February 22, 2013

Drake takes first Truggy Qualifier at DNC

Adam Drake

Adam Drake set the pace in the opening round of qualifying at the World famous Dirt Nitro Challenge, the Team Losi Racing driver taking the first of 3 scheduled qualifiers by 3.7 seconds from defending Champion Ty Tessmann and Team Durango’s Ryan Lutz, the Top 3 being the only drivers to complete 12 laps of Joey ‘The Dirt’ Christensen’s track creation for this the 14th running of the famous track builder’s signature event. Having suffered hail & snow during yesterday’s practice day which meant drivers got just a single practice run on the track, today’s weather in Phoenix, Arizona, was much more favorable with a 2 hour delay to the start of proceedings enough to dry the track off enough to get the event underway. Eventually starting at 10am such is the size of the entry including an increased number of European’s, today’s action at the Fear Farm is not set to be completed until the early hours of Friday morning.

Adam Drake

A podium finisher in Truggy last year behind Tessmann and Ryan Cavalieri, Drake was pleased with his opening run despite a ‘rough first few laps’ due to traffic. Happy with the set-up of his 8ight T 2.0 and his choice of Proline M3 Holeshot tyres, he said his only concern was the tuning of his Novarossi engine which he said started to run a little lean by the end of the 7-minute run. Planning to stick with the same set of tyres for Q2, he added the only change he will make to his truck is a an adjustment to the front swaybar. Asked about this year’s track layout Drake said it wasn’t as crazy as previous years and while not ‘super’ technical it was fast which meant it was easy to get out of your rhythm and ’cause chaos’ but overall he said it was another great track from Joey.

Ty Tessmann

Tessmann, who started off a great 2012 season at this event last year when he did the double, the Canadian going on to become US National Champion and finish runner-up at the 1:8 Buggy World Championships in Argentina, summed up his Q1 by saying ‘it could have been better’. The HB ace said his set-up wasn’t right with the truggy difficult to drive and this lead to a number of moments including one which required him to be marshaled. Running Proline M3 Holeshot tyres he said he was happy with this choice and he will continue with them in Q2 which with a better chassis set-up should allow him to put in a better second run, 2 of the 3 heats counting towards the final qualifying order.

Ryan Lutz

A ‘Good start’ was how Lutz summed up his first run referring more to the end result of being 3rd fastest rather than the actually way the run went. With his truggy squirmy on landing, he said he needs to improve his set-up with a shock oil change his main focus. Choosing AKA Grid Iron tyres in soft compound and running in the same heat as Tessmann, Lutz was on target to top the run until an unfortunate incident on his final lap which lost him almost 4 seconds. As he came up to pass a truggy which was trying to make to the timing loop with a broken shock, the driver of that truggy tried to get out of Lutz’s way but ended up spinning into his path. With no where to go the Durango hit the truggy resulting in him suffering a broken shock shaft. Luckily with only three corners to negotiate to get to the loop Lutz was able to make the finish.

Dakotah Phend

TLR young star Dakotah Phend set the fourth fastest time, just missing out on a 12 lap run. The teenager had a costly tangle during the run with TLR team-mate Ronda Drake but having set himself the goal of a top 5 finish for the round he declared himself happy with the end result. Running Proline Holeshot tyres he said his truggy felt ‘real good’ and was ‘on pace’ so he plans to leave everything as is for his next run.

Tebo Cav

Clashing drivers was a common feature of Q1 with the most high profile one being between Associated’s Cavalieri and Kyosho’s Jared Tebo. The pair came together twice during the run the second time costing both drivers a number of seconds. Cavalieri would take 5th for the round with 2011 Double winner Tebo getting 7th. ‘Unfortunate’ was how Cavalieri summed up the incident adding it ‘should have been better’. Running soft AKA Grid Iron tyres, he plans to make a few adjustments to the rear end of the truggy and if the track continues to dry out he will also switch to Impact tyres for Q2.

Surprise of the opening qualifier was A-Main Hobbies team driver Austin Blair who set the 6th fastest time. Running an RB powered Kyosho, the 18-year-old from California said it was a good run but added hat if he can tidy up his driving a better run is possible. Running super soft AKA Grid Iron, he said he just plans to clean up his truggy for Q2 and leave everything in terms of set-up as is and instead work on his driving. Team-mate Dylan Rodriguez also made the Top 10 with the 8th fastest time driving his OS powered Kyosho despite making a wrong call on tyres. Using Proline’s Blockade the Las Vegas driver said it was ‘not amazing’ and he will switch to the Holeshot for his next run.

Cody King

Making his debut since signing for Reds Racing engines, Cody King set the ninth fastest time despite running most the the qualifier with the rear wing trailing off the back of his Kyosho. In the first group of Pro drivers to hit the track which is continually drying, King was very happy with his pace saying that being able to run 9th without a wing he should be good for the next one adding that his truggy and engines felt good in Q1. Running Proline’s Holeshot tyre he said depending on how the track changes he might switch to the Blockade for Q2. King’s team-mate Elliot Boots is making his US race debut this weekend. The World Championship Top Qualifier and British National Champion is running one of King’s spare Truggy’s, which explains the one colour yellow bodyshell, described his experience of the US so far as ‘massive’. Getting just 5-minutes of track time yesterday he said his first qualifier didn’t go great as he made a few mistakes and had some traffic issues ending up in 21st but he isn’t daunted by the track and with a bit more mileage should be in the mix especially when the racing moves onto Buggy.

Ryan Maifield

Completing the Top 10 was last year’s Top Qualifier Ryan Maifield. The Associated driver described Q1 as his ‘practice’ as he only completed one lap of the track yesterday. The first group to go out after the snow yesterday, he decided to wait for the second half of what were originally 10-minute practice runs. Going out at 5-minutes it was then announced for drivers to finish their laps, the Arizona driver not getting the message that the remaining practices groups had been reduced to 5-minutes. In terms of the qualifier Maifield said without the few crashes it was ‘OK’. Running JConcepts green compound Hybrids on his RC8T he said they felt fine and his plan for Q2 is just a few small tweaks to his set-up and to drive better.

Truggy Qualifying Round 1
1. Adam Drake – TLR/Novarossi – 12/7:31.788
2. Ty Tessmann – HB/OS Speed – 12/7:35.524
3. Ryan Lutz – Durango/Alpha – 12/7:38.260
4. Dakotah Phend – TLR/Orion – 11/7:01.362
5. Ryan Cavalieri – Associated/Orion – 11/7:01.749
6. Austin Blair – Kyosho/RB – 11/7:02.164
7. Jared Tebo – Kyosho/Orion – 11/7:04.379
8. Dylan Rodriguez – Kyosho/OS Speed – 11/7:04.644
9. Cody King – Kyosho/Reds – 11/7:04.759
10.Ryan Maifield – Associated/LRP – 11/7:05.663

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February 11, 2013

A3 wins net Tebo runner-up spots

Modified 2wd

Kyosho’s Jared Tebo cruised to easy wins in the third A-Mains of 2WD and 4WD Buggy to secure the overall runner-up spot in both classes at the JConcepts Winter Indoor Nationals at SmacTrac in Missouri. With Associated’s Ryan Maifield having already sewn up wins in the second A-Main, Tebo took advantage of the clear track ahead of him to win the 2WD encounter from defending Champion Steven Hartson and 4WD from Q4 Top Qualifier Michael Paige. The 2WD podium in St.Louis was completed by Kyosho’s Cody Turner who had a tough final main while in 4WD it was defending Champion Hartson who claimed the final step.

Associated team

With the five key classes which make up the schedule of the JConcepts Indoor National Series having been decided in A2, the closing races where all nine car grids as the Top Qualifiers and early winners all sat them out. There was to be an entertaining battle between Associated star driver Maifield and team-manager Brent Thielke, the latter having the pole as Tebo’s No.1 truck had already bagged the win. Maifield tried just about everything he could to pass his boss on the tight track, his preferred place to attempt a move being the berm at the end of the straight. With Cody Hollis part of the three truck train, the TLR driver was to be the benefactor of the pair inevitably coming together. Hollis took the leg win ahead of Thielke who would see of his World class team driver, the result giving Maifield 2nd overall behind Tebo with Hollis completing the podium just ahead of Thielke.

2WD Buggy Overall Result
1. Ryan Maifield – Associated – 200 pts
2. Jared Tebo – Kyosho – 199
3. Cody Turner – Kyosho – 197
4. Steven Hartson – Associated – 196
5. JP Richards – TLR – 195
6. Brent Thielke – Associated – 193
7. Cody Hollis – TLR – 189
8. Al Horne – Associated – 189
9. Mitchel Gardner – Associated – 188
10.Matt Gosch – Associated – 185

2WD Buggy A-Main Leg 3 Result
1.(2) Jared Tebo – Kyosho – 18/5:15.885
2.(4) Steven Hartson – Associated – 17/5:00.149
3.(5) JP Richards – TLR – 17/5:02.302
4.(6) Brent Thielke – Associated – 17/5:02.844
5.(3) Cody Turner – Kyosho – 17/5:02.964
6.(8) Cody Hollis – TLR – 17/5:09.601
7.(10)Al Horne – Associated – 17/5:10.177
8.(7) Mitchel Gardner – Associated – 17/5:11.484
9.(9) Matt Gosch – Associated – 17/5:13.104
10.(1)Ryan Maifield – Associated – DNS

4WD Buggy Overall Result
1. Ryan Maifield – Associated – 200 pts
2. Jared Tebo – Kyosho – 199
3. Steven Hartson – Associated – 197
4. Michael Paige – Associated – 196
5. Josh Wheeler – Xray – 195
6. Cody Turner – Kyosho – 191
7. Dustin Richards – Associated – 189
8. Al Horne – Associated – 188
9. Matt Gosch – Associated – 188
10.Mitchel Gardner – Associated – 185

4WD Buggy A-Main Leg 3 Result
1.(2) Jared Tebo – Kyosho – 18/5:04.397
2.(4) Michael Paige – Associated – 18/5:06.870
3.(6) Josh Wheeler – Xray – 18/5:08.787
4.(3) Steven Hartson – Associated – 18/5:09.065
5.(10)Dustin Richards – Associated – 18/5:17.021
6.(9) Matt Gosch – Associated – 17/5:01.111
7.(8) Al Horne – Associated – 17/5:01.231
8.(5) Mitchel Gardner – Associated – 17/5:06.678
9.(7) Cody Turner – Kyosho – 17/5:11.071
10.(1)Ryan Maifield – Associated – DNS

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February 11, 2013

Maifield does the double at Winter Indoor Nats

Ryan Maifield

Ryan Maifield secured the buggy double on his debut in the JConcepts Indoor National Series, the factory Associated ace driving another faultless round of Mains to wrap up the overall 2 & 4WD Buggy wins early. Starting the season opening Winter Indoor Nationals at SmacTrac in St.Louis, Missouri as Top Qualifier, the Arizona driver made it look easy winning both A2 encounters easily over Kyosho’s Cody Turner in 2WD and his own team-mate & defending Champion Steven Hartson in 4WD. Featuring a busy but narrow track layout that made any overtaking difficult, the second round of A-Mains saw the other three main classes of the series decided. In Mod Truck Jared Tebo put the win beyond his rivals with another tone to tone performance while team-mate Turner bagged the 2WD Short Course win. For MIP’s Matt Olson the weekend was the perfect start to his 4WD Short Course title defense as he claimed the overall win for Round 1 of the 5 race series.

Cody Turner

Having had to see off very close attention from Tebo in the opening A-Main of 2WD Buggy, in Leg 2 Maifield had a much easier race recording a new fastest lap of the weekend of 17.121 on his way to a very comfortable 7-second win over Turner. All over the back of Tebo, Turner forced his team leader into a mistake just as they came to complete the penultimate lap. Rolling over his Orion powered RB6 it was enough to allow Turner’s example through, the 21-year-old holding on to take second 24/100ths from Tebo. The result means the pair will go head to head in the final Main to decide which step they will occupy either side of Maifield on the podium.

Ryan Maifield

In 4WD Buggy just like in the first A-Main Maifield checked out early again being the only driver to run 19 laps over the 5-minutes. Behind the No.1 B44.2, the attention of the race was on the fight between Tebo and fastest man on the track Hartson. Posting a fastest lap of 16.468, Hartson eventually got the mistake he needed from Tebo to get by when four laps from home the Kansas City resident rolled over his Lazer ZX5. The result means while a sixth consecutive win in the series is no longer on the cards he is still in with a shout of making it a 1-2 finish for Associated if he can beat Tebo in A3.

Kyosho Team

In Mod Truck there was a little drama before the start when Maifield, as he put it himself, ‘ran out of talent’. Just as the trucks where called to the grid for the driver introductions Maifield’s T4.2 hit the wall at the end of the straight breaking the servo horn. Luckily, together with Jason Rouna, Maifield was able to fit a new horn while the drivers introductions continued getting back just in time for the race start. Shadowing Tebo in A1, Maifield could not repeat the performance in A2 and finished 2.3 seconds behind with his team boss & defending champion Brent Thielke completing the Top 3.

Having dominated the first A-Main of 2WD Short Course, Turner again made light work of the field taking his Proline equipped Ultima SCR to a 4.5 second win over TLR sponsored JP Richards with local Justin Driemeier third after he got ahead of fellow Associated driver Hartson when he rolled his SC10.

2WD Buggy A-Main Leg 2 Result
1.(1) Ryan Maifield – Associated – 18/5:09.672
2.(3) Cody Turner – Kyosho – 18/5:16.484
3.(2) Jared Tebo – Kyosho – 18/5:16.727
4.(5) JP Richards – TLR – 17/5:02.323
5.(4) Steven Hartson – Associated – 17/5:03.618
6.(7) Mitchel Gardner – Associated – 17/5:04.354
7.(8) Cody Hollis – TLR – 17/5:06.916
8.(9) Matt Gosch – Associated – 17/5:10.441
9.(10)Al Horne – Associated – 17/5:12.492
10.(6)Brent Thielke – Associated – 16/5:05.237

4WD Buggy A-Main Leg 2 Result
1.(1) Ryan Maifield – Associated – 19/5:16.312
2.(3) Steven Hartson – Associated – 18/5:01.168
3.(2) Jared Tebo – Kyosho – 18/5:02.326
4.(6) Josh Wheeler – Xray – 18/5:06.435
5.(7) Cody Turner – Kyosho – 18/5:08.327
6.(4) Michael Paige – Associated – 18/5:10.153
7.(8) Al Horne – Associated – 18/5:10.853
8.(10)Dustin Richards – Associated – 17/5:00.426
9.(5) Mitchel Gardner – Associated – 17/5:05.022
10.(9)Matt Gosch – Associated – 6/1:46.568

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