Hobbywing NZRCA 1/10 EP Offroad Carpet Nationals
After a very busy winter season here in Aotearoa New Zealand, we are building to the final event of the indoor championship season—and what a season it’s been! Kicking off in Ōtautahi Christchurch over King’s Birthday weekend, we followed a fortnight later in Tauranga in the stunning Bay of Plenty, before the penultimate round in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. Now, we round out the Aotearoa New Zealand indoor season at Kirikiriroa Hamilton for the 2026 Hobbywing NZRCA 1/10 EP Offroad Carpet Nationals.
The season has been short and sharp, starting in June and wrapping up by mid-August, with plenty of other racing happening along the way.
DMaz and Mike Stick have covered all the events so far this year, and this is their form guide.
The Stalwarts
Team Toia all day long! The amount of miles and laps these two young men have completed in 2026 is outstanding. Oh, and we cannot forget the old man, Nathan, finding his feet in vintage—so far, he is winning every time he hits the track. More about them later on.
Kasey Dawson
Fresh off his domination at the 1/10 EP Dirt Nationals—where of the four classes entered, only two (one apiece to the Toia team) slipped away—this young man has settled into Team XRAY life and the folded-arms podium photos very well. Relocating to Hawke's Bay seems to have gelled with him, managing to springboard from his GKR Murray Macdonald Trophy win at the start of the year to picking up some plum results this season. Poking holes in Logan Toia’s results, fast on his day, he will push everyone fairly and hard throughout the meeting.
His full Let’s Race RC interview is in the comments below.
Kenly Brown (The Wookie)
Mr. One7 RC is the distributor for XRAY and many other brands. A former 1:1 speedway racer, he is now throwing down the challenge in the RC world no matter the class. In 2025, he had an excellent stoush with young racer Jackson Coombes in 4WD Stock across the Waikato Champs weekend (link below) to take the chocolates on that occasion. Often fast, occasionally inconsistent, but when the wind is blowing in his direction—watch out!
Both of these drivers attended the Tauranga Open and the Astro Masters, and will be looking for solid results across this weekend.
The Old Guard!
Scott Brownhill and Shane Gallop—employees of HOT, the importer for TLR and Pro-Line to name a few—are always there pushing hard. Scott seems to have found his home in 17.5 Stadium Truck, but is a wheeler in any other class he touches. Shane is a stock specialist with a "clean ya bearings" mantra for anyone who asks how to go fast. These two are so helpful to racers running the TLR brand, and they’re fair, fast racers in their own right who can upset the up-and-comers in a heartbeat!
The Up and Comers
Where to start?
Gael Bueno-Ware: Can be lightning fast on his day; consistency is his Achilles' heel.
Thomas Warner: A super-fast young guy getting faster by the day, who loves being in front of the camera!
Will Sloane: Everything this young man touches he is super quick and consistent with, keeping everyone honest with a fair driving style impressive for his age.
Sam Sloane: But wait—his younger brother, no taller than a blade of grass, is fast and loves being interviewed! Watch out, big brother.
So many good stories to be told from this lot!
The Dark Horses
William Hargraves: Hardly says a word, but slays on the track.
Jackson Coombes: This young man is getting faster and faster—super quick in Christchurch, lacked a little speed in Tauranga, and showed a level head at the Astro. He will be a force to be reckoned with in a few short years.
Zak Rickerby & Father Ian: Often right up there in the A-mains.
The Internationals
We haven't spoken about the international drivers up to this point. The three notables are Nicholas Lee, Jared Meert, and Lachlan Williams. They should be fast and bring the heat to the local racers. Jared has been to NZ before, where he dominated. His recent switch to Schumacher has already borne fruit, and we are expecting all three to bring their A-game. If they aren't freezing to death, they should mount a fantastic challenge.
Toia Legacy
The Toia family is synonymous with RC in New Zealand—owners of Frankton Model Shop, plus out-and-out racers across all generations. Whether it’s Dad Nathan or the two boys, Dylan and Logan, in DMaz’s view, these three have the most to lose over the weekend. Not to mention the stress of putting the event on, though having DMaz in Race Control should make things a bit easier for Team Toia! Obviously, the club isn't just them, but the main driving force has come from Logan.
The past two seasons have seen the two boys ramp up their race program. A mid-season split with Mayako won't have helped, but both boys have bounced back in 1/8 scale and with the XRAY brand. As we enter the final round of indoors, Logan certainly has shown consistency, having made an appearance at all four events.
RC Race Media
In the week leading into this event, DMaz sat down in the P.Anda Studio with the team from RC Race Media. Check out the podcast below on your favourite platform!
Leave your comments on the opening of this episode!
Supporter Shout-Outs
As always, a huge thank you to the following for supporting Let’s Race RC:
Stu Macpherson
Michael Hawkins
Jared Coombes
Neil White
Grant Woolhouse
David Sweeny
Kasey Hawkins
Graeme Hartnell
And our latest supporter: Matthew Reading!
Thank you so much for your support.
Get In Touch!
Clubs: If you have an event coming up, we can assist with promotion, live streaming, and media engagement. Get in touch so we can discuss options for your event.
Racers: If you have an RC story to tell, reach out—we would love to get you in the studio!
I’ll see you at the track soon,
DMaz