Fuller ‘Top Qualifier’ in Texas with 3rd TQ in final quali

Sworkz’s Mason Fuller is the 2026 IFMAR 1:8 Nitro Buggy World Championship Top Qualifier, the American securing the honours with a third TQ run in the sixth & final round of qualifying in Texas.  Going into the decider it was down to a two way battle between Fuller and Xray’s David Ronnefalk.  With two TQ runs a piece, Ronnefalk would be the first to present his best effort in Heat 13 of 15 and the Swede delivered by knocking 2-seconds off his Q5 topping time, that run having been the fastest run around Thornhill Racing Circuit.  With Fuller next to go, and having the advantage of not needing to do a fuel stop, he would better that time by 6/10th with a new outright fastest time but with Heat 15 still to run a better time from any of the 12 cars in that group would give Ronnefalk his first Worlds TQ.  Sworkz’s Juan Carlos Canas clearly stepped up to the challenge, the Top Qualifier of the last World Championship, he was on target to TQ the round.  Having just put in a blistering 35.765 second lap, with the crowd still audible in awe of that time, unfortunately the Spaniard would fall foul of the same track roof support post that cost him a strong Q3 run the previous day.  With his car getting caught in a screw at the post, his efforts were for nothing.  While ROAR Champion Seth Van Dalen topped Heat 15 for a P3 for the round, with Fuller taking the Q6 TQ from Ronnefalk this is how they would finish up in the final rankings.  As the defending Champion and winner of Q3, P6 the best he could manage in the final quali, Davide Ongaro completed the Top 3 ahead Canas, and he will line up behind Fuller in the Semi A and while Canas lines up behind Ronnefalk in the Semi B on Saturday.

Reacting to securing the Worlds TQ, Fuller said, ‘That was pretty insane cause I thought David would have it because the guys were going really fast in the last heat.  Juan probably should have had it but made a last lap mistake so yeah I am very happy with the TQ.’  Asked now about switching his focus to finals, the 2022 World Championship finalist said, ‘well now I won’t have as much fuel advantage so I am going to have to find a little more speed I think.  We will make some changes and try to be faster but I think we can be close.’  On those changes, he explained, ‘I just need to make it a little bit easier to drive so I drive a bit harder.’  On tyre wear, having run JConcepts Space Bars in the final qualifier, the 21-year-old said it is not an issue here adding, ‘actually I preferred the slicks on that run.  Those are like reruns on these tyres and I think they were a bit faster.’

Summing up his effort to try and secure at first Worlds TQ, Ronnefalk said, ‘It was a very good run, I knew exactly what needed to be done to get TQ, in the end TQ won’t matter, but it always nice feeling to get a TQ, I never TQ’d one so that would have been cool but you know I gave it everything in that one.’  He continued, ‘I knew that Mason’s pace was strong from the run before so I had to do a bit extra to put the pressure on him.  I think that’s exactly what I did and it can down to half a second or so.  There is not much more I could do having the pit stop to do and he went the full 10-minutes.’  Having won his World title a decade ago in Las Vegas, he added, ‘For me I don’t have any issues and full of confidence knowing my pace is very strong because I pulled back 4-5 seconds on him in the run.  If I can do that in 10-minute I should be OK for the longer runs as well.’  On planning his Semi Final he said, ‘I’ve been running tyres throughout qualifying I know I can run in the mains.  I went on a harder compound that last one, just to see how it was like, and to try pick up more speed as the track got gripper but I think there is a little more potential in the softer one so maybe if I have had those I could have had a better shot at it.’  He concluded, ‘I was a good battle throughout qualifying, Mason drove great all qualifiers I think we were both in the Top 5 pretty much so a great job to him & his team and look forward to do battle on Saturday.’

Chasing a fourth consecutive World title here in the United States, asked first about his Q5 gamble to try run the 10-minutes without a stop, Ongaro said, ‘We looked at the lap times and it was super consistent on a 36 but just missing 6-seconds of fuel.’  I was on 10:33 and you take away say 5-seconds (for pit stop) that’s 10:28 so I was there, so I think the car is there and we just need to adjust the front end which is too edgy to drive but overall was good.  We are not worried.’  Asked about the Semi Final, the Italian replied, ‘Like I said we will change the front and see how that is the Semi practice and that’s it.’  On tyre and the wear, he said, ‘on these ones we have almost 40-minutes and they will like this (starting to turn to slicks) we were fastest so maybe this is something we need to work on.  I don’t know if we wil need to switch compound for Saturday which will make more grip on the track.  Overall the balance is good and we just need to find a little more speed with the car.  Own run time, the Semi 30-minutes, he said, ‘for me I just go 7:30.’

‘Everything was perfect just my mistake from my side’ was how Canas summed his dramatic Q6 exit, his reaction to the marshal having quickly become an internet meme.  Moving on from the incident, him crashing full throttle into the pipe after his car was finally released from the infringing screw, asked about his Semi final preparations the 24-year-old said, ‘I feel the car is super good and I feel super comfortable so I will just break in some tyres for the Semi Final.  Everything is ready, I mean car, tyres, everything was on point.  I just need to put my perfect Semi Final together.’