Maifield pulls off 4 in a row at Cactus Classic

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.

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.

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.

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

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Video – 2wd SC & Truck A-main Leg 3

Tebo & Cavalieri take Truck titles

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.

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

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Video – 2wd & 4wd Buggy A-main Leg 2

Phend first champion of 28th Cactus Classic

In complete contrast to 12-months ago, when he didn’t even make the A-Main line-up, Dakotah Phend has become the first driver to be crowned champion at the 28th running of the Pro-Line Cactus Classic.  Having won A1, the Team Losi Racing young star backed it up with another win in A2 over local hero & multiple champion Ryan Maifield to secure the prestigious 2WD Buggy title, his first big win at America’s longest running offroad event.

Starting from the pole, Phend would lead from start to finish with another impressive showing of his ever improving talent seeing off intense presure from Maifield until the Associated driver rolled on the penultimate lap.  The current US National Champion, the 17-year-old said while he felt the pressure of Maifield he knew if he just stayed focused on hitting his lines he would be able to find a way passed.  Calling the result ‘a big change from last year’, he said he has over the past year worked hard on his 2WD driving and today that ‘paid off’.

Maifield complimented Phend on his win saying ‘he drove a good race and made no mistake’, a mistake being the only way he was going to get by.  Making a number of changes to the set-up of his new B5M, Maifield said it was better but they still needed to find more steering. On target to finish second overall at his home event, he said he ‘would like to say (he) was happy with second on the debut of the new car but I am not cause as a driver 2nd sucks’.

While the second 2WD Buggy encounter was a two way fight that saw no position changes in the Top 5, the 4WD encounter was a complete thriller of a race.  Starting from 5th on the grid US Champion Ty Tessmann would take the win as everyone starting ahead of his HB D4-13 crashed or tangled.  Third in A1, Tessmann said he just played the patience game and keeping his run free of mistakes was able to move to the front for a win that puts him in the hunt for his first Cactus Classic title.

Having again worked his way to the front, A1 winner Maifield said he didn’t deserve to win again in A2.  Saying he ‘got lucky at the start’, the defending champion added he wasn’t patient enough behind Tebo.  Having moved to the front on lap 3 after Top Qualifier Joern Neumann ran wide and the pair touched, on Lap 9 at the end of the straight Maifield would try a move down the inside of the Kyosho that resulted in the pair tangling. While the Associated would take over the lead for 4-laps after the incident, a mistake which he described as ‘karma’ would drop him back to third.   At the end of the action packed 5-minutes Phend would claim second followed by Tebo and Neumann with a last lap mistake leaving Maifield fifth.

4WD Buggy A-Main Leg 2 Result
1.(5) Ty Tessmann – HB – 14/5:04.742
2.(3) Dakotah Phend – TLR – 14/5:05.537
3.(2) Jared Tebo – Kyosho – 14/5:05.978
4.(1) Joern Neumann – Durango – 14/5:08.363
5.(4) Ryan Maifield – Associated – 14/5:08.843
6.(7) Billy Fischer – Associated – 14/5:15.305
7.(10)Ryan Lutz – Durango – 14/5:16.013
8.(8) Carson Wernimont – Schumacher – 14/5:23.457
9.(6) Ryan Cavalieri – Associated – 7/2:32.862
10.(11)Kody Numedahl – Associated – 3/1:05.249
11.(9)Daimon Borkowicz – Associated – 2/0:42.715

2WD Buggy A-Main Leg 2 Result
1.(1) Dakotah Phend – TLR – 14/5:09.445
2.(2) Ryan Maifield – Associated – 14/5:13.385
3.(3) Ryan Cavalieri – Associated – 14/5:15.399
4.(4) Jared Tebo – Kyosho – 14/5:18.117
5.(5) Billy Fischer – Associated – 14/5:21.157
6.(11)Joern Neumann – Durango – 13/5:01.605
7.(10)Ty Tessmann – HB – 13/5:03.383
8.(6) Travis Amezcua – Durango – 13/5:04.426
9.(8) Ryan Lutz – Durango – 13/5:05.479
10.(7)Dustin Evans – TLR – 13/5:11.118
11.(9)Spencer Rivkin – Associated – 13/5:13.577

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Video – 2wd SC & Truck A-main Leg 2