Cavalieri & Maifield Truck Top Qualifiers
Reigning 2WD Truck champions Ryan Cavalieri and Ryan Maifield will start their title defenses tomorrow from the best position possible after the Team Associated duo TQ’d the final round of qualifying at the Proline Cactus Classic to become the Mod Truck and 2wd Short Course Top Qualifiers. In 4WD Short Course Team Losi Racing’s Billy Fischer repeated his heat 1 performance to top the fourth & final round to secure the honour of Top Qualifier at the 27th running of America’s world famous race.
Having missed out on securing the overall TQ honours in Q3 when a rear tyre came unglued on his truck Cavalieri picked up from where he left off yesterday when he dominated qualifying. Setting the pace from start to finish the US National Champion of the class took the final qualifier by 5.4-seconds over TLR’s Dustin Evans and Durango’s Joern Neumann who were separated by just 5/100ths of a second, Neumann posting the fastest lap of the round.
In 2WD Short Course, the start of the final qualifier saw a wind blowing right into the path of the triple causing most of the drivers trouble as it got in under the large truck bodyshells. Eventually adapting to the conditions it was Cavalieri who was setting the pace but a huge push by Maifield over the final four laps saw the defending champion take the round. Setting the fastest lap of the round on the 10th lap, the Arizona ace was the only driver to go 14 laps. Behind the two SC10.2s Ryan Lutz who TQ’d Q3 recorded the 3rd quickest time.
Setting the fastest lap of Q4, Fischer took his Novak powered Ten-SCTE to a popular TQ for the round 2.7-second ahead of Team Durango’s Hupo Honigl to claim the pole for tomorrow triple A-Main. Defending champion of the class Neumann, who after a difficult day yesterday was reseeded in the B-heat for today, took his Speed Passion powered Durango to third for the round. Q3 top qualifier Dakotah Phend claimed fifth behind Q2 pace setter Lutz.
Mod Truck Q4 Top 6
1. Ryan Cavalieri – Associated/Orion – 14/5:07.541
2. Dustin Evans – TLR/Orion – 13/5:13.023
3. Joern Neumann – Durango/Speed Passion – 14/5:13.073
4. Ryan Maifield – Associated/Reedy – 14/5:18.096
5. Jared Tebo – Kyosho/Orion – 14/5:18.974
6. Nolan Anderson – Associated/Reedy – 14/5:21.686
2WD Short Course Q4 Top 6
1. Ryan Maifield – Associated/Reedy – 14/5:22.711
2. Ryan Cavalieri – Associatetd/Orion – 13/5:01.443
3. Ryan Lutz – Durango/Tekin – 13/5:03.634
4. Dustin Evans – TLR/Orion – 13/5:06.807
5. Chris Wheeler – TLR/Orion – 13/5:12.769
6. Matt Castellano – TLR/Orion – 13/5:14.085
4WD Short Course Q4 Top 6
1. Billy Fischer – TLR/Novak – 14/5:11.043
2. Hupo Honigl – Durango/DualSky – 14/5:13.821
3. Joern Neumann – Durango/Speed Passion – 14/5:14.271
4. Ryan Lutz – Durango/Tekin – 14/5:18.203
5. Dakotah Phend – TLR/Orion – 14/5:19.095
6. Travis Amezcua – Durango/Viper – 13/5:19.885
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