The organization was created in 1979 by professional racer and RC model entrepreneur Ted Longshaw.

IFMAR was conceived as a way to bring the different, fragmented organizations under a single, governing body.

He has a record of 14 IFMAR World Championships, followed by Lamberto Collari with 9 titles, all within a single category and in nitro powered cars.

IFMAR governs RC racing through four international governing bodies, or "blocs" representing 45 member nations and with full voting rights: To be allowed to compete in an IFMAR World Championship event, the competitor has to be a member of a national body (such as ROAR of North America, SARDA from South Africa, BRCA from the United Kingdom, etc.).

Ryan Maifield claimed the honor from Drescher in 2013, who held it until he win his off-road double in 2017.