Tebo takes Q4 to go top of ranking

Jared Tebo claimed his first ever TQ run at a 1:8 World Championships here this evening in Thailand when he set the fastest time for Q4. The Kyosho driver topped the round ahead of Losi’s Billy Fischer and leaves the Pattaya track tonight at the top of the qualification ranking from Adam Drake.

Rain just as the last of the lower heats was about to start brought a short 30-minute delay to proceedings sending the top drivers scrambling for tyres but due to the hot conditions the track dried quickly leaving conditions very similar to earlier in the day. Watching the track dry Tebo ended up changing tyres three times before finally taking to the track with soft compound AKA I-beam on the rear and Cityblock on the front of his Orion powered MP9. A clean, crash free run, the American was happy with his car and even more happy to bag maximum points with his intention clearly set on taking the overall TQ honours for these championships.

Finishing behind his team-mate Fischer, who again ran the second fastest time, Drake finally broke into the Top 3. Fourth in the opening three rounds he said the balance of his car was the best he had had after moving the rear hubs back on his Novarossi powered 8ight and going with a lighter oil in the rear shocks for the run. Running green compound Losi Kingpin tyres he said it was not the correct choice and that red compound would have worked better but with four strong points hauls in the bag the former US Champion is happy and now plans to use tomorrow’s final two rounds of qualifying to test tyres and try a slightly more aggressive driving style.

Fourth fastest for the round Cody King described it as the ‘luckiest run ever’, the Kyosho driver getting out of shape five times and landing rubber side down on each occasion. Having prepared 10 sets of tyres after the rain he ended up running soft AKA Impacts with the company’s new red foam and Evo wheel with stiffener which he said worked out well. Despite the result the 23-year-old, who is coming off the back of two big race wins back home, only lies 36th overnight and so needs another good run tomorrow if he is to secure himself a place in the all important Semis.

Top Qualifier at this year’s European Championship Yannick Aigoin set the fifth fastest time despite one big crash. The French racer said his Novarossi powered Losi 8ight has been getting better and better with each run and he is happy where it is now. Having broke a front shock in Q1 he said he still needs another good run and so will being playing it safe in the morning’s penultimate qualifier.

Team Associated’s Ryan Cavalieri completed the Top 6 saying he just tried to be as consistent as he could. Having two lucky escapes following incidents during the 10-minute run, the 24-year-old said his Orion powered RC8B felt good this time round and that the plan for tomorrow was to continue to work on consistency. Behind the American ace, Team Losi’s Darren Bloomfield enjoyed his best round with the seventh fastest time. The British Champion felt his car was a little too hard at the rear but driving the track in sections rather than as a full lap helped him to string together a good run.

Elsewhere it was a bad round for the only other two drivers to TQ a round. Ryan Maifield was running a good pace until a bad landing knocked the bone of the rear centre shaft out of the diff cup. With the RC8B back in the pits his crew clicked it back into place before sending the Associated driver back out, but the round was ruined dropping him from being the provisional TQ holder after Q3 down into a Quarter Final position. Fastest in Q3, Atsushi Hara was in trouble before the heat even started, his Hot Bodies landing on a rock causing his OS engine to cut. Back on track the defending World Champion tried to run the full 10-minutes without refuelling but fell short and also drops outside the magical Top 16 in the Qualification ranking for now.

Day 5 of the 2010 IFMAR 1:8 Off Road World Championships sees the final qualifying action with drivers having two more opportunities to improve their positions. Supported by Team Durango, LRP, Reds Racing and Team C, we will bring you reports after each round as things start to get serious here in Thailand.

Qualification Ranking after Round 4 of 6
(Best 4 to Count)
1. Jared TEBO (USA) – Kyosho/Orion – 13/10:01.509 – 727
2. Adam DRAKE (USA) – Losi/Novarossi – 13/10:04.684 – 725
3. Renaud SAVOYA (FRA) – Mugen/RB – 13/10:04.366 – 705
4. Ryan CAVALIERI (USA) – Associated/Orion – 10:11.734 – 705
5. Billy FISCHER (USA) – Losi/Novarossi – 13/10:12.322 – 699
6. Darren BLOOMFIELD (UK) – Losi/NR – 13/10:16.116 – 683
7. Yannick AIGOIN (FRA) – Losi/NR – 13/10:11.614 – 681
8. Tyler TESSMANN (CAN) – Hot Bodies/OS – 13/10:16.407 – 674
9. Teemu LEINO (FIN) – Xray/Orion – 13/10:18.660 – 673
10.Jeremy KORTZ (USA) – Hobao/Werks – 13/10:18.046 – 671
11.Matthew CASTELLANO (USA) – Losi/OS – 13/10:12.324 – 661
12.Miguel MATIAS (POR) – Losi/RB – 13/10:12.694 – 656
13.Mark PAVIDIS (USA) – Kyosho/OS – 13/10:16.701 – 656
14.Lee Martin (UK) – Tamiya/Novarossi – 13/10:25.317 – 649
15.Tyler VIK (USA) – Kyosho/RB – 13/10:20.067 – 645
16.Elliot Boots (UK) – Mugen/RB – 13/10:11.516 – 640

21.Atsushi HARA (JPN) – Hot Bodies/OS – 14/10:44.154 – 627
27.Ryan MAIFIELD (USA) – AE/Reedy – 14/10:35.283 – 606

View the official event results here.

View the event photo gallery here.

Hara fastest in Q3

Defending World Champion Atsushi Hara has topped the third round of qualifying on Day 4 here in Pattaya, the Hot Bodies driver taking maximum points for Q3 ahead of Team Losi’s Billy Fischer and Kyosho’s Jared Tebo.  The Japanese ace said it was another safety run on what he described as being a much more difficult track today.  With the Top 5 heats having been run at the beginning of the rounds yesterday they are now last to run and a lot of ruts have appeared since Q2.  Hara said the high speed sweeper has become very difficult with two bumps having developed since yesterday and they were to catch out a number drivers including yesterday’s pace setter Ryan Maifield who lost over 7 seconds when his Associated tipped over.  Asked about set-up Hara said his OS powered D8 was working really well but that the track was not really about car set-up but getting around without crashing.

Giving Losi their best round so far, Fischer put his run down to just crashing less saying his 8ight has been working great all the time.  Running Losi’ red compound Blockheads tyre he is however still making small changes to his set-up to suit the changing track conditions which he said has become really tricky now due to the ruts.  His team-mate Adam Drake once again set the fourth fastest time and is enjoying the tougher conditions saying bumpier tracks have always suited his technical driving style more. The American said he was pleased with taking his third top 4 run which brings him one step closer to ticking the first item off his check list which is qualifying directly into the Semis.  Overall Drake sits second in the qualification ranking equal on points with provisional Top Qualifier Maifield with Tebo third, a single point behind.

23-year-old Tebo changed his Orion powered MP9 ahead of the days first qualifier moving the positions of rear shocks and camber links but said it wasn’t suitable for the much rougher conditions.  Having to back off through the sweeper he will change the car for Q4 but will wait till nearer the time of his run to decide on what to change depending on how track conditions change.

Setting the fifth fastest time Renaud Savoya was the top Mugen.  A mistake free run, the European Champion is playing it safe for the moment working towards a Top 16 placing rather than overall TQ honours.

Despite getting a Stop&Go penalty for hitting a car as he tried to pass a group of three cars, Cody King took his Kyosho around in the 6th fastest time. After a troubled first day of qualifying 2008 Top Qualifier Mike Truhe finally managed a Top 10 time with his Losi 7th fastest ahead of Team Associated’s Ryan Cavalieri.  Describing conditions as being like running on a new track, Cavalieri said he was not fast but didn’t make mistakes allowing him to equal his best round so far.

Elsewhere Team Durango’s Ryan Lutz finally saw his luck change after failing to complete a full run yesterday.  Setting the fastest lap of the round with a 44.450, he was glad to do a full run but said while the car was good he made too many mistakes.

Qualification Ranking after Round 3 of 6
(Best 4 to Count)
1. Ryan MAIFIELD (USA) – Associated/Reedy – 14/10:35.283 – 543
2. Adam DRAKE (USA) – Losi/Novarossi – 13/10:04.684 – 543
3. Jared TEBO (USA) – Kyosho/Orion – 13/10:01.509 – 542
4. Atsushi HARA (JPN) – Hot Bodies/OS – 14/10:44.154 – 536
5. Renaud SAVOYA (FRA) – Mugen/RB – 13/10:04.366 – 530
6. Ryan CAVALIERI (USA) – Associated/Orion – 13/10:11.734 – 526
7. Billy FISCHER (USA) – Losi/Novarossi – 13/10:12.322 – 516
8. Tyler TESSMANN (CAN) – Hot Bodies/OS – 13/10:16.407 – 509
9. Matthew CASTELLANO (USA) – Losi/OS – 13/10:12.324 – 508
10.Darren BLOOMFIELD (UK) – Losi/NR – 13/10:16.116 – 505
11.Jeremy KORTZ (USA) – Hobao/Werks – 13/10:18.046 – 503
12.Teemu LEINO (FIN) – Xray/Orion – 13/10:18.660 – 503
13.Yannick AIGOIN (FRA) – Losi/NR – 13/10:11.614 – 501
14.Joshua WHEELER (USA) – Xray/OS – 13/10:18.611 – 499
15.Mark PAVIDIS (USA) – Kyosho/OS – 13/10:16.701 – 496
16.Tyler VIK (USA) – Kyosho/RB – 13/10:20.067 – 489

View the official event results here.

View the event photo gallery here.

Brazil set to host 2012 Off Road Worlds

Brazil is set to the host the next 1:8 Off World Championships.  The decision was made at a meeting of the sports governing body last night in Pattaya, Thailand, where the 13th 1:8 Off Road World Championship are currently underway.  Having hosted the 1:10 200mm Onroad World Championships in 2004, where well known buggy figure Adrien Bertin won the title, the city of Jundiai will get its second IFMAR World Championship. Although an off road track already exists at the facility, the local government plan to build an all new track for the event. The allocation is subject to issues experienced with the Brazilian customs holding up team’s equipment during the last visit being rectified.  Should IFMAR not get sufficient guarantees that this will not create the same headache it did for competitors in 2004, the event will be moved to Buenos Aires in Argentina.

Maifield leads the way after the first day of qualifying

The first day of qualifying is complete and there was no question that it belonged to Ryan Maifield, the factory Team Associated driver dominating proceedings.  Q2 saw the American ace improve on his earlier time, recording the fastest lap we have seen here yet in the process.  Describing qualifying as being all about not crashing and collecting enough points for a place in the Semis he said he was driving well within himself but admitted it did feel good to end day one at the top.

After a disappointing Q1, defending World Champion Atsushi Hara was second after taking a safe approach to the 10-minute run. Switching to the medium white compound of Hot Bodies’ Mega Byte tyre he said it worked really well in the hotter afternoon conditions and he was very happy to break into the magical 14 laps considering how safely he drove.  Happy with the end result he will continue this approach tomorrow before trying a more aggressive style on the final day of qualifying.  The Japanese star was clearly impressed with Maifield’s pace admitting he was much faster than he had expected he would be.

After an under par performance in the opening qualifier Jared Tebo managed the third fastest time despite a very trying run.  During the warm-up laps the front brakes on his Kyosho locked up and melted leaving him with a very challenging car.  He was also given what he saw as an unfair drive through penalty for contact with fellow American Dakotah Phend.  Phend landed sideways off a jump and Tebo could do nothing to avoid hitting his car.  The US Champion summed up the day by calling it a ‘test to see how badly he really wants this race’ but he thinks he passed and is looking forward to better things tomorrow.

Adam Drake was best of the Team Losi drivers as he was again fourth fastest albeit in a slower time.  Team-mates Yannick Aigoin and Matthew Castellano finished 7th and 8th fastest respectively with Castellano saying his 8ight was set up too soft for the hot conditions.

The big surprise of Q2 was young Australian driver Kyle McBride.  Making his World Championship debut, the 14-year-old Mugen driver made it five different manufacturers at the head of the time sheets.  Very happy to find himself up with the best in the World he could have been faster than Drake if it were not for a costly crash during the run. A State Champion back home, McBride said a move to a soft AKA Impact tyres had really improved his MBX-6 and he hopes to build on his performance tomorrow.  Another teenager controlled Mugen completed the Top 6 for Q2 with  Elliot Boots enjoying a strong run with his RB powered example.  The emerging British talent was very happy with the handling after switching to the blue compound of JConcepts new Hybrids tyres but like McBride also had an incident which cost him a few seconds.

For the first time we saw Xray inside the Top 10 with RC America’s Josh Wheeler and factory Xray driver Teemu Leino going around in the 9th and 10th fastest times.  Elsewhere Kyosho’s Cody King, who was second fastest in Q1, broke the front left wishbone off his MP9.  The American switched to a medium Impact AKA tyre for the hotter conditions which gave the car a different feeling and resulted in an altercation with the fence that was to come off the better of the two.   Third in Q1 France’s Renaud Savoya ran too soft a compound in Q2 and could only manage 17th. Fifth fastest this morning Spanish Champion Robert Batlle suffered a steering servo failure in his Associated while another of the morning’s fast guys LRP’s Joern Nuemann suffered a flame out.  Hot Bodies Jessie Robbers was on a good run but suffered two engine cuts and Team Durango’s Ryan Lutz didn’t even make the start as he again had electrical problems.  The American managed to get the car running by the end of the heat and had a chance to complete one essential test lap.

Tomorrow’s schedule sees two more qualifiers for the capacity 180 entries when we will see if anyone can take the challenge to Ryan Maifield and Team Associated.  Red RC would like to thank Team Durango, LRP, Reds Racing and Team C for making it possible to bring you coverage of the 2010 IFMAR 1:8 Off Road World Championship.

Top 10 Qualifying Times – Round 2
1. Ryan MAIFIELD (USA) – Associated/Reedy – 14/10:35.283
2. Atsushi HARA (JPN) – Hot Bodies/OS – 14/10:44.154
3. Jared TEBO (USA) – Kyosho/Orion – 13/10:01.509
4. Adam DRAKE (USA) – Losi/Novarossi – 13/10:09.445
5. Kyle MCBRIDE (AUS) – Mugen/OS – 13/10:11.375
6. Elliott BOOTS (UK) – Mugen/RB – 13/10:11.516
7. Yannick AIGOIN (FRA) – Losi/Novarossi – 13/10:11.614
8. Matthew CASTELLANO (USA) – Losi/OS – 13/10:14.482
9. Josh WHEELER (USA) – Xray/OS – 13/10:18.611
10.Teemu LEINO (FIN) – Xray/Orion – 13/10:18.660

View the official event results here.

View the event photo gallery here.