Video – 2wd, 4wd & 2wd, 4wd SC A-mains

Perfect weekend for Evans at ‘Fall Indoor Nats’

Dustin Evans showed why he is a US National Champion, Reedy Race winner and Worlds finalist as he completed the perfect weekend at the Fall Indoor Nationals successfully defending all three 2WD titles at the RC Excitement track in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.  Starting the 8-minute single Buggy, Short Course and Stadium truck A-Mains from pole having topped every round of qualifying, the factory TLR driver cruised to three convincing wins.

In 2WD Buggy, the biggest class at this the penultimate event in the five round JConcepts Indoor National Series,  Evans faced his greatest challenge of the day in the form of Steven Hartson but the factory Associated driver ultimately didn’t have the pace to match the Top Qualifier.  Winning by a 10-second margin Evans said the race was ‘a lot more difficult than it looked’ as the track conditions for the final, which was the closing race of what was a very busy evening of finals, had got quite tricky. Making a clean start to the race, Evans said he was able to make an early getaway which allowed him to go into cruise mode something he said was actually faster due to the conditions.  Having made the podium in 4WD Buggy finishing second to Hartson, 14-year-old Gunnar Rieck completed the podium having started 6th on the grid.

In 2WD Short Course Evans got it wrong on lap 1 just before the first run down the main straight handing the No.2 truck of Andrew Castellini the lead temporarily before the 18-year-old spun out through the sweeper at the end of the straight.  Dustin retook the lead from were he checked out leaving Castellini and 13-year-old Alex Kosciuszek to put on a show as they battled over second.  In the end Kosciuszek came out on top with a late mistake by Castellini ending his challenge leaving him to finish 3rd 2.6 seconds adrift of his fellow Associated SC10 racer.

In Stadium Truck Evans’ 22T took an easy win over the Associated’s of Rieck and popular 12-year-old racer Daimon Borkowicz who came from 5th on the grid.

2WD Mod Buggy A-Main Grid
1. (1) Dustin Evans – Team Losi Racing – 31/8:04.202
2. (2) Steven Hartson – Associated – 31/8:14.184
3. (6) Gunnar Rieck – Associated – 30/8:11.625
4. (10)Rob Betts – Kyosho – 29/8:01.588
5. (8) Toddie Anderson – Team Losi Racing – 29/8:06.565
6. (4) Andrew Castellini – Associated – 29/8:07.309
7. (3) Alex Kosciuszek – Associated – 29/8:14.744
8. (7) Mike Gay – Associated – 28/8:02.108
9. (11)Chuckie Presinzaro – Associated – 28/8:11.044
10.(9) Mike Wilder – Associated – 28/8:13.216
11.(5) Jason Ruona – Associated – 5/1:39.630

2WD Mod Short Course A-Main Result
1. (1) Dustin Evans – Team Losi Racing – 30/8:14.677
2. (3) Alex Kosciuszek – Associated – 29/8:13.222
3. (2) Andrew Castellini – Associated – 29/8:15.842
4. (7) Daimon Borkowicz – 28/8:16.696
5. (9) Carl Doran – 27/8:04.231
6. (4) Nicholas Sass – 27/8:07.572
7. (8) Toddie Anderson – 27/8:11.113
8. (11)Bill Gajowski- 26/8:08.654
9. (10)Paul Sinclair – 25/7:36.151
10.(6) Kevin McDaniel – 25/8:17.270
11.(5) Barry Goodwin – 11/3:18.940

Mod Truck A-Main Result
1. (1) Dustin Evans – Team Losi Racing – 31/8:02.292
2. (2) Gunnar Reick – Associated – 30/8:07.470
3. (5) Daimon Borkowicz – Associated – 30/8:12.573
4. (3) Rob Betts – 29/8:03.141
5. (10) Chris Cristo – 28/8:08.206
6. (7) John Cravotta – 28/8:17.035
7. (8) Bernardo Corey – 27/8:01.601
8. (4) Vin Nocella – 26/7:25.335
9. (9) Gaytan Lamy – 25/8:20.606
10.(6)Eric Deschenes – DNS

View our event photo gallery here. A-main videos to follow.

Hartson makes it 4 out 4 at ‘Fall Indoor Nats’

Team Associated’s Steven Harston has made it four wins from four races in the JConcepts Indoor National Series today as he cruised to victory in 4WD Mod Buggy at the Fall Indoor Nationals at the RC Excitement track in Massachusetts.   Starting from pole position on the first start of the race Hartson parked his Reedy powered Associated causing chaos to break loose in the chasing park leading race announcer Timothy Stuessy to call a restart of the race.  At the second time of asking the Californian, who has already secured the overall title in for the 2012 series, made a blistering start from where he was able to check out and take control of the 8-minute race.

While Hartson checked out up front the big battle of the race was between Gunnar Rieck and last year’s runner up Mike Gay. Keeping the onlookers entertainment as the two B44.1 buggies raced side by side but a lunge at the triple by Gay in the final moments of the race went wrong giving a very relieved Rieck the runners up spot.  Despite putting his buggy on its roof Gay recovered to finish 3rd with 3-seconds to spare over Alex Kosciuszekto to claim the final step on the podium.

In 4WD Short Course Matthew Olson managed to lead from start to finish reversing the result of the previous round in the JConcepts series when Hartson took the win.  Hartson looked like he might give Olson’s MIP a good run for its money but on his fourth lap he got it wrong coming on to the main straight his SC10 4X4 got hooked up on the pipping.  This gave the Top Qualifier enough of a break for him to settle himself and getting into the rhythm which saw him dominate yesterday’s qualifying action.  Having mixed it with Harston for second, 14-year-old Damian Lamy eventually crossed the line to complete the podium from 7th on the grid.

4WD Mod Buggy A-Main Result
1. (1) Steven Hartson – Associated – 33/8:11.402
2. (4) Gunnar Rieck – Associated – 32/8:07.402
3. (3) Mike Gay – Associated – 32/8:09.575
4. (2) Alex Kosciuszek – Associated – 32/8:12.679
5. (6) Christian Toic – Associated – 31/8:03.402
6. (5) Andrew Castellini – Associated – 31/8:10.426
7. (11)Rob Betts – Kyosho – 30/8:07.152
8. (7) Jason Ruona – Associated – 29/7:50.692
9. (10)Mike Aliberti – X-Factory – 28/8:00.790
10.(9) Justin Lopes – Associated – 28/8:15.152
11.(8) Kyle Rhodes – Associated – 15/4:02.652

4WD Mod Short Course A-Main Result
1. (1) Matthew Olson – MIP – 31/8:13.087
2. (2) Steven Hartson – Associated – 30/8:08.924
3. (7) Damian Lang – Associated – 29/8:03.197
4. (4) Scott Furtado – 28/8:05.800
5. (3) John Cravotta – 28/8:07.479
6. (8) Carl Doran – 28/8:11.118
7. (6) Jim Edmonds – 28/8:12.702
8. (10)Liam Laurence – 27/8:04.752
9. (9) Chris Cristo – 26/8:14.040
10.(11)Ray Denny – 24/8:01.630
11.(5) Eustace Moore – 21/8:00.095

View our event photo gallery here.

Evans completes clean sweep of 2WD Qualifying

Team Losi Racing’s Dustin Evans completed a clean sweep of 2WD qualifying at the JConcepts Fall Indoor Nationals, the World Championship finalist picking up where he left off yesterday to TQ the third & final round of qualifying in Buggy, Short Course and Stadium Truck.  With no one able to out pace Evan’s TLR cars around the RC Excitement track the 2011 US National Champion looks to be firmly on target to defend the three titles he won here last year in Fitchburg however the Colorado driver says he is taking nothing for granted as with single A-Mains one mistake can easily cost you the win.

Having sewn up the overall TQ honours in Q2, Evans used the last 2WD Buggy qualifier to try a brand new set of JConcepts blue Bar Codes.  His first time since Friday’s practice to run an unscrubbed set of tyres on his Orion powered TLR22, he said at first they were a little ‘skatey’ but there after felt good and so for this evening’s 8-minute Main he plans to continue with the same set.  Commenting on the race Evans said getting through the first section of jumps cleanly is going to be key to the race as there is a good chance with the field piling into the corner there is going to be contact.  While he hasn’t looked like a serious threat in terms of his 5-minute qualifying pace, Evans believes Hartson is strong with bad luck in the heats hindering the true pace of the factory Associated driver.

Although he had a tough final 2WD Buggy qualifier, young star Alex Kosciuszek will start third on the grid backing up his 2nd position on the grid in 4WD Buggy. Enjoying his best run of the weekend in Q3, setting the second fastest time for the round, Andrew Castellini will line-up fourth for the final followed by Jason Ruona who set the third fastest time in Q3 with Gunner Rieck completing the Top 6 on the 11 car grid, the winner of the 6-minute B-Main getting to bump up to main event.

2WD Mod Buggy A-Main Grid
1. Dustin Evans – Team Losi Racing
2. Steven Hartson – Associated
3. Alex Kosciuszek – Associated
4. Andrew Castellini – Associated
5. Jason Ruona – Associated
6. Gunnar Rieck – Associated
7. Mike Gay – Associated
8. Toddie Anderson – Team Losi Racing
9. Mike Wilder – Associated
10.Rob Betts – Kyosho

View our event photo gallery here.

Kosciuszek takes final 4WD Buggy qualifier

13-year-old Alex Kosciuszek has TQ’d the final round of qualifying at the JConcepts ‘Fall Indoor Nationals’, the young up & coming talent setting a run of 20/5:05.038 to top the time sheets ahead of Jason Ruona and last year’s Top Qualifier Mike Gay.  Fastest in Q1 & Q2, it was a bad round for Steven Hartson however in 4WD Short Course the factory Associated driver managed to pull off his first TQ ahead of Matt Olson who took both of yesterday’s qualifiers.

Kosciuszek was very happy with his third qualifier saying he is getting more and more confident with his Associated B44.1 every run. Leaving his set-up the same as he used in yesterday evening’s Q2 to set the fourth fastest time, he said he will continue to run the buggy as is, adding that he ‘feels good’ going into the final of what is going to be the biggest race of his early & promising racing career.

‘Best the car has been by a mile’ was how Ruona summed up his Q3 run.  The JConcepts boss and organiser of the National Indoor Series, of which this is the penultimate round, was on a TQ run until two mistakes dropped him behind Kosciuszek.  Reducing the power of his LRP speedo further for Q3, he said his B44.1 felt good and he is going to run it exactly as it is for this evening’s 8-minute Main including running the exact same set of blue Bar Codes which have already done three runs on the RC Excitement track.

After struggling with his B44.1 in Q2, Mike Gay ran a ‘whole different car’ in the final qualifier allowing him to set the third fastest time.  Switching to a closed cell front insert, running a shorter wheel base and changing from ‘flipped’ steering to the regular configuration he said he had much better control of the buggy through the corners.  Runner-up last year in the final behind Associated team manager Brent Thielke, Gay said following the changes he is now feeling a lot more confident about this year’s final than he was last night.

Third fastest in Q2 Andrew Castellini could only able to post the 7th fastest time this morning but the 18-year-old will be one to watch in the final as he had very good pace highlighted by his 14.677 lap which was the fastest lap for the round.  Describing his Associated as ‘awesome’ he said just two mistakes cost him a decent 5-minute time.

Elsewhere in the top heat of 4WD Buggy both Hartson and Gunnar Rieck had problems with traffic, the pair at one stage getting tangled together.  Hartson, who will start the main from pole, said having run green compound tyres on his 4WD Short Course truck making it the best its been all weekend, he opted to go for the same choice on his B44.1 but it did not have the same positive effect, instead making the buggy loose. For the Main he will revert to blue Bar Codes.

Having dominated the opening two qualifiers in 4WD Short Course, lapping the entire field in Q2, Matt Olson struggled with today’s colder conditions and was no match for Hartson.  Running blue JConcepts Pressure Points, the Clash Champion said overall his MIP truck was to stiff and it didn’t settle making it hard to drive.  Planning to switch to softer green compound tyres and a softer suspension set-up he said it looks like he now has a fight on his hands with Hartson for the final.  On the pair’s previous Indoor National Series encounter at Round 3 held at the A-main Hobbies’ track in California it was the factory Associated driver that came out on top.

4WD Mod Buggy A-Main Grid
1. Steven Hartson – Associated
2. Alex Kosciuszek – Associated
3. Mike Gay – Associated
4. Gunnar Rieck – Associated
5. Andrew Castellini – Associated
6. Christian Toic – Associated
7. Jason Ruona – Associated
8. Kyle Rhodes – Associated
9. Justin Lopes – Associated
10.Mike Aliberti – X-Factory

View our event photo gallery here.