot to me, and I am proud to work together with RC Maker.  I am fully motivated, ready for this challenge, and excited about what’s coming next.’

Source: RC Maker [rcmaker.com.au]


December 19, 2025

Nitro Party 2026 China – Registration Open

Fresh from hosting the biggest Asia Touring Car Championship in FEMCA history last weekend, all visiting drivers hugely impressed by the massive multi track facility, Hongyu GDC has announced that registration for the inaugural Nitro Party on January 24-25, 2026, is open.  Since the Chinese venue announced it would host the nitro onroad race on its large 80m X 43m track, Nitro Party has attracted world wide interest with 2024 European 1:8 GT Champion Natanaele Senesi the first international driver to confirm he will travel to the city of Foshan to fight for 1:8 GT honours.  With a number of manufacturers expressing interest in sending drivers to the race it is expected to be one of the biggest nitro onroad races in Asia.  With China lifting Visa entry requirements for many European countries and Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN) one of the country’s main international airports attending the race is very accessible.  Hongyu GDC is also within walking distance of a number of hotel options making it very convenient for racers and their crews.  With classes for 1:8 Onroad, 1:8 GT Nitro and Electric, and 1:10 Nitro Touring Car, the race will feature spec tyres and controlled fuel.  Teaming up with RC racing registration platform RC Race Pal (RRP), you can register your entry here where you will also find more details about each of the classes that will make up the inaugural Nitro Party.  Having just recently covered the IFMAR 1:8 Onroad World Championship in Chile, Red RC is excited that we will be returning to the very impressive Hongyu GDC track to cover the Nitro Party and we are very much looking forward to experiencing the unique sounds & smells of top level nitro onroad racing again.

View track images here


December 18, 2025

Midland Indoor Carpet C/ship Round 2 – Report

Based in Telford in the UK, Round 2 of the Midland Indoor Carpet Championship took place last weekend where fresh from his IFMAR 1:8 Onroad World Championship Finale debut in Chile, Alex Thurston took the Modified TC win.  It was Thurston who continued his dominance from Round 1 to take TQ in all 4 rounds.  Stefan Chodzynski would line up 2nd followed by Peter Eagles.  Junior Andrea Torregiani lined up 4th with Liam Brookes and Sam Richardson close behind in 5th and 6th.  Less than a second separating the three drivers.  Thurston edged out Chodzynski in a nail-biting finish, with only a tiny margin separating the two at the finish.  Eagles completed a fiercely competitive podium, finishing just behind the top two in what was one of the closest three-way battles of the season so far.  Richardson, Alex Bold, and Liam Brooks were all tightly bunched behind the leaders, trading positions and keeping the intensity high throughout the race.  Paul Chambers would cross the line in 7th, while Torregiani had a final to forget despite showing amazing speed all day.

Continue reading here


December 17, 2025

2026 MIBO International Race – Registration Open

Now on its fourth edition, registration for the 2026 MIBO International Race on Feb 27th – Mar 1st is open.  Created in 2023 off the back of the very successful Mibo Cup Race Series, MIBO International is a unique event that brings together both 1:10 electric onroad and offroad racing with the building of two tracks side by side inside the Sport V Hotel in Hrotovice, Czech Republic.  Under the guidance of former international touring car racer Michal Bok, the race has attracted numerous World Champions and counts Bruno Coelho, Ronald VolkerMichal Orlowski, Joern Nuemann and Bartek Zaleswki among its winners over the previous 3 editions.  One of the attractions of MIBO International is its condensed timetable of just two and a half days, the Mibosport promoted race getting underway on the Friday afternoon with practice allowing for travel Friday morning.  Another popular aspect of the race is the venue, everything from the track, restaurant, bowling alley, and hotel rooms all under the one roof of the Sport V Hotel.  You can find full details for the 2026 MIBO International Race and register to be on the grid via the Mibosport website by clicking here.

Source: MIBO [mibosport.com]


December 16, 2025

Team Yokomo announces new ‘ABC Driver System’

Japanese manufacturer Yokomo has announced a new driver development system it is calling its ‘ABC Driver System’.  The 2016 Touring Car World Champions, a title they won with Ronald Volker when 2026 host nation China last held racing’s most important title race, Yokomo say the are introducing the new system to form a team to maximise its brand presence.  Under the new hierarchy, the team pyramid structure will be headed by the Global Manager under which there will be the A level of drivers.  These ‘Factory Team Drivers’ will be race international winners and be directly included in product development feedback.  The B level will be formed of Regional Team Drivers with the objective of winning regional races and providing advice for local users.  The C level will be for ‘Grassroots Ambassador’ and is for Influencer on social media.  Having led the brand for the last number of years achieving a Worlds podium in Italian in 2022, Christopher Krapp will fill the role of Global Manager while the Factory Team drivers for 2026 will be Frederick Hovgaard, Antoni Caretti, Natanaele Senesi, and Fabian Luca Widmer.

View Pyramid Structure here


December 14, 2025

Coelho retains Asia Touring Car title with dominant finals display

Infinity’s Bruno Coelho has retained his Asia Touring Car Championship title with a dominant display in the finals in Foshan, China.  With this year’s FEMCA organised race attracting a stacked field due to the Hongyu GDC track hosting the World Championships next April, while qualifying produced TQ runs from three different drivers, in the finals the reigning World Champion was untouchable.  His closest challenge would come from Awesomatix’s Lucas Urbain and while the French driver was closer in A2 he never really put Coelho’s title under threat.  Winning A2 to secure the overall victory but feeling his set-up change for A2 wasn’t the right one, Coelho would run A3 going on to win that with the first & only 20-lap run of the weekend.  While Urbain would crash out in A3, Naoto Matsukura fending off Michal Orlowski for P2, he would hold on for second overall while Orlowski completed the podium.  Ryosuke Yamamoto and Pekko Iivonen completed the Top 5 overall ahead of Matsukura and Akio Sobue.  In 13.5 Stock, it was also the Top Qualifier Shin Sawada who took the title.  After a bad start to the finals spinning on lap 1, the Xray driver won A2 & 3 from team-mate Adam Izsay.  Unfortunately the delayed time schedule meant ARC’s A1 winner Enrico Jung had to leave for his flight back to Germany so it was Jan Ratheisky who completed the all Xray podium.

Continue reading here


December 14, 2025

Coelho cruises to A1 win at Asia Touring Car Championship

Bruno Coelho cruised to victory in the opening A-Main of the Asia Touring Car Championship, the Infinity driver ending up with a one & a half second advantage over Lucas Urbain who came under pressure from a hard charging Michal Orlowski.  As the Top Qualifier, Coelho would break clear of the field over the opening lap of the large Hongyu GDC track, helped by Urbain having to battle his own Awesomatix as it got out of shape.  Starting from 3rd, Naoto Matsukura also had to fight with his car first allowing 6th place starter Orlowski through for 3rd before a second off, in which he got stuck in the track’s infield, dropped the Japanese driver to last.  Schumacher’s Pekko Iivonen was the benefactor finishing P4 ahead of Infinity’s Ryosuke Yamamoto.  In the opening 13.5T Stock A-Main, it was the prototype ARC of Enrico Jung who took the win ending Xray’s qualification domination.  Having secured the TQ, Shin Sawada would, after a jump start, spin out on the opening lap allowing Xray team-mate Jan Ratheisky go to the front.  Passed by Jung, he soon found himself back in front as Jung got crossed up but it wasn’t for long as the 3rd place qualifier again got to the front where he would stay to the end to win comfortably by 2.8 seconds from Ratheisky and Martus Benetin.

Continue reading here


December 14, 2025

Coelho ‘Top Qualifier’ in China with Q3 TQ run

Infinity’s Bruno Coelho is the Top Qualifier at the Asia Touring Car Championship in China, the race’s defending Champion securing pole position when he topped the third & final qualifier.  The Top Seed going into qualifying on Friday, Coelho would become the third different driver to top the timings at the Hongyu GDC track taking the final round ahead of Q2 winner Lucas Urbain but with his TQ run time faster on the improving track conditions it was the Portuguese driver who is the Top Qualifier.  Setting the fastest time of all qualifying on Friday night, before the rain washed out Saturday’s action, Naoto Matsukura would get a 3 for the final round to secure third on the grid ahead of Axon’s Akio Sobue and Infinity’s Ryosuke Yamamoto.  Michal Orlowski completes the Top 6 grid line-up after the Schumacher driver needed marshalling in the final qualifier.  In Stock, it was Xray domination of proceedings with their drivers topping all three rounds.  Q1 would go to Shin Sawada, Q2 Adam Izsay, and Q3 Jan Ratheisky but overall it is Sawada who takes the overall TQ ahead of Ratheisky, with the ARC prototype of Enrico Jung completing the Top 3 ahead of Izsay.

Continue reading here


Mibosport
VP Racing
T-Works