Video – 2wd A-main Leg 3
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Rivkin’s talent shines through to win A2
World Championship debutant Spencer Rivkin’s raw talent shown through in A2 of the 1:10 Offroad Worlds at the Yatabe Arena with the Associated driver take a very popular win. Starting from third on the grid the 16-year-old had taken the lead by lap 2, putting a great pass on Top Qualifier Jared Tebo, and lead through to the finish ahead of Associated team-mates Ryan Cavalieri and Neil Cragg. Winning by over 2-seconds, Rivkin’s win puts him in a 3-way all American shoot out for the 16th IFMAR 2WD World title with Cavalieri and A1 winner Tebo who would finish the second encounter 4th.
Clearly in disbelief of what he just achieved, Rivkin said ‘I don’t know where to start’. Gathering his thoughts he continued ‘I got inside Neil and it was game on from there with Tebo. He then had a bobble and I took advantage of that and never looked back. I got my head down and just drove my own race’. Delighted to make the A-Main when asked what it felt like to be in contention for the World title, he said ‘I’m speechless, I’m just going to go out there and see what happen’.
Cavalieri said ‘I made the same good start as A1 and fell into second’. Closing in on Rivkin for a time, the Californian said a small mistake at the table top was enough for him to fall back and have to settle for second. He said it was a result the was happy to take as it means the 2011 Champion goes in the last final in with a fighting chance of adding to his tally of World titles.
With a series of mistakes dropping Tebo to fourth, one driver to take advantage of these was a recovering Cragg. An error on the opening lap at the table top after a check behind Tebo, the British driver who tangled with Rivkin in the same spot in A1 said this time ‘I let Spencer through’. A rollover at the following corner would see the 2005 Champion drop to 7th. ‘Happy to get back to third’ he said, ‘it is disappointing I’ve no chance at the win but I can still get a podium’.
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Video – 2wd A-main Leg 2
Tebo wins A1
Jared Tebo has won the opening A-Main at the 1:10 2WD Offroad World Championships in Japan. The Top Qualifier would end up taking a comfortable win surviving a mistake and a challenge from star of the event Spencer Rivkin. The young Associated driver found himself twice locking wheels with his team-mates first with Neil Cragg early on, ending the former Champions challenge, and later with Ryan Cavalieri. Despite the contact Cavalieri would see off the challenge of Ryan Maifield to complete the Top 3 behind Tebo and Rivkin. Starting from 2nd Cragg would finish 6th.
Getting it wrong at the rhythm section in front of the drivers stand, just as he looked to have broken away from the pursuing Associated’s, Tebo said ‘I was a little nervous and that front section nearly cost me but I pulled it back’. The defending champion said he needs to be more on the throttle for the final jump of the section and it shouldn’t be an issue again in A2. Asked if he was surprised by the pace of Rivkin, who caught him and made a serious attempt to get passed before having a roll over coming onto the main straight, the American shook his head and said ‘No, Spencer has been fast all week’. Asked about A2 he replied ‘my car felt great and I’ve just got to drive it’.
With much more of a game face on than in qualifying, Spencer described his first ever Worlds final as having went ‘pretty good’. The 16-year-old who has been Mr. Consistency here at the Yatabe Arena said, ‘I made a bobble that i shouldn’t have’ referring to his error when setting up Tebo for a pass adding ‘I was pushing a little too hard’. Avoiding the point of his contact with Cavalieri, both pitting side by side, he said ‘I know I can race with them so for the next one I am going to just follow Neil and see what happens’. Asked about his second lap clash with Rivkin, Cragg said ‘I ran wide and tried to close but (Rivkin) was already there. No fowl’. Trying to recover position the British driver said he tried too hard leading to further mistakes.
Cavalieri summed up A1 by saying it was ‘really close’ adding after ‘a clean start’ he was able to work his way up to the lead battle until ‘we gave Jared a breather when myself and Spencer got together’. Not initially pointing the figure when asked about his subsequent battle with Maifield he said ‘(Ryan) snuck up behind me when I got taken out’. With Maifield getting by him he said he got back by his former team-mate with a lucky pass at the end of the main straight adding his car was placed just perfectly to and he ‘threw it in and got a clean pass’.
Coming from seventh on the grid Maifield said ‘that wasn’t bad, obviously I wanted more but to get in the battle for second was good’. Having ‘made a pretty big gain since qualifying’, the TLR driver said the TLR22 Development Car is pretty competitive now and considering they came here having never driven it he is satisfied with with 4th from 7th on the grid. Looking to A2, the Arizona driver said his aim is for an overall Top 5 finisher or higher but said the nature of the track means you can’t pass and he’s got to be patient and wait for others to make mistakes.
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Video – 2wd A-main Leg 1
Chassis Focus – Billy Easton
Chassis – Serpent SRX-2 MH
Motor – LRP 6.5
ESC – LRP Flow
Battery – ProtekRc 4250
Radio/Servos – Airtronics/ProtekRc
Body – Kit body
Remarks – Serpent Offroad head designer Billy Easton is running a prototype version of their upcoming 2WD buggy called the SRX-2 MH. The car features a low profile transmission, although a standard transmission version of the car will also be made available. Both the low profile and standard transmissions will be produced in 3 and 4 gears versions, the choice on which will come standard in the kit is still to be decided. Up front the kick-up plate has machined from aluminium, while the chassis on Billy’s car here in Japan is carbon but as it is still a pre production car it may still come with an aluminium chassis in the kit. Finally the car will be supplied with two different pairs of side guards to allow for different LiPo orientation.
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