The Worlds according to Ruona – Wednesday Qualifying

So what did you think about that 4th round of qualifying? So here’s the question.. Are you more concerned about Jared Tebo escaping tech with the body holes or the track being rained on?

I get asked all the time….what tires should I run? This can be via text, email, FB message or just a straight up post to my wall. I always respond with; send me a photo of your track. A photo is worth 1000 words, so they say? Because, you see, the track really matters. This is something that you need to learn early in R/C.

It probably took me 3-4 club races when I started racing in October of 1990 to figure this out. Only back then you wanted a watered track because it gave the most grip. I was running Trinity tires on my JRX-T and I had 3 different tread patterns. Small, medium and medium large pins. If the track was wet I ran larger pins and if it was dry I would run smaller pins. I knew that when I was running the smaller pins on the dry track it was going to be loose anyways and be slow. However, as long as everyone else was slow I was ok with it.

As I got better and started racing 2wd I had more tire options and starting paying even more attention to the conditions. Back then, watering the track was by volunteers and you could basically do it whenever you wanted. One of the fast 2wd buggy guys at our club track GOAR, Mike Spein would “volunteer” to water the track just before his qualifier and lay down a nice coat of water just before his race. He would already have the 11×2 motor with 7 cells of power ready to go and….boom. Mike was clearing jumps, full throttle, throwing red dirt roosts on his way to a potential TQ. Mike knew how to setup, prepare and cater the track conditions to his setup. We were concerned in those days that Mike had a track advantage during a 90’s club meeting at the Greater Orlando Auto Racers track.

Fast forward about 5 years and we were racing the Winter Championships where previously we hoped to be in a qualifier in the morning on a fresh / damp track for the best shot at a TQ run. Something strange happened, the track crew decided they could no longer keep up with watering the track and they let it go dry. It wasn’t 20 minutes later and the track started looking funny…. It had this groove that started to form and we started seeing fast qualifiers coming out of guys that…..well, ah, normally, ah….ok, they aren’t fast and they were beating our previous runs. Then we noticed, holy crap, the next heat is even faster, then faster again. Pretty soon you run to the heat sheet and look who’s up in the last heats of 2wd modified. Ok, these guys have the best heat now and they are almost the last ones up to race. If you were lucky you had a late heat and the potential to lay it down on the fast track.

What could the guys do who were in the first heat of 2wd modified? All they could do is watch their times get beaten by a lap or more. Yes, a lap! First heat drivers would be throwing things in the pits, this is BS, I hate this track, what a joke, I’m going home, my grandma could TQ in the last heat…ugh whatever… The next year they would still have 400+ entries.

Fast forward to where we are at now. World Championships. Over time we have decided that it’s more fair to run the track dry and it’s more consistent heat to heat and allows all drivers to compete on a somewhat even playing field. We have gone so far as to add sugar and concrete to what previously used to be dirt surfaces just to up the level of consistency. It works, the sugar, the concrete and everything else we have done actually gives the best conditions for these types of events when you want the most fair shot at a TQ no matter what race you are in.

As far back as 1997, at the Worlds at the Ranch Pit Shop, they were using concrete to patch the track. I saw a hole forming at the end of the straight and Gil Losi Jr (I miss him at the races BTW) started making it larger and squaring up the hole. I say to him, hey what are you doing… He says I’m going to make some clean edges and fill the hole with concrete. My mind is blown….I’m thinking…it’s a dirt track just fill it with dirt. Jr says, concrete is the only thing that is close to what we actually are racing on after we have grooved up the track. I was skeptical until my qualifier and I was like holy crap, this freakin works. The hole was gone and we were hauling ass again… Jr and his concrete saved the day.

Today started just as any other qualifying round would with the track being in great condition. Fast times coming down as the heats get faster everything was on track for another showdown in heats 1-5 where the fast guys are. I see the cloud coverage was moving in and I go to Ryan’s pit and he’s already looking for different compounds. I think great, this guy doesn’t need any help he’s already on it. Heat 1 hits the track and Cavalieri, Martin Bayer and David Ronnefalk are running well. 16 lap pace going down in the 10:12 range. The race is on track and things are going ok. Then I feel a rain drop and I’m like oh, crap. I see the cars start sliding on the tile and I’m like these guys are screwed. I run back to the pits and talk with Ryan and then I run to the rental and pick out a set of used but softer tires for Ryan. I didn’t have the tire I wanted but this would have to do. Have to make the changes and decisions on the fly and things were happening quickly. I’m thinking F this crap we are going to TQ this round anyways when I find the right tire. Heat 1 gets 16 laps but not the greatest after the last minute got some water. Heat 2 hits the track and Tebo was running well but I couldn’t see his lap times until Maifield was sorted for heat 3. I run to see his best lap of 40 seconds. What the hell? A 40 out of Tebo as hot lap? Ugh….I watch for a minute and they have low grip on the tile sections and pretty much everywhere. I go back to the warmup area and Maifield is asking if he should even run considering the track is so bad and he says, with a clean run I’m lucky to be in the top 60 with the way things are going. Kevin and I convince Ryan to run anyways thinking ahead of potential problems of not running the qualifier.

Ty and dad prepped his car well with new front and rear clips (thinner diff fluid and standard settings) to the chassis and some Holeshots. You know what they were thinking? Blank this crap we are going to TQ this round anyways and show everyone who the man is. Heat 3 starts and Ty, Maifield and Wernimont all ran 39 second laps… I’m thinking, if it keeps drying (it wasn’t presently raining) and the race goes long enough these guys might have a shot at it. I videoed a few laps with Ryan and added to FB quickly. He was doing well with a so/so car and last second move on tires. Then more rain fell and all of a sudden the laps slooowed down… 41’s and 42’s….ugh. It was slow now and no shot at a decent run. Maifield finished off the qualifier with 15 laps 10:33 with no crashes and a great fuel stop. Impressive run for Ty, Wernimont and Maifield but a lap off TQ. Yes…..a lap short of TQ.

You know what Maifield said afterward? What a waste of time…I’m going to be 80th. We follow back to the pits after marshaling and everyone is still fired up about getting screwed on track conditions. Maifield’s rant goes something like Ive heard before. This is BS, I hate this track, what a joke, I’m going home, my grandma could TQ in that first heat…ugh whatever… I made that up but you get the idea…

See, no matter what you try and do there is nothing you can do about the single largest factor which is the track conditions. No matter how much of a badazz you are, you can’t control the surface, weather and conditions or the organization running the event. If you are running when the track sucks it’s not always your car, tires, driving, mental approach or good luck charm….is the track fast or not?

When it’s fast we say, keep your arms and legs inside the cab at all times…you are entering the rocket race. Sometimes there is no magical tire, no magical setup….you need to be able to read the track and know to have the appropriate equipment on during that time and let the chips fall where they may.

I just wish Mike Spein was here to water the track.

Photos of the day – Wednesday

Bayer reigns in wet Q4

Martin Bayer has TQ’d a rain effected fourth round of qualifying at the 1:8 Offroad World Championships in Sicily. Starting off the second day of qualifying with his best run securing Xray’s first Top 10 time, the Czech driver topped the second qualifier ahead of Ryan Cavalieri and David Ronnefalk. Starting out as a dry heat with 2-minutes to go the rain that the dark clouds threatened to bring finally arrived continuing for much of the remaining four title contender loaded heat groups. Running earlier in Heat 10, the round starting with Heat 6 of 14, Jeremy Kortz would be one of the big benefactors ending up fourth ahead of other Heat 1 runners Cody King, Dakotah Phend, Christopher Svensson and Darren Bloomfield. Fastest in the opening three qualifiers but having to run on a completely wet track Ty Tessmann, who is in Heat 3, would end up 37th.

While happy to take the TQ, Bayer said it was a lucky one and he would have preferred to have done it when the track ‘conditions are equal for everyone’. Finishing 1.3-seconds up on Cavalieri, losing time in a coming together with King halfway through the run, he said on the dry track his LRP powered XB8 ‘felt pretty good’ with it very consistent before the arrival of the rain. With the rain now passed but with more forecast for the morning, Bayer said while overall he is happy with how his equipment is running he would be waiting till the morning before deciding whether or not to make any changes.

‘Guess we finally got a bit of luck out of running in the first heat’, that was Cavalieri’s initial reaction to his second for the round. Adding one degree anti-squat to his prototype RC8, the Team Associated lead driver said with the change the car ‘didn’t jump right’ with it bouncing a little on the landings. Although ‘not 100% comfortable’ with the car he said he was still on for a better run before the rain adding he is ‘finally getting his driving right’ for the Naxos World track.

Ronnefalk said his drive didn’t deserve 3rd but continued ‘you need luck sometimes and it came at the right time I guess’. Going back up in the diffs oils in his Orion powered Kyosho as well as going for a softer compound of AKA’s Catapult tyre, the 18-year-old said he was able to push it harder. Feeling more comfortable with the car he said he was happy to get back into the 36-second lap times again, no one going faster than 37 in the first run of the day. The Swede said the run again wasn’t perfect from the drivers perspective with one big mistake at the double before the straight but even with this he said he would have still got a Top 10 for the round had it stayed dry.

A driver renowned for his bad boy image, Kortz gave a descript summary of his luck saying ‘the sun shines on a dog’s ass every once and a while’. Admitting he did get lucky, saying if the rain had come a minute earlier he would have got the TQ, the Agama driver said he still had to have put in a decent run to capitalise on the weather change. While the 4 time Worlds finalist doesn’t think he is going to qualify directly to the Semis he said his ‘car has been great’ but in a bad heat traffic issues has meant his times have just been too slow. Overall he said he is happy how things are going declaring his equipment race ready.

Having somewhat of a tough time so far in Italy, 2010 World Champion King said while it was a lucky 5th ‘that is the way it goes sometimes’. Admitting he ‘kind of needed it’, he said his Reds Racing powered Kyosho was better for the days second run. Having gone to heavier diffs for the day’s first qualifier, but not liking the change, he reverted to his Q2 set-up in which he ran the 14th fastest time. Describing the car as working he said the lighter oils suits his driving better.

Making the Top 16 for the first time, TLR Dakotah Phend was clearly relieved to end the day with a 6th which he said while a lucky one he would gladly take it. Copying team-mates Ryan Maifield and Adam Drake’s shock set-up for the round he said he was a lot more comfortable with his Orion powered 8ight. While still making ‘a couple of mistakes’ over the 10-minutes he said the run has given him a confidence boost going into the final day of qualifying.

Making a quick set-up change to his OS Speed powered D812 before hitting the wet track, Tessmann said while they didn’t have enough time to fully change the car to a wet set-up running on the wet track helped them learn quite a bit which could prove valuable should the rain return. Also switching to Pro-Line’s Holeshot tyre in X3 compound, when asked how the track was when wet he said the tile section is really difficult.

Maifield, who ended the round 63rd, said the run was ‘a totally complete waste of time that only left him with a car that needs to be totally rebuilt’. With a rain car built, he left it back at his hotel as he wasn’t expecting rain today, he said he only got to change to a softer JConcept tyre for the run. Setting the fastest lap of his heat, with a 39.813, he said the wet surface would be pretty cool to drive on with the right set-up.

With many complaining the start of Q4 was not moved forward rather than continue with the long lunch break when the rain could be seen coming defending champion Robert Batlle felt the round should have been cancelled. Running in Heat 2 the Mugen driver said they only had time to change to a softer tyre but even had they been able to change set-up the rain had effected the track too considerably for any kind of competitive time to be set.

View the complete ranking after 4 rounds here (PDF).

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Video – Qualifying Rd3 Heat 1, 2 & 3

Maifield comes close but another TQ run for Tessmann

Ryan Maifield came close to toppling Ty Tessmann’s reign over qualifying at the 1:8 Offroad World Championships in Sicily with the American and Canadian separated by the closest gap seen yet at the Naxos World track.  With Tessmann having stamped his authority on Day 1 of qualifying, topping Q1 by 7-seconds and ending Q2 with a 5-second advantage, in this morning’s third round the separation was just 3/10ths at the end of the 10-minutes at the end of a round which saw both drivers have issues on leaving the pits after their fuel stops.  A slower pace than yesterday, overnight hail making the track’s tiled section lose traction, Lee Martin ran the 3rd fastest time while team-mate & defending champion Robert Batlle had a tough round finishing outside the Top 16.

Just one more run away from locking up the overall TQ for the event, four from six to count, Tessmann said from his side everything went as planned. Driving the same as he did yesterday and again happy with how his HB ran traffic was the only glitch on an other wise perfect run.  Coming out of the pits after his fuel stop on lap 11 of 16 he exited into traffic resulting a series of bobbles with Team Associated’s Yannick Aigoin which ultimately ended with both drivers making contact and going off the track, the incident costing Tessmann 4-5 seconds. Recovering to set his fastest lap of the round on his last lap, the US National Champion was not dwelling on the incident and for the day’s second run plans to stick with the car as is and continuing on Pro-Line’s X1 compound Fugitive tyre.

Maifield said his TLR was the best its been yet.  Making ‘a lot of changes’ to the Novarossi powered 8ight, he said they went with a combination of the set-up elements he likes and the suspension set-up team-mate Adam Drake is running.  Sticking with JConcepts’ Diamond Bars tyre he was really happy with the feel of the car now.  Asked about his pitlane exit mistake he said it was a redneck error as he just came off the pitlane ramp too fast and his wing caught the railing spinning the car and losing up to 4-seconds.  Feeling he drove conservatively after the error he then picked it up again to posted his fastest lap of the race.

Martin again felt he did not drive overly well saying he ‘didn’t drive fast but drove safe’.  Only 1.1 seconds off the TQ time, while happy to record his first Top 3 run the Mugen driver appeared a little frustrated he hadn’t pushed fractionally harder.  Towards the end of the run he said his Beat engine ‘went off a touch’.  Asked if planned any changes for Q4, the British ace said he only envisages tuning his engine a little richer but added his mechanic Jon Dell had informed him he had some ideas to make some small set-up changes to his MBX7R.

Setting the fourth fastest time Jared Tebo summed up his qualifier as ‘good’.  Changing his Orion powered Kyosho back to ‘exactly the same as Q1’, the 2010 Worlds Top Qualifier said while the car was really good he did have two mistakes one of which was ‘decent’.  Running wide into the dust his MP9 ended up crashing into the chicane.  Asked if he plans to change anything for the days final run the American said he felt the rear shocks where a little too light and changing that would probably be the only adjustment he would make.

Tebo’s team-mate, and 2012 Top Qualifier, Elliott Boots would take his Reds Racing powered example of the MP9 to the fifth fastest time. A marked improvement from the British driver, he said while he did a few things that improved the car the big difference was that he backed off a little with his driving after watching how Tessmann is doing it.  Changing to heavier shock oil he said this stopped the buggy from pitching too much and for Q4 he will stay the same with Q3 ‘a run to build on’.

Completing the Top 6, Ryan Cavalieri was happy with his time. The Team Associated star said he ‘thought it was a pretty good run’ and overall they were ‘a lot closer to the pace’.  Having had traffic issues on his best run yesterday, he said they pitted well to ensure an open track ahead of him and the 10-minutes where really clean.  Improving the prototype RC8 with a swaybar adjustment, the multiple 1:10 Offroad World Champion said this improved cornering.  He said in terms of further changes they would brainstorm some ideas first but added there is some time to come from him improving his driving on a few sections of the track.

‘Decent’ was how Ryan Lutz summed up setting the 7th fastest time.  Having tightened up the swaybars on his Alpha engined Team Durango, he said this made it ‘a little tippy’.  Driving off the track during the run, he will loosen back the swaybars for Q4.

Enjoying his first Top 10 run in qualifying Drew Moller described his run to the 8th fastest time as better but added he wasn’t sure the set-up change he made was the right direction.  Having to adjust his driving to the set-up change, he said as a driver this was his best run with just one bobble over the 10-minutes.  Going from light to heavy oils in the diffs of his LRP powered Mugen, he said for the next one they will go for a middle ground with the oil weight.

‘A pretty clean consistent run again’ was Carson Wernimont’s reaction to his run to the 9th fastest time.  The Mugen/AKA driver said he planned to stay with the same game plan of chasing solid Top 10 runs and other than freshen up his MBX7R he would make no changes for Q4. Suffer a few bobbles including a spin at the chicane after hitting the pipe he will work on cleaning up his driving.

With Team Xray’s Martin Bayer completing the Top 10 it was again a bad round for European Champion and the event’s early pace setter David Ronnefalk and Batlle.  Having struggled with his set-up yesterday for the high traction conditions, Ronnefalk said they managed to make his Kyosho better and for the first part of the run it was going decent.  Coming in for his fuel stop it would all start to go wrong with him spinning his MP9 on the entry for what he described as ‘another rough round’.  Suffering two bad laps towards the end of the run he said ‘at least the car felt better’ and he know just had to focus on keeping on top of his driving.

Batlle summed up his run rather directly with ‘bad’.  Making a set-up change he said it was tricky to drive.  Setting the fastest lap of the round he said his crashes were compounded by the worst luck with marshals, him waiting 6-seconds on a marshal which he said without he would have taken 4th for the round.  In terms of his set-up he said they will now go with something that is halfway between what they ran in Q2 yesterday and this mornings set-up.

View the complete ranking after 3 rounds here (PDF).

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