Alexander Hagberg reports on Xray Challenge Greece

The Xray Challenge Greece was held last weekend at the FRT track outside of Athens and this report is by Alexander Hagberg. ‘The track is huge by its size, comparable to the famous Lostallo track in Switzerland. It has been the host of numerous EFRA European Championship events in the past, so the quality of the track is very good. This time, the race featured the 1/10 GP and 1/10 EP Modified classes. A total entry count of around 50 had joined the event which was held over one day. The weather was sunny and reaching well over 20 degrees C, which meant perfect racing conditions.

I had arrived at the track on Saturday to get some practice done. I soon learned the large layout. The most difficult thing was to learn where the bumps were in the track, so it was difficult to find the correct driving line. At the end of the day, I had found a good set-up for both my cars, and was able to set a new lap record with my T4 car, even on the second battery.

About the NT1, I was using the 2013 version in a race for the first time. I was not using a special set-up, but I like to use a very hard shock set-up for the new version and its short shocks. In the end I used 4×1.0 holes with 700 cst oil. For this particular track and conditions, a front spool was the best choice, also used by the local drivers. It made the car more precise and it rotated better through the small 180 corners in the infield. The only backside of using a front spool is the increased front tire wear. However, I did not have a big problem with tire wear at this track.

The qualifying system was a little different at this event. In the GP class, the qualifying was determined by the quickest single lap. In the electric class, a traditional FTD system was used. In the GP class, I had a close battle with the Greek driver Sotiropoulous Giannis who also showed a strong pace. In the end I was able to set the TQ in this class by half a tenth. The final was a 45 minute encounter. The tone went off and I had a decent start. However, the Greece drivers were closing from behind. One of the drivers managed to spin my car around after only a few laps. I tried to stay calm as I knew that it would be a long final. After a few more minutes, I held a big lead as the other drivers dropped back with various problems. I held a strong and consistent pace for the entire 45 minutes without any major problems, and managed to take the win by a 5-lap margin in the end. My car and engine worked great in the final. Special thanks to my mechanic Philip from Fanatix.

In the EP class, I had only limited time to practice. But the car was working instantly well, as I was using my set-up from the ETS race in Gran Canaria. I only made a few small changes to my rollcenter, which I lowered, and ESC drag brake settings, which I reduced, to better suit this big and high speed track. The car was fast both on old and new tires. In the end I managed to take the TQ and win in all finals. I was challenged at times by local Xray driver Nikos Georgiadis, who also showed a strong pace. Unfortunately he was out of luck in the finals where electronic problems and a broken tire prevented him from taking the runner up position.

I want to thank Fanatix Models for their great hospitality, and for a fun and well organized event. Xray has as strong position in Greece. The atmosphere is relaxed and everyone is having fun. I hope to come back to Greece soon.’

GP results:
1. Alexander Hagberg – Xray NT1 2013
2. Sotiropoulous G.
3. Paparegas T. – Xray NT1

EP results:
1. Alexander Hagberg – Xray T4
2. Mitropoulous
3. Nikolakopoulous

Source: Xray [teamxray.com]