Phend first champion of 28th Cactus Classic

In complete contrast to 12-months ago, when he didn’t even make the A-Main line-up, Dakotah Phend has become the first driver to be crowned champion at the 28th running of the Pro-Line Cactus Classic.  Having won A1, the Team Losi Racing young star backed it up with another win in A2 over local hero & multiple champion Ryan Maifield to secure the prestigious 2WD Buggy title, his first big win at America’s longest running offroad event.

Starting from the pole, Phend would lead from start to finish with another impressive showing of his ever improving talent seeing off intense presure from Maifield until the Associated driver rolled on the penultimate lap.  The current US National Champion, the 17-year-old said while he felt the pressure of Maifield he knew if he just stayed focused on hitting his lines he would be able to find a way passed.  Calling the result ‘a big change from last year’, he said he has over the past year worked hard on his 2WD driving and today that ‘paid off’.

Maifield complimented Phend on his win saying ‘he drove a good race and made no mistake’, a mistake being the only way he was going to get by.  Making a number of changes to the set-up of his new B5M, Maifield said it was better but they still needed to find more steering. On target to finish second overall at his home event, he said he ‘would like to say (he) was happy with second on the debut of the new car but I am not cause as a driver 2nd sucks’.

While the second 2WD Buggy encounter was a two way fight that saw no position changes in the Top 5, the 4WD encounter was a complete thriller of a race.  Starting from 5th on the grid US Champion Ty Tessmann would take the win as everyone starting ahead of his HB D4-13 crashed or tangled.  Third in A1, Tessmann said he just played the patience game and keeping his run free of mistakes was able to move to the front for a win that puts him in the hunt for his first Cactus Classic title.

Having again worked his way to the front, A1 winner Maifield said he didn’t deserve to win again in A2.  Saying he ‘got lucky at the start’, the defending champion added he wasn’t patient enough behind Tebo.  Having moved to the front on lap 3 after Top Qualifier Joern Neumann ran wide and the pair touched, on Lap 9 at the end of the straight Maifield would try a move down the inside of the Kyosho that resulted in the pair tangling. While the Associated would take over the lead for 4-laps after the incident, a mistake which he described as ‘karma’ would drop him back to third.   At the end of the action packed 5-minutes Phend would claim second followed by Tebo and Neumann with a last lap mistake leaving Maifield fifth.

4WD Buggy A-Main Leg 2 Result
1.(5) Ty Tessmann – HB – 14/5:04.742
2.(3) Dakotah Phend – TLR – 14/5:05.537
3.(2) Jared Tebo – Kyosho – 14/5:05.978
4.(1) Joern Neumann – Durango – 14/5:08.363
5.(4) Ryan Maifield – Associated – 14/5:08.843
6.(7) Billy Fischer – Associated – 14/5:15.305
7.(10)Ryan Lutz – Durango – 14/5:16.013
8.(8) Carson Wernimont – Schumacher – 14/5:23.457
9.(6) Ryan Cavalieri – Associated – 7/2:32.862
10.(11)Kody Numedahl – Associated – 3/1:05.249
11.(9)Daimon Borkowicz – Associated – 2/0:42.715

2WD Buggy A-Main Leg 2 Result
1.(1) Dakotah Phend – TLR – 14/5:09.445
2.(2) Ryan Maifield – Associated – 14/5:13.385
3.(3) Ryan Cavalieri – Associated – 14/5:15.399
4.(4) Jared Tebo – Kyosho – 14/5:18.117
5.(5) Billy Fischer – Associated – 14/5:21.157
6.(11)Joern Neumann – Durango – 13/5:01.605
7.(10)Ty Tessmann – HB – 13/5:03.383
8.(6) Travis Amezcua – Durango – 13/5:04.426
9.(8) Ryan Lutz – Durango – 13/5:05.479
10.(7)Dustin Evans – TLR – 13/5:11.118
11.(9)Spencer Rivkin – Associated – 13/5:13.577

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