After a quick turnaround from the Dirt Nitro Challenge the weekend prior, we headed to Chandler, Arizona, for the Desert Classic! We switched gears from 1:8 scale off-road racing to 1:10 scale. Hobby Action Raceway is a clean, gorgeous facility with everything a racer may need. First, when you enter through the sliding glass doors, you are immersed in their fully stocked hobby shop. From there, you’ll quickly notice the large glass windows behind the counter that leads into the off-road track. As you enter, you’re greeted with a ton of lighted pits space with plenty of electrical hookups. They also have a tire washing area along with a room dedicated to tire sanding, to keep the maintenance area tidy. The location of this facility is awesome! It’s 15 minutes from the airport and surrounded by a plethora of food and lodging options.
Tuesday and Wednesday, the facility had opened practice for the majority of the day. Thursday was controlled practice followed by one round of seeding at 6pm. Friday and Saturday consisted of two qualifying rounds which allowed them to take your best 3 of 4 runs. Lastly, Sunday was reserved for the main events and we finished up in the late afternoon. The tire choice was the standard Silver slicks. Drivers either used sanded-down Ellipses or the new Smoothie 2s. Drivers tried a variety of foam combinations using Rm2 foams in the front and Dirt-Techs in the rear or vice-versa. The other tuning option was the new sidewall support bands. Drivers tried those for extra stability. The track layout featured three major triples, with the most challenging one ending in a 180-turn.
Seeding:
40+ 2wd Buggy: Brent Thielke (3)
Modified Stadium Truck: Dakotah Phend (2),
13.5 4wd Buggy: Doug Lariviere (3)
13.5 2wd Stadium Truck: Doug Lariviere (3)
2wd Modified Buggy: Dakotah Phend (1), Davey Batta (2), Ryan Maifield (3)
4wd Modified Buggy: Dakotah Phend (2), Broc Champlin (3)
17.5 2wd Buggy: Ian Crawford (1), Doug Lariviere (3)
Qualifying (Best 3 of 4):
40+ 2wd Buggy: Brent Thielke (TQ)
13.5 2wd Short Course: Brenden Edwards (TQ),
Modified Stadium Truck: Dakotah Phend (2), Spencer Rivkin (3)
13.5 2wd Stadium Truck: Doug Lariviere (TQ)
2wd Modified Buggy: Dakotah Phend (TQ), Spencer Rivkin (2), Ryan Maifield (3)
4wd Modified Buggy: Ryan Maifield (2), Dakotah Phend (3)
Final Results:
40+ 2wd Buggy: Brent Thielke (2)
13.5 2wd Short Course: Brenden Edwards (2)
2wd Modified Stadium Truck: Spencer Rivkin (2), Dakotah Phend (3)
2wd Modified Buggy: Dakotah Phend (1), Spencer Rivkin (2), Ryan Maifield (3)
A1: Phend led the way in 2wd Modified Buggy with Rivkin starting 2nd and Maifield in 3rd. Early on, down the straightaway, Rivkin looked for a gap to get by Phend, but Phend quickly hugged close to the pipe to block it. The top 3 were driving close together. Phend went a little wide over the tabletop which allowed Rivkin to get by. Immediately after Rivkin took it wide, and Phend took it back. All of this happened seconds before crossing the line. Rivkin made a small mistake which allowed Cavalieri took to put his name in the game. They all went over that right-hand triple and into the 180 where Cavalieri took the inside line into 2nd place. Cavalieri had a little bobble which allowed Rivkin and Maifield to finish as they started. It was tight racing for 2nd-4th! Phend finished 1st, Rivkin 2nd, and Maifield 3rd.
A2: In the 2nd turn of lap 1, Phend went a little wide and Rivkin capitalized taking the inside line to the lead. They bumped vehicles during the pass but Rivkin was able to get out in front. Phend was on Rivkin’s wing wanting to take it back. Maifield was able to surge and get around Phend into 2nd. Phend took it back quickly after. All of these drivers were running close, and it didn’t take much for things to switch up quickly. Rivkin was still leading the way. Meanwhile, Stoub was inching his way up the line as he was running 2nd with Phend on his wing, in 3rd. Phend got by into 2nd and so did Maifield who was now in 3rd. The race concluded with Rivkin in 1st, Phend in 2nd, and Stoub in 3rd.
A3: Phend led the way and Maifield was following closely. They broke away from the rest of the pack. The first half of the race was relatively uneventful for that top group. Phend then made a mistake over the center double, which allowed Maifield to get by into 1st. Next, Maifield made a mistake after the center triple and Phend took the lead back. Phend got inside the pipe after the right side triple and Maifeld took back the lead. They were going back and forth with a minute to go. Maifield got a little off-balance after that final triple and Phend took the lead once again. Insanity! Phend got it wrong after the center triple. Maifield tried to get by, he ran into the Phend’s upside-down car, he tried to get around the marshall, but he couldn’t see the blind spot. Ultimately, Phend finished 1st, Maifield 2nd, and Rivkin 3rd.
4wd Modified Buggy: Dakotah Phend (1), Ryan Maifield (3)
A1: On that challenging first triple Cavalieri got a little squirmy which allowed Maifield to take the lead. The new lineup after lap one was Maifield, Rivkin, Champlin, and Phend. About a minute in and Phend moved into 2nd after making a pass on Rivkin on that same first triple. With two and a half minutes to go Phend was all over Maifield’s wing, he wanted to win A1 of 4wd as well. After a small bobble by the line, Phend got by Maifield into 1st. Maifield quickly was chasing him back down. Ultimately, the race would finish with Phend in 1st, Rivkin in 2nd, and Maifield in 3rd.
A2: After lap 1, Cavalieri still led the way, Maifield was in 2nd, Rivkin in 3rd, and Champlin was in 4th. Champlin took the inside line by Rivkin right before the center double which allowed him to take over 3rd place. Before he knew it, he was in 2nd and Maifield was on his wing trying to take it back. The race concluded with Cavalieri in 1st, Champlin in 2nd, and Maifield in 3rd.
A3: The race started like a freight train. Cavalieri made a mistake over that dreaded right side triple, and Maifield took over for an early lead. Phend was running 2nd. Maifield made a mistake and Phend worked his way to the lead with Champlin in 2nd and Horne in 3rd. Champlin fell back, Horne was running 2nd and Maifield was in 3rd. Phend got upside down after the center triple and Horne took over the lead. The race concluded with Horne in 1st, Phend in 2nd, and Maifield in 3rd.
Overall, we had a great time at the 2022 Desert Classic and we look forward to attending this event again. Thank you to Larry Tom and his crew for hosting a great weekend!
Winning Products:
Silver Smoothie 2s
Silver Ellipses
RM2 Hard Inserts
Mono Wheels
Hazard Wheels
Dirt Tech Inserts
#0504 Carpet | Turf 7″ Wing
#2043M Medium Glue
F2 Body for Buggy & Stadium Truck
P2 Body