Polito Ends Ongaro's 10-Year Reign as Italian National Champion — At the Ongororing!

Ten consecutive national championships, a 45-minute battle, and a dramatic finish on home turf! Italy has a new 1/8 Nitro Buggy National Champion!

After a decade of Davide Ongaro dominating the Italian 1/8 Nitro Buggy National Championship, SWORKz driver Mattia Polito has finally ended the streak, claiming the 2026 AMSCI Italian National Championship at the fourth and final round held at the Ongororing in Lugo, Italy.

And what a way to do it!

Heading into the final round, the championship had already delivered some fantastic racing. Ongaro claimed Round 1, Polito answered with a victory at Round 2, and Burak Kilic took the win at Round 3, setting up an exciting season finale.

Ongaro looked strong throughout qualifying, taking three of the four rounds to secure the overall TQ. Polito would qualify second but eventually start fourth on the grid for the 45-minute main event.

What followed was an intense battle between two of Italy's fastest drivers.

Polito and Ongaro battled throughout the 45-minute final, with both drivers making mistakes as they pushed each other to the limit.

With just over five minutes remaining, the battle really heated up. Ongaro needed another fuel stop, while Polito's fuel strategy meant he was good to go to the finish.

That left Ongaro with one job: push as hard as possible to close the gap!

But pushing at that pace comes with risks, and further mistakes from Ongaro would make his job even more difficult. Polito kept his composure through the closing minutes, eventually crossing the line seven seconds ahead of Ongaro, with Burak Kilic completing the podium.

Watch the final (starts at 37:00) on ModellismoRC's YouTube channel

Ten consecutive Italian National Championships for Ongaro, and the streak ends at his very own track!

What makes this victory even more impressive is that Polito was coming off a disappointing IFMAR 1/8 Nitro Buggy World Championship campaign at Thornhill Racing Circuit in Texas just a month earlier.

Polito struggled to find the balance and consistency he needed at the Worlds and ultimately missed out on making the main event. To bounce back and defeat one of the best drivers in the world on his home track just weeks later says a lot about Polito's determination and ability.

This is also another major achievement for chassis manufacturer SWORKz.

The brand now adds the Italian Nitro Buggy National Championship to an already impressive 2026 season that includes the EFRA 1/8 Nitro Buggy European Championship, won by Spanish driver Juan Carlos Canas in Madrid back in June.

And SWORKz could potentially have even more silverware coming, with Canas also competing for the Spanish National Championship, which concludes later this month.

In my opinion, Italy and Spain currently have two of the most competitive 1/8 off-road racing scenes in Europe. Both countries regularly feature multiple world-class racers, including drivers capable of challenging for victories at the very highest level of the sport.

That is what makes winning these national championships such an achievement.

Season Round by Round

Ongaro, meanwhile, did not leave the weekend empty-handed, taking another E-Buggy victory after having already secured the 2026 Italian E-Buggy National Championship.

But this weekend belonged to Mattia Polito.

Congratulations to Mattia Polito and the entire SWORKz team on an incredible victory and a well-deserved Italian National Championship!

Nitro is the Glory, E-Buggy Pays the Bills!

Lefty the Great | NNRC Media