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Race within the rules
This page explains what governing bodies, regulators, standards bodies and researchers publish. It is not a substitute for your class's rule book, a track's safety rules, the race director or the makers' instructions.
Three choices the rule books build in
The bodies organise the sport along the same lines. IFMAR has an IC (internal combustion) section and an Electric section, its rule books split track (on-road) from off-road, and the scale (1/5, 1/8, 1/10, 1/12) names the class. EFRA's 2024 AGM report names its sections as 1/8 Buggy (off-road), Large Scale, IC Track (1/8 and 1/10 IC track, GT8 and GT8E) and Electric (1/10 touring car, 1/12 track, 1/10 off-road). The BRCA's membership page (2026) lists circuit, off-road, oval, drifting, large scale and bike disciplines.
- Electric or nitro. Electric cars run on lithium packs under each body's battery and motor rules; nitro cars run a small combustion engine under engine, muffler and fuel rules. The two bring different gear: chargers and approved packs on one side, engines, mufflers and fuel on the other. See electric and nitro.
- On-road or off-road. EFRA's 2026 Appendix 3 (A 1.1 to 1.3) puts 1/12 indoors on carpet only, 1/10 saloons on asphalt or carpet, and 1/10 off-road on tracks of at most 250 m. See on-road and off-road.
- Scale. Each scale has its own size and weight limits, set class by class in the rule books below.
Classes by body, kept apart
IFMAR World Championship classes (rule books read)
| Class | Power and surface | A few limits (document, section) |
|---|---|---|
| 1/8 IC off-road (nitro buggy) | Nitro, off-road | Engine at most 3.5 cc; minimum 3.2 kg for 4WD cars without fuel (2024, 2.1 and 2.2) |
| 1/8 IC track | Nitro, on-road | Engine at most 3.5 cc; minimum 2350 g; bodies reproduce sports or prototype cars (2023, 5.1 to 5.24) |
| 1/10 IC track (200 mm touring car) | Nitro, on-road | Four-wheel drive; engine at most 2.11 cc, glow plug only; minimum 1650.00 g including transponder (2024, 5) |
| 1/10 electric off-road, 2WD and 4WD | Electric, off-road | Two separate titles; 2WD rear-wheel drive only, minimum 1.474 kg; 4WD minimum 1.588 kg (2019, 4.1.3 to 4.4); 2S packs (March 2023, 3.8) |
EFRA electric European Championship classes (Handbook 2026, Appendix 3, A 7.1.1)
| Class | Motor |
|---|---|
| 1/10 Off-Road Modified, 2WD and 4WD | Modified (drivers may enter both, D 1) |
| 1/12 Modified | Brushless, no less than 6.5 turn, blinky |
| 1/12 Spec | 13.5T spec, blinky |
| 1/10 Touring Cars Modified | Modified |
| 1/10 Touring Cars Spec | 13.5T spec |
| 1/10 Formula One | 21.5T spec |
| 1/10 Touring Car FWD | 21.5T spec, blinky |
EFRA describes its 1/12 GT 17.5 class as intended for beginners and senior drivers (B 6), and its GT12 rules describe GT12 as an entry-level class (part C). Its IC, 1/8 off-road and large scale appendices were not read for this site.
ROAR and the BRCA
ROAR's current rule book was not read. Its National Guidelines (revised 13 October 2026) group classes at the Nationals as electric on-road, electric off-road, fuel on-road and fuel off-road, with electric classes on a ladder of modified, 17.5 and 21.5 spec (12.1, 13.3). ROAR's rule book update of 18 October 2024 says its GT12 and LMH specifications no longer name a motor wind, leaving track owners and race directors to choose one for each class. The BRCA's 2026 section rules were not read; Wikipedia lists 13 BRCA sections, and the BRCA's Large Scale Off Road page (2026) names petrol engines of 23, 26, 30 or 32 cc in its national series.
Spec or Modified, 2WD or 4WD
- Spec and Modified motors. EFRA (2026, Appendix 4, 4.10 to 4.17) and IFMAR (March 2023, 6 and 7) set no turn limit for Modified motors, while Spec motors are sensored, Y-wound, with fixed turns. At EFRA events spec-motor classes allow only a zero-timing "blinky" speed controller (Appendix 3, A 4.3.1). The lists of Spec winds differ: EFRA names 10.5T, 13.5T, 17.5T and 21.5T, IFMAR 13.5T, 17.5T, 21.5T and 25.5T. No rule book read sets a Kv limit. See motors.
- 2WD and 4WD. In IFMAR's electric off-road rules (2019, 4.2 to 4.4) the 2WD class is rear-wheel drive only and front-wheel-drive cars run in 4WD. EFRA runs both as separate classes and lets drivers enter both (Appendix 3, D 1.2).
- Other classes. New Zealand's NZRCS Rulebook 2026 (v1.2) runs 1/10 electric oval classes, some contact and some non-contact.
How long the races are
Race length differs by class and body. EFRA's electric heats and finals last 8 minutes in 1/12 and 5 minutes in 1/10 on-road and off-road, plus the last lap (Appendix 3, A 9.4.1). IFMAR's electric off-road heats and finals last 5 minutes (2019, 1.9), while its 1/8 IC off-road qualifying heats last up to 10 minutes and the main final 60 minutes (2024, 3.2 and 3.6). More on how a race meeting works.
Our picks by category
Off-road buggy kits
1/10 and 1/8 off-road buggy kits. IFMAR's electric off-road rules (2019) cap length at 457.2 mm and EFRA's 2026 Appendix 3 at 460 mm, with the same width and weights; IFMAR's 1/8 IC off-road rules (2024) set 3.2 kg for 4WD cars. From 2026 ROAR requires off-road bodies at its sanctioned events to be on its Approved List.
Best for: Drivers choosing 1/10 electric off-road (2WD or 4WD) or 1/8 off-road
Touring car kits
1/10 on-road touring car kits. Under EFRA's 2026 Appendix 3 (B 7.1 and 7.2) bodies must be EFRA-homologated replicas of real touring cars, width with body is at most 195 mm, and the measurements table gives a minimum of 1320 g. The motor class (Modified, 13.5T or 21.5T spec) depends on the class entered.
Best for: Drivers choosing 1/10 electric touring car, on asphalt or carpet
Truck and truggy kits
Short course trucks, stadium trucks and truggies. Whether a class exists for one depends on the body and the club: Wikipedia lists a truggy section among the BRCA's and the BRCA's Large Scale Off Road series has a short course class.
Best for: Drivers whose club or body runs a truck, truggy or short course class
Sources
- IFMAR 1/8th I.C. Off-Road Racing and Technical Rules, World Championship 2024
- IFMAR 1/8th I.C. Track Racing and Technical Rules, World Championship 2023
- IFMAR 1/10th I.C. Track Racing and Technical Rules, World Championship 2024
- IFMAR Electric Off Road Racing and Technical Rules, version 13 November 2019
- IFMAR, Electric Racing Batteries and Motors, version March 2023
- EFRA Handbook 2026, Appendix 3, Electric Cars (v4, June 2026)
- EFRA Handbook 2026, Appendix 4, lithium batteries and brushless motors
- EFRA, report of the 2024 AGM (2 November 2024)
- ROAR, Appendix C: National Guidelines for National Race Management Team Events (revised 13 October 2026)
- ROAR, rule book update (18 October 2024)
- ROAR, Off-Road Body Announcement (15 January 2025)
- BRCA, Become a member (2026)
- BRCA, Large Scale Off Road section (2026)
- Wikipedia, British Radio Car Association (secondary)
- NZRCS Rulebook 2026, version 1.2