Tessmann does ‘The Dirt’ double
Ty Tessmann has completed the double at the 15th Annual Dirt Nitro Challenge, the HB driver backing up the Truggy win he took last night with a second victory tonight in the blue ribbon 1:8 Nitro Buggy class at the world famous event. Making history by becoming the first driver to win three consecutive Truggy titles, Tessmann also becomes the first driver to do the double twice, the Canadian having won both feature races when the Fear Farm hosted Joey ‘The Dirt’ Christensen’s signature event for the first time in 2012. The podium in Phoenix was completed by Top Qualifier Dakotah Phend, the TLR driver having to recover from a first lap error and France’s Renaud Savoya who becomes the first European to make the podium at the event.
Clearly pleased at doing the double, something that will make the 24-hour drive back to Alberta that lies ahead of him somewhat easier, Tessmann said the key to his success was ‘not crashing’. After a ‘good start’ the 21-year-old said he ‘got worried’ when David Ronnefalk started to pull clear up front. Running Pro-Line X3 Blockades on his OS Speed powered D8, he said they were loose at the start due to the water on the track but when it dried out they came in really good. With about 15-minutes to go he said they started to fade so his focus was to just try maintain the gap adding that this was made easier by Savoya & Phend battling one another for second spot. Admitting to things getting ‘shakey a few times’ he said for the most part his driving was ok and in terms of his equipment everything ran smoothly.
Phend summed up his race with ‘rough start’. Leading away the World championship quality 15-car field, he said he was ‘trying to take it easy’ but went wide first time through the double double and into the dust resulting in his buggy ending up on its roof and needing to be marshalled. The mistake would leave him 9th at the end of lap 1. Describing his recovery as ‘not the best’ as he made ‘a lot of mistakes’, he said when he did find his rhythm he was able to pull back in the leaders but it came too late and although he salvaged second it was some 13.087-seconds behind Tessmann. Choosing Pro-Line M3 Blockade and setting the second fastest lap of the race he said his Orion powered 8ight 3.0 was really good but it was just that one mistake that hurt him so badly.
‘Super happy’ was factory Xray driver Savoya’s response to his third place finish, the 3-time European Champion adding it was a great result to build on in this World championship year. Running Sweep’s silver Battle Star tyre on his Orion powered XB9, he described it as ‘super easy to drive’ allowing him push really hard with out much effort. Top European at last year’s DNC, he said this year is by far his best run at the event as he almost made the Truggy A-Main.
Unfortunately for fellow European David Ronnefalk it was a case of what could so nearly have been. Starting from 5th on the grid, the Swede took his Kyosho to the front on lap 6 and was starting to pull clear until his first fuel stop. Suffering a flame he would rejoin fourth closing back in on the leaders only for him to suffer two further engines cuts during his fuel stops. After the race it was discovered that the rubber pipping on his air filter was torn with the leak affecting the idle of his Orion engine. A dejected Ronnefalk said ‘it was just one of those things’, the rip believed to have been caused as they refitted the air filter after pre-race technical inspection. Being ‘pissed’ after the second flame out, the reigning European Champion said this lead to ‘quite a lot of crashes’ and this ‘probably cost (him) a podium’. Driving easy at the start and still able to pull away he said everything was amazing including his Orion engine which on track ran perfectly. Such was Ronnefalk’s pace, his MP9 setting the fastest lap of the race, even with three flame outs he finished only 24-seconds, or half a lap, behind Tessmann.
For outgoing champion Ryan Maifield, who had to bump up from the B-Main to make the main show, a tough event ended with a short race. Twice his Associated prototype RC8 came to a stop on track after tumbles as a drive shaft popped out and after just 6-minutes his race was done.
2011 Champion Jared Tebo, who was in contention for the win having just taken over the lead from team-mate Ronnefalk on lap 12, it would also be engine issues that would end his challenge. Suffering an engine cut having just been in for fuel he would loose a lap & a half as his Kyosho was recovered and restarted. After the race Kyosho team-manager and pitman for Tebo, Joe Pillar said the cut suspected to have been caused by a stone catching in the flywheel as when they turned the MP9 upside down in the pits a rock fell out.
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