A3 to decide winners as Denney & Mitch take A2

The winners of the premiere classes at the JConcepts Winter Indoor Nationals in St.Louis will be decided in A3 as the second round of buggy Mains at SmacTrac produced different winners to the opening encounters.  Having struggled with tyre prep in 2WD Buggy in A1, Top Qualifier Tanner Denney was able to convert second time around despite a mistake that dropped him down the field. In 4WD Buggy JR Mitch, who took second in A1, capitalised on a first lap error by Top Qualifier Steven Hartson that delayed team-mate Denney to take the win. Hartson would finish 3rd in 2WD Buggy behind JP Richards while in 4WD the World Champion struggled home in 10th.

Describing the track as completely different, the organisers watering the track prior to the A-Mains,  Denney said he was able to make a good start from the pole. Pushing hard to try and extend his lead he said he became a ‘throttle jockey’, his erratic use of the throttle & brake resulting in a mistake at the triple which saw his B5 needing to be marshalled. This allowed the TLR22 of JP Richards to the front with Hartson right on his tail.  Showing great patience behind Richards, Hartson tried to set-up a pass but the pair tangled.  The factory Associated driver waited to let the 20-year-old resume position but as he did Denney’s all white buggy slipped through to the lead.  The 18-year-old admitted he was gifted the lead by the coming together but once in front and with a bit of a lead he said he just switched to cruise mode and focused on not making any mistakes. Hartson said his Reedy powered B5 was ‘extremely good’ and he had the speed to win but added when you don’t have anywhere to go its nearly impossible to make a pass without taking out the buggy in front.

In 4WD Hartson caught the pipping at the third corner after the start collecting Denney in the process allowing the entire field headed by Mitch to go passed.  Leading from the Xray of Josh Wheeler, Mitch would himself get caught up in the piping allowing the latter to lead before he too had problems with the piping.  Mitch said he was lucky to have been able to avoid Hartson at the start and despite some nervous moments he was happy to be able to bring home the win.  With a second in A1, the Team Losi Racing driver is right in contention going into A3.  Planning to just wash the tyres on his TLR22-4 he said he hopes they again blow off and water the track for the closing round of A-Mains as this really suited his set-up.  It was a good main for TLR with Cody Hollis managing to get 2nd just in front of Wheeler having started from 6th on the grid.

2WD Buggy A-Main Leg 2 Results
1.(1) Tanner Denney – Team Associated – 21/5:02.079
2.(2) JP Richards – Team Losi Racing – 21/5:02.946
3.(4) Steven Hartson – Team Associated – 21/5:03.406
4.(5) Brent Thielke – Team Associated – 21/5:07.815
5.(3) Taylor Larsen – Team Losi Racing – 21/5:07.989
6.(6) Cody Hollis – Team Losi Racing – 21/5:11.353
7.(10)Luke Richards – Kyosho – 21/5:16.408
8.(8) JR Mitch – Team Losi Racing – 20/5:01.613
9.(11)Daimon Borkowicz – Team Associated – 20/5:02.940
10.(7)Trevor Nault – Team Associated – 20/5:09.359
11.(9)Matt Gosch – Team Associated – 19/5:09.171

4WD Buggy A-Main Leg 2 Results
1.(3) JR Mitch – Team Losi Racing – 22/5:09.097
2.(6) Cody Hollis – Team Losi Racing – 22/5:10.543
3.(4) Josh Wheeler – Team Xray – 22/5:11.162
4.(2) Tanner Denney – Team Associated – 21/5:02.659
5.(5) Mitchel Gardner – Kyosho – 21/5:03.924
6.(7) Nick Gibson – Team Associated – 21/5:06.086
7.(11)Taylor Larsen – Team Losi Racing – 21/5:07.216
8.(8) JP Richards – Team Losi Racing – 21/5:13.746
9.(9) Brent Thielke – Team Associated – 21/5:14.261
10.(1)Steven Hartson – Team Associated – 20/5:04.928
11.(12)Matt Gosch – Team Associated – 19/5:07.993

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Video – 2wd & 4wd A-main Leg 1

Hartson & Denney win opening A-Mains

Steven Hartson and Tanner Denney took easy wins in the opening A-Mains of the JConcepts Winter Indoor Nationals in St.Louis but not in the expected order with 4WD Top Qualifier Hartson taking the 2WD win while 2WD Top Qualifier Denney won the first 4WD encounter.  The first of the A-Mains to be run Denney built up an early lead with his new B5 and looked set to cruise to an easy win but starting from 4th on the grid and avoiding an early pile up Hartson reeled in his younger team-mate.  With Hartson right on his motor Denney would survive his first mistake at the log section but the former series champion would capitalise on the second mistake to go on and take the win by over 4 seconds with Team Losi Racing’s Taylor Larsen completing the Top 3.

With the 4WD encounter run straight after the 2WD, annoyed by his 2WD performance Denney was taking no prisoners and starting from the No.2 position made a forceful move on his team-mate to move to the front early in the race.  Despite catching the piping at the chicane reducing his lead considerably to then second placed Josh Wheeler, the 18-year-old was able to pull clear to take the win by 3.6 seconds over TLR’s JR Mitch.  While Wheeler completed the Top 3, Hartson could only manage 5th.

Commenting on his two races, Hartson said fitting JConcepts founder Jason Ruona’s race tyres on his B5 for the final was the ‘best thing ever’.  Having avoid the pile-up caused by the No.2 TLR of JP Richards, he said his B5 was the best it has been all weekend at the SmacTrac and he was easily able to catch up to Denney.  Getting by the Arizona driver he said he was able to pull clear.  ‘Car kind of sucked’ was how he summed up the 4WD encounter.  The California driver said he had the wrong tyres adding for A2 he will switch to green compound JConcepts Dirt Webs all round having run Barcodes.  Asked about Denney’s move the World Champion said it was a ‘little forceful’ but didn’t really hurt too much as with his B44.2 the way it was he was eventually going to get passed.

Denney said in 2WD he messed up by changing his tyre prep ahead of A1.  Using motor spray to clean his tyres he said it took ‘away the stickiness’ and with the buggy really loose he was ‘holding on for dear life’.  Planning to use the same tyre preparation that helped him to TQ three of the four qualifiers he said for A2 he will be ‘ok for the next one’.  Describing his B44.2 as ‘really good’ he said he was pretty annoyed & fired up after his 2WD tyre error and admitted his move was ‘pretty aggressive’. Adding that where he made his move was ‘not a spot for a pass’, like Hartson said it didn’t hurt either driver.

2WD Buggy A-Main Leg 1 Results
1.(4) Steven Hartson – Team Associated – 21/5:13.129
2.(1) Tanner Denney – Team Associated – 21/5:17.713
3.(3) Taylor Larsen – Team Losi Racing – 20/5:04.613
4.(6) Cody Hollis – Team Losi Racing – 20/5:07.946
5.(2) JP Richards – Team Losi Racing – 20/5:11.980
6.(5) Brent Thielke – Team Associated – 20/5:22.762
7.(9) Matt Gosch – Team Associated – 19/5:03.324
8.(7) Trevor Nault – Team Associated – 19/5/10.898
9.(8) JR Mitch – Team Losi Racing – 19/5:14.111
10.(10)Luke Richards – Kyosho – 19/5:18.242
11.(11)Daimon Borkowicz – Team Associated – 18/5:11.817

4WD Buggy A-Main Leg 1 Results
1.(2) Tanner Denney – Team Associated – 22/5:10.885
2.(3) JR Mitch – Team Losi Racing – 22/5:14.173
3.(4) Josh Wheeler – Team Xray – 21/5:01.681
4.(7) Nick Gibson – Team Associated – 21/5:02.171
5.(1) Steven Hartson – Team Associated – 21/5:02.502
6.(6) Cody Hollis – Team Losi Racing – 21/5:04.007
7.(9) Brent Thielke – Team Associated – 21/5:04.856
8.(11)Taylor Larsen – Team Losi Racing – 21/5:05.239
9.(12)Matt Gosch – Team Associated – 21/5:11.719
10.(5)Mitchel Gardner – Kyosho – 21/5:12.930
11.(8)JP Richards – Team Losi Racing – 21/5:14.878

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Video – Associated B5 Introduction

Hartson TQs 4WD in St.Louis

Steven Hartson is Top Qualifier of 4WD Buggy at the JConcepts Winter Indoor Nationals at SmacTrac, St.Louis, the Associated driver securing the honour as team-mate Tanner Denney topped the fourth & final qualifier.  Running in the C heat, Denney posted the fastest qualifier of the weekend finishing 1.4 seconds up on Xray’s Josh Wheeler.  The only driver who could challenge Hartson for pole in  the Main, JR Mitch looked on target to take Q4 but a late mistake dropped the Q3 Top Qualifier down the order with the Team Losi Racing driver only able to recover to take third just in front of Hartson.  As a result Mitch will start third on the grid behind the B44.2’s of Hartson and Denney while Wheeler’s XB4 starts fourth.

Hartson said although Q4 was yet another rough round, he was  ‘happy enough’ to take the overall TQ honours.  The World Champion said his Reedy powered buggy is working well but traffic issues on the small track has left him a little frustrated.   Looking ahead to the final, which will see 11 cars take the start as the B-Main winner bumps up, he said he hopes he can get ‘rid of the magnet’ that has been causing so many cars to tangle with him in the last two qualifiers. Expecting his biggest challenger to be Denney, he said based on Mitch’s pace in the final qualifier he too should be in the mix adding that the Florida driver was probably a little faster in Q4 than he was.

Denney said he ‘just got lucky’ with taking the final qualifier as both Mitch and Hartson had pretty significant errors in their heat.  Describing his buggy as pretty easy to drive and having good speed, he said while ‘glad to TQ the round’ he wasn’t happy with how he drove for the 5-minutes as he had a few bobbles.  Turning down his EPA for the final qualifier this made the car ‘a lot easier to drive’ and going into the final he is confident he can push Hartson for the win.

Asked about his error in Q4, Mitch replied ‘I kind of blinked I guess’.  Happy with his TLR22-4 set-up, he said its quick enough to race for the win and he expects it to be a good race.  Asked about overtaking opportunities he said with the track very dusty offline its going to be a case of forcing the driver ahead to overdrive and get out of the rather narrow groove.

Having already wrapped up the overall TQ for 2WD in last night’s third qualifier, Denney again topped the times with his new B5 taking the final round from the on pace TLR of JP Richards.  Just 24/1000th off Denney time, Richards will start the A-Main from second on the grid.  Putting in his best qualifier, Team Associated’s Brent Thielke set the third fastest time for the round but it is Team Losi Racing young gun Taylor Larsen, despite a poor final qualifier, who will line up third on the grid.  Having started the event strong with a TQ run in the opening 2WD qualifier, Hartson has had a rough event since with Q4 proving his most frustrating run yet.   Needing to be marshalled on the first lap and his ongoing issues with traffic he was unable to recover any ground finishing well down the order.  With a 6th in Q3 to go with his Round 1, he will line up fourth on the grid followed by Thielke and TLR’s Cody Hollis.

In some of the other key classes at the opening round of the 2014 JConcepts Indoor National Series, offroad r/c legend Brian Kinwald took TQ hnours for 2WD Short Course over Hollis.  In 4WD SC, Mitch will carry No.1 on his TLR SCTE 2.0 with Randy Cuthcart lining up second.  In Mod Truck it is Hartson’s T4.2 who will lead away the grid followed by the TLR22T of Larsen.

4WD Buggy A-Main Grid (B-main winner bumps up)
1. Steven Hartson – Team Associated – 0 pts
2. Tanner Denney – Team Associated – 2
3. JR Mitch – Team Losi Racing – 2
4. Josh Wheeler – Team Xray – 5
5. Mitchel Gardner – Kyosho – 6
6. Cody Hollis – Team Losi Racing – 8
7. Nick Gibson – Team Associated – 12
8. JP Richards – Team Losi Racing – 13
9. Brent Thielke – Team Associated – 13
10.Chris Baumgartner – Team Associated – 13

2WD Buggy A-Main Grid (B-main winner bumps up)
1. Tanner Denney – Team Associated – 0 pts
2. JP Richards – Team Losi Racing – 4
3. Taylor Larsen – Team Losi Racing – 6
4. Steven Hartson – Team Associated – 6
5. Brent Thielke – Team Associated – 7
6. Cody Hollis – Team Losi Racing – 7
7. Trevor Nault – Team Associated – 8
8. JR Mitch – Team Losi Racing – 11
9. Matt Gosch – Team Associated – 14
10.Luke Richards – Kyosho – 14

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