Video – 2wd Invitational Rd3

Cavalieri first to double up at Reedy Race

The third round of racing at the Reedy Race of Champions at OCRC Raceway in Huntington Beach, California, saw Ryan Cavalieri become the first double winner of the event.  The defending champion took the win by just over one second from a hard charging Dustin Evans while the other two heats saw European duo Lee Martin and Joern Neumann notched up their first maximum points haul.

Starting Heat 1 from 6th on the grid, Cavalieri would move to the lead just after the half way point when early leader & Round 2 winner Steven Hartson got it wrong on the step down at the end of the straight.  Once out front Cavalieri would control proceedings, but the 4-time World Champion was kept on his guard by a very hard charging Dustin Evans.  Being drawn to start his third 2WD encounter 9th on the grid, 2011 Champion Evans made light work of the field getting by Hartson, who would finish third, late in the race and taking the final gap down to just one second by the finish.

Heat 2 would see 2012 Reedy Race Champion Joern Neumann take a narrow win over Round 1 heat winner Ryan Maifield.  Starting No.2 on the grid, the European Champion would get the jump on pole sitter Kody Numedahl on the races second start, a jump start by the American causing the first attempt to be aborted.  Having started 3rd but getting caught up as the field took the corner after the step down for the first time Maifield was left to make up some time on Neumann’s Durango.  Closing right in on the German, the World Championship podium finisher made a move but the pair tangled.  Stopping to let Neumann resume his lead the Arizona driver ran out of time to attempt a second pass crossing the finishing line just .077 seconds behind.  Kyosho’s Jared Tebo would complete the Top 3 as Numedahl fell back to fourth.

Heat 3 was a tone to tone win for new Yokomo signing Lee Martin but the British driver had to see off a strong challenge from a very consistent Cody King who notched up his 3rd second placed finish of the day.  Also in the race was Round 2 heat winner Neil Cragg but the former World Champion who started fourth had a bad run ending up only eight.  With drivers having to count 5 of their 6 results from each class, Cragg will be hoping this is the round he drops.

Round 3 2WD Buggy
Heat 1 Result
1.(6) Ryan Cavalieri – Team Associated – 15/5:00.301
2.(9) Dustin Evans – Team Losi Racing – 15/5:01.318
3.(3) Steven Hartson – Team Associated – 15/5:04.909
4.(8) Barry Baker – Team Reedy – 15/5:06.271
5.(4) Rob Gillespie – Team Associated – 15/5:10.456
6.(7) Oliver Scholz – Team C – 15/5:12.488
7.(1) Josh Pain – Team Yokomo – 15/5:14.000
8.(2) Tyler Vik – Xray – 15/5:15.130
9.(10)Christoffer Svensson – Kyosho – 15/5:17.345
10.(5)Cody Turner – Kyosho – 8/2:55.257

Heat 2 Result
1.(2) Jörn Neumann – Team Durango – 15/5:01,970
2.(3) Ryan Maifield – Team Associated – 15/5:02.047
3.(7) Jared Tebo – Kyosho – 15/5:03.193
4.(1) Kody Numedahl – Team Associated – 15/5:05.027
5.(4) Ty Tessmann – Hot Bodies – 15/5:06.112
6.(5) Joseph Quagraine – JQ Products – 15/5:13.829
7.(9) Tanner Denney – Team Associated – 15/5:14.703
8.(10)Carson Wernimont – Schumacher – 15/514.876
9.(8) Mike Truhe – Serpent – 15/5:15.929
10.(6)Brian Kinwald – Team Associated – 15/5:17.715

Heat 3 Result
1.(1) Lee Martin – Team Yokomo – 16/5:17.129
2.(3) Cody King – Kyosho – 15/5:00.632
3.(6) Travis Amezcua – Team Durango – 15/5:04.501
4.(8) Billy Fischer – Team Novak – 15/5:05.748
5.(9) Marc Rheinard – Tamiya – 15/5:06.412
6.(10)Dakotah Phend – Team Losi Racing – 15/5:07.071
7.(2) Ryan Lutz – Team Durango – 15/5:07.920
8.(4) Neil Cragg – Team Associated – 15/5:09.206
9.(7) Brian Strange – Team Associated – 15/5:09.774
10.(5)Rick Hohwart – Team Associated – 15/5:14.578

View the complete Reedy Race of Champions event heat listing here (PDF).

View our event image gallery here.

Cavalieri gets first win in Round 2

Defending Reedy Race Champion Ryan Cavalieri claimed his first win of this year’s 20th running of the event when he saw off a late challenge from the ever spectacular Ryan Maifield in a race that saw the duo produce the first 16 lap runs for 2WD around the OCRC Raceway.  In the other two encounters of the round former 2WD World Champion Neil Cragg took a tone to tone win in Heat 1 over Rick Hohwart while in Heat 2 current 4WD World Champion Steven Hartson came through from 4th to win by almost 7-seconds from Cody King.  For Round 1’s most convincing winner Dustin Evans it was a tough second race for the TLR driver.  Starting Heat 1 from 8th on the grid, the former champion was making his way to the front and looking good for at least a Top 3 finish but a coming together with Germany’s Oliver Scholz on lap 4 dropped him back to last from where he was only able to recover to 4th.

Having started his opening race from 8th on the grid and got a third place finish out of it, for Round 2 it was Cavalieri’s turn to start up front alongside Ty Tessmann whose prototype HB had the pole.  The Canadian would lead away the field but on the second lap would gift Cavalieri the lead with a roll over just before the right side double.  Behind Maifield, who started 6th had already made his way into third by lap 5 and closing fast.  Posting the fastest lap of the round, with a lap that was 2/10ths faster than his team-mate, by lap 10 he was passed Tessmann. Now the charge was on.  Closing the gap, airing it out over the jump section in front of the drivers stand, Maifield brought the gap down to well under a second but Cavalieri responded with his fastest lap of the race. Still Maifield wasn’t done but time ran out and the pair crossed the finish separated by just .58 of a second.  Afterwards Cavalieri said while Maifield airing out the jump directly in front of the drivers stand was distracting but he just kept telling himself ‘don’t throw it away’.  Maifield said for such a ‘stacked field’ 6th to 2nd was ‘good’.

Heat 2 proved an entertaining affair as young Tanner Denney having got passed TQ starter Rob Gillespie tried to hold off Hartson who showed great patience behind the teenager.  Holding the World Champion at bay for 11 laps, a sterling performance, a mistake let Hartson through from where he easily pulled clear to win by 6.7 second.  Unfortunately for Denney he would roll again with three laps to go eventually finishing 3rd behind King.

One of the most popular drives of the round came in Heat 1 from veteran racer and 1992 Reedy Race Champion Hohwart.  The Associated driver almost found his way to the front when Craig made a mistake on lap 7, but piling into the British drivers B4.2 this allowed Jared Tebo on his tail.  Despite the World Champions best efforts a very cool Hohwart held on to take a very popular win just .689 behind Craig.

Round 2 2WD Buggy
Heat 1 Result
1.(1) Neil Cragg – Team Associated – 15/5:07.628
2.(2) Rick Hohwart – Team Associated – 15/5:08.317
3.(5) Jared Tebo – Kyosho – 15/5:08.700
4.(8) Dustin Evans – Team Losi Racing – 15/5:10.792
5.(10)Brian Strange – Team Associated – 15/5:12.413
6.(7) Kody Numedahl – Team Associated – 15/5:12.618
7.(9) Tyler Vik – Xray – 15/5:14.586
8.(4) Oliver Scholz – Team C – 15/5:15.181
9.(6) Marc Rheinard – Tamiya – 15/5:17.978
10.(3)Billy Fischer – Team Novak – 15/5:18.371

Heat 2 Result
1.(4) Steven Hartson – Team Associated – 15/5:01.301
2.(8) Cody King – Kyosho – 15/5:08.001
3.(2) Tanner Denney – Team Associated – 15/5:08.672
4.(1) Rob Gillespie – Team Associated – 15/5:08.835
5.(10)Travis Amezcua – Team Durango – 15/5:11.975
6.(9) Jörn Neumann – Team Durango – 15/5:21.341
7.(7) Christoffer Svensson – Kyosho – 15/5:22.292
8.(3) Joseph Quagraine – JQ Products – 15/5:23.943
9.(6) Josh Pain – Team Yokomo – 14/5:00.057
10.(5)Cody Turner – Kyosho – 5/1:56.790

Heat 3 Result
1.(2) Ryan Cavalieri – Team Associated – 16/5:19.345
2.(6) Ryan Maifield – Team Associated – 16/5:19.925
3.(1) Ty Tessmann – Hot Bodies – 15/5:02.027
4.(10)Dakotah Phend – Team Losi Racing – 15/5:08.626
5.(7) Carson Wernimont – Schumacher – 15/5:09.425
6.(4) Lee Martin – Team Yokomo – 15/5:09.685
7.(5) Mike Truhe – Serpent – 15/5:10.355
8.(9) Barry Baker – Team Reedy – 15/5:10.674
9.(8) Ryan Lutz – Team Durango – 15/5:17.360
10.(3)Brian Kinwald – Team Associated – 11/3:48.249

View the complete Reedy Race of Champions event heat listing here (PDF).

View our event image gallery here.