Maifield & Cavalieri to go head to head in Reedy Race decider

Ryan Maifield and Ryan Cavalieri are to go head to head for the Reedy Race of Champions title in the final race of the 23rd running of the event, Maifield chasing a second title while Cavalieri goes for win number 4. The penultimate round of racing at OCRC Raceway saw both drivers win their respective races with ease maintaining the overnight status quo as both drivers continued today’s run of perfect scores. Separated by 1-point going into the decider, both drivers having a 3rd as their current throw out, it is advantage Maifield as Cavalieri must win to have a chance of title glory over the 2015 Champion. While driver’s starting positions are allocated based on a lottery, looking at the grid one might be forgiven for thinking the showdown has staged.  Starting on pole, Cavalieri has his Team Associated Spencer Rivkin alongside while starting directly behind the three time champion Maifield has Yokomo team-mate Lee Martin to his inside, Martin having just become the first European to register a win in 2WD today.  While all the focus will be on the Ryan & Ryan showdown, the final round will also decide who joins them on the podium.  On the podium last year, Rivkin will fight it out with former Champion Dustin Evans and Ty Tessmann but on paper Rivkin has been dealt the toughest race as all three line up in separate races.

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Reedy Race heading towards Ryan & Ryan showdown

The Reedy Race of Champions is heading towards a classic Ryan & Ryan showdown as the latest round of 2WD action produced a win each for Maifield and Cavalieri keeping the separation between the arch rivals at 1-point with two more rounds of racing left to decide the champion.  For defending champion Dakotah Phend, the round effectively ended his quest to become only the third driver to take back to back wins at the legendary event, as he ended up with an 8th in the race which was won by Ty Tessmann. Having shared the points lead at the end of 4WD, Tessmann survived needing to be marshalled to register his first 2WD win but it looks to have come too late for the new Xray signing to play a part in the title showdown.

‘I did what I needed to do.  I started in front and stayed in front’ was Maifield’s reaction to putting a second 2WD win on the board.  The 2015 Champion continued, ‘Once I got in the lead I started to cruise to conserve tyres as I want to end the day on the same set’. Making his debut for new team Yokomo, his Reedy race break through coming on his TLR debut, he said, ‘I’m having a good time with the team, and fun driving, so so far so good’.

Cavalieri, who is chasing a 4th Reedy Race title, said, ‘I got a great start from 9th. I was due one of those’.  He continued, ‘I’m happy with how everything is working and my car is real good.  Just 2 more rounds to decide who its going to be’.  ‘Running a different set of tyres for his latest encounter ‘to prepare for the next two rounds’, the Team Associated driver said ‘it was a good run with those tyres for sure, we’re looking good for the last two’.

Summing up the race that ended his title hopes, Phend said, ‘I started at the back and got together with a couple of people and couldn’t get to the front.  The 19-year-old continued, ‘It sucks but happens. That’s what makes the Reedy Race so hard to win’.  The result drops him to 8th in the standings while Tessmann moves up into a podium position.

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Cavalieri first to double up in 2WD

Ryan Cavalieri is the first driver to double up 2WD at the Reedy Race of Champions, the Team Associated driver registering the win in the most heavily stacked heat of the third round. Starting from 4th on the grid, which also included former Champion Dustin Evans, World Champion Spencer Rivkin and Ty Tessmann, he would quickly find his way to the front with Rivkin coming through from 7th to get a second ahead of Evans and Tessmann.  Having come into the final day of the event as the points leader, Ryan Maifield had the perfect race converting his P10 starting position into a win over Jared Tebo to keep his one point advantage over Cavalieri.  Having had a bad finish to Day 2 of the event, when a rough encounter left him with a P6, Day 1 leader Dakotah Phend bounced back to claim his first 2WD win from 8th on the grid ahead of pole sitter Alex Kosciuszek.  Now sitting 3rd in the standings, if the defending champion discards his 6th as his 2WD throw out, he shares second spot, with Cavalieri 1-point ahead of Maifield.

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