Tessmann tops first Truggy seeding practice
Defending US National Truggy Champion Ty Tessmann topped the first seeding practice run at Thornhill Racing Circuit in Hutto, Texas, this morning. The HB driver raced the fastest three consecutive laps of the large European style track in 134.919 to top the time sheets from Serpent’s Mike Truhe who ran a best time of 135.496 over the 7-minute run. The Top 3 for the first of the two seeding rounds was completed by Team Associated’s Ryan Maifield who set a time of 135.949.
Tessmann said he ran too soft a tyre for how the track was, having expected it to blow out which he added ‘it didn’t’. Using Proline’s Holeshot tyre in X3 compound on his OS Speed powered D8T, the Canadian said for the second practice he will switch to X2 with the tyres the only change he planned for now. Pleased with his truck he said the only real issue was traffic with him running into a number of crashed trucks over the run.
Changing caster blocks on his TOP powered 811T for more caster and running it in the quick track cleaning practice run this morning, Truhe said he stuck with the change for the seeding run and he was happy with how everything went. Running X2 compound Pro-Line Holeshots he said they suited the conditions but for the second run more out of wanting to just try something different on the truck he might opt to run a set of Blockades in the day’s second run. As the grip comes up he said the track is coming to the truck continuing that if he had to stick with the same set-up for the rest of the event he would be happy.
Maifield was content with his pace saying his truck was pretty consistent but added it was lacking a bit of speed. Very happy with his Novarossi engine, he said he need to find a bit more speed mid & exit of the corners. Running JConcepts Hybrid tyre in green compound, the 3-time former champion feels most of that could be found in his tyre selection and for the second run he might go for a different tyre pattern as well as switching his choice of compound.
Fourth fastest for the round was Dakotah Phend. The 17-year-old was happier with the track conditions today saying he got to run on a slightly drier track and the traction was good which in turn allowed him to carry more corner speed. Describing his Orion powered TLR 8ight T, which he ran the same as yesterday, as ‘really good’ he only plans a tyre compound change for the final seeding practice. Running Proline Holeshot tyre he plans to switch from X3 compound to the harder X2.
RC America team driver Josh Wheeler took his Xray to the fifth fastest time. Having run soft AKA Grid Iron tyre in the morning’s untimed practice, Wheeler switched to the medium compound for the seeding run. Very happy with the truck he said he ‘I don’t know anything else I can do to go faster, I can change things to make it feel different but not any faster’. Looking to his next practice he said going faster was going to be just down to the driver.
Completing the Top 6 after the disqualification of Ryan Lutz, was Ryan Cavalieri, the Team Associated driver describing his run as pretty decent. Trying AKA Grid Iron tyres in the morning’s quick practice round and liking them he stuck with those for the seeding practice. With this the biggest change he said the only other thing he did was to add some weight to the front of his Orion powered RC8T. For the next run he will leave the truck as is planning to just rebuild the centre diff to refresh it.
Mugen’s Carson Wernimont would end up 7th fastest saying he couldn’t complain as his MXB7T was ‘pretty good’. Switching from AKA’s Impact tyre to Grid Irons, he said the switch was a good call. While the track was less dusty today he said it wasn’t really any faster as the the surface was now quite ‘greasy’. Struggling with traffic for most of the run, the practice heats having not been seeded, on the last lap Wernimont would end up with a broken truck due to a slower car rejoining the track in front of him leading to a broken front arm. For the final seeding practice, the 17-year-old said he might just ‘leave it up to the driver to go faster’ rather than change anything in the set-up.
Behind Wernimont Jared Tebo led the Kyosho challenge. Running in Heat 1, the 2010 Champion hasn’t had the chance to run on an unwatered track but feels his pace for the track conditions he got is ‘really good’. Set to have a dry track for the second seeding run, the track not being watered between rounds today, he said he is really looking forward to it and believes he can greatly improve on his pace.
Lutz had his time disallowed after his car was found to be 14grams under weight. The Team Durango driver said his truck must have gone on a diet because weight has never been an issue before. Describing the track as a little loose at the beginning he said after that the truck was great and other than adding some weight for the next one he will leave everything as is.
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