Boots takes opening qualifier at WC

Elliott Boots has taken the opening qualifier at the 1:8 Offroad World Championship heading a Kyosho 1-2 in Las Vegas.  The reigning European Champion was fastest over the 1o-minute qualifier by 3-seconds from Jared Tebo, both drivers running in the same heat.  Behind them it was Ryan Maifield who would complete the Top 3, the TLR driver laying down the TQ pace for his heat after bettering the opening time set by reigning Champion Ty Tessmann who would end up 5th fastest behind Ryan Cavalieri.  Having topped seeding yesterday, David Ronnefalk would suffer a last lap mistake to end up with a P8 for Q1.

‘That’s the way you want to do it’ was Boots reaction after his TQ run.  The British driver said, ‘I was driving the same as yesterday when I was going for the long run and I brought it into today. It was really good’.  Having complained yesterday that traffic had cost him a higher seeding spot, he continued, ‘I had no traffic today’.  In terms of his Reds Racing powered MP9, he said, ‘the car was working really well and had no problems taking the bumps, my tyres (M4 Holeshot) were good and the engine was on point. It’s all working as a package’.  Asked about track conditions he replied, ‘I didn’t think it was different to my last run but I ran at the end yesterday and earlier today’.  He added, ‘there is bumps but you allow for them and go steady where needed and then fast in the spots you can’.

‘It went awesome’, was how Tebo summed up his opening qualifier.  The 2010 Worlds Top Qualifier continued, ‘my car felt good and I was really happy with my driving.  It was really what I wanted’.  Looking to the next round, the American said he plans no changes to the car but will ‘possibly change tyres’.  Running Pro-Line Holeshots, he said the set he ran already had 10-minutes running on them but he wants to think more about ‘tyre stuff’ for Q2 as ‘it was really loose at the start when the track was wet’.

Suffering with traffic at the end of the 10-minutes, getting tangled with another buggy, Maifield said, ‘I had bad traffic at the end but overall I’m happy with a Top 5 to start with’.  He continued, ‘I had a better track than the first race and the next had a better track to me’.  On his Reds Racing powered 8ight he said ‘The car was good.  (For Q1) I went back to old parts I had used in testing and they worked good.  My motor had crazy power’.  For the day’s second qualifier he said, ‘I’ll keep driving as I am and hopefully have better luck with traffic’.

Cavalieri said ‘the car felt good, (it) just needs to generate more traction’.  The 2014 Worlds podium finisher continued, ‘driving wise it feels fine but just need to find that extra grip so I’m going to discuss with Dyno (AE designer Dan Hissam) to see what we can do.’  With his MX powered RC8 having ‘plenty of steering’ he said ‘we can give up some of that for more forward and side bite’.  He concluded, ‘It was a good clean run so it was a good start (to qualifying)’.

‘It was an OK start to the week’ was how Tessmann summed up his P5 for Q1.  He continued, ‘It started slow and I had a mistake at the bricks but the car got better as the track dried out and it finished good’.  Running in the first of the 18 heats, the HB Racing driver said, ‘it was really wet for our heat but I think it will be even more in Q2’.  Asked about the wet track at the start of the 10-minutes, the track being watered before every heat, he said ‘we’ll just have to deal with it’ but added, ‘we’ll make some adjustments to the car for the bumps which keep developing’.

Completing the Top 6, with what he described as ‘safe run’, Riccardo Berton said ‘I’m happy’.  Suffering one mistake which cost him 2-seconds, the Kyosho driver said his MP9 could have had more corner speed and for Q2 he will switch from Blockades to Holeshots adding ‘I think the Holeshot should be faster’.  Commenting on the track, the 17-year-old said, ‘its more bumpy but its not a problem and there is no need for (set-up) changes yet’.

Behind Berton, Dakotah Phend said, ‘the car felt ok but I had a couple of mistakes and lost a lot of time’.  The TLR driver said he needs to make changes for Q2 to give his 8ight ‘a little more traction as it drys out to make it safer’.  He continued, ‘the track changes so much starting wet and then going to dry and dusty which makes it hard finding a good balance’.  Running M3 Holeshots he said ‘I’m not sure on tyres yet for Q2 but as it’s hotter already this morning I think I’ll go to a bigger pin’.

‘It was going good until I crashed at the last corner of the last jump on the last lap’, was Ronnefalk’s summary of Q1.  The HB Racing driver continued, ‘Without this I could have topped the heat but I knew I wouldn’t be fastest as the first heat is always slower’.  Admitting ‘maybe in the end being top seed was a disadvantage as it put me in the top heat’, the Swede continue, ‘I just went out with the aim of putting in consistent laps and it was a decent run’.  In terms of his Orion powered D815V2 he said, ‘the car felt good but the conditions will change a lot between now and Q2’.  Behind Ronnefalk, 2010 World Champion Cody King would take his Kyosho to 9th for the round with Portuguese Kyosho driver Joao Figueiredo completing the the Top 10 ahead of 2012 World Champion Robert Batlle.

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