Neumann, Phend & Maifield win opening 4WD encounter
The opening round of 4WD at the Reedy Race of Champions would see wins for Ryan Maifield, Joern Neumann and Dakotah Phend but it was Neumann’s win from the back of the grid that would be the biggest talking point. While Maifield’s relatively straight forward win from 10th of the grid would move the TLR driver to the top of the points table, and Phend converted pole position into a convincing win over Ty Tessmann, the action all happened in the opening race.
With David Ronnefalk starting on pole position the new HB signing would lead away Ryan Cavalieri for the first lap until a bad landing off the triple on lap 2. Next lap however new leader Cavalieri, who started 3rd, would make a mistake at the lumps leading onto the straight handing the lead back to Ronnefalk. All the time 2012 Champion Neumann was working his way to the front. Closing in on the two leaders, the German got his Durango past Cavalieri after the defending champion made an error in the bowl, Neumann surviving head on contact with the Associated. Closing in on Ronnefalk, Neumann would make a move on the inside at the Esses but touching wheels the Swede would roll over. Waiting for for his fellow European to resume position as Neumann opened the door he blocked Cavalieri and the three exited the Associated Esses in the order they entered it. A second incident would again see Neumann and Ronnefalk again come together as the race entered the final minute. Entering the top right corner Neumann would make contact with Ronnefalk with the D413 ending up in the piping with Neumann driving over him to take the lead, Cavalieri also able to slip through leaving Ronnefalk to finish 3rd.
‘My hardest race of 4WD starting from the back and I won so I am very happy’. Having ‘hoped for a Top 3 finish’, the European Champion said once I saw I was faster than the leaders I tried to overtake them’. Of the first incident he said ‘David went wide and went for the pass but hit him. I waited on him and then Cavalieri hit me, what was I supposed to do’. His view of the second incident was that Ronnefalk was already out of shape and hit the pipe before he hit him so he didn’t need to wait.
Ronnefalk who after a tough run in 2WD, this being his first Reedy Race appearance, said ‘it was a going good as I had the lead but then Joern hit me’. Getting the lead again he said ‘then he ran into the back of me and I end up third which sucks when you know you could have won was it not for an incident outside your control’. Adding that ‘everyone has their own version of what happened but looking forward my car is really good and I feel really confident with it’.
Cavalieri said he made a great start and then threw it away with a crash. Calling Neumann’s block of his car after his move on Ronnefalk a ‘bogus move’, he said the second move was a ‘bummer for Ronnefalk’. ‘Obviously I would have liked the win but happy to get away with a second for the first round (of 4WD)’.
Commenting on his win over Drew Moller and Dustin Evans, Maifield said his ‘start was a little shakey’ but then he ‘got moving’. With 4WD getting a practice run after the completion of 2WD, he said with his TLR22-4 needed a little more steering he made a change to the set-up but when the first race came around the track had more traction and so for the Round 2 he will go back to his previous set-up. In the same race having started second on the grid and holding the lead after a mistake from pole sitter Chad Due, Steven Hartson race would go downhill with the World Champion ended up a distant 4th. In Phend’s race the main battle was for second between back row start Ty Tessmann and Carson Wernimont who started 3rd with Tessmann getting second.
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