Some the most dedicated RC enthusiasts decided to organize a 12-hour RC car race. The rules were very simple - 1 car, 5 drivers, 4 sets of wheels (plus 2 sets of rain tires in case of bad weather), 2 motors, unlimited amount of batteries and chargers⦠priceless!
Thirteen teams confirmed their presence in the race â” among them two teams with XRAY cars: Team 1 (XRAY T2) and Team 2 (XRAY T1FK'05). As some of the best Polish drivers assembled into these teams, it started discussions as to what solutions would give the best results: the T2 with its fantastic driving capabilities, or the T1FK'05 which seemed (for some of us) as the more durable car. Preparation included special bearing treatment and construction of a battery quick-change device. After some training Team 2 achieved results of less than 2sec for a battery change, so expectations of good results were very high.
The race started with a simple preliminary run with one wheel and battery change at the pit stop, just to sort the teams for the start of the main race which begun at 9:00AM sharp. Both teams did very well from the start, and the leaders from the beginning were Tamiya 1, XRAY 1, and XRAY 2. After the first 3 hours they changed places with XRAY 2 leading ahead of XRAY 1 and Tamiya 1 teams.
(click to enlarge)
Around noon the temperature of the ground went quite high; some quick adjustments were made to the car setup and the race continued. Then the most unfortunate thing happened for the leading XRAY 2 team in hour 6 of racing â” negligence in battery changing at one of the pit stops burnt all the electronics and an entire battery changing unit; this cost the team several minutes, and the lead of the race. The next thing was some problems with the XRAY 1 car. However, very good mechanics' work of the team (Waldek Wolak, former racer and father of the youngest XRAY racer) quickly did the necessary repairs which helped the team follow Tamiya team to a second place finish.
(click to enlarge)
During this time, XRAY 2 team after changing the ESC and battery connectors, started to chase the rest. The really hard work on the part of the entire team⦠driving in the heat, changing the "drivers' seat" in the best possible way⦠secured XRAY 2 team a 3rd place position which it kept to the very end at 21:00hrs.
It was definitely something we have never experienced before â” team driving, 12 hour race â” something totally different from the usual â” something for really "tough" team members.
The final standings of top 5 teams:
1. Tamiya 1 - 1891 laps 2. XRAY 1 - 1857 laps
3. XRAY 2 - 1761 laps
4. HPI 1 - 1591 laps
5. Tamiya 2 - 1443 laps
With a track length of approximately 200m, this calculated to approximately 370km of driving for the winning teams!
XRAY Team 1 members - 2nd place
Maciek Barabasz
Tomek Massalski
Rafal Pajor
Jule Wolak
Pawel Zelazo
Waldek Wolak - mechanic
Tadeusz Zelazo - mechanic
XRAY Team 2 members - 3rd place
Pawel Wisniewski
Zbyszek Blaszczyk
Jacek Startostecki
Arek Gajzler
Rafal Malczynski
