Red RC » Xray

December 5, 2024

World Champions tour Foshan ahead of FEMCA C/ships

It’s not just all racing duties when you are a World Champion! When you have 2 multiple World Champions in town you want to make the most of the opportunity to help promote RC Racing. Well, that is exactly what happened today with Bruno Coelho and Naoto Matsukura ahead of this weekend’s FEMCA ISTC Championships in Foshan, China. With his GDC Indoor Race Club track hosting this year’s FEMCA race that will crown the Touring Car Champion of Asia, Gavin Kwok took a number of the visiting drivers to the City’s Nanfeng Ancient Kiln which was built during the Ming Dynasty. The oldest existing active ceramic wood-burning dragon kiln in the world it has a history of more than 500 years. Accompanied by a photographer & videographer to capture the visit, there was an interesting and novelty electric bus ride from the track to the city’s major tourist site. With Matsukura sitting up front in the bus beside the driver it was a very entertaining ride and one which highlight that the Japanese racer could have a career as a tourist guide once he decides to hang up his radio!! With a day of free practice ahead of drivers tomorrow (Friday), the FEMCA Championship gets underway in earnest on Saturday morning with seeding followed by qualifying before finals on Sunday decide the new FEMCA Champion. You can follow all the action from GDC here on Red RC over the next 3-days.

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December 1, 2024

Hebert and Lia win at U.S. Indoor Champs

The 44th running of the U.S. Indoor Champs Presented by Hobbywing saw Xray’s Keven Hebert defend his title in Modified Touring Car while Awesomatix’s Donny Lia took the win in 1:12 at the Cleveland, Ohio, classic. In Touring Car Qualifying, it was the fourth & final round of qualifying that proved the fastest round with Hebert 6/10ths of a second faster than Awesomatix’s 2022 Champion Sam Isaacs with team-mate Kemp Anderson securing P3 on the grid. With a single A-Main, Hebert set the fastest lap of the race to win by a 3.3-second margin over Isaacs with Anderson finishing a further 1-second back to complete the podium. In Mod 1:12 qualifying it was defending Champion Isaacs that took the overall TQ, his Awesomatix fastest in Q4 from MonTech NYGP winner Anderson with Lia third fastest, his best time coming in Q3. In the triple finals, Isaacs managed to convert in A1 as Lia got by Anderson for second but in A2 the Top Qualifier caught a corner that allowed Anderson to the front but he then had a mistake 2 and a half minutes in allowing young Stuart Mason to the lead ahead of Lia where he would stay to the finish. Bringing the 2024 edition of the World’s longest running RC race to a close, in A3 Isaacs had the early lead but under intense pressure from Anderson there was contact with the boards for Isaacs that broke his car and put him out of the race. With Anderson leading, as the race came to a close Lia started pushing him hard and on the last lap executed a great pass to take the win and the title. Mason would finish runner-up with final step on the podium going to Isaacs.

View 1:12 podium here

November 14, 2024

Xray XB4 ’25 1:10 4WD Buggy

After the release of their 1:10 2WD Buggy at the start of the month, Xray has now unveiled details of its European Championship title holding 4WD challenger the XB4’25. The Slovakian manufacturer’s latest creation headed up by Martin Bayer, features a new chassis and aligned front bumper improve ground clearance. It also gets 3mm wider front suspension arm holders (A and B) for increased stability & cornering speed. Wide rear suspension arm holders (C and D) also increase stability & cornering speed. Longer front 84mm drive shafts accommodate wider geometry from the new arm holders. Available as a Dirt or Carpet edition kit, the XB4C comes with Graphite front lower suspension arms to improve high traction performance. The XB4D kit includes hard front lower suspension arms to create increase traction. Graphite C-hubs improve response & consistency. Also new on the 25 model are the front steering blocks with external adjustable carbon steering plates for extended tuning options. Elsewhere the buggy get redesigned front and rear anti-roll bar geometry with super easy adjustment from top. Shorter 113mm rear central dogbone drive shaft in the XB4D kit are for short wheelbase configuration suggested for lower traction conditions

View the full XB4’25 presentation here

November 8, 2024

Coelho again in Q2 as young Cruz stars

Xray’s Bruno Coelho picked up where he left off yesterday to open Day 2 of qualifying at the IFMAR Electric Touring Car World Championship with another TQ run but it was Mugen Seiki’s Jacob Cruz whose performance was the highlight of the Q2, the up & coming talent posting the fourth fastest time. The first of 4 rounds of qualifying on today’s schedule, Coelho and Michal Orlowski where once again the class of the Modified field with both drivers upping the 5-minute pace to register 29-lap runs, the pair separated by just half a second. A run which would see Marc Rheinard hit the boards and break his Awesomatix while holding P3, it was the Mugen Seiki of Ronald Volker who completed the Top 3 ahead of his young team-mate Cruz. As the ROAR National Champion, Awesomatix’s Sam Isaacs produced a strong run to the fifth fastest time ahead of the Axon of 2022 Worlds Podium finisher Akio Sobue.

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November 7, 2024

Coelho opens World title defence with Q1 TQ

Reigning World Champion Bruno Coelho has opened his Electric Touring Car World Championship title defence with a TQ run in the opening round of qualifying at Finishline RC Raceway in California. Having set the pace in yesterday’s free practice, the Xray driver carried that form into the opening two seeding rounds but in SP3 a traction roll would mean he would be the fifth car to leave the line in Q1 as arch rival Michal Orlowski got to go first. With the sun setting in Bakersfield, and temperatures dropping as the top heats went out on track, Q1 conditions would challenge all the drivers but chasing a third consecutive title it was Coelho who came out on top. Ahead of him on the track but behind him on the time sheets Orlowski’s Schumacher would stop the clock 1.3-seconds off Coelho. A further 1.7-seconds back Akio Sobue completed the the Top 3 for the first of the six rounds followed by Ronald Volker, Marc Rheinard and Alexander Hagberg.

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November 7, 2024

Coelho tops opening seeding round in Bakersfield

As things start to get official here at the IFMAR ISTC World Championships in Bakersfield, California, it was Bruno Coelho who set the pace in the first of the 3 seeding rounds, the reigning World Champion’s closest challenger continuing to be Michal Orlowski. With yesterday’s wind having died down and the morning sun bringing some extra temperature, drivers posted their fastest laps of the event so far around the Finishline RC Raceway with Coelho’s advantage over 3-consecutive laps 1/10th of a second on Orlowski. Behind them it was Warm-up Race winner Akio Sobue who was 3rd fastest ahead of Marc Rheinard with Infinity’s Jin Sawada and Schumacher’s Mattia Collina completing the Top 6.

Continue reading here

November 7, 2024

Ronnefalk confirmed for SIGP International Offroad GP

The organisers of the SIGP International Offroad GP in Xiamen, China, have announced David Ronnefalk as the latest driver who will compete for a share of the race’s total prize money of almost $25,000. The Xray driver & 2016 1:8 Buggy World Champion is the third World Champion winner to be confirmed for the December 11-15 race with Team Associated’s Davide Ongaro and Xray’s Bruno Coelho having already been announced to race at the 3-circle ARC International RC Racing Track. The same venue that hosted the 2017 IFMAR 1:10 Electric Offroad World Championships, the race schedule will be made up of 5 classes including racing for 1:4 offroad bikes with the main action expected in 1:8 Nitro Buggy and 1:8 eBuggy. Red RC will be travelling to the SIGP for the post Covid return of the event to the international race calendar.

Source: Sunpadow [sunpadow.com]

November 1, 2024

Xray XB2 ’25 1:10 2WD Buggy

Xray has unveiled its latest 1:10 2WD Competition buggy with the release of the 2025 iteration of its XB2 platform. Available in both Carpet and Dirt editions, the platform features a thinner 2.0mm aluminium one-piece chassis which improves traction while a Unified mid-length chassis balances rear traction & steering response. The rear chassis section has been widened to improve stability and a new unique Flat Chassis Brace adds tunable flex control. Redesigned RF (C) arm holder integrates with Flat Chassis Brace. Updated longer side guards extend flex control & include a new fan mount position. The new 3G gearbox has been updated for the lower chassis brace and the buggy also get a new lowered motor mount. An Aluminum rear roll center holder adds a 3rd roll center position & clearance for the rear anti-roll bar collar. Other updates include shorter front arms for improved handling characteristics while redesigned rear arms add a 3rd shock mounting location for additional tuning options.

View the full XB2’25 presentation here