Driving Line VOLUME IV ISSUE 1 | WINTER 2018 | Page 63

RED DRAGON
Few 4400 Ultra4 cars have seen as many checkered-flag finishes as the
single-seat car No. 67, aka the Red Dragon. Built in 2013 at Jimmy’s 4x4, the
inspiration for the design came from the Pro 4 trucks used in the Lucas Off Road
Racing Series. With so many of the Ultra4 races at the time sharing the same short-
course challenges that the Pro 4 trucks faced, it was a bold but calculated move.
The idea on the Red Dragon was to achieve an extremely low center of gravity,
which is partly accomplished by moving the powertrain quite literally next to the
driver in the cockpit. This made for a great weight balance overall, but eliminated
the possibility of a co-driver.
Both the new and old Dragon retain an independent front suspension. The
old car netted 18 inches of vertical wheel travel, making it ideal on high-speed
and short-course tracks. Though it may require a different driving approach in the
rocks, Healy feels the benefits of the long-travel system far outweighs the slight
rockcrawling disadvantage.
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