We arrived on Thursday morning when the doors opened at the one and only Hobby Action RC Raceway in Chandler, AZ. One of the most premier facilities in the country. When you walk in it opens up into a beautiful fully stocked hobby shop. As you proceed through the store you’ll notice the back wall composed of glass windows and a Brian Kinwald banner to remember the legend himself. Through the double doors you go into the vast pit space and the dirt track is to the right. Slicks are the standard here and the Hobby Action crew created a room designated for tire prep.
As you’d maybe imagine the go-to tire choice of the weekend was the JConcepts Ellipse. Typically the ellipse sets the standard for most indoor 1:10 scale tracks. The track crew had a regular watering schedule and marshals were instructed to blow off the track after every run. You can see some of the track layout above. One of the more challenging features of this track were the triples that landed into a turn.
Seeding:
13.5 2wd SCT: Adam Rayls (1)
13.5 2wd Stadium Truck: Brent Thielke (1), Doug Lariviere (4), Ethan Kovalsky (5)
13.5 4wd Buggy: Davey Batta (2), Matthew Gonzales (3), Doug Lariviere (5)
17.5 Expert 2wd Buggy: Davey Batta (1), Matthew Gonzales (2)
2wd Mod Buggy: Cole Tollard (3), Spencer Rivkin (4), Ryan Maifield (5)
4wd Mod Buggy: Spencer Rivkin (2), Tom Rinderknecht (3), Ryan Maifield (4)
Qualifying (Best 2 of 3):
13.5 2wd SCT: Adam Rayls (2)
13.5 Stadium Truck: Matthew Gonzales (2), Brent Thielke (3), Justin Green (5)
13.5 4wd Buggy: Davey Batta (1), Matthew Gonzales (2), Doug Lariviere (5)
17.5 2wd Buggy: Matthew Gonzales (1), Doug Lariviere (4)
2wd Modified Buggy: Spencer Rivkin (3), Cole Tollard (4)
4wd Modified Buggy: Cole Tollard (2), Ryan Maifield (5)
Final Results:
2wd Modified Buggy:
Spencer Rivkin (2nd)
A1:
Out of the gate it was Cavalieri and Rivkin battling it out. Cole Tollard was not far behind. On a track like this there is no mercy. It’s the longest 5 minutes of your life. Rivkin was only 1.1 seconds back with 2 min to go. Rivkin and Horne were close together fighting for 2nd. They were both waiting to see what Cavalieri would do meanwhile trying to gain speed. Cavalieri got on two wheels, Horne barely hit the pipe. Rivkin made up some time and gained a little comfort space behind him. Tollard moved into 3rd, the pressure was on behind him but he just needed to pull away. Meanwhile, Rivkin was preying on Cavalieri as they came up on lap traffic. The race finished with Cavalieri in 1st, Rivkin in 2nd, and Tollard in 3rd.
A2:
Evans was in the 1 and Rivkin was on Cavalieri like glue. He wanted one of those top spots so bad. Rivkin made the pass on Cavalieri. But they were too close for comfort. Evans was lengthening his lead. Horne moved up into third behind Rivkin. Rivkin was shortly all over Evans wing. It was getting exciting. Tollard was in 4th waiting to make his move. Rivkin took the lead after making that center triple with Cavalieri. He just needed to keep it clean. 60 seconds to go and he was on a mission. They were coming up on lap traffic. It was so close! Rivkin takes the win!!
A3:
Cole Tollard was in second place he was looking to move past Evans who was in 1st. There was some carnage in the triple by the drivers stand on the first lap which had caused the field to space out a little more than normal. Cole Tollard was maintaining but he was trying catch Evans. They’ve made their way through lap traffic. Tollard blazes through the finish line and secured 2nd for the round! Cole Tollard took 2nd for the round!
4wd Modified Buggy:
Cole Tollard (2nd)
A1:
Cole Tollard was in the third and Maifield was in 4th. Both drivers were hunting down Cavalieri and Evans. Maifield moved into the top 3. It would only take one mistake by a driver in front of you to move up. Tollard and Maifield were battling hard for that 3rd spot. They were working together meanwhile both trying to rank themselves up. Tollard was able to cruise in 3rd and keep it clean. Cole Tollard was able to take 3rd for the round!
A2:
Tollard was making his way in to 3rd he was trying to pass Evans. Horne was on his tail. Rivkin was looking to pass Horne and move into 4th. Tollard In 4th and Rinderknecht in 5th. Tollard was catching Horne and trying to regain that top 3 spot.
A3:
Cavalieri already secured the win. Cole Tollard was leading this one out. He was trying to get away from the pack early on. Maifield was in 4th and close to that second place battle. He got past Evans and into 3rd after the center triple. He’s on the hunt for Horne who was in 2nd. The top 3 have substantially spaced out. It was Tollard, Horne, and Maifield. Rivkin was looking to pass Maiorana and he does allowing himself to move into 4th. Cole Tollard took 1st for the round and Ryan Maifield took 3rd.
17.5 2wd Buggy:
Davey Batta (1st) Matthew Gonzales (2nd)
Matthew Gonzales was leading it out. Zeke was not giving an inch behind him. Gonzales was playing defense and trying to get away. Some carnage behind him allowed Gonzales to get a little more breathing room but he couldn’t get too comfrotable. Batta was up in the 3rd. He was looking for a way around Cavalier. They were gaining on Gonzales. Gonzales still maintained his lead. Batta took over the lead right through the triple closest to the drivers stand. Matthew Gonzales was still hanging on. Batta and Gonzales had been the green and yellow dream team all weekend. Gonzales and Batta had crafted a semi comfortable lead on the rest of the field. Batta was making his way through lap traffic beautifully. The race finished with Batta taking the win and Gonzales in 2nd.
13.5 4wd Buggy:
Davey Batta (1st) Matthew Gonzales (2nd)
Davey led the way with Matthew Gonzales behind him in 2nd, and Doug Lariviere in 3rd. Lariviere had a heart wrenching break early on. Batta had a comfortable lead. Gonzales also had some breathing room behind him. Ballinger was in 3rd so Gonzales had to keep it clean and continue to lengthen his gap. Batta took the win with Gonzales behind him. It’s a green and yellow win once again!!
13.5 2wd Stadium Truck:
Matthew Gonzales (1st), Brent Thielke (2nd)
13.5 2wd Short Course:
Adam Rayls (2nd) *Not Pictured*
Overall, It was a great turnout for the event with 243 entries and 130 drivers! The Hobby Action Crew ran an awesome program and we look forward to coming back next year! In the meantime, we’re flying back home to the JConcepts HQ to get ready for the ROAR 1:8 Electric Nationals at SS Hobbies I’m Tampa, Fl. We’re looking forward to this national event hosted right in our backyard!
