Cavalieri is double World Champion

Ryan Cavalieri is the new 4WD World Champion, becoming only the third driver in the 26-year-history of the IFMAR Championships to win both the 2WD & 4WD title at the week long event.  The factory Team Associated driver secured his fourth World title by backing up his victory in the opening leg of the A-Main with a more convincing win in Leg 2.

The race saw Top Qualifier Ryan Maifield lead the opening laps but just like in the first encounter the American got it wrong at the double allowing Joern Neumann to take the lead.  Looking like the German might get justice for the earlier cruel luck, it wasn’t to be for the highly talented Team Durango driver.  Chased by Cavalieri, Neumann made a mistake on his eighth lap allowing the No.3 car to go to the front and take a 2-second win over Jared Tebo to wrap up his third 4WD World Championship.

After the race Cavalieri said doing the double felt as good as winning his first title did back in 2003 but being a few years older now he appreciates what he has achieved a lot more.  Having always aimed to win at least one World title since he was a kid he said he never thought about doing the double before but said getting it done felt ‘awesome’.  Becoming the second most successful driver in electric offroad after the legend that is Masami Hirosaka, Cavalieri made a better start and said once he hit the front and knew the title was his for the taking he drove a safe race not wanting a repeat of the 2005 Worlds.

Receiving congratulations from 3 time Touring Car World Champion Marc Rheinard, Cavalieri joked with the German that he was delighted to give the Tamiya driver motivation to go for a fourth title.  Cavalieri will be a spectator for the third A-Main which will determine the final podium places as the excellently organised 14th World Championship comes to a close in Vaasa, Finland.

Full results can be found here.

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