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January 24, 2026

Senesi takes Asia Nitro Party TQ honours

Natanaele Senesi has taken the TQ honours in 1:8 GT at the inaugural Asia Nitro Party race in China. The Italian would go up against newly crowned World Champion Alessio Mazzeo and France’s Bernard-Alain Arnaldi as the fight to secure pole position & the only direct spot into the 45-minute Main went down to the fourth & final qualifier at the Hongyu GDC track. With Mazzeo finding a new level of speed from his Raptor in Q4, he looked like getting the job done in style however with a minute & a half to run in the 6-minute heat his throttle servo would fail. His second DNF, having had an engine issue in Q3, the Italian would end up qualifying 4th overall. Despite running out off fuel three corners before the line, Senesi’s Raptor would take the round ahead of Arnaldi’s Genius who also was on the limit getting to the line and that is how they would complete the final ranking. The biggest surprise of the day ‘s qualifying would be the performance of Hobbywing technical guru Salton Dong, the experienced electric racer steering Mazzeo’s spare World Championship car to P3 on his GT debut.

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January 24, 2026

Wang takes opening 2 qualifiers to lead the way at Asia Nitro Party

After two rounds of qualifying at the inaugural Asia Nitro Party it is JJ Wang who leads the way, Mugen Seiki holding the top two spots as qualifying reaches the half way distance at the Hongyu GDC track in China. A much warmer day than drivers experienced yesterday in Foshan, run time was the big talking point of qualifying with Wang’s strategy to refuel in each of his 4-minute runs paying dividends. The Chinese American admitting himself that he may not be the fastest driver on track as he gets used to his brand new MRX7, his last competitive 1:8 Onroad outing being the 2019 IFMAR 1:8 Onroad World Championship in California. With a second in Q1 and running at the top of the timing screens again in Q2 until he again started running out of fuel, this time dropping him to 5th, it is O.S. Speed’s Sinnosuke Yokoyama who holds second in a ranking that is completely scrambled due to the number of drivers running out of fuel. Having topped practice yesterday, Infinity’s Naoto Matsukura was on for a TQ in Q1 until Nicole Marrone traction rolled in front of him leading to contact that broke the Japanese driver’s car. Having opted to do a fuel stop in Q1, after his opening DNF Matsukura risked going the full 4-minutes in Q2 but came up well sort on his runtime. One of the favourite’s coming into the event, Serpent’s Andrea Catanzani has yet to shine. Making a mistake in Q1 he would eventually run out of fuel leading him to do a stop in Q2 but the Italian said they lacked speed in the car and he ended up P3 behind Wang & Marrone.

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January 24, 2026

Project RC MRX7 Alu Brake Lever

Italian brand Project RC has introduced this aluminium brake lever for the recently released Mugen MRX7 1:8 Onroad kit. Also compatible with the previous MRX6, the brake lever delivers a performance upgrade due to its higher rigidity compared to the stock plastic part. CNC-machined from high-grade aluminium and finished with a black anodised coating and polished edges, this brake lever delivers increased braking precision and more direct & consistent brake response.

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January 23, 2026

Team Mardave Viper #26 Oval Mini

Niche British 1:12 Mini kit manufacturer Mardave has released an updated version of their Viper Oval Mini, the Viper #26. This is the Mardave Viper 26 Oval Mini as used by current World Champion Mark Steele. For 2026 Mardave has made a few changes including a new battery tray, wider front track, and new servo position to make this even more competitive in ’26. The Viper #26 will be on sale in a couple of weeks.

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January 23, 2026

Matsukura tops Asia Nitro Party free practice

Infinity’s Naoto Matsukura set the pace in Free Practice today ahead of the first running of the new ‘Asia Nitro Party’ onroad race at Hongyu CDG in China. A driver would just a month ago TQ’d a round of qualifying around the same track at the FEMCA Asia Championship, he would top the times from fellow Japanese compatriot Sinnosuke Yokoyama. Returning to nitro racing to support the hosting of what track boss Gavin Kwok will become a major race fixture on the international nitro racing calendar, Chinese American racer JJ Wang made it two Mugen Seiki’s in the Top 3 behind Yokoyama MRX-7. Expected to be the pace setter in the 1:8 Onroad class, Serpent’s World Championship Top Qualifier Andrea Catanzani would have a difficult day struggling to find a good balance but once we down to times counting tomorrow in qualifying he is sure to be right in the mix.

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January 23, 2026

Izsay joins Czech ESC manufacturer Elceram

Czech ESC manufacturer Elceram has announced the addition of reigning European Spec Electric Touring Car Champion Ádám Izsay as a Factory Team Driver. The Hungarian, who last September took up a full time role in R&D with long time chassis sponsor Xray, had been with Hobbywing for 7-years and switches to Elceram where he will join Xray offroad car designer Martin Bayer in representing the brand’s unique speed controller around the World. On the announcement Adam said, “I’m extremely excited to join Elceram for 2026, not only as a driver, but also will be taking part in product development. I have been following their growth and success since the beginning and was always impressed what Jan and his Team could achieve in such a short time. From my first laps with the ESCs I had an amazing feeling, I can’t wait to start working together with Jan, Anna and everyone at Elceram!”

Source: Elceram [Facebook]

January 23, 2026

Senesi sets GT practice pace at Asia Nitro Party

1:8 GT specialist Natanaele Senesi has set the pace in free practice ahead of this weekend’s inaugural Asia Nitro Party at the impressive Hongyu GDC track in China. An event that has generated a lot of excitement within the Asian nitro racing scene since the 2026 1:12 & ISTC World Championship venue facility announced the annual event last October, 1:8 GT is the biggest category with over 50 drivers taking part. The 2024 European Champion would top the times from reigning World Champion Alessio Mazzeo, both drivers running Raptor cars after Senesi, who runs under his own Senesi Motorsport banner, made the switch from an Xray based car to Raptor. The move came about as a result of Senesi’s engine sponsor Gimar, which in 2024 took over the Raptor project. Also a factor in the switch was the ability for Senesi to produce his own Senesi Motorsport edition Raptor kit which features a number of his own design elements. Another of the fast European’s making the trip to Foshan, and believing the would escape the cold weather back home, it would be Genius Racing’s Bernard-Alain Arnaldi who completed the Top 3. While all hugely impressed with the new RC facility, drivers have been badly caught off guard by an unseasonable cold spell to hit southern China. With most drivers seeing the podium photo from last weekend’s Sweep Asia Cup race at the track, in which winner Bruno Coelho, Michal Orlowski are both wearing shorts, and basing their clothing choices from that they packed for much warmer conditions than what has greeted them. There does however appear to be a big jump up in temperatures for tomorrow’s qualifying with it then set to hit in the region of 23 degrees for Sunday’s finals. On track the low temperatures have also added to the challenge of getting heat into the Sweep rubber tyres used in 1:8 GT, the compound selected ahead of the race based on racing in temperatures double that of what has been experienced so far.

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January 23, 2026

Picco Monza-X 10-Port 1:8 Onroad Engine

Italian engine manufacturer Picco has unveiled their all-new Monza-X .21 1:8 onroad competition engine. Describing it as the latest expression of their high-end racing philosophy for the 1:8 onroad competition class, it is the result of decades of hands-on experience in precision manufacturing, advanced material selection, and surface treatment technologies, combined with an intensive development program carried out throughout the 2025 racing season. At the heart of the Monza-X lies an all-new, exclusive 10-port cylinder, entirely developed in-house. Its port layout and internal geometry are the result of extensive fluid-dynamics studies and track validation, providing a substantial increase in power output while maintaining excellent fuel efficiency and thermal stability. The long-stroke architecture has been carefully engineered to generate strong and consistent torque across the entire RPM range, resulting in outstanding drivability, immediate throttle response, and superior acceleration out of corners. Supplied with an 8.5 mm venturi, to ensure long-term durability and mechanical efficiency, the engine features a DLC-coated crankshaft, specifically treated to minimise friction, reduce wear, and protect against oxidation. The rotating assembly is completed by a 14 mm rear Swiss ceramic ball bearing and a meticulously aligned knife-edged aerodynamic connecting rod, designed to reduce turbulence and mechanical losses at high RPM.

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