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Chassis Focus – Mike Truhe
Chassis – Mugen MBX-7R
Engine – OS 2101B
Tyres – Pro-Line Switchblade X3
Fuel – Byron Fuel
Radio/Servos – Futaba/MKS
Body – Kit Body
Remarks – Prior to coming to the DNC, Mike Truhe had 4 days running with his new Mugen/OS race package. Starting the event here with the setup from team mate Adam Drake, Mike has had to adapt the setup to make it more stable for this high speed track, laying down the shocks, making the rear links longer and trying to slow down the damping, changing from 6 to 8 hole pistons with thicker oil. Still not settled on his tire package, the temperatures and time of day requiring changes, he is currently switching between Pro-Line Switchblade, Blockade and Holeshot with the Blockade emerging as a favourite.
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Chassis Focus – Spencer Rivkin
Chassis – Associated RC8B3
Engine – OS 2101B
Tyres – JConcepts Triple Dees green
Fuel – Sidewinder
Radio/Servos – Airtronics/Reedy
Body – JConcepts Striker
Remarks – Current 2wd World Champion and Arizona native Spencer Rivkin is racing the Associated RC8B3 here at the Fear Farm. Having tested extensively prior to this event in both California and Las Vegas with new 1/8th development staff member Dan Hissam they have changed a lot on the setup side with relation to roll centres, anti-roll bars and weight transfer. Spencer is running Reedy’s new all metal case and gear servo, the RS2207A, to control the car, while for traction he has chosen the JConcepts Triple Dees for qualifying and with the track expect to rut up for the finals he will then switch to Diamond Bars.
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Maifield completes clean sweep of eBuggy
Having wrapped up the overall TQ in eBuggy in the second round of qualifying at the DNC, Ryan Maifield completed a clean sweep of the electric class when he made it three of out three in the third & final qualifier. Heading a TLR 1,2 in Q3, Maifield would top the times by a massive 6.3-seconds from team-mate Dakotah Phend with Tekno’s star of the day Joe Bornhorst completing the Top 3. In terms of the grid line-up, behind Maifield it will be reigning champion Ty Tessmann who will start second followed by Ryan Cavalieri, Bornhorst and Phend. The DNC’s first ever European winner David Ronnefalk, who claimed the eBuggy title in 2014 will start 7th behind Spencer Rivkin and ahead of Ryan Lutz.
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Maifield TQs Truggy at ‘The Dirt’
Ryan Maifield is Top Qualifier for Saturday’s Truggy A-Main at the Dirt Nitro Challenge after a surprise TQ run from Joe Bornhorst denied Ryan Cavalieri the overall TQ as both Maifield and Ty Tessmann crashed in the third & final round of qualifying. Opening the day at the Fear Farm with the third fastest time and then posting a TQ in Q2, this was to be enough for Maifield to take his first DNC Truggy TQ since 2012 as he ended up with a 10th in the final qualifier. For Tessmann his error would again leave the Q1 pace setter with a fourth for the round that will see the DNC’s most winning truggy driver beginning his quest for a fifth title starting from second on the grid. Finishing 1.5 seconds off Bornhorst’s pace, Cavalieri will start the 45-minute Main from 3rd on the grid with Bornhorst starting directly behind him. For reigning champion David Ronnefalk he faces an uphill battle to defend his title as he starts 10th on the grid.
Happy to claim his second TQ of the day having wrapped up eBuggy in the second qualifier, Maifield said while pleased to get the TQ his Q3 ‘wasn’t so good’. Describing his 8ight-T 4.0 as ‘dialled’ he said when the track is wet he has no grip and hitting ‘a puddle’ on the second lap he ‘did a 360 and crashed’. Dropping him to the back of the field he ‘tried to catch’ then leader Tessmann and while he ‘made up a ton of time’ he was ‘driving too hard for the terrible surface’ leading to ‘another mistake’. With his Reds Racing powered truck ‘super fast’ and having ‘ridiculous horse power’ in these conditions which should be the same come the final on Saturday night he was hopeful for a good race as he chases his first Truggy win of his home event.
Tessmann, who went on to take an easy win when Maifield crashed out after just 8-minutes the last time he was Top Qualifier, said the final qualifier started out well but then his D8T ‘got unsettled’ leading to a crash. With the Buggy World Champion’s father Gord seeing thinks differently saying his drivers ‘head exploded’ as he wanted it maybe a little too much’, the Canadian said it was ‘damage control’ after that for the remainder of the 7-minutes. Chasing a fifth Truggy win at the Phoenix based event he said his truck is ‘easy enough to drive for 45-minutes’ with Gord predicting a good race between him and Maifield.
Like Tessmann, Cavalieri said the final qualifier ‘started off really good’ as he got in the battle for the TQ with Tessmann and Maifield. Going to the top when they made mistakes, he said he ‘held (his) ground for the majority of the race’ and even after ‘a few bobbles here and there’ he was able to get back the time but casing a jump towards the end cost him the TQ. With his MX powered RC8T3 ‘all in all really good’ following a few set-up changes after Q2, he said he was ‘happy to be fast now as this is the same time as the Main’ adding things are ‘looking good for the final’.
Somewhat shocked by his TQ run saying ‘I don’t remember a whole lot’ of his Q3 run, Bornhorst said ‘I ran mainly as practice for the final and I guess they were all right’. Having not changed his truck all day, the 22-year-old, who equals his previous best qualifying position at the DNC having also started 4th last year, knew while the set-up struggled in the hot conditions of Q2 it would be perfect for Q3. Running Pro-Line X3 Blockade tyres for Q3 he said all he needs to do for Saturday night is ‘check it over, fit a new set of tyres and its ready to roll’.
Only managing P8 in the final qualifier, last year’s Top Qualifier and former winner Jared Tebo will start 5th on the grid thanks to his opening P4 time and 6th in Q2. Behind the Kyosho driver, 17-year-old Tanner Stees had a strong finish to qualifying to claim a P3 and it’s the local driver who completes the top half of the 12 direct qualifier, 3 more drivers getting the chance to bump up from the B-Main and battle it out for the win at the 17th running of the Dirt Nitro Challenge.
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Maifield e-Buggy Top Qualifier at DNC
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.
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.
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.
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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