Alex Bernadzik claims first international win at the Asian Buggy Championship final

Photo: RedRC (source)

Alex Bernadzik (Team Associated) claimed his first international victory by winning the 2026 Asian Buggy Championship finale, held in Jakarta (Indonesia) at West Side Raceway. A $1,000 win built on a conservative fueling strategy that paid off against his main rival’s risky gamble.

A decisive pole position ahead of the Asian Buggy Championship final

Author of the fastest time in Q5 with a 41.098-second lap, Alex Bernadzik had already taken the psychological edge by beating Pekko Iivonen (Mayako) by 1.5 seconds in qualifying. On the grid for the 1-hour Nitro Buggy final, he started on pole ahead of Iivonen, Hyunkyu Jung (Team Associated), Jason Nugroho (Infinity) and Jayden Edmunds.

Iivonen’s failed gamble hands victory to Bernadzik

During the race, Bernadzik crashed near the end, handing the lead to Iivonen. But the Mayako driver, committed to a one-stop fueling strategy, ran out of fuel twice — once during his second-to-last stop, then again just before the final lap. That handed the win to Bernadzik, who had said before the race he would “play it pretty safe” on his pit stops.

Jason Nugroho (Infinity) completed the podium a lap down, while Jayden Edmunds, crowned season champion, finished fourth. Earlier in the day, Hyunkyu Jung (Team Associated) had won the eBuggy class before retiring with a drivetrain failure.