EFRA: 2026 allocation, rule changes & tires

The following announcement is from EFRA:

A newsletter from section president Carlos Gomez has just been posted online ahead of the 2026 racing season.

Bilbao, 25 January 2026

Hello, my friends in the sport,

The 2026 Buggy season is ready to start!

We have received the initial allocation confirmation requests for the 2026 season.

Initial Allocation Requests – 2026 Season

As you can see above, this year we will accept late requests for the EFRA European Championship races. We have had to adjust the requested figures for the IFMAR World Championship to the reality of the maximum available places nowadays. If we are able to obtain additional places, they will be very limited, so please do not expect more than one extra spot per country.

Obviously, this news is not the best for drivers in lower positions within their national rankings. However, in exchange, they will now be able to book places at EFRA EC events that are not overbooked.

Highlights of EFRA Season –Section Rule Changes

• Some rule adaptations to make race formats more flexible
• Possibility to run as many junior finals as needed
• Last Chance Final reduced to 10 minutes (previously 15 minutes)
• Practice runs for both semi-finals before the quarterfinals
• Complete bump-up scheme across Electric 8 European Championships
• No aerodynamic aids permitted on any suspension elements
• Strict battery overcharging rules, identical to IFMAR regulations

Tyres –2026

We will continue using the same systems as last year. For the Masters 40+ EC in Fehring, we will use a designated complete wheel system (tyre + insert + rim). We have already seen interest from new companies, so the companies that successfully supplied the event over the last two years, Matrix and Jetko, will not be eligible for this year.

Any other company wishing to be considered as the designated wheel provider must contact the EFRA Secretary at secretary@efra.ws before the end of February.

For the EFRA EC B at Maçainhas (Guarda, Portugal) at the end of August, the plan is to repeat the
successful format used last year in Gussago: a designated single-profile-per-brand system. Each tyre brand wishing to participate will designate one commercial tread pattern, with free choice of compound, insert, and rim.

The number of marked sets (4 tyres per set) will be four, plus one additional set per bump-up achieved, if required.

Tyres will be purchased directly from each brand or responsible distributor. To participate, each tyre brand must contribute €250 to support event organisation and system implementation and must notify EFRA and the organiser of their chosen tread pattern before 1 July.

Drivers will contribute to additional organisational costs at registration and technical inspection, at €4 per set (€1 per wheel). Drivers may change brands during the event, subject to availability.

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The season will officially start with the ECA in Madrid from 23–27 June, within the city of Madrid itself. This provides sufficient time between this event and the final event of the season, the IFMAR World Championships.

We will then move to the other corner of Europe, to Rakvere, Estonia, for the Electric 1/8 Buggy event from 17–19 July. The facility is prepared to provide an excellent, unused purpose-built layout for the event.

Please note that charging and discharging voltages must comply with EFRA general standards. Deformed batteries will not be accepted under any circumstances. Trackside shops will offer batteries compliant with the new 2026 EFRA lists, which will be released after April 2026.

At the end of August, from 28–30 August, we will visit Guarda, Portugal for EC B 2026. As mentioned, tyre selections must be designated by 1 July, allowing all drivers sufficient time to test during the two months prior to the event.

The EFRA European Championship calendar will conclude in Fehring with the Masters 40+ event from 11–13 September, using the designated complete wheel system. The selected wheel will be announced in March, giving more than five months for testing.

The minimum purchase requirement will be three marked sets.

The standard maximum order will be four marked sets, plus one non-marked set for Friday
morning practice, all at the same price.

However, the season will not conclude until the IFMAR 1/8 IC Buggy World Championship in Austin, Texas, in late September to early October. At present, the worst-case scenario indicates EFRA may have 38 spots (20 + 17 + 1), and allocations have been provisionally set accordingly. Any increase beyond this is expected to be minimal.

Towards the end of summer, we will prepare for the next EFRA AGM, to be held in Brussels on 7–
8 November. Proposals must be submitted by the end of August or early September. It will be a long season, much of it covered by EFRA Media, allowing all of you to follow the action, especially in Madrid and Rakvere. Don’t miss it.

Kind regards,

Carlos Gomez

EFRA Section Chairman – 1/8 Buggy