If you're not already, this is just another reason to follow me on Twitter. I was talking to Eoghain O'Briain (redrc on Twitter) who is the Founder and Editor of Red RC and I asked him where he gets his XRAY news. He said he just spoke with Mario Hudy over at XRAY and had exclusive news about the XRAY T2'009. He was able to score a Q&A with head designer Juraj Hudy. Well, the full article has been released at Red RC and I'll give you highlights. Make sure you visit Red RC for details.
"The team was very successful at the warm-up race at the TITC with Teemu Leino winning the race; from that point onward we made a lot of progress on the 2009 car with very specific tests done at the Worlds track. So to answer your question… yes, we were running the 2009 car at the private warm-up."
That's great news, confirmation from Juraj Hudy that the T2'009 is coming to XRAY fans.
"The real challenge for me was to keep always in mind that the World’s is a one-of-a-kind race and despite our wanting to have the best car ready for this race, we needed to be certain that the final car we would have at the end would meet the needs of all customers and not just factory drivers."
We have seen in the past how much XRAY works to supports its team drivers. We saw Juraj and XRAY at the 2008 1/8th Buggy Worlds. XRAY often has a presence at major or championship racing events.
"LiPos are also turning the market upside-down and with wide-open rules on sizes and capacities it makes it really difficult for a car designer to adapt the car as you do not know what new batteries will come out tomorrow or the next day. As such the new car will have a more optimized drivetrain with one ratio only, it will have special parts that will enable you to use LiPo or regular batteries, it will have lighter drivetrain parts... and of course there are dozens of small, super-fine improvements we made that may not be readily apparent. The high-competition T2 platform was designed primarily for using NiMH battery packs but with the recent advancement of battery technology, the T2’009 has been optimized and prepared to accommodate the most popular LiPo batteries packs. Special graphite pads are inserted between the top deck and bulkheads which raise the top deck by 2.5mm to allow the fitting of the most frequently used LiPo battery packs."
I know all XRAY T2'008 and T2'007 owners are excited to hear the T2'009 will support LiPo batteries with official XRAY parts and design. This was a natural evolution in the T2 line.
"To be able to color coat the 7075 T6 we had to spend several months on very demanding testing of different procedures, chemical mixes, and coating processes to develop our own technique for color coating. This was really extremely demanding but we gained a lot of experience and pioneered some new processes. While there are several colors that we will never be able to consistently color using 7075 T6, we did end up with a nice range of different colors to choose from. We worked with different random customers to see which colors they preferred best. As such the 2009 car will have parts available in different colors."
All of us like bling or at least some personalization options to make our RC car more unique. This news takes me back years ago when I first got my XRAY M18. When we upgraded our chassis we went with carbon fiber and XRAY offered black and blue options. I went with the blue carbon fiber and got the blue foam bumper to match. Now, XRAY is going to offer a range of colors for your aluminum T2'009 parts. Nice bonus.
"But for me coming to any race means 100% dedication and a professional attitude, so my first and most important goal is always to make sure our customers are happy with our products, support, and service."
No surprise here. This is a major reason why we continue to be a XRAY dealer. They do a great job supporting us and our customers.
Update: We are now taking preorders on the XRAY T2'009.
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