Tebo again in Buggy Q2

Defending ROAR Champion Jared Tebo backed up his opening qualifying run with a second TQ run in Buggy to leave him top of the qualification standings at the end of Day 3 of the US Offroad Nationals.  Tebo’s Kyosho topped the time sheets for the final run of the day from the Associated of Ryan Maifield and World Champion Cody King.

The only driver to make 15-laps in Q2, Tebo said conditions were very edgy compared to the morning and he was not sure if that was down to change in temperature or the track being more bumpy.  Having changed the front shock oil on his AKA equipped MP9 the 24-year-old from Kansas City said his buggy was really good and other than some real minor adjustments his focus for tomorrow is to test tyres for Sunday’s finals.

Despite making changes to the down travel on the front end, which he said made his RC8B too aggressive, Maifield looked like he might challenge Tebo for the round. Setting the fastest lap for Q2, his chances of a TQ run ended when he got caught up in an incident which happened ahead of him on the track costing him around 2 seconds.  The pace setter in practice, Maifield summed up the first day of qualifying as ‘not bad but not as good as yesterday’.

Only 12th fastest in Q1 King was pleased with 3rd showing he could run the same pace as the top guys. With his Kyosho working well after changes, the 24-year-old Californian said he had a really good opening part to the run but then made a couple of bobbles but overall it was good to end the day on a ‘good note’.

Taking his Hot Bodies to fourth Ty Tessmann described the run as ‘pretty good’. Choosing Proline’s new long pin Blockade he said they worked well for the conditions but the set-up on his D8 still needs work.  With 22 groups to run before him tomorrow the 18-year-old plans to wait to see how conditions pan out before deciding what changes are required.

Behind Tessmann Team Durango’s Ryan Lutz took his Alpha powered DNX408 to the fifth fastest time just ahead of Ryan Cavalieri who said his Associated was good but maybe the driver needed to calm down a little.  Team-mate Steve Hartson enjoyed a good run with the eight fastest time behind Jesse Robbers’ Hot Bodies CR8. Rounding out the Top 10 Adam Drake was the fastest Losi in 9th and while Taylor Peterson was the lead Mugen in 10th ahead of Billy Easton’s Serpent.

Qualifying resumes in the morning with drivers having two more opportunities to make their mark.  Our coverage which is supported by Team Durango continues with news from Q3 for truggy.

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Tebo tops Truggy Q2

Kyosho’s Jared Tebo has taken the second round of Truggy Qualifying at the US Nationals his Kyosho outpacing the Associated of Ryan Cavalieri and Jesse Robbers’ Hot Bodies while Q1 Top Qualifier Ty Tessmann ended up only sixth after getting t-boned by Cody King. Tebo had one roll during his run but was still able to knock 2-seconds off the morning’s TQ time. Happy with the set-up on his truck he said they are still ‘fighting’ the tune on his Orion engine which on the starterbox sounds lean however on the track is running rich.

Cavalieri was pleased with his second P2 of the day but admitted he faded a little at the end of the run having a few moments.  Finding his RC8T still a little too soft for the conditions he plans to ‘play it by ear’ tomorrow before choosing what oil to run in Q3.  Associated team-mate Ryan Maifield posted the fourth fastest time describing it as ‘satisfactory’.  Having switched from his regular Reedy engines after the opening day’s practice to LRP the former Champion said he is still playing around with the power delivery.  Running a steel flywheel in Q2 he said it didn’t have the desired effect and he will revert to aluminium for tomorrow. The Arizona racer said he ‘has searched high & low and traveled Oceans’ looking for the gearing he wants but to no avail but will try a different ratio for tomorrow.

Having suffered from his OS engine being too rich in Q1, Robbers said the tuning was much better but he wasn’t able to fully capitalise as the front end of his D8T was too soft meaning he couldn’t be aggressive with it.

Fastest Losi for the round was Chad Bradley.  The A-main Hobbies team driver was fifth fastest but missed out on a 15 lap run after he blew out two corners.  Still running the same Adam Drake set-up on his truck since getting here, Bradley said the extra pace in Q2 came from the fact that he got to run a dry track, the track having being watered for his first qualifier.

Disappointed by King’s move, which saw the Buggy World Champion get a Stop & Go penalty, Tessmann said his Proline shod D8T was really good and felt a second TQ run was possible prior to the incident which spun his truck.

Team Durango’s Ryan Lutz took his Mugen truggy to the seventh fastest time ahead of JR Mitch, Mark Pavidis and Josh Wheeler whose Xray completed the Top 10.

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Tebo TQs first Buggy qualifier

Defending champion Jared Tebo has got his 2011 campaign off to the best start possible by TQ’ing the first Buggy qualifier here at Thunder Alley.  The Kyosho star set the fastest time from Team Durango’s Ryan Lutz and Round 1 Truggy Top Qualifier Ty Tessmann. Tebo said he just went after a clean first run and this approach worked out well for him.  Despite the track being watered before the top heat had their run, the World Championship Top Qualifier said there was a lot more grip in the track than expected.  Due to the high temperature Tebo said his AKA shod MP9 was too soft.

Recording the fastest lap on his way to the second fastest time, Lutz was very happy with how his DNX408 responded to a host of changes since yesterday. The combined adjustments, which included reverting back to mounting the shocks to the front of the arms, made the rear of the buggy roll more to create better overall stability.  Lutz plans further changes to the rear suspension but said he will watch how the track develops over the day before choosing what way to go with the oil and tyres.

Having TQ’d the opening Truggy qualifier this morning, Ty Tessmann was not satisfied with his third fastest time in buggy.  The Canadian said the track was getting bumpy and they needed to make his D8 easier to drive.  Describing it as a clean run the 18-year-old is confident that if they can get the buggy more dialled in he can top the time sheets in Q2 this evening.  Team-mate Jesse Robbers was leading the top heat until he rolled his CR8 and needed marshalling.  Runner-up last year, he said the prototype chassis felt really good, however by the end the hot conditions started to thin out the shock oil causing the buggy to get a little loose.

Emerging young talent Dakotah Phend once again outshone his more experienced Losi team-mates as he took his Nitrotec powered 8ight to the fifth fastest time.  The 14-year-old made a last minute decision to switch from green compound Kingpins to the harder red which he said was a good call. A little loose for the first minute and a half following the watering of the track they suit the warm high grip conditions perfect for the remainder of the run.

‘Better than I expected’ was how Serpent’s Billy Easton summed up his run to the 6th fastest time.  The former 2WD electric off road World Champion said he ran too light a shock oil for the conditions making his 811 Cobra a little unstable.

Fastest in yesterday’s practice, Ryan Maifield could only manage 7th.  The Associated driver was running a fast time until the steering servo in his RC8B started to burn out.  Managing to coast to the finish for the points the winner of the Warm-up race said it was his own fault as he had noticed a problem with the servo last night but with so much to do on the buggy he forgot to change it for the qualifier.  Team-mate Ryan Cavalieri said any chances of a competitive run ended on the first lap when a front dog bone popped out costing him around 6 seconds.

TLR’s Matt Castellano took the points for eight with Associated’s JR Mitch and Kyosho’s Mark Pavidis completing the Top 10. Elsewhere 2009 Champion Adam Drake had a flame out while current World Champion Cody King struggled with the high grip once the track dried.

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Tessmann takes opening Truggy qualifier

Having topped yesterday’s practice Ty Tessmann continued his form through to the opening day of qualifying at the ROAR Nationals by TQ’ing the opening round from Ryan Cavalieri, Ryan Maifield and defending champion Jared Tebo. Happy to take the round the Hot Bodies driver said his D8T felt very edgy and lacked consistency, something the winner of the Warm-up race put down to the track conditions.  Expecting better track conditions for this afternoon’s second qualifier, the 18-year-old does not plan to make any set-up changes but expects to go for a harder tyre compound when the conditions at Thunder Alley should be warmer.

The runner-up at last year’s Nationals, Cavalieri said he made a small mistake but overall it was a good run.  Happy with his RC8T he doesn’t plan to make any changes for Q2.  Team-mate Maifield led the round until he made a ‘bad mistake’.  Happy with the handling of the truck the former champion said it was geared a little too low and he will change this for his next run.

Defending Champion Jared Tebo didn’t get his opening qualifier off to a good start crashing on the opening lap.  Pulling back some time he then crashed again on the penultimate lap which he said cost him second for the round.  Ending up fourth the Kyosho driver said his truck was good but they have a little work to do in the engine department.  Setting the fastest lap of the round, team-mate Cody King claimed the fifth fastest time.  The Buggy World Champion said as always the opening qualifier was a little crazy and he had a couple of tumbles but his MP9 felt good and he is hoping for a cleaner run next time out.

Jesse Robbers, team-mate of Tessmann, described his run as ‘only OK’.  Sixth fastest and the last of the drivers to record 15 laps he said his OS engine was too rich and he also had some problems with traffic.

Running a Mugen this week until the expected arrival of Durango’s truggy next month, Ryan Lutz claimed the seventh fastest time.  Still learning the truck as he goes, Lutz said the rear didn’t feel right and he hopes he can improve it for Q2.

Adam Drake was top Losi taking his Novarossi powered 8ight to the eight fastest time.  The Californian said the run started well until he made a mistake. Once back on track he had some issues with traffic but overall was happy with his truck.  TLR team-mate Drew Moller and Mugen team driver Dylan Rodriguez completed the Top 10.

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