Red RC

September 11, 2026

Heartbreak for Esser as World Champs down to final 52

After taking a hugely popular win in his 1/16 Final, which should have put him through to tomorrow’s Main Finals day at the IFMAR 1:10 Nitro Touring Car World Championship in Italy, Alex Esser’s celebrations were to be short lived as his car failed post tech inspection. One of only four racers representing British manufacturer Shepherd here in Gubbio, making the Worlds podium finishing manufacturer the smallest represented of the 6 brands competing at the 11th edition of Worlds, the young American racer’s body shell was declared to be outside the minimum measurements, the rear bumper cut too high. Winning the 20-minute encounter ahead of Stefan Strasser and Jules Kerguiduff, Esser’s disqualification would promote Rolli Josua to third and into tomorrow’s 1/8 Finals. With rain cancelling yesterday’s second day of qualifying, the damp aftermath conditions would also effect today’s program with the start of racing delayed from 11:00 to 14:00 as the damp track proved well off the pace in the specially arranged free practice which was later extended to get cars running on the track and to bring back up traction levels. This delayed start meant racing wouldn’t finish until just before 19:00 before a red sunset quickly brought a close to the Lower Finals day with just 52 drivers of the 114 starters now remaining in the competition. In the second of the 1/16 Finals it was Michaël Derderian who took the win ahead of Kristof Sielaff and Nathan De Marco to get themselves through to Saturday. The Mains day here at Miniautodromo Internazionale Mario Rosati will start at 08:00 with a round of group practice for drivers up to and including the Semi Finals before the first race gets underway at 09:30. The World Championship deciding 1-hour final is set to start at 16:15 (local time) with Top Qualifier Dario Balestri set to lead them away.

September 11, 2026

Sparko F8SE Carbon Chassis Stiffener Inserts

The newly crowned double Asian Buggy Championship champion manufacturer thanks to newly signed team driver Jayden Edmunds, Sparko has released Front & Rear Carbon Chassis Stiffener Inserts for its F8SE 1:8 Buggy. The lightweight 3mm carbon inserts add rigidity for sharper response, stronger support under braking & acceleration, and more predictable handling on track. Giving more precise corner entry, they more overall consistent chassis response. Also new from the Taiwanese manufacturer come Hard-Anodized Threaded Shock Pins for the F8. Offering a simpler, more secure shock mounting upgrade, they ditch the grub screw for good. Machined from lightweight 7075 aluminium with a durable hard-anodized finish, these pins thread directly in for a cleaner install and consistent handling.

View more images here

September 11, 2026

RTRC RTA V3.1 RS Edition 1:28 Chassis

Fresh from taking 5 class wins at the 2026 Team Associated 1:28 International in Las Vegas last weekend, France’s RTRC has announced the RTA V3.1 RS Edition, a new premium version of their RTA V3.1 designed for drivers who want a highly competitive car right from the start. The RS Edition will be fully assembled by RTRC and supplied with an ESC and RTRC servo already installed. During assembly, each car will also be carefully checked and tweaked to ensure the chassis is properly set up before delivery. The motor will not be included, allowing each driver to choose the motor that best suits their class and racing conditions. This version will also come with a selection of performance option parts already fitted, so the car is delivered with a more advanced specification than the standard RTA V3.1 and is ready to perform from the very first runs. And this configuration is not just theoretical. The chassis has already proven its potential by winning the Lipo 3500 category at the Team Associated 1:28 International. RTRC say the the idea behind the RTA V3.1 RS Edition is simple, ‘take the proven RTA V3.1 platform, assemble it carefully in-house at RTRC, tweak and check the chassis during assembly, equip it with the right performance parts, and offer customers a package that is as close as possible to a race-ready chassis straight out of the box.’

View Car components & additional images here

September 11, 2026

Schumacher Neon FT FWD M-Chassis

Schumacher has entered the competitive front wheel drive M-Chassis class with their World Championship winning engineering team applying their racing knowledge and experience to create the Neon FT. Having previous entered the M-Chassis category with their Neon 4WD MTC, this high performance front wheel drive mini racing chassis features advanced suspension geometry, optimised weight distribution and a highly efficient transmission, delivering exceptional balance, precision and cornering performance. Its new double wishbone suspension design has been refined over countless hours by the British manufacturers team drivers and in-house development engineers to provide maximum performance across all track conditions. With the new kit due for release mid September, Schumacher say the cars ‘Predictable handling and excellent consistency allow drivers to push with confidence and extract maximum performance from every lap.’

View kit features & more images here

September 10, 2026

MIBO Manufaktur Original Edition Clothing & Accessories

MIBO Manufaktur presents Original Edition, a distinctive collection of clothing and accessories for RC racers and fans. Bringing together signature MIBO colours and graphics, the collection creates a unique, coordinated look for race weekends and everyday life. The range goes beyond T-shirts and hoodies, with polo shirts, sweatshirts, zip hoodies and a jacket offering plenty of choice. It also includes shorts and sweatpants, allowing fans to put together a complete MIBO outfit. With clothing for both adults and children, Original Edition brings the same unmistakable identity to racers and their youngest supporters. The collection extends to accessories, including snapback and trucker caps, a bucket hat and a rib beanie. A matching hip bag and duffle bag complete the line-up, carrying the MIBO design through from clothing to everyday essentials.

Source: MIBO [mibosport.com]

September 10, 2026

Xray GTXE Stiff Carbon Center Top Deck

Xray has a new optional Stiff Carbon Center Top Deck intended for its GTXE 1:8 Electric GT car in flat chassis configuration. Wider than the kit top deck it reduces chassis flex for more precise handling & increased corner speed in high-traction conditions. Recommended for medium to high-traction tracks, the stiffer carbon construction generates a more direct driving feel, improved steering precision & increased chassis stability during high-speed cornering.

Source: Xray [teamxray.com]

September 10, 2026

Resurfacing work starts at Dutch Rucphen track

Well known Dutch onroad track Rucphen, and home of veteran 1:8 Onroad racer turned livestream commentator John Ermen, is getting a new surface after 21-years of racing on the current one. Ground works has started ahead of the new asphalt being laid next week, this will be the third resurfacing of the track since it was build in 1985. Last surfaced in 2001, that project overseen by Ermen’s late father, one of the first challenges of the latest project was securing an contractor. Talking to 5 different companies, 3 didn’t feel they could meet the technical spec required by the club – not all asphalt is equal. With the M.A.C. de Baanbrekers club founded in 1978, and made up of 110 members and growing, the Rucphen track is popular with 1:5 racers with Ermen saying they have a very specific asphalt they require to accommodate all classes plus it needs to be super flat. A host of 1:10 and 1:8 Onroad European Championships plus 1:5 EFRA GPs, the track has a current contract to host Euro Nitro Series race til 2030. As part of the track upgrades, the club are building new curbs with greater infield coverage to stop 1:5 cars from running over the grass and bringing dirt on to the track. The track will also lay seven timing loops to give the track a host of race data. This will be made up of a primary and backup loop, three sectors, a speed trap, plus pit in and pit out loops. With each requiring its only transponder the club are keen to anyone who might like to sponsor a decoder. Working together Pullstart.tv for broading events, they are planning to integrate an overlay each drivers the pit stop times on the feed. Choosing the start of the off season to do the works and then giving the surface tome to settle before the new season, Ermen said the hope to have all the work completed by October.

View more track work images here

September 10, 2026

Day 2 of Qualifying cancelled at Nitro Touring Worlds

With racers waking up to heavy rain in Gubbio, Italy, this morning, following a meeting of the International Jury it has been officially announced that today’s track action at the IFMAR 1:10 Nitro Touring Car has been cancelled. This means qualifying is now officially complete with the results of the four round of qualifying run yesterday the final official ranking with 2 from 4 rounds counting. This confirms Balestri as the Top Qualifier with Filippo Domanin, Naoto Matsukura and Kyle Branson joining him directly in Saturday’s Main final. In an official communication to team managers, IFMAR said they had ‘Unanimously’ decided to cancel race program of today before giving detail of the new schedule for Friday’s Lower Finals that will start with a 30-minute free practice before a round of grouped practice for drivers from the 1/256B finalist to 1/16A finalist. Saturday’s Main final day will start the same practice schedule. Thankfully after today’s rain, the weather for the rest of event looks more promising and most importantly dry.

View full IFMAR communication here