Picture this: You’re in the center of Las Vegas, Nevada at the South Point Casino for one of the largest RC races in the country! The track is completely inside, you’re staying in a beautiful hotel room upstairs, and you never have to go farther than a short walk for dinner. This is exactly how the Silver State Indoor Championship is set up. Not to mention there is a 24/7 Starbucks. We had a 5-day program starting with two rounds of practice on Wednesday. Just as Nitro Challenge, the two practice rounds also counted as seeding. From there we moved into three rounds of qualifying and the rest was history.
The track layout had its exciting and challenging features which made for some great racing! The center section flowed with a center double and into a switchback. The back jump section was tough but proved to be a vehicle for insane passes as we saw with Nguyen during the Pro E-Truck main. From there drivers would surge into the whoops section, which can change any race in an instant. Lastly, they’d go over a triple which ended into a turn, down a drop-off, and onto the front straightaway. The surface is not very abrasive but can be dusty, loamy, and bumpy. When it came time to the mains, Maifield ran Lil Chasers in E-Buggy and the trusty Reflex in Nitro Buggy!
Seeding:
Pro Nitro Buggy: Dakotah Phend (1), Ryan Maifield (2), Spencer Rivkin (4)
Pro Electric Buggy: Spencer Rivkin (2), Dakotah Phend (4), Jackson Brunson (5)
Pro Electric Truck: Joe Bornhorst (1), Spencer Rivkin (2), Tyler Hooks (3), Adam Drake (4)
Pro Nitro Truck: Spencer Rivkin (1), Jackson Brunson (3), Lee Setser (4), Adam Drake (5)
Int. Electric Buggy: Ivan Moreno Jr. (2)
Int. Electric Truck: Dylan Bartlett (2)
View the Full Photo Album Here.
Qualifying (Best 2 of 3):
40+ Electric Buggy: Reggie Tongue (5)
40+ Electric Truck: James Johnson (4)
40+ Nitro Truck: Sean VanDalen (4)
Int. Electric Buggy: Ivan Moreno Jr. (2)
Int. Nitro Truck: Ivan Moreno Jr. (TQ), Billy Fischer (4), David Olsen (5)
Pro Electric Buggy: Dakotah Phend (2), Ryan Maifield (4), Joe Bornhorst (5)
Pro Electric Truck: Spencer Rivkin (TQ), Joe Bornhorst (3), Tyler Hooks (4), Adam Drake (5)
Pro Nitro Buggy: Spencer Rivkin (2), Ryan Maifield (5)
Pro Nitro Truck: Ryan Maifield (1), Dakotah Phend (4)
Final Results:
40+ Electric Buggy: Reggie Tongue (3)
40+ Electric Truck: James Johnson (2)
40+ Nitro Buggy: Reggie Tongue (3)
Int. Electric Buggy: David Olsen (1)
Int. Electric Truck: Dylan Bartlett (1)
Int. Nitro Buggy: Andrew Beauchamp (2)
Pro Electric Buggy: Ryan Maifield (2)
Ryan Lutz was the overall TQ and started first on the grid. He knew he had to make an early surge to make his path away from the pack. Dakotah Phend started right behind him and Tebo was in 3rd. The race was relatively uneventful until lap 6 when Maifield got up in the mix. As that top pack came through the whoops, Tebo got caught up and Maifield took over 3rd. Mason Fuller also made his move into 4th. In the last 3 minutes of the race, Phend went over that left side triple, and got a little sideways, leading to a Marshall. Maifield moved up into 2nd, while the three-way battle between Phend, Tessmann, and Fuller conspired. Tessmann was able to pull into 3rd going on to the front straightaway. The final battle came down between Maifield and Tessmann. Tessmann was catching Maifield, but Maifield was determined to hold his ground.
Pro Electric Truck: Phi-Long Nguyen (1), Joe Bornhorst (2), Spencer Rivkin (3)
The Pro E-Truck main started off with a bit of chaos. Rivkin started first on the grid, with Joey Bourdon in 2nd, and Joe Bornhorst in 3rd. The first lap was rough with Spencer Rivkin getting the worst of it, and falling to the back of the pack. Phi-Long Nguyen immediately went from 6th on the grid to 1st and held on tight. Hooks was running 2nd and Bornhorst was still in 3rd. Everyone wanted that win. Hooks got caught on the pipe in that center switchback section and Bornhorst cruised by. Hooks and Rivkin were both in the fight for 3rd. Bornhorst closed in on Nguyen and they were practically side by side going down the front straightaway. After chasing him a little longer, Nguyen got it wrong over the left-hand triple and Bornhorst was close by to capitalize. Meanwhile, Rivkin was making up time and took over 3rd. Nguyen spent the remaining 5 minutes hunting down Bornhorst for the lead. It was the final lap. The pressure was on and Nguyen was ready to pull out his secret weapon for the ultimate win. As they went up to make that back jump, Phi pulled the throttle and made the most incredible jump over Bornhorst and landed it! From there they battled through the whoops, nudging each other back and forth. They went over that center drop down and headed for the line, who was going to take the win? They both sent it over the line! Nguyen ultimately took the win! Watch for yourself below!
Pro Nitro Buggy: Ryan Maifield (1), Mason Fuller (3)
The Pro Nitro Buggy Main would be a 45-minute event. Anything could happen. Cavalieri started 1st on the grid, Rivkin started 2nd, and Tessmann started 3rd. 2 minutes into the race Tessmann made his way into 2nd, and Rivkin fell back to 3rd. Cavalieri went over the dreaded left-side triple and got stuck on a sandbag. Tessmann, Rivkin, and Maifield all got by and took over the top 3. As they went through the whoops, Maifield got by Rivkin into 2nd. He was officially on the hunt for Tessmann and that lead spot. 40 minutes to go and Tessmann got it wrong on the left side triple. That triple had been brutal all weekend long. Maifield gained the lead. The two continued to cruise, as they went to make the back jump Maifield got it wrong, and Tessmann took back the lead.
Pit stops began to happen. Tessmann went in first, which allowed Maifield to take back the lead, but it was still a close battle after Tessmann’s quick stop. Shortly after, Maifield went in for his pit, and Tessmann took the lead. The battle raged on. A lap later they made their way through the whoops, and Maifield got by into the lead. That would be the move that ended the Tessmann-Maifield battle. The last battle would be for 2nd and 3rd. It was a three-way battle between Tessmann, Phend, and Fuller. Phend was able to get by Tessmann while he went into the pit. He held on for two laps before Tessmann took it back for another two. From there, Mason Fuller put his name on the table and took over 2nd for a few laps. Tessmann eventually, created some space. Phend and Fuller were left to battle for 3rd. They went back and forth pushing the pace. By lap 68 Fuller held on to 3rd for the remainder of the race.
Overall, the team came together and battled it out for some great victories this weekend! Congratulations to David Olsen on his Intermediate Nitro Buggy win along with Phi Long Nguyen and Ryan Maifield! Additionally, we’d like to thank Joey Christensen and The Dirt Crew for hosting a successful event! Up next, is the NCTS4 Northwest Carpet Nationals at NorthWest Hobbies in Oregon!
Winning Products:
Reflexes
S15 Body
Bullet Wheels
RM2 Wing Buttons
F2I Wing
F2 Truck Body