April 12, 2014

Vik TQ’s opening Tacoma 4WD qualifier

Tyler Vik

RC America team driver Tyler Vik has TQ’d the opening round of 4WD Buggy Qualifying at the JConcepts Spring Indoor Nationals, his Xray outpacing World Champion Steven Hartson by 3-seconds around the Tacoma R/C Racway track.  Local racer JC Johnson made it three different manufacturers at the top of the time sheets as he posted the 3rd fastest time, his TLR22-4 just 6/10ths off Hartson’s time.

Tyler Vik

Like in 2WD Buggy, Vik is running in the lowest heat having opted to skip last night’s round of timed practice in favour of a good night of sleep.  Pleased to take Q1, he said it ‘felt like a conservative run’ adding that his AKA shod XB4 was ‘hard to hang on to’. Suffering from oversteer, for Q2 he will fit a 1.0mm front swaybar having so far ran without one since arriving at the Scott Brown owned track.  Also looking to add more flex to the chassis without changing the buggy’s balance, which he said is quite good, he will remove some chassis screws.  Hoping the changes make the buggy a little easier to drive he also plans to push harder the second time of asking.

Hartson

Hartson said his B44.2 was ‘a lot better than practice’ but he ‘just kept crashing’.  Describing his buggy as feeling good he said he is still struggling to get used to the height of the drivers stand which he feels is way too high for the track.  Switching over to geardiffs and going up in front shock oil for Q1 he said the changes were good and for Q2 he will run the JConcepts Dirt Web equipped buggy as is and try to eliminate the mistakes.

Johnson

Johnson described his first 4WD qualifier as ‘pretty good’ adding it was a safe run.   Happy with his set-up the only change he will make for Q2 is to his tyres.  Running AKA Typos he said he will run a newer set for his next outing so as to have two sets of equally worn tyres available to him for the rest of the event.

Brent Chassis

Posting the fourth fastest time Brent Thielke said his run had no big mistakes although he did miss his lines a few times.  The Associated Team Manager said after his 2WD run in which he had one very costly mistake he just focused on a safe 4WD run.  Struggling with his Reedy powered B44.2 getting ‘a little wiggly’ on heavy cornering he will switch to a stiffer rear spring for Q2.

John Walentia

Setting the 5th fastest time was local Associated racer John Walentia.  Describing his run as ‘not bad’, he said his B44.2 was a little loose but he hopes a shock piston change will sort out that for Q2.  In addition to the shock change he will also fit a fresher set of JConcepts Dirt Webs to the buggy.  Behind Walentia, Anthony Honstain also driving a B44.2 completed the Top 6.

Denney

For factory supported Associated driver Tanner Denney, the opening 4WD qualifier netted only the 7th fastest time.  Adding weight to his buggy along with changing the position of his front shocks on the tower, he said this made it a lot more lazy which took a few laps to get used to.  Suffering a couple of bad laps, a bad rear hub bearing not helping matters, he said his B44.2 is still not where he needs it to be and for Q2 he plans to try a different tyre additive.

4WD Mod Buggy Qualifying Round 1
1. Tyler Vik – Xray – 20/5:00.060
2. Steven Hartson – Associated – 20/5:03.467
3. JC Johnson – TLR – 20/5:04.024
4. Brent Theilke – Associated – 20/5:05.218
5. John Walentia – Associated – 20/5:05.941
6. Anthony Honstain – Associated – 20/5:08.980
7. Tanner Denney – Associated – 20/5:12.356
8. Yoshii Harley – Associated – 19/5:00.253
9. JR Mitch – TLR – 19/5:01.324
10.Thomas Tran – Kyosho – 19/5:02.090

View our event image gallery here.

March 17, 2014

Maifield pulls off 4 in a row at Cactus Classic

4wdpod

Ryan Maifield has pulled off a fourth consecutive 4WD Buggy title at the Pro-Line Cactus Classic, taking second in the deciding third A-Main behind Top Qualifier Joern Neumann securing him the overall win at SRS Raceway in Scottsdale, Arizona.  Finishing third in A3, having run ahead of Maifield for 5-laps, HB’s Ty Tessmann claimed the overall runner-up spot with newly crowned 2WD Buggy Champion Dakotah Phend completing the podium on the event’s final visit to the popular location which since 1993 has been home to America’s longest running offroad race.

sun_tessmaifieldjump

Maifield, who took the final A-Main of 2WD to take the runners-up spot behind Phend, said after struggling in qualifying his Reedy powered B44.2 ‘today came to life and was a hell of a lot faster for some unknown reason’.  Having won A1, the Team Associated driver said he knew he only needed second to secure the win saying he ‘had a good race with Tessmann’, the only driver that could end his winning streak at his home event.  Having moved to second following the retirement of the No.2 Kyosho of Jared Tebo due to a broken slipper shaft, the US National Champion would half way into the race catch the piping allowing Maifield into second.  With Neumann off in the distance, Maifield said his focus was just to maintain the position, which he did crossing the finish line just shy of a second in front of Tessmann.  While Tessmann and Phend, who was fourth in A3, ended tied on points the Canadian got second thanks to his A2 victory.

sun_maifield2wd3

In the last race of the 28th running of the Pro-Line Cactus Classic, 2WD Buggy, Maifield won leading from start to finish as Top Qualifier Phend sat out the race having claimed his first title at the event in A2.  Challenged by team-mate Ryan Cavalieri, two mistakes late in the race would see the former World champion lose touch with the leader.  Posting the fastest lap of the race outgoing champion Jared Tebo would get his best finish in A3 with third but he would miss out on the podium, the final step going to Cavalieri.

winners

The last running of the Pro-Line Cactus Classic, one of the world’s most famous electric offroad races, at its popular current outdoor venue, next year the event is set to move indoors.  Commenting on the impending switch to indoor, racing outdoor so early in the season being one of the races unique selling points thanks to the beautiful Arizona weather, Maifield said he gets what HobbyTown SRS is trying to accomplish with its new venue but added it ‘would be cool if they could somehow try to keep the race outdoors’.  Maifield’s thoughts were echoed by the majority of drivers at the event.

4WD Buggy Overall Result
1. Ryan Maifield – Associated – 3 pts
2. Ty Tessmann – HB – 4
3. Dakotah Phend – TLR – 4
4. Joern Neumann – Durango – 5
5. Billy Fischer – Associated – 11
6. Ryan Lutz – Durango – 11
7. Carson Wernimont – Schumacher – 13
8. Jared Tebo – Kyosho – 13
9. Ryan Cavalieri – Associated – 17
10.Daimon Borkowicz – Associated – 18
11.Kody Numedahl – Associated – 19

4WD Buggy A-Main Leg 3 Result
1.(1) Joern Neumann – Durango – 15/5:20.183
2.(4) Ryan Maifield – Associated – 14/5:01.847
3.(5) Ty Tessmann – HB – 14/5:02.818
4.(3) Dakotah Phend – TLR – 14/5:10.045
5.(7) Billy Fischer – Associated – 14/5:10.252
6.(8) Carson Wernimont – Schumacher – 14/5:13.509
7.(10)Ryan Lutz – Durango – 14/5:14.832
8.(9) Daimon Borkowicz – Associated – 14/5:23.411
9.(6) Ryan Cavalieri – Associated – 5/1:47.024
10.(2)Jared Tebo – Kyosho – 1/0:15.731
11.(11)Kody Numedahl – Associated – DNS

2WD Buggy A-Main Overall Result
1. Dakotah Phend – TLR – 2 pts
2. Ryan Maifield – Associated – 3
3. Ryan Cavalieri – Associated – 5
4. Jared Tebo – Kyosho – 7
5. Ryan Lutz – Durango – 12
6. Ty Tessmann – HB – 12
7. Billy Fischer – Associated – 13
8. Joern Neumann – Durango – 13
9. Travis Amezcua – Durango – 13
10.Dustin Evans – TLR – 14
11.Spencer Rivkin – Associated – 17

2WD Buggy A-Main Leg 3 Result
1.(2) Ryan Maifield – Associated – 14/5:14.674
2.(3) Ryan Cavalieri – Associated – 14/5:18.824
3.(4) Jared Tebo – Kyosho – 14/5:21.694
4.(8) Ryan Lutz – Durango – 14/5:22.489
5.(7)Dustin Evans – TLR – 13/5:00.098
6.(10)Ty Tessmann – HB – 13/5:00.421
7.(11)Joern Neumann – Durango – 13/5:00.960
8.(5) Billy Fischer – Associated – 13/5:02.436
9.(6) Travis Amezcua – Durango – 13/5:08.916
10.(9)Spencer Rivkin – Associated – 13/5:12.876
11.(1)Dakotah Phend – TLR – DNS

View our event image gallery here.

March 16, 2014

Tebo & Cavalieri take Truck titles

sun_tebotruck2

Jared Tebo and Ryan Cavalieri have taken the two main truck titles at the Pro-Line Cactus Classic by each winning the third A-Main of their respective Mod Truck and 2WD Short Course classes. Having won A2, Tebo backed it up with an easy win in A3 after Joern Neumann winner of the opening Main retried with a broken idler gear having just closed right in on the lead Kyosho.  Sharing the fastest lap of the race with Top Qualifier Tebo, Billy Fischer would finish second to complete the podium behind Tebo and Neumann.

sun_cavSCwin

In 2WD Short Course, Cavalieri became the first driver to successfully defend a title at what is the final Cactus Classic at SRS Raceway. Starting from the TQ, the Associated driver would lead for the first 5-laps from team-mate Ryan Maifield until a roll at the end of the straight.  Maifield looked to be on target to take back the title he lost last year but on the final run up the hill, the key section of this year’s track, the local hero got just a little out shape resulting in Cavalieri tipping him into a half spin.  Cavalieri would come out in the lead and despite his best efforts Maifield hadn’t enough time to try take back the lead, the separation at the finish line just 0.074 of a second.  15-year-old Spencer Rivkin would finish third in A3 just ahead o Chris Wheeler, but the latter had done enough in the first two Mains to claim the final step on the podium.

Mod Truck Overall Result
1. Jared Tebo – Kyosho – 2 pts
2. Joern Neumann – Durango – 3
3. Billy Fischer – Team Associated – 5

Mod Truck A3 Result
1. Jared Tebo – Kyosho – 14/5:16.410
2. Billy Fischer – Team Associated – 14/5:18.193
3. Ryan Cavalieri – 14/5:21.483

2WD Short Course Overall Result
1. Ryan Cavalieri – Team Associated – 2 pts
2. Ryan Maifield – Team Associated – 3
3. Chris Wheeler – TLR – 7

2WD Short Course A3 Result
1. Ryan Cavalieri – Team Associated – 13/5:06.624
2. Travis Amezcua – Durango – 13/5:06.698
3. Ryan Maifield – Team Associated – 13/5:15.389

View our event image gallery here.