The timeline is split into four tables by period. "Cars" rows are about cars and makers; makers' "first" claims are marked as claims. Rows for a governing body name it. "Worlds" rows are world championships, with IFMAR's own count and Wikipedia's kept apart where they differ. Radio law rows name their jurisdiction, and rule rows name the body whose rule it is; racing rules are not law. Within a year, rows dated only by the year come first, then rows with a month or day in date order; a disputed date is placed by its earliest version, so the order within a year does not show which event came first. The story behind each row is on the pages linked from the History index.
Origins and the first bodies, to 1976
| Date | Area | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Cars | A radio-controlled vehicle wins third prize in Ford's Industrial Arts Awards; Ford designers fit radio control to styling models (unconfirmed beyond Wikipedia) | Wikipedia |
| Early 1960s | Cars | Enthusiasts adapt model aircraft engines to make the first RC automobiles (single source) | EBSCO (2022) |
| 1964 | Cars | Roger Curtis and Lee Yurada open a slot-car track, the start of Associated Electrics | Associated (maker) |
| February 1966 | Cars | Testors announces an electric radio-controlled Mustang at the Hobby Industry show in Chicago; one of four claims to the first commercial RC car | Palmeter |
| March 1966 | Cars | Radio Control Modeler cover story on Chuck Waas's radio-converted Wen-Mac Mustang | Palmeter |
| Mid-1966 | Cars | El-Gi 1:12 radio-controlled Ferraris on sale, reportedly shown in Quattroruote, June 1966; another of the four claims (Mardave and RE-EL are the others) | FerrariChat forum; Collectors Weekly |
| 1967 | ROAR | ROAR originally organised | ROAR |
| 1968 | Cars | Norbert Meyer and George Siposs start RA/CAR, claimed as the first RC manufacturing company (a maker's claim) | Axial blog |
| 1968 or 1969 | ROAR | First ROAR National Championship, Garden Grove, California: 1968 per Wikipedia, 1969 per the Axial blog | Wikipedia; Axial blog |
| Shortly before 1969, or 1972 | Cars | Associated's RC1 1:8 gas car races and dominates: before 1969 per Associated, 1972 per LiveRC | Associated (maker); LiveRC (2014) |
| 1971 | BRCA | BRCA formed, with Ted Longshaw as first president | Wikipedia |
| February 1971 or 1974 | JMRCA | JMRCA (Japan) founded: February 1971 in the text of Wikipedia's JMRCA article, 1974 in its infobox and the FEMCA table | Wikipedia |
| Easter Monday 1971 | UK | First RC car meeting in England, for 1:8 cars (Wikipedia); Red RC says the first organised UK race was in 1971 | Wikipedia; Red RC (2011) |
| 1973 or 1976 | EFRA | EFRA founded: 1973 in its 2024 handbook and a 2021 "legend" article; "since 1976" in another EFRA article of 2021 | EFRA |
| May 1973 | EFRA | EFRA set up with six original members per Wikipedia; EFRA's own "legend" names five, without the Netherlands | Wikipedia; EFRA |
| 1976 | Cars | Kyosho's nitro Peanuts 09 buggy | Wikipedia |
| November 1976 | Cars | Tamiya's first RC car, the 1/12 Porsche 934 Turbo (the month per LiveRC alone) | Tamiya (year); LiveRC (2019) |
The first championships, 1977 to 1989
| Date | Area | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | ROAR | Demonstration class for 1/12 electric cars at the ROAR On-Road Nationals (single source) | LiveRC (2014) |
| 1977 | Worlds | 1/8 IC track race at Thorp Raceway, Pomona, won by Butch Kroells: an event in IFMAR's history, the inaugural world championship per Wikipedia | IFMAR; Wikipedia |
| 1978 | ROAR | 1/12 electric officially recognised, with 6-cell stock, 6-cell modified and 4-cell modified (single source) | LiveRC (2014) |
| 1978 | JMRCA | JMRCA's first championship, for 1:8 pan cars (Wikipedia only) | Wikipedia |
| 1978 | Europe | "World Cup" race in Monaco under a compromise with EFRA (Wikipedia only) | Wikipedia |
| 1978 | Cars | Kyosho's electric Eleck Peanuts | Wikipedia |
| 1979 | Cars | Tamiya's Rough Rider, called the first "true off-roader" by Wikipedia; Motor Sport credits the Sand Scorcher (no date given) as first mass-market off-roader | Wikipedia; Motor Sport |
| 1979 | Worlds | 1/8 IC track event in Geneva, won by Phil Booth: an event in IFMAR's history | IFMAR; Wikipedia |
| 1979 | IFMAR | IFMAR inaugurated, with Ted Longshaw as first president (9 July 1979 per Wikipedia) | IFMAR; Wikipedia |
| 1980 | FEMCA | FEMCA first founded, in Hong Kong | Wikipedia |
| 1981 | Worlds | First IFMAR World Championship, 1/8 on-road, Indianapolis | IFMAR; Red RC (2011) |
| 1982 | Worlds | First IFMAR electric World Championship, 1/12 stock and modified, Anaheim | IFMAR; LiveRC (2014) |
| 1982 | US radio law | 72 MHz frequencies assigned for model aircraft and a similar 75 MHz set put into service for surface models (the magazine dates the 72 MHz assignment and pairs the 75 MHz set with it; FCC text not read) | Model Aviation (1999) |
| 1983 to 1984 | Cars | Hirobo, Yokomo and Kyosho each claim the first four-wheel-drive buggy (makers' claims) | Wikipedia |
| 1984 | ROAR | Associated's RC10 debuts and sweeps the first ROAR off-road Nationals | LiveRC (2014) |
| 1985 | FEMCA | FEMCA re-established; hosts its first IFMAR race, in Tokyo | Wikipedia |
| 6 to 11 July 1985 | Worlds | First IFMAR 1:10 electric off-road World Championship, Del Mar, California (Wikipedia alone; unconfirmed) | Wikipedia |
| 1986 | ROAR and JMRCA | Off-road modified split into 2WD and 4WD classes (Wikipedia only) | Wikipedia |
| 1986 | Worlds | First IFMAR 1:8 IC off-road ("Rallycross") World Championship, Grenoble | Wikipedia; Red RC (2026) |
| 1987 | Worlds | 2WD and 4WD split used at the Worlds (Wikipedia only) | Wikipedia |
| March 1987 | US radio law (aircraft) | Seven modeller frequencies shared with commercial users phased out | Model Aviation (1999) |
New classes and new technology, 1990 to 2009
| Date | Area | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Cars | Tamiya's TA-01 touring car, the start of the touring class | LiveRC (2014); Wikipedia |
| 1 March 1993 | US radio law (aircraft) | Transmitters bought after this date must be narrowband | Model Aviation (1999) |
| 1995 | IFMAR | Longshaw retires; John Grant (Australia) succeeds and the seat moves to Australia | IFMAR |
| 1998 | Worlds | ISTC touring cars a provisional World Championship class, Newcastle, won by David Spashett (LiveRC's account; no other source read) | LiveRC (2014) |
| 1998 | Worlds | Earliest listed 1:10 IC Track 235 mm winner (not necessarily the first year) | Wikipedia |
| 1 March 1998 | US radio law (aircraft) | Older wideband transmitters stop being legal | Model Aviation (1999) |
| 2001 | Worlds | Earliest listed 1:5 IC Touring winner (not necessarily the first year) | Wikipedia |
| 12 March 2001 | CEPT (Europe) radio | ERC/DEC/(01)12 adopted, harmonising 40.665 to 40.695 MHz for model control | CEPT |
| 2002 | IFMAR | Registered as an Australian public company | IFMAR |
| 2002 | Worlds | Earliest listed Nitro Touring 200 mm winner (not necessarily the first year) | Wikipedia |
| 2005 | IFMAR | Grant retires; Dallas Mathiesen (Sweden) elected | IFMAR |
| Late 2005 | Equipment | First Spektrum 2.4 GHz DSM systems: surface first per Model Aviation (inferred dates); aircraft DX6 in late 2005 per Fly RC, which mentions no car system | Model Aviation (2007); Fly RC (2007) |
| 2006 | IFMAR | De-registered in Australia, leaving it without a legal entity | IFMAR |
| January 2008 | ROAR rules | LiPo packs approved under rule 8.3.2, reversing an earlier ban | Red RC (16 January 2008) |
| 15 February 2008 | ROAR rules | First brushless motors approved (Novak; a maker's announcement) and the 19T class renamed Super Stock | RC Car Action (2008) |
| 2009 | EFRA rules | Only lithium-based batteries homologated from this year | EFRA Handbook 2026, App. 4, 3.1 |
| 2009 | IFMAR | EFRA proposes LiPo for the 1:10 ISTC and electric off-road Worlds at the IFMAR AGM in Lostallo; outcome not found | Red RC (2009) |
Lithium, brushless and the present, 2010 to 2026
| Date | Area | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | EFRA rules | Spec motors introduced from 2011 must carry the wind number on the motor | EFRA Handbook 2026, App. 4, 4.17 |
| 26 May 2011 | ROAR rules | ROAR battery rules as reprinted allow 4.25 V per cell (whether this still applies was not confirmed) | LiveRC (2011) |
| November 2011 | EFRA rules | Deletion of NiCd and NiMH rules proposed for ratification at the AGM; 2012 approvals lithium only | EFRA letter, 28 October 2011 |
| 2012 | EFRA rules | Holes or slots for stator checks required in motors whose stator cannot easily be removed | EFRA Handbook 2026, App. 4, 4.8 |
| 2015 | EFRA | First EFRA European Championship for 1/8 electric buggy, Fehring, Austria, won by Robert Batlle | LiveRC (2015) |
| 2015 | Worlds | An IFMAR Worlds run on artificial turf, ending some 30 years of dirt at that event (Wikipedia only) | Wikipedia |
| 2015 to 2016 | EFRA rules | The 2015 AGM agrees to homologate 05 brushless motors; listed motors only at European Championship and Grand Prix events from May 2016 (1 June 2016 in another section) | EFRA Handbook 2026, App. 4 |
| 1 April 2017 | EFRA rules | Cells up to 3.8 V nominal allowed (the 1/12 rule in App. 3 gives 1 March 2017) | EFRA Handbook 2026, App. 4; App. 3 |
| 1 November 2017 | EFRA rules | Only one optional rotor per motor range | EFRA Handbook 2026, App. 4 |
| 2018 | EFRA rules | Brushless motor and lithium battery rules moved into a new Appendix 4 | EFRA Handbook 2026, App. 3 |
| 2018 | IFMAR | Provisional electric drift rules published (found by title, not opened) | IFMAR |
| 2018 | IFMAR | Jeff Parker succeeds Mathiesen as president (Wikipedia only) | Wikipedia |
| 15 October 2018 | IFMAR | Published by the Belgian government as an international non-profit association | IFMAR |
| 2020 and 2022 | Worlds | 1:10 electric drifting World Championships (Wikipedia only; no winner read) | Wikipedia |
| 2023 | IFMAR | Eric Anderson becomes president (Wikipedia only) | Wikipedia |
| March 2023 | IFMAR rules | Only lithium-based batteries approved; 4.20 V per cell maximum charging cut-off | IFMAR Batteries and Motors, March 2023 |
| 2024 | IFMAR rules | 1/10 IC track rules say no radio impound is needed, citing what the rule calls 99 percent of drivers on 2.4 GHz; the race director can reinstate it | IFMAR 1/10 IC track 2024 |
| 2024 or 2025 | Worlds | First IFMAR 1:8 electric off-road World Championship: 2024 per Wikipedia's text; 2025 per Wikipedia's navigation, Red RC (at Barcelos, Portugal, won by Marcus Kaerup) and Hobbywing (maker), which names the venue as the Barcelona Electric Off-Road Arena | Wikipedia; Red RC (2025); Hobbywing |
| 18 October 2024 | ROAR rules | Rule book update: the ban on turning radios on in the pits deleted; new motor specification legal from 1 September 2025 | ROAR |
| 2026 | EFRA rules | Two battery submission dates a year | EFRA Handbook 2026, App. 4 |
| 2026 | Worlds | 1:12 World Championship in Foshan, China, cancelled; IFMAR to seek 2027 hosts | IFMAR release via LiveRC |
| 23 May 2026 | Cars | Tamiya's 50th-anniversary 1/10 Porsche 934 kit, marking its first RC car of 1976 (maker) | Tamiya |
| 27 July to 1 August 2026 | Worlds | 12th IFMAR 1:5 World Championship, Lostallo, won by Emanuele D'amico (one Red RC report) | Red RC (2026) |
| 4 to 12 September 2026 | Worlds | IFMAR 1:10 IC track World Championship, Gubbio, won by Naoto Matsukura | Red RC (2026); LiveRC headline; Wikipedia (search summary) |
| Late September to 3 October 2026 | Worlds | 20th IFMAR 1:8 IC off-road World Championship, Texas, won by David Ronnefalk (start date 26 September per Wikipedia, 27 September per EFRA's minutes; Austin per EFRA's minutes, Hutto per Red RC) | Red RC (2026); EFRA minutes (2025); Wikipedia |
| 11 to 14 November 2026 | Worlds | IFMAR 1:10 ISTC World Championship, moved from Foshan to Bangkok: open practice 11 November, qualifying and finals 12 to 14 November; upcoming on 30 October 2026 | IFMAR release via LiveRC |
Results for 2026 rest on trade press and, in some rows, Wikipedia; no governing body's own results page was read. They are covered in full on IFMAR World Championships 2026.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Radio-controlled car (secondary)
- EBSCO Research Starters, Model radio-controlled vehicles (Michah Issit, 2022)
- Associated Electrics, Company roots (maker's statement)
- David Palmeter, the Testors radio-controlled Mustang (private historian's site citing 1966 and 1967 magazines)
- FerrariChat forum thread on early radio-controlled Ferrari models (forum)
- Collectors Weekly, Radio control model cars (collectors' site, undated)
- ROAR, About page (copyright 2026)
- Wikipedia, Remotely Operated Auto Racers (secondary)
- Axial blog archive, Birth of RC: do you know your roots? (24 January 2012; maker's blog, claims)
- LiveRC, Flashback Friday: the roots of electric on-road racing (Aaron Waldron, 7 August 2014)
- Wikipedia, Japan Model Racing Car Association (secondary)
- Wikipedia, Far East Model Car Association (secondary)
- Wikipedia, Ted Longshaw (secondary)
- Red RC, obituary of Ted Longshaw (8 September 2011)
- EFRA Handbook 2024, General Rules (constitution)
- EFRA news article on its founding 'legend' (12 April 2021)
- EFRA news article on its magazine archive (18 March 2021)
- Wikipedia, European Federation of Radio Operated Model Automobiles (secondary)
- Wikipedia, 1:10 radio-controlled off-road buggy (secondary)
- LiveRC, Flashback Friday: Tamiya's first RC car (Mike Garrison, 27 June 2019)
- IFMAR, constitution and history page (undated)
- Wikipedia, IFMAR 1:8 IC Track World Championship (secondary)
- Wikipedia, International Federation of Model Auto Racing (secondary)
- LiveRC, Worlds: the history of IFMAR's oldest electric class (Aaron Waldron, 6 October 2014)
- Model Aviation (AMA), Newcomers column (Bob Underwood, September 1999)
- Wikipedia, 1985 IFMAR 1:10 Electric Off-Road World Championships (secondary)
- Wikipedia, IFMAR 1:8 IC Off-Road World Championship (secondary)
- LiveRC, Worlds: a look back at past winners of the IFMAR ISTC World Championship (Aaron Waldron, 9 October 2014)
- CEPT, ERC/DEC/(01)12 on short range devices for model control (adopted 12 March 2001)
- Model Aviation (AMA), Power switch: Spektrum DX7 (Steve Kaluf, March 2007)
- Fly RC, on Spektrum's DSM aircraft system (staff, 15 February 2007)
- Red RC, ROAR approves LiPo packs (16 January 2008)
- RC Car Action, ROAR approves Novak brushless motors (10 March 2008)
- EFRA Handbook 2026, Appendix 4 (lithium batteries and brushless motors)
- EFRA Handbook 2026, Appendix 3 (electric cars), v4, June 2026
- Red RC, IFMAR AGM proposals on LiPo and truggy rules (2 August 2009)
- LiveRC, ROAR battery approval rules reprinted (26 May 2011)
- EFRA, Homologation of batteries for use at 2012 EFRA sanctioned events (letter of 28 October 2011)
- LiveRC, Batlle crowned first-ever Euros e-buggy champion (Aaron Waldron, 17 August 2015)
- IFMAR, Provisional DRIFT Rules V1 (2018)
- IFMAR Electric Racing Batteries and Motors, version March 2023
- IFMAR 1/10th I.C. Track Racing and Technical Rules, World Championship 2024
- ROAR, rule book update (18 October 2024)
- Hobbywing, news on the 2025 IFMAR 1/8 electric off-road World Championship (5 September 2025; maker's statement)
- Red RC events, Kaerup becomes first eBuggy World Champion (30 August 2025)
- Tamiya, 50th-anniversary 1/10 Porsche 934 kit page (dated 6 April 2026; maker's statement)
- LiveRC, IFMAR release on the 2026 ISTC World Championship, Stage 1 report (last updated 27 July 2026)
- Red RC, D'amico wins the 2026 IFMAR 1:5 World Championship (1 August 2026)
- Red RC, racing category page 12 (as read 30 October 2026)
- LiveRC, race results news listing (as read 30 October 2026)
- Wikipedia, Naoto Matsukura (secondary; search-result summary)
- Red RC, racing category page 7 (as read 30 October 2026)
- Red RC, 2026 IFMAR 1:8 off-road Worlds Stage 1 report (6 April 2026)
- Red RC, racing category page 9 (as read 30 October 2026)
- EFRA, 1:8 off-road section minutes 2025
- Motor Sport, Tamiya: meet the man behind a million boyhood dreams (July 2017)