Photo: Red RC (source)
IFMAR 1/10 Nitro World Championship: an impressive entry list in Gubbio
The official entry list for the IFMAR 1/10 Nitro World Championship has just been released, and it confirms the enthusiasm surrounding the 11th running of the event: 129 drivers from 21 countries will gather in Gubbio, Italy, from 4 to 12 September 2026.
The race will be held at the Miniautodromo Internazionale M. Rosati, the track run by Club Automodellistico 5 Colli, on the edge of the small medieval town of Gubbio, in Umbria. With 129 confirmed entries, the field falls just short of the record of 133 drivers set in 2008 in Portugal, but it shows the widest geographical spread of recent editions. No real surprise on paper: Italy is regarded as the world capital of 1/10 nitro on-road racing.
Jilles Groskamp defends his title
Dutchman Jilles Groskamp arrives as the defending champion. He took the title two years ago in Bangkok, at the Huge RC track, after the event originally scheduled in Costa Rica was moved and then cancelled over noise issues. Still loyal to his Infinity chassis, he has also just secured his engine programme for the season, a detail that matters over a nine-day event.
Naoto Matsukura, crowned in 2018, is the only other former world champion in the class on the list. Dario Balestri also arrives with serious ambitions: a two-time 1/8 On-Road world champion, the Italian was top qualifier back in 2016, already in Gubbio, and will this time be racing in front of his home crowd.
A wide-open field behind the favourites
The fight looks tight between Toni Gruber, running Capricorn, Andrea Catazani on Serpent, Alessio Mazzeo, who recently joined Xray after his 1/8 GT world title, Alex Thurston on Mugen Seiki and Shinnosuke Yokoyama, who relies on O.S. Speed power. With that level of competition and nine days of track action, qualifying alone should already take a heavy toll before the finals.
The IFMAR 1/10 Nitro World Championship will run from 4 to 12 September 2026 in Gubbio.
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