Paige tops final 4WD Buggy Qualifier

Associated team driver Michael Paige has TQ’d the final round of qualifying in 4WD Buggy at the season opener of the JConcepts Indoor National Series in St.Louis. The 21-year-old took Q4 by a narrow margin from defending Champion Steven Hartson as the two swapped times after both Ryan Maifield, who wrapped up TQ honours in Q3, and Jared Tebo both made mistakes during the heat. The result will see Illinois driver Paige line up fourth on the grid for what has now been announced will be triple A-Mains rather than the single 10-minute final drivers where expecting. Up front Tebo will start second behind Maifield’s B44.2 with Hartson’s example lining up third.

In 4WD Short Course MIP driver & class champion Matt Olson took the final qualifier to secure overall TQ honours ahead of team-mate who yesterday took the 2nd round of qualifying.

4WD Buggy Qualifying – Round 4
1. Michael Paige – Associated – 18/5:09.324
2. Steven Hartson – Associated – 18/5:09.497
3. Mitchel Gardner – Associated – 18/5:11.754
4. Jared Tebo – Kyosho – 18/5:12.204
5. Al Horne – Associated – 18/5:13.108
6. Matt Gosch – Associated – 18/5:13.122
7. Josh Wheeler – Xray – 18/5:13.800
8. Kurt Kellum – Xray – 18/5:15.658
9. Ryan Maifield – Associated – 18/5:18.098
10.Nate Jaskot – Kyosho – 18/5:18.305

4WD Buggy A-Main Grid
1. Ryan Maifield – Associated – 0 pts
2. Jared Tebo – Kyosho – 4
3. Steven Hartson – Associated – 4
4. Michael Paige – Associated – 4
5. Mitchel Gardner – Associated – 7
6. Josh Wheeler – Xray – 9
7. Cody Turner – Kyosho – 9
8. Al Horne – Associated – 10
9. Matt Gosch – Associated – 13
10.Dustin Richards – Associated – 18

View the event images gallery here.

Maifield 2WD Buggy Top Qualifier in St.Louis

Ryan Maifield will start both buggy finals at the JConcepts Winter Indoor Nationals from pole position after the Associated star TQ’d the final round of 2WD Buggy Qualifying at SmacTrac in St. Louis, Missouri, this morning adding to the 4WD TQ he wrapped last night in the penultimate qualifier.  Mounting a serious challenge for the overall TQ until he hit traffic, literally, Tebo took second for the round which is the position he will start the single 10-minute Main.  Cody Turner completed the Top 3 for the fourth & final qualifier securing the 21-year-old 3rd on the grid ahead of defending Champion Steven Hartson who struggled with the wrong tyre choice in his last heat setting only the 15th fastest time.

Maifield’s first time to contest a round of the JConcepts Indoor National Series the Arizona driver was happy to take the overall TQ on a track which all the top drivers have admitted is going to be very hard to pass on.  Having resisted using additive for the majority of the event, Maifield used it in his last qualifier but said afterwards that he doesn’t think he will use it again in the finals as it feels like it needs to wear off before you can run fast laps and for the final he wants his buggy to be good from the start. Talking about the Main, Maifield said passing would be a ‘big task’ and the important thing for him starting out front is to just hold steady and not make an mistakes.

Tebo, who was on target for a TQ run in Q4 until the start of his penultimate lap saw him get caught up in a tangle between two slower cars, shared Maifield’s thoughts on this evening’s final saying passing was ‘not possible’.  Planning to leave his RB6 as is for the encounter he said his approach to the race had to be to pressure his big rival into making a mistake.

In Mod Truck, Tebo completed a clean sweep of qualifying taking Q4 ahead of Maifield but it is defending class champion Brent Thielke who will start second with Maifield lining up third.   2WD Short Course saw Turner TQ the final qualifier with his Kyosho Ultima SCR ahead of Steven Hartson, the result giving Turner the pole position on tie break with Losi driver JP Richards.

2WD Buggy Qualifying – Round 4
1. Ryan Maifield – Associated – 17/5:06.113
2. Jared Tebo – Kyosho – 17/5:06.642
3. Cody Turner – Kyosho – 17/5:10.055
4. Brent Thielke – Associated – 17/5:11.480
5. JP Richards – TLR – 17/5:11.910
6. Josh Wheeler – Kyosho – 17/5:14.975
7. Mitchel Gardner – Associated – 17/5:15.002
8. Al Horne – Associated – 17/5:15.271
9. Daimon Borkowicz – Associated – 17/5:15.781
10.Michael Paige – Associated – 17/5:15.865

2WD Buggy A-Main Grid
1. Ryan Maifield – Associated – 0 pts
2. Jared Tebo – Kyosho – 2
3. Cody Turner – Kyosho – 5
4. Steven Hartson – Associated – 5
5. JP Richards – TLR – 10
6. Brent Thielke – Associated – 10
7. Mitchel Gardner – Associated – 11
8. Cody Hollis – TLR – 12
9. Matt Gosch – Associated – 14
10.Al Horne – Associated – 18

View the event images gallery here.

Maifield Top Qualifier in 4WD Buggy

Making his debut at a JConcepts Indoor National Series race Ryan Maifield has secured the overall Top Qualifying honours for 4WD Buggy at the Winter Indoor Nationals in St.Louis, Missouri.  The factory Associated driver wrapped up pole position for tomorrow’s 10-minute single main early as he completed a perfect run of qualifiers topping his third consecutive heat in Q3 ahead of Kyosho’s Jared Tebo and defending Champion Steven Hartson.  Having set the third fastest time in the previous round Xray’s Josh Wheeler wasn’t able to repeat the performance saying his XB4 felt like it was driving on ice after he tried a different technique of saucing his AKA tyres.

4WD Buggy Qualifying – Round 3
1. Ryan Maifield – Associated – 18/5:07.079
2. Jared Tebo – Kyosho – 18/5:08.634
3. Steven Hartson – Associated – 18/5:11.853
4. Mitchel Gardner – Associated – 18/5:13.227
5. Al Horne – Associated – 18/5:14.151
6. Michael Paige – Associated – 18/5:16.046
7. Zach Philips – Kyosho – 18/5:16.283
8. Dustin Richards – Associated – 18/5:17.264
9. Luke Richards – Associated – 17/5:00.673
10.Colton Kiefer – Durango – 17/5:00.699

View the event images gallery here.