Another TQ run for Matsukura

The star of last night’s second round of buggy qualifying at the Proline Cactus Classic, Team Yokomo’s Naoto Matsukura backed up that performance with another TQ run in 2WD Buggy today topping the penultimate round of heats by 3-seconds from Q1 pace setter Jared Tebo and Ryan Cavalieri. In 4WD Buggy Cavalieri headed an Associated 1-2 ahead of defending champion Ryan Maifield with TLR’s Dakotah Phend completing the Top 3.

Running the fastest 2WD qualifier of the event so far, Matsukura said while traction for Q3 was a little higher compared to last night his unchanged B-Max 2 MR worked well and he was able to put in another strong run. Also fastest in 4WD last night, the 19-year-old was not able to back up that performance failing to post a Top 10 time. Rolling his B-Max 4 a number of times over the 5-minutes around the SRS Raceway track he said the buggy was difficult to drive and they are ‘searching for a better set-up’ for the final qualifier which will decide between him & Cavalieri who is the Top Qualifier for the 27th running of the world famous American event.

Setting the second fastest time in 2WD but failing to post a Top 10 time in 4WD for the round, former event winner Tebo was not happy with either of his buggies. The Kyosho ace said he went the wrong way with his set-ups. With the first qualifier of the day run under the hot Arizona sun and the second at night under flood lights, the multiple winner of the event said trying to change the set-up based on your last run is hard as conditions for the next run are different and for Q3 he tried something based on how the car was in Q2 and ‘it didn’t work’.

Commenting on his 4WD TQ run, Cavalieri said he just drove a ‘smooth’ round. Also the fastest qualifier we have seen yet for 4WD, the US National Champion had to pull off a couple of saves at the end of the straight where he said it feels like the track, which has so far stood up extremely well to the nearly 500 entries, is starting to get a little rough. Commenting on his run to the third fastest time in 2WD, he said it was a good run and probably the best he can expect considering the advantage the mid motor cars have over the B4.2.

Setting the fourth fastest time in 2WD, TLR’s Dustin Evans was very happy with how his TLR22 ran but was frustrated at a mistake that he said cost him a chance of 2nd for the round. Admitting to not having the pace of Naoto, the 2011 US National Champion said with two solid runs to his credit he will try something very different with his set-up for the final qualifier to see if the can respond to the speed of the Yokomo. Going the wrong way with his set-up on his 2WD, Dakotah Phend was pleased with his run to third in 4WD saying for an 11-year-old buggy it was a great result. The teenager had a moment on his last lap when coming off the straight he collected the crashed Kyosho of Tebo which cost him some time as both buggies needed to be marshaled.

Sixth fastest in 2WD, Maifield said his B4.2 was good but having to push so hard to compete with the mid motor buggies he made 2 mistakes. With a new speedo in his 4WD, last year’s double buggy winner said it took a few laps to get used to the settings, drivers get only a single warm-up lap before the start of their heats, and while set-up changes had improved his B44.2 he still needed to improve it further to find more overall speed. His best lap being 3/10ths off the fastest lap which was set by Joern Neumann who posted the 6th fastest run.

Fifth in both 2WD & 4WD, Tamiya Racing Factory’s Lee Martin said his 2WD was ‘OK’ the change to thicker grease in the diff, which felt better, taking a while to get used to. Also going to a thicker grease in his 511 which didn’t have the same effect as in 2WD, he said the run itself was ‘shitty’ with too many crashes the result was ‘OK’.

16-year-old Carson Wernimont put in a strong 4WD performance taking his DEX410 to the fourth fastest time of Q3 while in 2WD the best placed Durango was that of Travis Amezcua who recorded the 8th fastest time.

2WD Mod Buggy Qualifying Round 3
1. Naoto Matsukura – Yokomo/Yokomo – 14/5:02.172
2. Jared Tebo – Kyosho/Orion – 14/5:05.208
3. Ryan Cavalieri – Associated/Orion – 14/5:07.023
4. Dustin Evans – TLR/Orion – 14/5:07.289
5. Lee Martin – Tamiya/Speed Passion – 14/5:08.182
6. Ryan Maifield – Associated/Reedy – 14/5:10.353
7. Cody Turner – Kyosho/Orion – 14/5:11.240
8. Travis Amezcua – Durango/Viper – 14/5:12.317
9. Steven Hartson – Associated/LRP – 14/5:12.924
10.Ryan Lutz – Durango/Tekin – 14/5:13.593

4WD Mod Buggy Qualifying Round 3
1. Ryan Cavalieri – Associated/Orion – 15/5:13.492
2. Ryan Maifield – Associated/Reedy – 15/5:15.843
3. Dakotah Phend – TLR/Orion – 15/5:18.955
4. Carson Wernimont – Durango/Reedy – 15/5:20.148
5. Lee Martin – Tamiya/Speed Passion – 14/5:01.427
6. Joern Neumann – Durango/Speed Passion – 14/5:01.473
7. Travis Amezcua – Durango/Viper – 14/5:02.651
8. Hupo Honigl – Durango/DualSky – 14/5:03.337
9. Dustin Evans – TLR/Orion – 14/5:03.484
10.Mitchel Gardner – Associated/LRP – 14/5:03.629

View the event image gallery here.

Ryans top 3rd 2WD Truck Qualifiers

Team Associated’s Ryans, Maifield and Cavalieri, topped the third round of qualifying in the 2WD Truck classes at the 27th Proline Cactus Classic with Maifield posting his first TQ run in Mod Truck while Cavalieri, who took both Mod Truck qualifiers yesterday, went fastest in Short Course for the first time. In 4WD Short Course, Team Losi Racing’s Dakotah Phend claimed his first TQ run of the event ahead of Q2 Top Qualifier Ryan Lutz.

A very closely contested heat of Mod Truck, ultimately Maifield’s TQ’d because as ‘didn’t crash’ topping the times by 4-seconds from Neumann who in turn was 1.7 seconds up on Cavalieri. Neumann said his DEST210 was really good but on hearing how close the Top 3 were running together he tried to pushed harder but he ‘pushed a little too much’ resulting a in a crash at the end of the straight. For Cavalieri a rear tyre that started to part company with the wheel in the latter part of the 5-minute qualifier put an end to him making it three TQ runs in a row. The defending champion said his AKA equipped T4.2 felt good but for the final qualifier he will glue his tyres a lot earlier. Notable retirements where Jared Tebo and Mike Truhe, who having set the 2nd & 3rd fastest time in Q2 last night, both broke.

In 2WD Short Course defending Champion Maifield, who set the fastest lap, looked like he might do a double in the first round of qualifying on Day 3 of the famous event at SRS Raceway until what looked like an error. Afterwards the Arizona driver said the moment was in fact due to an ongoing problem he is having with his speedos this weekend. In the end Maifield would finish third for the round.

Having posted the second fastest time in both Short Course qualifiers yesterday, Cavalieri was much happier with his SC10.2. Removing ball set washers from the truck, he said this lowered it and as a result it didn’t roll as much which ‘helped a lot’. Also switching to a black insert in his AKA tyres he said this also gave a better feeling. Behind Cavalieri, Team Durango’s Lutz who topped Q2 set the second fastest time as the only other driver to run 14 laps for the round.

Mod Truck Q3 Top 6
1. Ryan Maifield – Associated/Reedy – 14/5:10.216
2. Joern Neumann – Durango/Speed Passion – 14/5:14.275
3. Ryan Cavalieri – Associatetd/Orion – 14/5:16.060
4. Steven Hartson – Associated/LRP – 14/5:17.552
5. Dustin Evans – TLR/Orion – 14/5:18.133
6. Billy Fischer – TLR/Novak – 14/5:19.030

2WD Short Course Q3 Top 6
1. Ryan Cavalieri – Associatetd/Orion – 14/5:21.746
2. Ryan Lutz – Durango/Tekin – 14/5:22.467
3. Ryan Maifield – Associated/Reedy – 13/5:02.866
4. Dustin Evans – TLR/Orion – 13/5:03.862
5. Matt Castellano – TLR/Orion – 13/5:08.131
6. Cody Turner – Kyosho/Orion – 13/5:08.490

4WD Short Course Q3 Top 6
1. Dakotah Phend – TLR/Orion – 14/5:06.756
2. Ryan Lutz – Durango/Tekin – 14/5:07.889
3. Hupo Honigl – Durango/DualSky – 13/5:12.179
4. Joern Neumann – Durango/Speed Passion – 14/5:15.179
5. Travis Amezcua – Durango/Viper – 13/5:16.581
6. Carson Wernimont – Durango/Reedy – 14/5:18.229

View the event image gallery here.

Matsukura rules Q2 at Cactus

Having notched up his first TQ run at the Proline Cactus Classic in 2WD Buggy, Naoto Matsukura appears to relish the night time conditions at SRS Raceway in Scottsdale, Arizona, with the factory Yokomo driver completing a buggy double by taking his B-Max 4 to the fastest time in 4WD ahead of Kyosho’s Jared Tebo and Q1 Top Qualifier Ryan Cavalieri. A much closer affair than 2WD, the Top 3 were separated by just 1.2 seconds with the 19-year-old Japanese ace running a time for the 5-minute qualifier that was just 3/10ths slower than Cavalieri’s Q1 time.

Having set the pace early in the run before Matsukura took to the top of the timing screens, Cavalieri ran a very close qualifier with his great rival Tebo who managed to pass him for second in the last lap. The closeness of the two greats of electric offroad racing was highlighted by their fastest lap times which were separated by just 1/1000th of a second, Cavalieri running a 20.570 compared with Tebo’s 20.571.

The only other driver to turn 15 laps for the round, Joern Neumann was the top international visitor taking his Durango to the fourth fastest time ahead of his 16-year-old team-mate Carson Wernimont. After a very impressive second 2WD Buggy qualifier a series of mistakes for fellow European Lee Martin saw the Tamiya driver record the 10th fastest time.

What can be best described as a difficult day for defending champion Ryan Maifield the second 4WD qualifier would see the Associated driver record only the sixth fastest time which for the race’s most winning driver is well below par especially as this is his home race.

4WD Mod Buggy Qualifying Round 2
1. Naoto Matsukura – Yokomo/Yokomo – 15/5:15.426
2. Jared Tebo – Kyosho/Orion – 15/5:16.174
3. Ryan Cavalieri – Associated/Orion – 15/5:16.697
4. Joern Neumann – Durango/Speed Passion – 15/5:19.385
5. Carson Wernimont – Durango/Reedy – 14/5:00.288
6. Ryan Maifield – Associated/Reedy – 15/5:01.048
7. Travis Amezcua – Durango/Viper – 14/5:01.180
8. Dustin Evans – TLR/Orion – 14/5:02.250
9. Dakotah Phend – TLR/Orion – 15/5:03.683
10.Lee Martin – Tamiya/Speed Passion – 14/5:03.997

View the event image gallery here.