‘Silly to bet against Rivkin’ – Tebo
Former 2WD and 4WD World Champion Jared Tebo says it would be ‘Silly to bet against Rivkin’ retaining his 2WD World Championship title as the event gets underway in Arizona. Having announced 2023 will be his final season as a Pro racer, Tebo believes Rivkin’s advantage at his home track of Hobby Action RC Raceway will be too much for his rival adding ‘he’s also good at 1:10’. Winning his first title in 4WD in Japan against all time great Masami Hirosaka in 2007 and then adding the 2WD 10-years ago when the USA host its last 1:10 Offroad Worlds, Tebo thinks one surprise over the next week could be Aydin Horne. ‘I thought he was one of the fastest at Warm-up but he maybe struggled with his nerves. I think he could upset Rivkin. I also think Aydin has been at a tyre disadvantage but they’ll all be on the same here and that will be a leveller. I want to see Aydin do good’. Another fellow countryman to impress him with his pace at the Warm-up was Broc Champlin, ‘Broc took time to get the Schumacher working on dirt but he’s found it now’.
Asked about Coelho’s 4WD title defence chances he said, ‘I think for the European guys it is going to be tough. Dirt on slicks – it’s weird to drive.’ He continued, ‘Bruno struggled at the Warm-up and Ty (Tessmann) also struggled. Both are great drivers so I’m not sure their car is for the track.’ Of the other European’s he said, ‘(Michal) Orlowski is a wildly skilled driver but I think the conditions are going to be tough for him’.
Reflecting back on his own 1:10 career, his last race in the category being the 2020 Reedy Race of Champions, Tebo is proud of the era of racing he, together with Ryan Cavalieri and Ryan Maifield, made famous, ‘we were all in our prime together’. He is also grateful to have been able to race against some legends of the sport like Brian Kinwald, Masami and Mark Pavidis. Asked for his standout moment he replied, ‘the 4WD Worlds in Japan. It was just a tough time personally in my life. I was going through a lot of life changes and struggles but that day was the best I have ever driven in my career. To battle with Masami, at his last Worlds and in Japan was very special.
2023 IFMAR 1:10 Offroad World Championship coverage presented by Ruddog
The first of four World Championships Red RC will attend this year, our coverage from 1:10 Offroad in Arizona is being supported by Ruddog. Founded in 2006 by Sven Rudig, himself an avid offroad racer, Ruddog is steeped in offroad racing history being a distributor for 31 times World Champion manufacturer Team Associated and iconic offroad tyre brand JConcepts to name but a few. In addition, they have developed their own product ranges such as Ruddog Racing, a new line of electronics offered by the German company that already has a European Championship title to its credit in touring car. Revolution Design Racing Products has established itself as a designer & producer of high-quality tuning parts and are popular upgrades among offroad racers. Red RC’s trackside coverage of the 1:10 Offroad World Championship will kick off on September 10th with the start of the 4WD action and conclude on September 16th when the 2WD Champion is decided.
World Championship Schedule
4WD Buggy
September 10 – Open Practice and 2 rounds of controlled practice
September 11 – 1 round of controlled practice and 4 rounds of qualifying
September 12 – 1 round of controlled practice, 1 round of qualifying and Mains2WD Buggy
September 13 – Track Closed, 2WD Buggy Tyre purchase and tyre tech
September 14 – Open Practice and 2 rounds of controlled practice
September 15 – 1 round of controlled practice and 4 rounds of qualifying