Spencer Rivkin Wins Inaugural BKlassic Race!!

Brian Kinwald was a special individual. He lived and breathed RC and at a young age, showed the world that he was not like any other racer on this planet by winning the IFMAR World Championships in Basildon, England, in 1993. That was his first WC title and in 1997, Brian went on to win it again, but this time for Team Losi Racing. With 2 WC titles and a ton of National titles under his belt, Brian is undoubtedly considered one of the best to hold a radio. But what is truly special about Brian Kinwald is the influence he had on young racers back then and for many decades to come.

Unfortunately, the news of Brian passing earlier this year was felt throughout the entire industry. From those who knew him well, to those who only know the name… we all knew deep down inside we were losing someone that wasn’t just a great champion, an icon, but a wonderful individual. Below is a message from Brian’s dad to all the racers who attended the BKlassic.

So in his memory, we celebrate his life by having one of the coolest races in his honor. Thanks, Brian for the wonderful, countless memories, and for influencing so many people around the world with your love for RC racing. You will be missed.

Thanks to Larry Tom, of Hobby Action Raceway, for holding a special memorial race for Brian, now known as the BKlassic. From the auctions and donations, Hobby Action was able to raise $6,000 to donate to the Crohns and Colitis Foundation to help out with the cause!

This year’s layout was actually something Brian drew up and was involved in the design layout. Also, the “inverted” style mains was an idea that was also inspired by Brian to promote tougher racing and a true champion as you started each main by your finishing results, but inverted. So if you won A1, you started last in A2. If you finished 3rd in A2, you start 7th in A3(with a 10 car main).

Sometimes, the first thing you hear after posting a layout photo is, “Where are the jumps?” This layout didn’t get that kind of reaction as there were 3 sets of massive triples that took a lot of skill to masterfully clear. It wasn’t easy by any means. Come up short and you’d pay the price. Go long and the car slaps hard resulting in lost time and stability. Overall, the layout flowed great, challenged your jumping skills, and was a blast to drive on…. just the way Brian would have liked it.

21.5 Indy Stock 2wd

There’s definitely a strong group of 21.5 Independent Stock 2wd drivers at Hobby Action and we’re glad to see this! To qualify as a 21.5 Indy driver, you cannot have any sponsorships and this is basically done to promote racing for beginners and avid racers that are new or can’t get a lot of track time. Since 17.5 stock racing requires a lot to be competitive and filled with aftermarket hop-ups and charging solutions, the Indy class makes it much easier to go out and have a good time.

After delivering 3 near-perfect mains with a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finish, Daren Olney came out on top and claimed the 21.5 Independent 2wd title. Deadly fast, Isaiah Keene finished in 2nd with a 1st and a 2nd place effort in two of his 3 mains. However, with all three rounds counting towards your overall results, the points were close. Taking home 3rd was Bryan Day.

17.5 2wd Stock Buggy

17.5 2wd Stock Buggy is always a great show no matter where you go. It’s the right speed for most people and this promotes some of the best racing around. No stranger to the winner’s circle this weekend was Ezra Keller. Ezra won every main he was in, even A2 when he started dead last after winning A1. Yokomo’s Nolan Whitely put up a valiant effort and finished 2nd after getting two 2nd place results and a 3rd place to wrap up 2nd. Yokomo/JConcepts’ Riley Schaeffer had some great speed and found his way to 3rd place overall putting a huge smile on his face.

17.5 Stock Short Course

Congrats to Caden Lindsell as he conquers the weekend with remarkable driving that was solid and consistent all weekend long. Placing 1st, 2nd and 3rd in his mains, Caden is your 17.5 Stock SCT Champion. Nearly knocking Caden off the top step, Shane Koerber slides into 2nd. Mark Vyne slots himself in 3rd with some great racing with Oil Can.

Vintage

These are cars that Brian Kinwald himself has piloted back in the day to his WC wins. The vintage class was awesome to watch as they brought back a lot of nostalgia mixed with modern tech. Taking the win in dominant fashion, Jerry Walters steals the show with his Losi 2wd. 2nd place went to Mark Vyne and your 3rd place finisher was Ethan Kovalsky (not pictured).

13.5 4wd

It was a battle royal in a very tough 13.5 4wd class as AE’s Ezra Keller was on a mission to win the 1st ever BKlassic. After Yokomo’s Nolan Whitely took A1, it was an uphill battle for Ezra, but under pressure, Ezra finished solidly in 2nd while Nolan took a 5th. Putting the hammer down, Ezra went on to win A3 and with it, the overall. Nolan wound up 2nd with the always improving Riley Schaeffer taking home the 3rd place prize.

Mod 2wd SCT

Later in BK’s career, he really started having fun tuning his modified SCT. Not known to be performance handling beasts, Brian had special setups and devices on his SCT to keep it from traction rolling to gain maximum performance. Stepping into his shoes this weekend was Kyle Davis, followed by his good friend, TLR’s Chris Wheeler, who placed 2nd. Taking the last spot on the podium was, Nick Sava.

2wd Modified

Once a mentor to all three, Brian Kinwald had quite an impact on the young racers around him. Now, these racers are the best in Arizona and one of them became a 2-time World Champion like BK himself. Spencer has been on a roll, but not without contest as Tommy Hinz, Tanner Steez, and Tanner Denney were all looking to upset the WC here at the BKlassic. However, champions are champions when it’s easy, but most importantly when it gets tough. Spencer came back after qualifying 3rd overall to win A2 and finish 3rd in A3 in an all-out war. Great job by Spencer to take the overall win as TLR’s Tanner Denney landed himself 2nd with one of his best performances yet. Xray’s Tanner Stees’ form was on point and was an early race favorite. Lil Steezy eventually ended up 3rd overall.

4wd Modified

Despite Kinwald never won a 4wd WC title, he was very good with his wheeler finishing runner up in 1995. To no surprise, it’s once again the BK influenced drivers making the 4wd Modified podium here at the BKlassic. AE/JConcepts’ Spencer Rivkin showed the competition that he meant business and had his mind set on winning both classes and did just that. With another amazing performance in 4wd, Spencer was able to lock down the overall with a flawless score of three 1st place finishes. Taking 2nd overall was Xray’s, Tanner Stees, who finished 2nd in all three triple A-Mains. TLR’s Tanner Denney rounded out the top 3 with Tanner running the new TLR 22x-4 prototype 4wd buggy.

++ Winning Product Used by Spencer Rivkin ++

• Body – It’s been pretty interesting to see how the guys choose bodies. Spencer started with the F2 body and during the mains switched to the P2 and stayed with it for the rest of main day. The end result was a similar result to Worlds which was another win for Spencer and the P2! Spencer stuck with the F2 body on his 4wd.
  • JConcepts AE P2 B6.1 2wd body in lightweight (#0341),
  • JConcepts AE F2 body for the B74 in lightweight (#0397)
• Wings – The S-Type still has a place as most team drivers prefer this wing on dirt. However, it seems most guys have transitioned to the High Clearance Wing on the 4wd.
  • 2wd Rear wing  – Aero S-Type Rear Wing (#0173)
  • 4wd Rear wing – High Clearance Wing (#0197)
• Wheels – White wheels for Spencer of course and the Mono is the way to go!
  • 2wd Fronts – 2.2” Mono Front Wheels (#3347)
  • Rear wheels – 2.2” Mono Rear Wheels (#3348)

• Tires – Ground down aqua Ellipse and Dirt Webs for Spencer
  • 2wd / 4wd Front Tires – Dirt Web Fronts 2wd and Dirt Web Fronts 4wd
  • Rear Tires – Ellipse in Aqua.

• Accessories – By looking at Spencer’s car, you can realize which accessories are his favorites and here is the list of JConcepts quality upgrades he had on his 2wd. Also, the new line of RM2 grease has been a hit with the team drivers and are now found in the pits of many pro drivers, including Spencer’s.
  • Black Fin Titanium turnbuckles B6.1 Series (#2740)
  • B6 Series Servo Bracket (#2567)
  • B6 Series Aluminum Rear Ballstud Mount (#2409)
  • B6 Series Laydown Motor Plate (#2408)
  • RM2 Bronze Lube (#8120)
  • RM2 Clear Diff Lube (#8118)
  • RM2 Heavy Metal grease (#8119)
  • RM2 Red O-Ring grease (#8121)

Videos from the BKlassic!!

A1’s

2wd

4wd

Vintage

A2’s

2wd

4wd

Vintage

A3’s

2wd

4wd

Vintage