Maifield locks up 4WD TQ in Omaha

Ryan Maifield has locked up the overall TQ for 4WD Buggy at the Finals of the JConcepts Indoor National Series in Omaha.  The Team Losi Racing driver secured the top spot on the grid for tomorrow’s A-Main when he again set the pace in the second of the three rounds of qualifying.  Taking Q1 by a comfortable 5-seconds from Ryan Cavalieri, in Q2 the reigning series champion would face a much improved Jared Tebo, until a last lap mistake from the Kyosho driver.  With Tebo holding on for second 1.4 seconds off Maifield’s time, Team Associated’s Spencer Rivkin would complete the Top 3 ahead of Welch Kendall and Ryan Cavalieri.

Commenting on his Q2 run Maifield said, ‘Me & Jared had a good race. It was very close. I made mistakes in the middle of it and Jared made some at the end’.  Describing his Orion powered 22-4 as ‘really good’ he added ‘the pace is crazy’ and ‘you are driving so hard’ but still his car was ‘easy to drive’.  Feeling his ‘front tyres are getting shot’, looking to the finals he said while starting at the front is always the best place it was even more beneficial here due to the high speed and technical layout of the track.  With his main aim ‘no mistakes’, he added that due to the style of the track a 1/2 second lead would be comfortable.

‘My car was amazing but I totally blew it on the last lap’ was Tebo’s reaction to Q2.  Setting the fastest lap, he said he was too aggressive and turned in too early causing his ZX6 to hit the pipe.  Wanting to test a couple of things the former World Champion said he might make a change to the rear end for the final qualifier.  With the ‘grip getting really good’ he said his AKA tyres are still running good and he has no concerns about wear.

Rivkin said his B44.3 was really good but his driving is letting him down at the start of the qualifiers.  Describing his driving as ‘a little hazy for the first minute’,  the Arizona driver said he needs to run more laps in the warm-up so as to get into his rhythm quicker once the qualifier starts.

Running a longer wheelbase for Q2 along with higher roll centres, Kendall said the changes were an improvement.  A former TLR driver, he said he doesn’t have much time with his new cars with this his first big race running Kyosho.  With his ZX6 ‘very easy to drive’ and needing ‘minimal effort on (his) part to keep it on four wheels’, he said he would leave it unchanged for the final qualifier with the aim to ‘not push too hard and put in a clean run’.

Fifth for the round, qualifying top seed Cavalieri said ‘it wasn’t that good, I just crashed too many times’.  Feeling his car was not great in the opening qualifier, the 2WD Top Qualifier said running faster in Q2 the front end of his B44.3 was a little too soft making it harder to drive.  For tonight’s third & final qualifier he will fit a harder front spring.  Behind Cavalieri, Associated driver Cole Tollard would complete the Top 6.

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