Red RC » R On Road

March 7, 2026

FEMCA requests postponement of World Championship

FEMCA, the bloc responsible for the hosting of this year’s 1:12 & ISTC World Championships in China has officially made a requested to IFMAR for the postponement of the back to back events given the current situation in the Middle East. The Far East Model Car Association (FEMCA), the governing body for RC racing that represents 15 nations in Asia and Australasia, in consultation with the race organiser Hongyu GDC made the following post on its social media, ‘FEMCA has been monitoring the situation developing in the middle east. After serious consideration to the potential safety risk that could impact drivers from the other parts of the world. The organizer and FEMCA looked at the financial impact and decided that the conscious path is to ensure that ALL racers will be able to arrive and return safely and peacefully was the better judgement. With that FEMCA and the Organizer has formally written to IFMAR requesting to postpone the upcoming 1/12 and ISTC World Championships which is scheduled to be held in Foshan, China at the end of March and first Week of April. Pending a decision from IFMAR on their approval for postponement a date will be proposed as an alternative shortly thereafter.’ With IFMAR having on posted yesterday that they planned to proceed with the events, but that they would continue to follow developments of the situation, the registered 1:12 and Touring Car racers now await a decision from IFMAR.

Source: FEMCA [Facebook]

March 6, 2026

IFMAR clarification on Electric Onroad Worlds in China

With the back to back hosting of the 1:12 and ISTC World Championships in Foshan, China, less than 3-weeks away, the World governing body IFMAR has issued a statement to clarify the situation surrounding the event and the current conflict in the Middle East. Having contacted drivers earlier in the week regarding flights, the Middle East a major travel hub for European’s travelling to Asia, today they issued clarification posting that while concerned by the unrest in the Middle East and its potential impact on travel they wanted to make it clear they are not seeking for postponement or cancellation of the event at this time. The Board of Directors added they have also requested to be provided with formal communication from the host local government having been made aware of discussions happening between the host and their local government regarding the Worlds hosting and a request to *consider* postponing the championships. The 22nd running of the 1:12 World Championship is set to take place at very impressive Hongyu GDC facility from March 26-29th followed by the 13th running of the World Championship for 1:10 Electric Touring Car from April 1-4.

View full clarification post from IFMAR here

March 5, 2026

Serpent sign Florida WinterNats winner Bruneau

Serpent has announced the signing of Joachim Bruneau to its factory team, the US racer the winner of the recent 50th edition of the famous Florida Winternats. Campaigning the pioneering nitro onroad manufacturer’s Viper 990R, which was released at the end of 2025, on the announcement Bruneau said, ‘I spent the first 8 years of my RC Racing career driving serpent cars and having owned my first Serpent car more than 25 years ago, joining Serpent as a factory driver is a dream come true. I can’t wait to learn from the incredible talent that is already at Serpent and to offer any value I may have to bring. Special thanks to Joaquin Desoto for the opportunity!’

Source: Serpent [serpent.com]

March 4, 2026

The Direct Drive Experiment by Jilles Groskamp

This has the potential to break the internet as touring car racers dissect every aspect of his creation but credit to Jilles Groskamp for this super interesting build he has called ‘The Direct Drive Experiment’. A driver renowned for his technical knowledge and attention to detail in developing car set-ups, having been a kingpin in the glory days of the Tamiya Racing Factory team, the IFMAR World Champion has created a very special Infinity IF14 Speciale that no longer features a drivetrain! Instead the Cayote electronics sponsored driver has fitted the car with four in-wheel drone 1400Kv motors with independent control of each using a micro controllers. Putting the car through its paces at his home track the MACH in the Netherlands, where he won his 2012 ISTC World Championship, could the reigning Nitro Touring Car World Champion be onto something and have just created the future direction for electric touring car design? Watch his video of the experiment here.

Source: Jilles Groskamp [Facebook]

March 3, 2026

Elias doubles at South American Championships

Brazilian Nitro Onroad stalwart Flavio Elias completed a double at the long running South American Championships winning both the 1:8 Onroad and 1:8 GT titles in Argentina over the weekend. Going into this year’s event as the defending GT champion having won that title, and finished 3rd in 1:8 Onroad, at the World’s host track CACH in Chile in 2025, the Capricorn/Ielasi Tuned driver kicked off the action at the Mendoza track by securing the GT TQ from Chile’s Alvaro Jara. In 1:8 Onroad he would also take the TQ this time ahead of Argentina’s Emilio Lanzilotta. In the 45-minute GT final, the 2025 IFMAR GT World Championship podium finisher would take a dominant win ahead of Jara who had a close battle with third place Franco Anderlucci. The 1:8 Onroad final would also see the 1:8 Onroad World Finalist be the class of the field to lead home Lanzilotta with Alexandro Giardino completing the podium.

Image: Ielasi Tuned [Facebook]

March 1, 2026

Volker adds third MIBO International win

Mugen Seiki’s Ronald Volker has won a third MIBO International, the Touring Car Champion successfully defending his title with another dominant performance in the Czech Republic. Securing the overall TQ after 3 rounds of qualifying, the German kicked of finals day with a 5th TQ run before going on to win all 3 A-Mains on this year’s new Racestars designed & built track. While the former World Champion had the edge of the rest of the field, the big battle of the weekend would be really for the other two podium places with Xray’s Adam Izsay the only one to mix it against Mugen team in Hrotovice. While 2025 TITC Open Brushless Champion Sören Sparbier managed to get by Izsay for second in the opening encounter, Iszay, helped by a mistake from Sparbier, held position in A2 and again in A3 to finish overall runner-up. Making his MIBO debut Sparbier complete the podium denying team-mate Patrick Gollner a repeat of his 2025 result. While Volker notched up his third Modified title this year ahead of Iszay, the Hungarian who really impressive in the opening two Modified qualifiers, would achieve the same in Stock. Winning A1 & 2 to defend his title, Iszay was joined on the podium by A3 winner Jaroslav Kriz with Tobias Sutrich claiming the 3rd step. In FWD, Phil Langer was another to defend his 2025 win leading home Loris Buchhalt and previous FWD winner Stefan Schulz.

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February 28, 2026

Volker Top Qualifier at MIBO International

As a two time winner of MIBO International, Mugen Seiki’s Ronald Volker will chase a third win of the Czech race tomorrow from pole position after claiming the overall TQ honours will a perfect day on the carpet. While it was Xray’s Adam Izsay who set the pace in Friday’s free practice, Volker made Saturday his own kicking off official proceedings by topping the 2 seeding rounds. Leading away the top heat of Modified qualifying, the German then completed a clean sweep securing the TQ in Q3 before capping off the day with a fourth TQ run in the penultimate round. With one last qualifier in the morning, Volker will look to repeat the 5 from 5 he took last year on his way to victory over Michal Orlowski. Behind the 2016 World Champion it is Iszay who holds second overnight but three drivers recorded runs to the second fastest times and between Iszay, the reigning Stock Champion who will defend that title from the TQ, MIBO International debutant Sören Sparbier, 2025 podium finisher Patrick Gollner it is still all to play for to see who starts directly behind Volker.

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February 28, 2026

Zalewski & Volker on top at MIBO after opening 2 qualifiers

The opening two rounds of qualifying at the fourth edition of MIBO International in the Czech Republic saw repeat TQ runs from Xray’s Bartek Zalewski on the event’s offroad track while over on the onroad track Mugen Seiki’s Ronald Volker continued his reign over touring car. With both drivers topping the morning seeding practice, Zalewski opened qualifying with a TQ run in 2WD which he duly repeated on the switch over to 4WD. Repeating the feat again in the second of the five planned qualifiers, the Polish racer leads the 2WD ranking from the Sworkz of Micha Vidmaier, the Australia opening with a P5 but improving to go second fastest in Q2. With No.2 seed Michal Orlowski struggling with his driving in 2WD, sitting only P8 after 2 rounds, it is Sweden’s Elias Johansson who leads the Schumacher challenge in third, team-mate Daniel Kobbevik suffering a DNF less than a minute into Q2. In 4WD, Kobbevik looked for a time like he might be the first to knock Zalewski off the top of the timing sheets this weekend but a mistake in Q2 cost him around 1-second and Zalewski moved a step closer to wrapping up an early overall TQ by 3/10ths of a second. With a pair of P3 runs Orlowski sits third ahead of Johansson. For the defending Touring Car Champion Volker, Xray’s Adam Iszay is keeping the former World Champion honest and got very close in Q2. Setting the third fastest time in both rounds Sören Sparbier holds third ahead of Mugen team-mate Patrick Gollner. In Stock, like the other Top Seeds, Izsay converted his No.1 starting position in to two TQ runs.

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