January 21, 2018

Tessmann the big winner in 4th round of 2WD

Ty Tessmann was the big winner in the fourth round of 2WD action at the Reedy Race of Champions, the Xray driver now having the greatest number of 2WD wins after notching up his 3rd win ahead of Ryan Maifield.  With a 6th to drop from last nights closing encounter, Tessmann is quietly moving into contention with 2 rounds to go.  Sharing the lead going into the round, Ryan Cavalieri and Spencer Rivkin maintained station with both drivers equaling each other by finishing 3rd in their respective heats. With both starting from 10th on the grid, they would work their ways up to 2nd only to lose it through mistakes.  In Rivkin’s heat it was Alex Kosciuszek who posted his first win of the event ahead of Dustin Evans, Evans finish moving him a point closer to the points leaders.  In Cavalieri’s encounter, Joe Bornhorst added a second win to his tally as the reigning champion, distracted by Josh Pain doubling the Monster Triple, over jumped allowing Cole Tollard to close and snatch back second when Cavalieri put in a rough last lap.

‘Its a good last day compared to yesterday’, was Tessmann’s reaction to making it 2 out of 2 for the morning.  The former 1:8 Offroad World Champion, for whom the Reedy Race title eludes him, added, ‘My cars has been descent but the track is very tough today. It is definitely not easy out there. I ran new tyres and we have been changing the car each run and I hope the tyres last the last 2 races’.

Commenting on his race, Rivkin said, ‘I could have got one less point but at least I didn’t lose the lead to Cavalieri’.  A podium finisher in 2016, he continued, ‘I’m still in it with my other team-mates so I’m excited for the last two races’.  Cavalieri was clearly frustrated with himself after his race as he came up onto the driver stand for his referee duties, each driver in invitational assisting Nick Black with any calls required during racing.  He said, ‘I was coming up on Josh and he doubled the triple and I let it distract me and I over jumped.  It was stupid.  Then on the last lap I hit every pipe’.

‘Going from the back to 2nd is good’, was how Evans summed up his race.  He continued, ‘Myself and Spencer were racing each other but both made mistakes.  With the tyres its becoming a difficult situation. Its tough out there but I’m now only one point back so its still possible to win. I’ll keep plugging away’.

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January 21, 2018

Spencer opens final day with win to tie for the lead with Cavalieri

Spencer Rivkin got the final day of the Reedy Race of Champions off to the best possible start taking a win, while in the same heat overnight points leader Ryan Cavalieri got a third behind Joona Haatanen.  The win puts the Associated driver equal on 13 points with his team-mate and reigning champion Cavalieri.  For the other title contenders the day didn’t start so well with Dustin Evans having worked his way up to 2nd made a mistake that would drop him back to 4th.  Getting his first pole position start Ryan Maifield couldn’t convert it into a much needed win, the race the most stacked of the 7th round.  A mistake at the triple would allow Ty Tessman to go to the front and pull clear while a subsequent mistake would drop Maifield back to 5th with him recovering to take 2nd ahead of Dakotah Phend and Evans.  In the other of the encounters Rob Gillespie registered his first win of the event heading home the Reedy Race’s first ever female racer Malin Karlsen.

Starting from fourth on the grid, Rivkin summed up his race as ‘really solid’.  He continued, ‘I knew I had the points leader in my race and the more top guys in my race the better so I can race them and build points’.  Asked about track conditions, the 2015 World Champion said, ‘I was running bald tyres and had pretty good grip.  I was running on my own and didn’t have to race anyone but I think tyres in the next few races are going to be critical’.  For his next race, Rivkin will start from last on the grid.

Commenting on his race, third still his lowest finish of the 9 rounds of racing run so far, Cavalieri said, ‘I got a really good start but got tapped from behind at the first jump and then had my work cut out.  Everyone made it challenging’.  He continued, ‘the track is more slimmy so it made things more difficult but my mistake coming onto the straight was what really cost me. 3rd is not bad but now I’m sharing the lead so I need to buckle down for the next few’.

Sitting second a point behind Cavalieri going into the round, Evans who lined up 8th said, ‘It was a stacked heat but got a perfect start. I got up to second but then made the exactly same mistake as Cavalieri.  Everyone is making mistakes so I can’t be too hard on myself but the 4th hurts’.  Dropping to third in the points, he concluded, ‘I’m still in contention so I’ll keep pushing in the next one’.

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January 21, 2018

Cavalieri leads from Evans going into final day

Ryan Cavalieri leads the way going into the final day of the Reedy Race of Champions tomorrow but only by a single point from team-mate Dustin Evans.  The final round of action on the second day of racing at OCRC Raceway saw Joe Bornhorst hold on for the win ahead of Spencer Rivkin, the joint leader after 4WD, dropping to third in the standings as a result.  Next up, Cavalieri took advantage of an easy heat draw coming through from 5th on the grid to rack up his 5th win of the event ahead of Cole Tollard.  It was the concluding race though that was the most stacked with Evans, Ryan Maifield, Ty Tessmann and Jared Tebo in the field.  A good start saw Jake Mayo lead for 5 laps before Evans came through and pulled out a lead.  Behind, after a bad start, Maifield stormed his way back through the pack finally getting second with a great pass on Mayo when he jumped down his inside on the triple in front of the drivers stand. With the pass coming late in the race, the World Champion hadn’t time to do anything about Evan’s lead.

With just four more races between him and a potential 5th Reedy Race title, Cavalieri said, ‘I had a good jump on Cole (Tollard) and got up to second pretty much straight away and then Joona (Hataanen) had a mistake at the triple and I was in the lead.  I got my head down to put a solid run but ended up backing it down to save my tyres’.  Asked about tyre wear, the Associated driver said, ‘the track feels pretty good but its pretty abrasive. I think tyres will be a factor tomorrow’.

‘That was a stacked race’, was Evans description of the second 2WD encounter.  The former Champion continued, ‘Gillespie and Mayo were fast and Tebo was going well that time too.  I drove too timid at the start and Mayo pulled away but I knew Maifield was coming and told myself don’t let him catch you so I started pushing.’  Looking to the remaining four races, he said, ‘I’m excited to go into the final day with the opportunity to race it out for the the win’.

With second behind Evans moving Maifield up to fourth in the points ahead of Yokomo team-mate Lee Martin, the British driver having a tough start to 2WD having held the joint lead after 4WD,  he said, ‘It was ok. It was another stacked race. I though I had the inside line on Brent (Thielke) but he went as well and I got collected and was 9th on the first lap. I don’t know how but then I found myself in 3rd position.  Then I passed Mayo but by that time Dustin was too far ahead to catch’.   Going into the final day, the 2015 Champion said, ‘the track was a lot different in the last one, it’s weird, it feels both slimmy and grippy so for tomorrow I with try a different set of tyres’.  He concluded,  ‘I also have some better starts’, him starting out the day with pole position start and ending the event with a front row start.

View the event image gallery here.