June 8, 2012

Pietsch & Wischnewski set early pace at European Nitro Challenge

After four rounds of practice at the European Nitro Challenge which is taking place in Germany this weekend it is pre-event favourites Robert Pietsch and Dirk Wischnewski who are setting the pace around the Hockenheimring track where a capacity entry are set to do battle to become champions of the second running of the Shepherd Micro Racing created event. Located right behind the grandstand, that on the weekend of the full size German F1 Grand Prix would give spectators the perfect view of Sebastien Vettel and co. coming onto the main straight, the track is not your traditional European style track but more similar to what American’s would be used to racing on.

Having sugar watered the track yesterday ahead of the start of practice, the traction built up over the two rounds of controlled practice was unfortunately washed away by heavy rain yesterday evening. Only able to give the track a light spraying this morning for fear that a heavy application would not dry sufficiently to allow proceedings to get underway on time today all the drivers are reporting much lower levels of traction today with tyre choice being the main item of change on the agenda.

Top Qualifier at the inaugural European Nitro Challenge last year, only to go out in the final with a plug failure, World Champion Pietsch was happy with how things were going so far with his factory Novarossi powered Mugen. The same MRX-5 which he used to win the recent Austrian GP, preparations for last weekend’s 1:10 200mm European Championship warm-up race in Italy meant he had little time to work on his car but with a 1-hour lunch break on the timetable and the time between rounds, the German will give it a full rebuild which he says should allow him to improve on his current pace.

Driving what has been nicknamed the Mugen ‘MRX 4.5’, engine guru & one of the greats of 1:8 onroad racing Alberto Picco was pleased with his early performance on a track as he set the second fastest time over three consecutive laps. His first visit to the Hockenheimring, the Italian is finding it hard to adjust to the track admitting he is still building up his confidence in terms of running over the painted curbs behind which there are corner dots which if hit tend to launch, in particular, the 1:8 cars. Running a MRX 4 chassis fitted with a different front anti roll bar and radio plate configuration similar to the MRX 5, hence the 4.5 name, Picco said he has done little with his set-up since arriving and today, due to the low grip, he is just focusing on his driving as hopefully with the weather due to stay dry right through to the end of tomorrow’s qualifying the traction levels will come back up as the 155 cars lay down a racing line.

Part of the 2-Speed Race Team, the company who look after Serpent’s European distribution, Philip Eberle finds himself third after 4 of the 6 practice rounds just ahead of team-mate Philip Sting. Both running Xceed engined 966 chassis’, 21-year-old Eberle has used today’s outings to try different tyres shores. Running Xceed 32/35 in P3 he switched to 35/37 in P4 and for his next outing he is considering to try 30/32. Only his second race with Serpent, Sting is very happy with his early practice pace saying his car is really easy to drive. Enjoying the track the 26-year-old said he quickly got a set-up he liked yesterday and so far he has made no changes allowing him to just concentrate on driving.

For defending champion and Serpent designer Michael Salven today has been a ‘weird’ one for the German. Losing his rear roll bar in both of the morning runs along with suffering a jammed carb he said problems aside his 966 feels really good. Sixth fastest after P4, Salven said he loves the track, describing it as being very nice to drive but added the size of the track and the distance of the main straight away from the rostrum makes the cars feel slow on the straight and after his first run he had to check he was actually getting full throttle – which he was.

Setting the fifth fastest time, with his P4 run, Oliver Mack was fastest of the Shepherd drivers. The former World & European finalist said his Velox V8 has been getting better every run as he just left his set-up as is and let the track come to the car. Having switched engine sponsor this year away from Novarossi to Picco, he has been focused more on clutch and engine settings. Although he is able to call on the support of Picco engine tuner Edoardo Picco, who is here as mechanic for brother Alberto, Mack said he is keen to teach himself how to get the best from his Picco engines as he will not always have Edoardo pitting next to him.

In 1:10 former European Champion Dirk Wischnewski is running a fresh Xray NT1. Prior to last weekend’s 1:10 European Championship Warm-up race the German built two new cars as he knew he would not have enough time to prepare in between races and from the set-up he started with yesterday he said he has had to change nothing on the Orcan powered chassis.

Having been more focused on electric touring car this season Eric Dankel was very happy with his early pace, with his Capricorn second fastest after four rounds of practice. Having signed for the Italian manufacturer at the start of the year this is the German’s first race with them with just two days of testing in Italy his only previous experience with the car. Team-mate Francesco Tironi is currently 6th fastest, the former World Championship Top Qualifier who is used to running additive in the Italian Nationals and at the Euro warm-up is having to get used to running again without it this weekend as the European Nitro Challenge is an additive free event. Describing Hockenheim as a ‘good location for a nitro race’ and liking the ‘American style’ track, the friendly Italian said he needs to find more steering and will try different set-ups in the final two practice runs.

Former World Champion Daniele Ielasi was third fastest for Shepherd with team boss and last year’s winner Patrick Schafer 8th. Ielasi, who is this year focusing on 1:10 in preparations for November’s World Championship in Thailand, has been focusing on tyre choice saying it is very hard to find a good compromise between grip and wear. Running a Sonic engine in his Velox V10 he said the balance of the car is good and overall is happy with his early pace. Schafer said he took the wrong direction with the set-up on his car and will go in the opposition direct to the set-up he had yesterday when he posted his fastest three laps.

The newest car on the market Serpent’s 747 set the fourth and fifth fastest time respectively in the hands of Sweden’s Mikael Fransson and British ace Mark Green. Having only had one test day prior to traveling to Swede Fransson was very happy with his Orcan powered 747 which he said feels very promising. Another driver who is really enjoying the track he has used today’s runs to try different diff settings so as to start to build up a better understanding of how the new car reacts to changes. Green, for whom this is first international outing with the car and first visit to the track, he said it is a steep learning curve but so far the car is working well and having tried something new every run the car is proving to have a very wide operating window.

Drivers have two more opportunities in which to improve on their three fastest consecutive laps which will determine the heat groupings for tomorrow’s 7-minute qualifiers.

View our event image gallery here.

March 26, 2012

Maifield wins big two at Pro-Line Cactus Classic

Ryan Maifield pulled off the big double at the Pro-Line Cactus Classic with the Team Associated driver successfully defending his 2WD & 4WD Buggy titles at the 26th edition of America’s longest running offroad meeting. Having made light work of 2WD Short Course title earlier in the day winning the opening two A-Main from pole position, the battle for the overall win in offroad racing’s premiere classes went down to the wire but the Arizona driver rose to the occassion in front of his home crowd to win both A3 Mains ahead of team-mate Ryan Cavalieri to claim back to back titles at the track that is just 10-minutes from his house.

Summing up his weekend Maifield said ‘it wasn’t the easier way but I got it done in the end’. Qualifying his Reedy powered B4.1 only fourth on the grid for 2WD he admitted that he thought the title had maybe slipped his grasp but he said a change of attitude for Sunday’s finals help turn things round. Holding back at the quad, the mammoth jump that caught out so many drivers this weekend, he finished second behind Cavalieri in A1 and Dakotah Phend in A2, but in A3 faultless drive by Maifield saw him take the lead half way through the all important 5-minute encounter. Eventually winning by 10 seconds this margin was the deciding factor in claiming the overall win as both drivers finished on 199 points.

Bringing the event to a close, the third and deciding 4WD Buggy Main was to be the highlight of this years Classic. With the title between Associated star Ryan’s the two World class drivers went for a thrilling climax to the race. Starting from the TQ spot Maifield lead from Cavalieri with the duo pulling clear of the international field. Hounded by the No.2 B44.1 three laps from home Maifield spun out at the end of the straight allowing the World Champion through but he recovered quickly and came right back at him to regain the lead to a huge cheer from the crowd. Pushing at 110% Cavalieri was the one to crack on the last lap as he got it wrong on to the main straight flipping his Orion powered buggy. Winning by 1.7 seconds it was clearly a huge weight lifted off Maifield’s shoulders who afterwards said racing in his home town in front of his parents and friends who came to the track to watch him race brought a lot of extra pressure but it also made winning that bit more special.

A good day for Team Associated as their drivers finished 1-2 in both buggy classes, rising young star Dakotah Phend completed the 2WD podium while Reedy Race Champion Joern Neumann claimed the third step of the 4WD Podium. While the Champions of the three other big classes at the Pro-Line Cactus Classic was decided in the second A-Main the third A-Mains would decide the rest of the podium. Joining Cavalieri on the Mod Truck podium was A3 winner Maifield and TLR’s Dustin Evans while in 2WD Short Course Kyosho’s Jared Tebo and Kody Numedahl, who won A3, completed the overall Top 3 behind Maifield. In the high flying 4WD Short Course class Hupo Honigl won the final A-Main to secure a Team Durango 1-2 behind Neumann with Top Qualifier Dakotah Phend ending up third overall.

Red RC would like to thank Pro-Line for making our first trip to cover the Cactus Classic possible and to Daniel Adams for once again providing us with a base in the pits for the weekend.

2WD Buggy Overall Result
1. Ryan Maifield – Associated – 199 pts
2. Ryan Cavalieri – Associated – 199
3. Dakotah Phend – TLR – 197
4. Dustin Evans – TLR – 195
5. Jared Tebo – Kyosho – 194
6. Travis Amezcua – Durango – 191
6. Steven Hartson – Associated – 188
8. Brian Kinwald – Associated – 188
9. Billy Fischer – TLR – 185
10.Brent Thielke – Associated – 184

4WD Buggy Overall Result
1. Ryan Maifield – Associated – 200 pts
2. Ryan Cavalieri – Associated – 199
3. Joern Neumann – Durango – 196
4. Lee Martin – Tamiya – 195
5. Travis Amezcua – Durango – 193
6. Jared Tebo – Kyosho – 191
7. Steven Hartson – Associated – 188
8. Billy Fischer – Associated – 188
9. Chad Due – Associated – 187
10.Hupo Honigl – Durango – 187

View our event image gallery here.

Click here to view overall truck & full Leg 3 results

March 26, 2012

Cav, Maifield & Neumann lift Cactus truck titles

All three truck titles at the 26th running of the Pro-Line Cactus Classic were sewn up in the second round of A-Mains after the winners of the opening A-Mains doubled up to secure the overall win. Starting from the TQ position Cavalieri claimed the first title of the event successfully defending his Mod Truck crown with ease winning ahead of Associated team-mate Ryan Maifield while Leg 1 runner-up Dustin Evans took third having briefly run in front of Maifield early in the 5-minute encounter.

The next title to be decided was 2WD Short Course and again it was the Top Qualifier and defending Champion that took the honours, but Maifield was forced to work hard for the win. One lap 2 the No.2 Kyosho of Tebo muscled his way passed the US National Champion and on the same lap as the trucks came off the straight Maifield rolled off the track, resuming back in fifth. Cheered on by his home crowd Maifield recovered back to second and shadowing Tebo finally found his way through on lap 7 when Tebo, who set the fastest lap of the race, got hooked up on a corner pipe.

Providing the most exciting action at Scottsdale R/C Speedway, the 4WD Short Course title will be leaving the USA with Joern Neumann, the first European to defeat the American’s elite offroad racers at the world famous Reedy Race, took a very close victory ahead of Dakotah Phend. 15-year-old Phend looked like he might convert his TQ starting position this time round but a mistake on lap seven let Leg 1 winner Neumann, who started fifth, to take to the front of the pack. Holding a comfortable lead mother nature came close to robbing the German ace the win as a gust of wind caught the DESC410 while in the air at the quad section sending it out of the track perimeters. All this and another moment for Neumann allowed Phend, who set the fastest lap, to close right in as the pair made a dash for the line, Neumann holding on to secure Durango’s first major US Short Course win by 1/10th of a second.

In the second of the Buggy Mains the result means it is still all to play for in Arizona. In 2WD Phend put in a stunning drive to take the win from fifth on the grid with his Pro-Line backed TLR22 taking the win ahead of Associated’s star Ryans, Cavalieri and Maifield. Once again Top Qualifier Tebo had a rough race. Holding the lead for three laps Leg 1 winner Cavalieri got by him on Lap 4 with things going downhill from there, the former World Champion eventually crossing the finish in 6th

In 4WD, Top Qualifier and defending Champion Maifield managed this time round to hold off his World Champion team-mate Cavalieri who had to deal with Joern Neumann. On lap nine Neumann split the Associated drivers but a mistake three laps from home let Cav back to second meaning the title will be going to one of the Ryans. Third in Leg 1, Tamiya’s Lee Martin was an early retirement in A2 after he clashed with Tebo in the air resulting in a hard landing that caused the TRF502 to shutdown.

View our event image gallery here.

View the A-main results here