March 14, 2014

Chassis Focus – Dakotah Phend

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Chassis: TLR 22 2.0
Motor: Team Orion 7.5T VST
Batteries: Team Orion Carbon Pro 5500 Saddle
ESC: Team Orion R10 Pro
Body: TLR 22 Cab Forward
Tires FR/RR: Pro-Line Scrubs X2 / Suburbs VTR X2
Radio/Servo: Spektrum DX4 Pro / Spektrum 6070

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Chassis: TLR 22-4
Motor: Team Orion 5.5T VST
Batteries: Team Orion Carbon Pro 5500 Saddle
ESC: Team Orion R10 Pro
Body: TLR 22-4 Cab Forward
Tires FR/RR: Pro-Line Scrubs X2 / Suburbs X2
Radio/Servo: Spektrum DX4 Pro / Spektrum 6040

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Chassis: TLR SCTE 2.0
Motor: Team Orion 4.0T VST
Batteries: Team Orion Carbon Pro 6500 Stick
ESC: Team Orion R10 Pro
Body: TLR High Performance SCT body
Tires FR/RR: Pro-Line Ions X2
Radio/Servo: Spektrum DX4 Pro / Spektrum 6090

Remarks – Dakotah has been working on making his cars easier to drive and more stable in the high speed corners by running thicker oils as well as stiffer shock springs. On his 22-4 4wd he also raised the top shock mounting position on the front shocks and he is running the regular Pro-Line Suburbs on the rear of the car as he felt the new VTR were too grippy and causing the car to be too twitchy at high speed.

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March 14, 2014

Chassis Focus – Ty Tessmann

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Chassis: HB Racing D4’13
Motor: Team Orion 5.5T VST
Batteries: Team Orion Carbon Pro 4000 Shorty
ESC: Team Orion R10 Pro
Body: Pro-Line Type R
Tires FR/RR: Pro-Line Transistor X2 / Suburbs VTR X2
Radio/Servo: Airtronics M12 / Savox 2274

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Chassis: HB Racing Prototype
Motor: Team Orion 6.5T VST
Batteries: Team Orion Carbon Pro 5500 Saddle
ESC: Team Orion R10 Pro
Body: Pro-Line Bulldog
Tires FR/RR: Pro-Line Transistor X2 / Suburbs VTR X2
Radio/Servo: Airtronics M12 / Savox SC-1251

Remarks – Current National Champion Ty Tessmann is also running a stiffer car compared to when he last run the car at the Reedy race. Both cars are set with less pack in the shocks, changing from 2 holes to 4 holes and running a heavier oil. Having run a number of tires earlier in practice Ty has settled on the new Transistor fronts and Suburb VTR in XT compound on both his cars, liking the precise feel which is very consistent. On his 4wd he has mounted the rear wing in its lowest position for less roll while on the 2wd prototype, which is made up of a Centro rear end and a Kyosho front end, he is now using an aluminium chassis plate in place of the standard carbon version because it is stiffer helping to reduce the car’s overall grip and what is such a grippy surface.

View our event image gallery here.

March 14, 2014

‘From Race Control’ – Day 2, Qualifying

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It is an overcast and slightly chilly start to Day 2 of the Pro-Line Cactus Classic at SRS Raceway in Scottsdale. On the schedule for the day is 2 of the 4 rounds of qualifying, drivers best 2 to count, with the faster of today’s runs being used to reseed the heats for tomorrow’s second day of qualifying. Having had 44 heats in controlled practice yesterday, the reseeding and elimination of no-shows has seen that number reduced to 37 for the 11 classes.

March 14, 2014

Phend top 2WD seed at Cactus Classic

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Having posted the fastest time in the opening controlled practice for 2WD Buggy, Dakotah Phend is the top seed for qualifying at the Pro-Line Cactus Classic.  Running a time of 67.01 for his 3-consecutive fastest laps in the morning, the Team Losi Racing driver ran a 67.12 time in the night time run, to top the seeding time sheets from Billy Fischer and defending Champion Jared Tebo.  With the Top 13 drivers from CP1 unable to improve their 3-lap pace second time of asking the biggest improvement came from Serpent’s Mike Truhe who ended the day 14th fastest having improved his morning time by 1/2 a second.

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‘Really happy’ to top practice, Phend said there was ‘a lot more traction’ in the cooler night time conditions but his Orion powered TLR22 had no issues handling it.  Running a fresh set of Pro-Line tyres, the US National Champion said they just got better & better as the run progressed and looking ahead to the morning’s opening qualifier he thinks he is in a strong position, his time 6/10ths fastest than that of No.2 seed Fischer.

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Making changes to the diff on his Centro C4.2, Fischer said it was the wrong way to go.  Describing the track conditions of CP2 as ‘more edgy’, the Team Novak driver will for Q1 revert back to the same diff set-up he ran in the first controlled practice. Despite topping the times in Mod Truck ahead of Tebo and Joern Neumann’s prototype Durango, Fischer  is planning a significant change to his Centro T4.2.  Having posted his No.1 seed time with a CT4.2 front end for the opening qualifier he will run the truck with a T4.1 front end to stiffen it up and make it ‘more stable’ to drive.

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Behind Tebo in 2WD Buggy, Team Associated’s Tanner Denney is the fourth seed followed by Neumann, Ryan Maifield and up coming talent Spencer Rivkin.  The top heat for qualifying is completed by TLR’s Dustin Evans and the Associated’s of Ryan Cavalieri and Kody Numedahl.  Just missing out on the Top 10, Schumacher’s Carson Werinmont heads the line-up for the B heat.

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Elsewhere Maifield is top seed for 2WD Short Course, the defending champion setting the practice pace over team-mate Cavalieri and Durango’s Travis Amezcua. In 4WD Short Course Neumann topped the times from Phend and Lutz.

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March 14, 2014

Chassis – Carson Wernimont

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Chassis: Schumacher Cougar KF
Motor: Reedy Sonic Mach 2 7.5T
Batteries: Reedy 5700 saddle pack
ESC: Reedy Black box (production sample)
Body: Kit body
Tires FR/RR: AKA Pinstripe / Deja Vu
Radio/Servo: Futaba 4PK / Futaba BLS551

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Chassis: Schumacher CAT K1 Aero
Motor: Reedy Sonic Mach 2 6.5T
Batteries: Reedy 5700 saddle pack
ESC: Reedy Black box (production sample)
Body: Kit body
Tires FR/RR: AKA Pinstripe / Deja Vu
Radio/Servo: Futaba 4PK / Futaba BLS551

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Chassis: Schumacher 2wd SC Prototype
Motor: Reedy Sonic Mach 2 6.5T
Batteries: Reedy 5700 saddle pack
ESC: Reedy Black box (production sample)
Body: Kit body
Tires FR/RR: AKA Pinstripe / Deja Vu
Radio/Servo: Futaba 4PK / Futaba BLS551

Remarks – Schumacher team driver Carson Wernimont has been combatting the grippy track surface, and reduce chassis roll, by stiffening the car’s suspension. He has also tried running a stiffer anti-roll bar but that hasn’t worked so he reverted back to his standard ARB stiffness. As well as playing with different tires patterns and compounds, settling on the all new AKA Pinstripe and Deja Vu combo, to reduce rear end grip he trimmed his LMR rear wing lower. Also being run by the 17 year old is a prototype Schumacher 2wd short course truck. He has been running the car for 3 weeks now, having received the chassis at Motorama, and he is very pleased with it so far. Still very much a prototype, based on the Cougar KF, we are not allowed to take any body-off photos.

View our event image gallery here.

March 14, 2014

Chassis Focus – Jared Tebo

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Chassis: Kyosho Ultima RB6
Motor: Team Orion 7.5T VST2
Batteries: Team Orion Carbon Pro 4000 Shorty
ESC: Team Orion R10 Pro
Body: Kit body
Tires FR/RR: Pro-Line Scrubs X2 / Suburbs X2
Radio/Servo: KO Propo EX-1 /KO Propo RSX2

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Chassis: Kyosho Ultima ZX6 prototype
Motor: Team Orion 6.5T VST2
Batteries: Team Orion Carbon Pro 4000 Shorty
ESC: Team Orion R10 Pro
Body: Kit body
Tires FR/RR: Pro-Line Scrubs X2 / Suburbs X2
Radio/Servo: KO Propo EX-1 /KO Propo RSX2

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Chassis: Kyosho Ultima RT6
Motor: Team Orion 6.5T VST2
Batteries: Team Orion Carbon Pro 5500 Saddle
ESC: Team Orion R10 Pro
Body: JConcepts Finnisher RT6 mid-motor truck body
Tires FR/RR: Pro-Line Ion
Radio/Servo: KO Propo EX-1 /KO Propo RSX2

Remarks – Like every other driver here 2wd World Champion Jared Tebo has been adjusting his cars to cope with the high traction conditions, trying to find the balance between steering in the corner and preventing it from flipping over. Switching out his sponsor AKA’s tires for those from Pro-Line for this very specific track surface he has also done the standard set-up changes for high grip such as lowering the car and stiffening up the shock oil and springs.

View our event image gallery here.