February 19, 2016

Maifield e-Buggy Top Qualifier at DNC

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Ryan Maifield is the e-Buggy Top Qualifier at the Dirt Nitro Challenge, the Team Losi Racing ace backing up his Q1 performance with another TQ in the second qualifier to wrap things up early at the Phoenix, Arizona, event.  Again setting the pace from reigning champion & last year’s Top Qualifier Ty Tessmann, the gap this time round was a reduced 2-seconds.  Fifth in the opening qualifier, Team Associated’s Ryan Cavalieri would set the third fastest time followed by former champion David Ronnefalk, Joe Bornhorst and Spencer Rivkin, the latter losing time with a big mistake over the 7-minutes.

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Pleased to notch up his first TQ of what is a home race for the Arizona driver, Maifield said ‘(he) got a little tight at the end (of the qualifier)’ adding ‘leading a race is different as you can see where you’re at compared to the other drivers.  In terms of his Orion powered buggy, he described it as ‘easy to drive’ adding ‘it floats over the bumps really well’ with the ‘power band also really nice’. Having been using eBuggy to gather tyre data for tomorrow’s nitro buggy qualifying, the defending Buggy Champion said he knows already from the two qualifiers what tyre he will use and so while he will run the final qualifier he doesn’t really have any changes or different tyres he needs to test.

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Tessmann said a set-up change on his D815 left him with a better car but opting for a softer compound Pro-Line tyre this was not as good.  For Q3 the World Champion said unless track conditions get worse he doesn’t need to do anything to the car and it would be just down to selecting the right tyre compound, it set to be much cooler than in the first two rounds.

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Describing his P3 as ‘a solid run for eBuggy’, Cavalieri said his second qualifier ‘went great’.  Making a rear sway-bar change on his RC8B3e, he said this made it ‘a lot better to drive’ with the buggy having ‘good speed’.  Suffering ‘one little mistake at the beginning that lost him around a second he said he was able to ‘bounce back’ from that and planning a few more set-up changes for Q3 he is confident there is more to come.

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February 19, 2016

Chassis Focus – Jared Tebo

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Chassis – Kyosho Inferno ST-RR Evo2
Engine – MX B2R
Tyres – Pro-Line Holeshot X3
Fuel – MX Racing Fuel
Radio/Servos – KO Propo
Body – Kit Body

Remarks – Multiple DNC winner Jared Tebo is running his standard dirt setup on his MX powered Kyosho ST-RR. Pretty much unchanged from the kit car he has two main changes, he is using Lunsford titanium screws and turnbuckles throughout and he has replaced the kit chassis stiffening braces with optional aluminium versions from King Headz. For the final run of the day Jared is planning to go up in oil in the front and rear differentials to stop it ‘diffing out’.

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February 19, 2016

Maifield takes Q2 at ‘The Dirt’

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Ryan Maifield has TQ’d the second round of Truggy qualifying at the Dirt Nitro Challenge, the TLR driver fastest from a much improved reigning champion David Ronnefalk.  It was a somewhat lucky TQ for Maifield however as he would crash at the first attempt of running the heat but with the timing computer also crashing it forced the qualifier to be restarted.  Given a second chance he would make sure he didn’t crash again, having crashed in the opening round of both Truggy and e-Buggy, to top the times by half a second.  Completing the Top 3 would be Ryan Cavalieri followed by Q1 pace setter Ty Tessmann.

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‘I got a little lucky’ was Maifield reaction to the qualifier.  Having crashed on the last lap of the opening qualifier when in contention for the TQ with Tessmann, he said he couldn’t believe it when he crashed again but with the timing computer needing to be reset he said he got ‘super lucky’.  On the restart he ‘started out a little tight after the crash’ but once he got into his rhythm the ‘truck was putting down fastest laps without much effort’.  Again posting the fastest lap as the only driver to run in the 38-seconds, he said the truck was really good despite the ‘track (conditions) changing every run’.   In contention for the overall TQ going into the third and final qualifier, he said he will leave his truck unchanged but ‘will change to a softer tyre for the weather’, Q3 set to run in much cooler & dark night time conditions.

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‘Big changes, big improvement’ was how Ronnefalk summed up his second attempt having only been 15th in Q1.  A rear end set-up change, a new Orion engine and different pipe plus softer compound AKA Grid Iron tyres had left the Swede a lot happier with his D8T.  With the changes giving him ‘more grip, more steering’ resulting in the truck being ‘more stable’, he plans to keep it as for Q3 other than fit new tyres with the focus being on a solid run to allow him to drop his Q1 P15.

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Cavalieri said other than ‘little rush hour traffic’ which he made it through with just one bobble, Q2 was ‘not too bad’.  The Associated driver said his truck is ‘already there on race pace’ and with two good runs they would use the final qualifier as a ‘bench test’.  The first race with everything production based on the new RC8T3, there are ‘a few little things’ he wants to try in preparation for the 45-minute final.

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Tessmann said the qualifier ‘was going good’ until he had a bobble.  Leaving him right behind Maifield, the HB driver would then suffer a roll over leaving him to finish 2.8-seconds off Maifield’s pace.  While the ‘truck is fine’, the Canadian said he needs to ‘not push so hard’ and the aim for the final qualifier is to ‘just try to run the next one without crashes’.

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Fifth fastest Ryan Lutz said while he ‘improved a little’ it was ‘hard to keep up with how much the track changes (each run)’.  The factory Tekno driver continued ‘by the time you have mounted the tyres you plan to use the track has changed’.  With the sun coming out for Q2 after a cloudy start to the day, Lutz said ‘everything got a little hotter’ leaving the truck ‘soft overall’ but the set-up ‘should be good for the last one’.  Team-mate Joe Bornhorst, who was fifth in Q1, would take his TN48.3 to the 7th fastest time after he ‘again wrecked’ this time in the middle of the 7-minute run.  He said he should have went up on the oil for the temperature as like Lutz the truck was a ‘little soft’ but added it ‘should be fine for tonight’.

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Completing the Top 6, Jared Tebo said his truck ‘had about the same speed as Q1 but (he) had a pretty decent mistake early on’.  Last year’s Top Qualifier but no match for the HBs in the Main, the 2011 champion said ‘I don’t have the raw speed’ which he said he thinks is in his diffs which he is running too light.  He will go up in oil for the last qualifier.

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February 19, 2016

Maifield take Q1 of eBuggy

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Ryan Maifield topped the opening round of eBuggy qualifying at the Dirt Nitro Challenge, the TLR driver heading the times from reigning champion Ty Tessmann.  Behind them 2WD Buggy World Champion Spencer Rivkin, who found himself in the C heat after a troubled practice yesterday, would complete the Top 3 followed by Ryan Lutz, Ryan Cavalieri and 2014 Champion David Ronnefalk.

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Runner-up last year to Tessmann having started the final from 10th on the grid, Maifield said ‘overall the car is good’ but added he made things a little more difficult for himself immediately after taking the start when he crashed on the step down.  Having to ‘buckle down’ after the error he said while he ‘had to push a little’ he was able to recover from the lost time and open with a TQ run.  While eBuggy is one DNC title he hasn’t held before, it is clear that the Arizona drivers main focus is on defending his Nitro Buggy title with him saying for Q2 he ‘might play around with tyres to learn for tomorrow’, tomorrow’s action being qualifying for nitro Buggy.

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Finishing 3.483 seconds off Maifield’s pace, HB’s Tessmann said his D815 was ‘better than yesterday’ but added in terms of the set-up he was ‘still working on it’.  Suffering one spin out over the 7-minutes, the only driver who has been crowned champion in all three DNC classes said he is looking to ‘make (the buggy) more stable at high speed’.

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‘Better than expected’ was how Rivkin summed up his opening qualifier which was just 1/10th off Tessmann.  The Team Associated driver said ‘yesterday the car wasn’t my friend but we made a few changes this morning and it seems the right way to go’.  Seeded in the 3rd fastest heat due to his bad set-up yesterday, the 17-year-old said running in such a heat he didn’t know how well he was going but planning to leave the car unchanged he will ‘try to do the same again in the next one’.

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February 18, 2016

Tessmann TQs opening Truggy qualifier at DNC

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Ty Tessmann claimed the first TQ run of the 17th running of the Dirt Nitro Challenge, the multiple champion putting his HB top of the times in the first of the three rounds of Truggy Qualifying at the Fear Farm.  The four time champion, who held a three year reign over truggy at the Phoenix based event from 2012-2014, would finish 4-seconds clear of rivals.  In a close battle wth Ryan Maifield, a last lap error would drop the defending Buggy Champion back to third leaving Ryan Cavalieri to claim a P2.

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Only 6th in yesterday’s single round of seeding practice having ‘drove seeding like a qualifier’, Tessmann said his opening qualifier ‘was good’.  Having made changes to his D8T from yesterday, the Canadian said it was better and for now he didn’t plan any further changes for Q2.  Describing this year’s Joey Christensen track layout as ‘super fast’, he added ‘some sections are so fast its hard to keep control of the truck’.  In terms of track conditions he said it was ‘a little rough but steady from yesterday’ and in terms of his tyre choose of Pro-line X3 Holeshots he was happy with them.

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Running Team Associated’s all new RC8T3, Cavalieri described his opening run as ‘not too bad’.  Having some issues with the watering of the track before the heat he said ‘once he got through the water session at the beginning’ it was pretty good.  Commenting on the new truck he said it is ‘really good’ and while ‘(he) didn’t feel he was going good it was still a top 3 run’ adding it shows the potential of what they have got.  Running with Maifield on the track he said this led to a few bobbles that cost him some time but he ‘regrouped and finished off (the heat) good’.  Running soft AKA Grid Iron tyres he will switch to super soft compound for Q2 saying this should make it more consistent.

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Posting the fastest lap, a 38.652, Maifield said ‘the truck is good and definitely the fastest’ but was slightly frustrated by a misunderstanding that lead him to a crash on the last lap.  With it announced that time had expired, the TLR driver came into the finish line section hard looking to get the best possible time leading to his truck crashing on the following drop down.  Unfortunately for the Arizona driver he was in fact still on the clock and needing to be marshalled he ended up with a 42-second final lap that dropped him to P3.  Maifield felt he also ‘lost a few tenths’ running with Cavalieri but looking to Q2 he feels with a clean run his truck, which was fitted with green compound JConcepts Reflex tyres, can TQ.

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Last year’s Top Qualifier, Jared Tebo would post the fourth fastest time. The Kyosho driver & former champion said it was ‘a really clean run with just two bobbles’ but added he was ‘just not fast enough’.  ‘Need(ing) a little more speed’, he said he ‘need(s) to drop his fastest lap by half a second’ and the issue was ‘the same as always with truggy’ with him needing more steering and it ‘not fast enough in the 180 degree corners’.  Team-mate Cody King would take his Inferno ST-RR to the 6th fastest time saying it was ‘a clean run for the most part’.  Changing his truck set-up after yesterday’s seeding run, he wasn’t sure they went in the right direction and for Q2 he would probably change back.  Having run an old engine yesterday feeling it was lacking the power he wanted he fitted a brand new Reds Racing unit for Q1 which he said was better and to open with a Top 6 was a ‘good start to the weekend’.

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Posting the 5th fastest time, Joe Bornhorst describing his run as ‘alright’ adding ‘after a rough start he would take a P5 for the first round’.  The rough start the Tekno driver was referring to was having to be marshalled on the 2nd lap as he struggled a little with the wet track.  He said ‘once the track dried and the top layer came off’it was a good clean run.  Running Pro-Line X3 Holeshots, he said he was thinking of gluing up a fresh set for Q2 but otherwise planned no changes to his car.  Team-mate Ryan Lutz, would take his Alpha Plus powered example of the NT48.3 to the seventh fastest time, described his opening performance as ‘slow’.  After issues in practice yesterday, which when asked about he referred to them as ‘undisclosable’, he said Q1 ‘was the first run (he) got to see what the truck was doing’.  Feeling he ran too hard a tyre compund he will change this for Q2 along with changing his ‘suspension a little bit’.

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Eighth quickest, HB’s Tanner Stees reported his truck suffering from ‘a little push’.  The 17-year-old said otherwise his opening qualifier ‘wasn’t bad’ but for Q2 he will run a short rear link to loosen up the rear off the truck.  For team-mate & reigning truggy champion David Ronnefalk, the opening round resulted in a P15 for the first European DNC winner.  Descibing his performance as ‘not good’, the Swede said his truck was ‘slow’.  Feeling he ran the wrong compound of AKA’s Grid Iron tyre he said a Super Soft would have worked better than a Soft and looking to get ‘more power’ he will also change to a different Orion engine.  Behind Stees, new Mugen signing Mike Truhe would posted the 9th fastest time with Dakotah Phend completing the Top 10.

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