Ronnefalk wins DNC Truggy title after epic HB duel
David Ronnefalk is the Truggy Champion of the 16th running of the Dirt Nitro Challenge, the Swede becoming the first European to win the title after an epic duel with HB team-mate & outgoing 4-time champion Ty Tessmann. The class of the field, the new for 2015 team-mates would put on a show for the crowd who lined the perimeter of the Fear Farm track as they battled over the lead. Unfortunately with 2-minutes to go Tessmann’s D8T would start to act up with the culprit becoming clear when the front left arm finally let go. Despite a wheel hanging off his truggy, the Canadian would manage to nurse it home in second for a HB 1-2. Three seconds back, TLR’s Ryan Maifield would complete the podium with Top Qualifier Jared Tebo ending the 45-minute encounter in fourth.
With the DNC marking back to back European Buggy Champion Ronnefalk’s first nitro outing with HB after his departure from long time sponsor Kyosho, the 18-year-old was understandably delighted to win his first nitro title having won eBuggy last year. Describing his battle with Tessmann as ‘awesome’, he said he knew his AKA shod D8T was going to be amazing but that his strategy would involve one more fuel stop and staying out of trouble was going to be key to a good race. Leading the race he would have one moment when he came to lap Barry Pettit and Austin Blair, him making contact with Blair’s S-Workz in the back triple double. While this would cost him the lead to Tessmann luckily his truggy stayed on its wheels with Ronnefalk saying afterwards the incident could have had a very different outcome if it had went on its roof. Running a seven & a half minute fuel strategy, with 15-minutes to go he would suffer a terrible penultimate stop. Catching a hole on the entry to the pitlane he would catch the piping for a slow entry and then on the exit he would spin out as he ‘hit a guy’s foot’ after which he ‘thought it was over’. ‘(Pushing) like hell’ he said a few bobbles from Tessmann allowed him to catch him back up. While they would come together a few times, many industry onlookers describing it as one of the best battles they had ever seen, Ronnefalk said ‘we each waited and it was a fair battle’.
Chasing a fourth consecutive truggy title, him being the only driver prior to Ronnefalks win to be crowned Truggy champion at the Fear Farm, Tessmann was disappointed he didn’t get to see out the battle with his team-mate. Having problems twice turning in to the whoops section, the 21-year-old said he initially thought it was a servo problem but it was the breaking arm catching the wheel. Figuring out at the first round of refuelling that Ronnefalk was on an extra stop Tessmann said he knew he had the benefit and it was all going as planned until he steering started to act up. Enjoying his battle with Ronnefalk he said given the arm failure he was happy to come away with second. Describing the track as ‘pretty gnarly’ he said tomorrow, when he will try to defend his buggy title from the TQ starting position, is going to be a ‘very difficult race’.
His first DNC outing with Team Losi Racing, Maifield said all in all he thought the race went pretty well. ‘Close at the beginning’, running in the lead pack, he said he fell back due to having to stop on seven & half minute intervals. Describing 8ight-T as super loose, it lacking side bite, he said ‘considering the truck was not working at it best’ and his time lost due to fuel strategy he was happy to end up with a podium.
Doing the double at the 2011 DNC before it moved to its current home, Tebo who led for the first 5-minutes said ‘it was really fun at the beginning but once the two HB got by I struggled with a lack of corner speed’. Going back to the lead for a while at the first round of pit stops he said ‘I drove the best I could but we need some updates for our truck as it doesn’t carry corner speed’.
Putting together a very late deal to contest The Dirt Nitro Challenge with Mugen, Adam Drake would end the race 5th, a result the hugely popular 1:8 offroad icon would described as a ‘solid finish’. Feeling that halfway into the race he was catching Tebo but he said he threw away the chance to battle with him him for the fourth place with ‘two stupid mistakes coming into the pits’. Although he ‘got (his rhythm) back’ he said he had dropped to far back to do anything about Tebo. Describing his MBX7T, Novarossi engine and Pro-Line tyres as having all been ‘good’ for the final, he added he is still learning every time he goes out and he is ‘happy to be learning moving forward’.
Completing the Top 6 was Ryan Lutz. Another driver running for a different team 12-months ago, he said his truggy ‘felt like it was slipping the whole time’. With his Tekno ‘handling well’ he just kept it going around for the 45-minutes although he thought his race was done after 4-laps. On the front double double he ‘horrifically’ collided with another truggy with him thinking his NT48 ‘was smashed up’ but it wasn’t and he kept going. Behind Lutz, last year’s runner up Barry Pettit would finish 7th followed by Top Associated finisher Carson Wernimont, his AE team-mate Ryan Cavalieri retiring from the race with a broken truggy.
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