December 30, 2024

Phend’s move to Xray confirmed

Xray has confirmed that US Offroad force Dakotah Phend has joined its factory team, the Slovakian manufacturer confirming the American shortly after it announced the departure of its star driver Bruno Coelho.   Xray has been without a top driver in the US since the departure of Ty Tessman at the start of the 2024 when the Canadian former World Champion announced time on his career.  With the demise of the TLR Factory Team and Phend announcing the end of a 19-year stint with iconic US brand, his confirmation at Xray ends one of the most discussed and talked about silly seasons in RC in years.   On the announcement Phend said, ‘The time in my career has come to make a change, reset, and rejuvenate for the upcoming years.  Change is hard but sometimes necessary.  I feel like I still have a lot left to give to the RC community and I’m not ready to be done yet.  I’ve done a lot of thinking and reflecting these past few months and with that in mind I’m beyond excited to be working with XRAY/RC America for the 2025 season and beyond.  There dedication and drive to building race vehicles and competing at the highest level in RC is 2nd to none and I can’t wait to get to the races and show how they can elevate my program.  A special thanks goes to everyone behind the scenes at XRAY & RC America that made this opportunity possible.  I will be competing at all the major 1/10th and 1/8th events this year including the National and World Championships!  I can’t wait to hit the track and I’ll see everyone there!’

Source: Xray [teamxray.com]


December 15, 2024

Ronnefalk takes eBuggy win at SIGP

Xray’s David Ronnefalk has won eBuggy at the SIGP in China, a 3-way battle for the overall victory & its more than €2,500 1st place prize money being decided in the third A-Main.  Having secured the TQ on tie-break from Ronnefalk, Team Associated’s Davide Ongaro would take the opening win from his Swedish rival with the Sworkz of Nitro Buggy Top Qualifier Mattia Polito completing the Top 3.   In A2 it would be Polito who came away with the win over Ronnefalk in a race that saw Ongaro and Bruno Coelho come together in mid air.  This set the stage for an A3 showdown between Ongaro, Polito and Ronnefalk.

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December 14, 2024

Ronnefalk takes Q2 at SIGP

Xray’s David Ronnefalk has kicked off Day 2 of qualifying at the SIGP in China by taking the second round of Nitro Buggy.  A much cooler morning in Xiamen, a clean run would see the Swede top the times by 1.3-seconds from a much improved Davide Ongaro while Q1 pace setter Matti Politi completed the Top 3, both Italians having mistakes.  While having the fastest buggy on the track in Q2, it was another error filed run from Bruno Coelho, three costly mistakes over the 7-minutes leaving him with a P4.  Backing up his Top 5 in yesterday’s opening qualifier, Joseph Quagraine again took his Mayako to the 5th fastest time ahead of the WIRC of Gabriel Astorino.

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December 13, 2024

Xray X1 ’25 1:10 Formula 1

Xray has presented its latest 1:10 Formula chassis, the X1’25. The car is based on an all-new one-piece chassis design that Xray claim gives more consistent handling in all conditions and improved tweak resistance.  A narrower chassis shape reduces chassis drag during cornering.  The Rear POD concept on top of chassis makes for less drag and improved tweak resistance while adjustable POD angle fine tuning is controlled by set screw at the rear of chassis.  New rear carbon side spring brace aligns with new POD geometry.  The latest X1 also gets an all-new spring-free centre shock absorber with 1-hole piston provides exceptional bump handling, low maintenance, and helps lower CG.  Other features of the car include a new wing mounting system, new adjustable wing angle, redesigned lower arms with more material around the holes for improved durability in serious crashes and a new battery mounting system.

View the full X1’25 presentation here


December 10, 2024

Xray announces 1:10 Offroad progam with Martin

Xray has announced that the multiple EFRA European Champion Lee Martin has joined their factory team to represent the brand in 1:10 offroad. The very experienced British race who spent the last 2-years with Schumacher in 1:10, will have a program with hte Slovakian brand that includes BRCA Masters, MKGP & EOS, EFRA Euros and BRCA Nationals.  Competing on his new signing the Multiple British National Champion, who will continue with Agama in 1:8 Offroad, said, ‘I am very pleased to be joining Xray for the foreseeable future.  The quality of these luxury products and Xray’s constant pursuit for racing perfection is inspiring and hugely motivating.  I can’t wait to get started.’

Source: Xray [teamxray.com]


December 9, 2024

Schimmel & LeMieux win at U.S. Carpet Offroad C/ships

Recent TLR departee Brennan Schimmel and Xray’s Chase LeMieux where the Modified winners at the U.S. Carpet Offroad Championships held in Cleveland over the weekend.  A week after the same venue hosted the 44th running of the U.S. Indoor Champs, which is the world’s longest running RC race, it was the turn of Scotty Ernst to call some 1:10 offroad racing action.  In qualifying it was Schimmel, with a car he borrowed for the event, who took the 2WD TQ ahead of Aydin Horne having topped 2 of the 3 rounds.  Fastest in Q1 Brandon Foote would qualify third.   In the final the World Championship finalist would wrap up the overall victory with wins in A1 & 2.  Qualifying down in 6th, LeMieux would win A3 to secure the runner-up spot ahead of Davey Batta.  While Schimmel would take Q1 in 4WD Buggy, LeMieux took the next to secure the overall TQ.  Just as it looked like he was going to walk away with it after his A1 win, a series of misfortunes would knock LeMieux to the back of the pack in the A2 final.  It would all come down to A3 for the overall win.  LeMieux would show exactly why he was the TQ as he would have a super clean run and fend off the hard charging Schimmel and Batta and that was how they would like up on the podium.

Image: US Carpet Off Road Championships [Facebook]


December 8, 2024

Coelho adds FEMCA title to CV

Bruno Coelho has added a FEMCA title to his racing CV, the multiple World and European Champion now official the Champion of Asia in Electric Touring Car.  Securing the overall TQ at the event hosted at the GDC track in Foshan, China, the Xray driver continued his dominant form into the finals.  Cruising to the win in A1 ahead of former World Champion Naoto Matsukura, he sealed the deal in A2 with another text book race this time ahead of team-mate Shin Sawada.  A3 would then decide which side Matsukura and Sawada would stand next to Coelho on the events impressive podium presentation, the entire race weekend taking RC events to a very high level in terms of presentation.   Leading away the field in the closing race, Matsukura would see off a determined challenge from his fellow Japanese driver even surviving heavy contact with the boards to win A3 and claim the runner-up spot, the same result he achieved on his only other previous FEMCA ISTC Championship appearance.  With racing on carpet somewhat an alien experience for Sawada, he completed the podium.  Qualifying fourth, Japanese Offroad Champion Kouki Kato would finish in that position ahead of the Awesomatix of Maxim Laverychev who went one better this year than he achieved on his first visit to the GDC track last year.

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December 8, 2024

Coelho cruises to A1 win as Matsukura fends off Sawada

Bruno Coelho has cruised to the win in the opening A-Main at the FEMCA ISTC Championship in China with all the attention on the battle for second between Naoto Matsukura and Shin Sawada.  Starting from the TQ, Coelho’s Xray quickly gapped the field with a few interesting spectators, namely Marc Rheinard, Jilles Groskamp & Atsushi Hara, looking on.  With the track maintaining the higher traction driver’s enjoyed for the final qualifier, them all having had to deal with very low traction for the first run of today, second place qualifier Matsukura found his Infinity coming under the increasing attention of the Xray of Sawada.  Seeing off the first challenge, Sawada dropping back after a few laps of running on his rear bumper, the ISTC Spec Class World Finalist came back for another go at the former World Champion but couldn’t find anywhere around the GDC track to make a move.  Finishing 3-seconds back on the winner, Matsukura would have just 2/10ths on Sawada.  Having a lonely race Kouki Kato would cross the finish a further 1.8-seconds back.

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