25th Reedy Race opens with wins for Cavalieri, Rivkin & Tessmann
The 25th running of the famous Reedy Race of Champion is underway with the first of the 12 rounds of heads up racing producing wins for Ryan Cavalieri, Spencer Rivkin and yesterday’s practice pace setter Ty Tessmann. Getting the race action underway at OCRC Raceway in Huntington Beach, California, Cavalieri took advantage of a No.3 starting position to get by the all French front row of Broda Clements and Renaud Savoya. It would soon become a Yokomo 1-2-3 at the front with Ryan Maifield coming through from 10th on the grid to second. It looked for a time like the race was going to have a showdown with the ‘Ryan & Ryan Show’ but a mistake from Maifield was enough to leave Cavalieri comfortable to the finish with Lee Martin completing the Top 3. Next up Rivkin took full advantage of pole position with a tone to tone victory ahead of Dustin Evans, the defending champion having a mistake at the front jump section that denied him challenging his Associated team-mate for the win. The final encounter saw another predictable result as Tessmann capitalised on a front row start to win by a 3.7-seconds from Jared Tebo who saw off a last lap David Ronnefalk challenge that allowed Broc Champlin to slip through for 3rd.
Commenting on his race, new Yokomo signing Cavalieri said, ‘That was a good start. I raced it out a little bit and pushed and the car felt pretty good. We made a small change this morning in practice’. Rejoining his old AE team-mate at Yokomo, he continued, ‘Maifield caught me a little. He was quick in some spots but I was maintaining the gap. It was good so I could see where the pace is at. I think its good’. The Reedy Race’s most winning driver he added, ‘the first lap was most scary part of the race with everyone jumping across the track’.
Having missed the morning practice, Maifield was pleased to open with a second. The 2015 Champion said, ‘It was a good result. I started 10th and also didn’t get to run the practice because I plugged my speedo in the wrong way’. The World Champion continued, ‘I got through the mille on the first lap and picked my way through to 2nd. I caught up to Ryan and was feeling the flow but then made a error at the double double. I was still second so I settled for that. 2nd from 10th was good. It was a safe run and now the first run jitters are out of the way’.
‘The first run of the day and I start on pole and finished on pole. You have to get the win if your starting Top 4’, was Rivkin’s reaction after the first race. The former 2WD World Champion continued, ‘Dustin and I were battling but then he hit the pipe and I had a big lead but I still pushed because I wanted a good fast run incase it comes down to time’. He concluded, ‘I’m driving a lot better today than yesterday and I got to keep chugging along’.
Reacting to his race, Evans said, ‘2nd is a good start. Me and Spencer where fighting out front but then I cased the front jump. A terrible mistake but I was able to make up the places again so it was crisis averted. In the end it was a decent start’. Behind Evans, Tekno’s Joe Bornhorst would come through from last on the grid to finish 3rd.
Tessmann said, ‘It was a little nerve racking starting the first race on the front row’. The Xray driver continued, ‘the track was a little looser today so I didn’t push too hard’. Once in front the Canadian said he could ‘manage the gap’ but added, ‘for the next one we will adjust the car for the track conditions’.
Making his debut for Tekno, Tebo was happy with the result but less happy with his own driving. Starting from 6th on the grid he said, ‘I was pretty patient and made a couple of good passes and then caught Broc. He was pretty hard to pass’. The former World Champion continued, ‘I drove a little nervous. I was not happy with my driving so to get 2nd was a good result. The car is awesome so hopefully I drive a little less nervous the next one’.
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