TestLogger's damper sensor, Tebo's first Worlds + 2027 ROAR & IFMAR Dates
1/8 Nats at Hank Perry July 27–Aug 1, e-buggy Worlds in Florida, plus TestLogger's new sensor.
Happy Halloween, crew. The 2027 calendars dropped this week, so it's time to start planning road trips. Hara doubled in Japan, Holdsworth is headed to Yokomo, and there's new gear in the pits plus a look under the hood of Pekko's MX8.
Nitro is the glory. Let's get into it.
2027 Calendars
ROAR 2027 Nationals
Seven Nationals are set. The big one for the 1/8 crowd is Hank Perry Raceway, July 27 to August 1.
- March 3–7: On-Road Carpet Nationals, Apex Raceway, Murfreesboro, TN
- April 14–18*: 1/10 Carpet Off-Road Nationals, PDX Underground, Portland, OR
- May 20–23: Nitro On-Road Nationals, TSRCAR, Lebanon, OH
- June 17–20: Paved On-Road Nationals, The Groove, Sheridan, IL
- June 30–July 4: Canadian 1/8 Off-Road Nationals, BEGO Racing R/C Raceway, Mirabel, Quebec
- July 15–18: 1/10 Dirt Off-Road Nationals, Coyote Hobbies Raceway, Victorville, CA
- July 27–August 1: 1/8 Off-Road Nationals, Hank Perry Raceway, Spokane, WA
*Heads up: the carpet off-road Nats dates don't match yet. ROAR says April 14–18; the track's page says April 21–25. Check before you book anything.
IFMAR 2027 Worlds
Four Worlds from July to October, and the 1/8 electric off-road Worlds is on US soil in Florida.
- July 25–31: 1/8 GT Track, IC and GTe, Lostallo, Switzerland
- August 29–September 4: 1/10 Electric Off-Road, Hudy Arena, Trencin, Slovakia
- September 2–12: 1/8 IC Track, Fiorano, Italy
- September 29–October 3: 1/8 Electric Off-Road, Gateway RC, Lake City, FL, USA
No 1/8 nitro off-road Worlds on IFMAR's list yet.
Race Reports
Isaacs takes Mod TC at the ROAR Paved Nats
Samuel Isaacs won Modified Touring Car from TQ at Valkaria RC, ahead of Dave Vera and Keven Hebert. All eight class podiums are in the post.
Hara doubles at Nitro Shock
Atsushi Hara won both Nitro Buggy Open and E-Buggy at RC Land Taki in Japan, on the VP-806 Hurricane Evo control tire, per VP Pro.
Silly Season
Luke Holdsworth joins Team Yokomo
The UK 1/10 off-road front-runner is now a Yokomo factory driver, racing the SO3.0 and MO3.0 with MB Models support.
Lost track of who's going where? It's all in our Silly Season 2026-27 Tracker →
New Stuff in the Pits
Team Exalt Xscend Pro-X 180A ESC
A 180A, 2–3S competition ESC with 50Hz data logging, up to 32 logging sessions, 17 throttle and brake curves and progressive boost. $219.79.
TestLogger damper position sensor
A 12.7 mm linear potentiometer that logs damper position on Collector units, with damper histograms in Analyzer and degradation reports in Manager. €40 (VAT 0%), available now.
Under the Hood
Pekko Iivonen's Mayako MX8
Straight from the Nitro Worlds: shorter shock caps, steering updates, a lightweight Delta Plastik shell and a move from LCG back to conventional suspension.
This Week on the Channel
In case you missed them:
Jared Tebo: What It Took to Win the 2007 World Championship – Tebo looks back with Lefty on his first IFMAR world title, in Japan in 2007.
Is Schumacher Making a Huge Mistake? – Lefty and JQ on Schumacher's move into a crowded 1/8 market.
Mark Pavidis vs Brian Kinwald – What Really Happened? – Pavidis on the friendship, the rivalry and the Finland Worlds with the late Brian Kinwald.
That's the week. Hit reply and tell me what you want more of, or tell us on the podcast.
Nitro is the glory, e-buggy pays the bills.
Lefty