We had a blast at the ROAR 1:8 Off-Road Electric Nationals over the weekend! Garland put on an awesome race with a great atmosphere! We set up our pits behind the dirt track on the turf area. We had a few tents and tables for the JC/AE guys, while other drivers pitted inside the building next to the track or in their own trailers. The weather was a tad hot but there was a nice breeze and a gorgeous view of the mountains all weekend long! The competition was stiff with drivers like Dakotah Phend, Ryan Cavalieri, Joe Bornhorst, Tyler Jones, Cole Tollard, Lee Setser, and so on. If you check out the results you’ll see how many fast guys there were! Despite all of the competition, there was still a chill, fun vibe among all of the drivers in the pit area. A nice commodity as well was that Chambersburg was a super short drive away and had all the hotels/food you could want!
The track was awesome for 1:8 scale racing! You started on the back straightaway, went over a drop-down, through an S-Turn, over a double-double, through a 180, into another double-double, into a 180, over another double, onto the back tabletop, and finally over the final doubles. The surface was sugared which led to a high grip surface. The edges tended to get a bit dusty as any track would. It made for an enjoyable event and very competitive racing! Most drivers used Aqua Detox on Buggy and Aqua Reflex for Truck tires. In Short Course, Phend was running Double Dees. We did get some rain on day 2 of qualifying, which the track crew was able to dry up quickly with peat moss and sawdust. Drivers said the track went right back to having the same amount of traction as before. With the possibility of more rain on the horizon, once they got the track dried, up we finished Qualifier 4. They also did the A1s that evening. On Sunday, we continued with lower mains and the remaining A-Mains.
View the Event Photo Gallery Here.
Seeding:
E-Buggy: Joe Bornhorst (1), Tyler Jones (2), Dakotah Phend (3),
E-Truggy: Dakotah Phend (2), Tyler Jones (3),
Junior 15 Under: Dylan Manchanda (1), Aydan Manchanda (3),
4wd Modified Short Course: Dakotah Phend (1)
Qualifying (Best 2 of 4):
E-Buggy: Dakotah Phend (1), Joe Bornhorst (3), Tyler Jones (4)
E-Truggy: Joe Bornhorst (2), Tyler Jones (3), Dakotah Phend (5)
Junior 15 Under: Garrett Hawbaker (Privateer running JC), Aydan Manchanda (2)
4wd Modified Short Course: Dakotah Phend (1)
Final Events:
E-Buggy: Dakotah Phend (1), Joe Bornhorst (3)
A1: Phend led the way with Cavalieri and Bornhorst behind him. One lap two Bornhorst got a little sideways but saved it over the center double-double, but Jones was able to get by into 3rd. On the next lap, Phend got a little squirrelly in the same section but also saved it! However, Cavalieri was able to take the lead. A couple of laps later, Jones got sideways on the same cursed section and Bornhorst took over 3rd. There were 3 minutes left in the race and Phend was waiting for the perfect moment to take back the lead from Cav. Through the S-Turn, Cavalieri went a little wide and Phend was able to take the inside line into the lead. From there, the race concluded with Phend, Cavalieri, and Jones.
A2: Phend led the way once again. He was hungry to take a second win and lock up the National Title. Cavalieri sat behind him and Bornhorst raced in 3rd. Phend and Cavalieri started to pull away some. Jones was on Bornhorst’s wing, looking to take 3rd. This race was relatively uneventful as the top three held the same positions from start to finish. The biggest battle was between Jones and Sontag for 4th place. Ultimately, Jones would hold strong for 4th. The race concluded with Phend, Cavalieri, and Bornhorst. Dakotah Phend was officially the new Electric E-Buggy National Champion!
A3: Phend already wrapped up the win. Cavalieri led the way, with Bornhorst right behind him. Jones was running 3rd. As they made the turn into the second double-double section Jones was able to squeeze through the inside line past Bornhorst into 2nd. The top three remained as Cavalieri, Jones, and Bornhorst for the majority of the race. Jones was starting to make some time up on Cavalieri in the final 60 seconds. He was going for it. Bornhorst was still so close behind in 3rd. Those top three turn onto the final lap. Through the center section, Bornhorst made a pass on the inside into 2nd! Jones accidentally touched him causing him to flip on the back corner. Jones displayed great sportsmanship and waited for Bornhorst. He gave back the position. Over the next jump, Jones tried to send it over, but he didn’t land quite as straight and Bornhorst took 2nd. Tollard was able to just get in front of Jones and take 3rd for the round. The race concluded with Cavalieri, Bornhorst, and Tollard.
E-Truggy: Tyler Jones (2), Joe Bornhorst (3)
A1: Ryan Cavalieri led the way. Bornhorst and Jones were in his rearview mirror. Phend was inching his way up to the top as he tried to pass Sousa into 4th. Jones made a mistake and Sousa got caught up in it. This allowed Phend to make a move into 3rd. Jones fell back into 4th. Over the back corner tabletop, Cavalieri had a small tumble and Bornhorst moved into the lead. There were still nearly 4 minutes left in the race. Shortly after, Bornhorst got a little sideways over the center double-double section and Cavalieri took back the lead. Bornhorst was on Cavalieri’s wing. He looked to make a pass multiple times as they went side by side throughout multiple sections of the track. Bornhorst was sending it, trying to make a move. In the final 10 seconds, he made the turn to cross the line but barely tapped the pipe and got the worst of it. It was a tough spot to Marshall so Phend and Jones got by into 2nd and 3rd. The race concluded with Cavalieri, Phend, and Jones.
A2: Cavalieri led the way once again. Bornhorst and Jones were behind him. They were all running close together. Bornhorst went a little wide on the backstretch and Jones got by into 2nd. Sousa was not far behind running 4th. Cavalieri started to stretch out his lead by about a second and a half. Sousa was on Bornhorst’s wing. Less than 2 minutes left in the race, they went over the center double-double, Bornhorst got a little squirrelly and Sousa moved into 3rd. It was close, Bornhorst was all over Sousa’s wing. The race concluded with Cavalieri, Jones, and Sousa. After a second win for Cavalieri, he was officially the Electric Truggy National Champion.
A3: Ryan Cavalieri already wrapped up the win. This would determine the final podium positions. Bornhorst led the way in this one. Jones was in 2nd and Sousa in 3rd. Jones had a little issue on the backstretch and Sousa got tangled up as well. Phend got by into 2nd, Bourdon got by into 3rd, and Tollard into 4th. It only lasted a few laps before Bourdon had an unfortunate break and Jones got by Tollard into 3rd again. Phend had a mistake right before the line on the back corner. The Marshall flipped him over and his Truggy ran away. He lost connection and the truck was gone. Due to this, Jones moved into 2nd and Gibler came out of nowhere into 3rd. From there they cruised along and the race concluded as Bornhorst, Jones, and Gibler.
Junior 15 Under: Garrett Hawbaker (1), Aydan Manchanda (2), Eli Miller (3)
4wd Modified Short Course: Dakotah Phend (1)
Dakotah Phend was able to add two more National Titles under his belt! That makes 5 National Titles this year for Phend! His 2022 National Titles include Nitro Truggy, Nitro Buggy, 4wd Short Course, E-Buggy, and 2wd Modified Buggy (Carpet)! Overall we had a great weekend and wanted to thank Garland and his family for hosting a wonderful event! We had a fantastic time and hope to visit again in the future! Congratulations to Ryan Cavalieri on his Electric Truggy National Title, Garrett Hawbaker on the Junior Title, James Henry on the Master’s Title, and Kyle Loy on the 10th scale 4wd truck title! Up next, we have Wicked Weekend in Gainsville, GA! We’ll see everyone trackside, next week!
Winning Products:
Detox Tires
Reflex Tires
Double Dees
Hazard Wheels
Bullet Wheels
F2I Wing
S15 Body
Dirt-Tech Inserts
Hi-Flow Short Course Body
