Evans gets first win of Reedy title defence
Reedy Race Champion Dustin Evans has claimed the first win of his title defence, the Team Associated driver convincingly winning his 3rd round encounter ahead of Joe Bornhorst and Brent Thielke. Opening the event with a P2 but suffering an 8th in Round 2, Evans made the most of his first pole position start, quickly pulling clear of the field. Behind, Bornhorst once again turned around a back of the grid starting position to get up to second by the finish and with a win and 2 second places the Tekno drivers leads the points table from Ryan Cavalieri. Multiple champion Cavalieri became the first double winner of the event winning the second race of the round ahead of 2017 Champion Dakotah Phend. The same race saw joint leader after two rounds Ty Tessmann end up 5th, the Xray driver getting together with Schumacher’s Michal Orlowski entering the straight for the last time with the latter winning the drag race to the finish line. Race 3 would see the first non-American winner of this year’s race with David Ronnefalk converting a front row start alongside pole sitter Kaito Kodera into a win. Behind, fellow European Lee Martin took 2nd ahead of Jared Tebo, the Tekno driver now on the same points as third placed Tessmann with one more round of racing on the opening day’s schedule.
Reacting to his first win, Evans said, ‘I started up front which sometimes is the hardest place because it can easily go wrong but it worked out good. I could just drive around the track. It was good’. On his car, he said, ‘It was pretty good but it is still not as good as I would like. I made a few changes and it was better but it feels like it is on top of the track. The pace is good but I don’t want to screw with it. My 2WD is awesome so I’m just trying to keep close in 4WD’. Asked about his starting position for the fourth round, the Colorado driver replied, ‘I’m going one race at time. I don’t want to think about it so I wait till it is time to go and then see what I have to do. I don’t want to be looking ahead’.
On his race, Cavalieri said, ‘I was able to get around the first corner and make a gap. After that I just put in my own laps’. On his previous round P5 result, the new Yokomo signing said, ‘there was nothing wrong with my second run. I did get turned around at the start but it was a clean heat and there was no chance to make up more time. The track is difficult to pass on. You get settled into the guy ahead of you’. Starting the fourth of the 6 rounds of 4WD from 7th on the grid, the 2017 Champion , ‘I have just got to be patient. I have nothing to complain about in terms of my car or my driving. What ever comes comes’.
‘It’s a lot easier starting up front. I had no mess at the start’, was Ronnefalk’s reaction to putting his first win on the board. The HB Racing driver added, ‘my car is really good. I didn’t change it today, I just had the most terrible luck in the first two races. In the first I threw away a 3rd and and the second race was just carnage and I got the shit out of it’. The Swede continued, ‘You need luck in this race and I didn’t have it in Race 1 and 2. It doesn’t help that I have a 4 and a 7 but I will keep digging and stay out of trouble’.
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