Coelho (Inf1nity): “It was a year of big changes and a lot of learning”
Hi Bruno, how are you? We hope that you had a great start into the new year. Your old teammate Alex Hagberg told us that he had Bacalhau “com natas” as Christmas dinner. Which Portuguese speciality was on your table during Christmas?
All fine, thank you, and I hope the same for you. What Alex had is really good, and in Portugal it is very traditional to eat bacalhau (codfish), during Christmas. We have many different ways to prepare it, and “Bacalhau com natas” is probably my favorite. This year I had “Cabrito assado no forno”, which translates to oven roasted kid goat. It is also a very traditional dish for Christmas in Portugal, and it is something we usually enjoy with the family on special occasions.
Well, 2025 was a year full of changes for you. You left Xray to join Infinity and it was a year full of hard work. In the end you celebrated a huge win at the ETS in Luxembourg which must have meant a lot to you. How would you sum-up your first full year with Infinity?
It was definitely a year of big changes and a lot of learning. Joining Infinity meant adapting to a new environment, new people, and a different way of working, and it required a lot of dedication from everyone involved. Winning the ETS in Luxembourg was a very special moment for me, as it confirmed that the hard work was going in the right direction. Overall, I would describe my first full year with Infinity as very demanding, very motivating, and extremely positive from a long term perspective.
You are not on the entry list for the ETS in Daun and we have not seen you hitting carpet during the winter. You also told us that you will completely skip the carpet season. Can you tell our ETS fans and spectators what is the reason behind it going into the world championship season?
This decision was mainly based on focus and long term planning. With the World Championship coming up, I felt it was important to fully concentrate on outdoor racing and preparation on asphalt, which is where the Worlds will be held. Skipping the carpet season allows me to invest my time and energy into testing, development, and preparation that is more directly connected to the goals for this season. It is not an easy choice, as I enjoy racing carpet, but my main focus now is asphalt.
You have been at the FEMCA race to prepare for the IFMAR worlds and won it. How was the time in China at this facility and what can you tell us about the whole experience in Foshan?
The time in China was very positive. The GDC facility in Foshan is impressive, and the organizers did a great job with the event. Racing at the FEMCA was an excellent opportunity to understand the track, the conditions, and the overall environment ahead of the IFMAR World Championship. The experience was valuable both on and off the track. It allowed us to test, learn, and adapt, and the win was a great bonus that confirmed we are working in the right direction. Overall, it was a very productive and motivating trip.
Brunet (RC Maker): “We are pushing extremley hard to develop the best possible car”
Hello Antoine, how has your start to 2026 been so far, and how have you been preparing for the ETS in Daun with your RC Maker SP-1? What result would you be satisfied with after the race?
The start of the new season looks very promising. Over the last few months, we’ve made a clear step forward in car performance, so I’m really looking forward to being in Daun to see where we stand competitively.
The RC Maker team is around for one year now and you are involved from the very first minute. How would you sum up 2025 for the brand and the car platform and what do you expect to happen in 2026?
The 2025 season has brought some strong positives, but also a few challenges. We unexpectedly lost several drivers, which reduced the amount of data available and inevitably impacted our race results. Despite that, Ryan and the team have been pushing extremely hard to develop the best possible car as quickly as we can. As a team, we’ve learned a huge amount—everything was completely new for us, and that experience has made us stronger.
We talked to many other drivers about the upcoming big events like ETS Wiener Neustadt, TITC, and finally the IFMAR worlds in Foshan and the Euros in Luxembourg. Will you attend all these races in 2026 or did you have to pick some of them to fit in your life schedule?
Looking ahead, 2026 is shaping up to be very exciting, with many races across Europe and several events worldwide. I’m confident in our development direction and have full trust in Ryan and the work he’s doing for the future. There are also a lot of exciting developments coming soon for RC Maker, as well as for our new brand, INOV8 Our goal is to compete in all races leading up to the World Championship. That’s our main goal, and we’re fully committed to giving everything to reach the top .
