Juan Carlos Canas crowned 2026 European 1/8th nitro buggy champion

The following race report is from Chris:

The 2026 EFRA 1/8th nitro buggy European championship was held at Club CARTT Fuencarral track located in Madrid, Spain. The track, which is known for hosting the annual Buggyland race, was perfectly designed, providing a top-notch show throughout the event. After five qualifying rounds in which four different drivers won the TQ, SWORKz’s Mattia Polito took the overall TQ after being the fastest in Q4 and Q5. Mattia started in P1 for the 20-minute A semifinal, but his fellow Italian, Team Associated driver Davide Ongaro, quickly took the lead and never looked back. Mattia set the fastest lap in the A semi-final, but ended up in last place due to a technical issue. Davide completes 27 laps in 20:19.807. Semi-final B is dominated by JConcepts’ Juan Carlos Canas, who stays in first place from start to finish. With 27 laps in 20:19.803, he secured the pole position for the final, finishing just 0.004 seconds ahead of Davide! The LCQ will be won by Finnish driver Pekko Iivonen, who will then join the other finalists. The final will be a three-way battle between Juan Carlos, Davide, and 6MIK driver Adrian Pariente. Davide will lead the race for the first 15 minutes. Then, Juan Carlos and Adrian will fight for first place until the 30-minute mark. At that point, Juan Carlos will take the lead and will not be challenged by any other driver. Juan Carlos will win the final 45 minutes and the title, his third, with a lead of almost seven seconds over Adrian. Meanwhile, the reigning world champion, Davide, will have to settle for third place, four seconds behind.

About Chris

Chris is the founder and editorial director for Cicus RC News. He has been writing about all things RC for more than 13 years. When he's not writing, you can find him shooting and travelling the world looking for the next adventure.