This year’s Southern Nationals lived up to the hype and proved to be one of the most exciting 8th scale races on the calendar year. With a beautiful complex like the Ike Hamilton Expo Center playing host, a glorious track layout that challenged all drivers throughout the weekend, all racers had grins from ear to ear.
Making his 1st ever trip to the Southern Nationals, Mugen/JConcepts’ Ryan Maifield came into the event firing on all cylinders. From seeding, qualifying, through the A-mains, Maifield set the pace high and was able to bring home the TQ and win in both Pro Ebuggy and Pro Nitro Buggy classes. With the track conditions constantly evolving with holes, dust, and watering, being on the right tire at the right time was crucial.
For a while now, Ryan’s ‘go to’ body for 1/8th scale has been the Silencer. While he has options, you’ll find the Silencer fitted on both his nitro and ebuggies as he likes the feel it provides. Someone else who also likes the Silencer is current 1/8th Scale World Champion, David Ronnefalk, who used it to win his title at the 2016 IFMAR Worlds in Vegas.
On all of Ryan’s cars, you’ll find the JConcepts Fin Titanium that provides him with lightweight, durability, and unique style. As you can see on his Mugen MBX7 Eco, the rear turnbuckle and steering turnbuckles are both Fin.
Ryan’s been running the front scoop for a while now giving him that enhanced steering feel he’s looking for. The scoop replaces the front nose cone and primarily aids in the faster high-speed, sweeping corners making it smoother and more predictable.
For the triple 10 minute A-Mains, Ryan chose to go with the racer’s favorite, the JConcepts Reflex. As the dust level increased, the overall traction and consistency were decreasing making it difficult to choose the right tire and compound. In the end, the Reflex in green compound gave Ryan the traction needed to win in the Ebuggy class.
