After a two-year hiatus, the IFMAR 1:8 Off-Road Worlds had returned! Originally scheduled to take place in 2020, the worlds would have to be postponed until 2022. Additionally, the Worlds was relocated to Redovan, Spain at the RC Redovan Track! The facility was out of this world! It definitely stood out with its grand beauty. The entrance was decorated with flags from all around the world and gave off that Olympic vibe. Drivers spend 2 years gearing up for an event of this degree. From qualifying to preparing, there is nothing easy about taking on such a challenge. The IFMAR Worlds is the longest event of the year lasting 8 days, not including travel. It’s a marathon of an event, but by the end of the weekend, one driver would hold the largest honor in our sport as a World Champion.
The track surface was unique and the layout was fantastic! We don’t really have any tracks in the States to compare to it, so it was a completely new challenge for our drivers to learn and overcome. The surface felt almost glued with a special additive and the layout featured a few concrete sections. For tires, we tried a little bit of everything depending on the time of day and temperature. By the end of the weekend, there was a thick dark groove on the track, which made slicks a very competitive option. We tried everything: A1, A2, O2, Y2, and Purple (new). For qualifying, Dakotah Phend and Ryan Maifield, both ran A1s for the majority. However, when it came time for the final we pulled out a wildcard (which you’ll read about later).
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Schedule:
Saturday: Registration and Opening Day
Sunday: Controlled Practice Session 1
Monday: Controlled Practice Session 2
Tuesday: 2 Rounds of Seeding
Wednesday: 3 Rounds of Qualifying
Thursday: 3 Rounds of Qualifying
Friday: Lower Finals
Saturday: Main Finals
Seeding went well with Ryan Maifield ranking 4th, Dakotah Phend ranking 7th, and Mason Fuller ranking 20th. Overall, Juan Carlos Canas would top seed. From there we moved into six rounds of qualifying where they would take your best 3. Davide Ongaro was looking sharp and ultimately locked in three TQs for the overall. However, taking the TQ did not guarantee your spot in the final event. Davide still had to run the Semi-Final. As a perk, he was able to run both of the practice sessions before the semi. Dakotah Phend ended up qualifying 2nd overall. He was able to have one TQ, a 2nd, and the 3rd finish for a total score of 5. He was able to win the tie-breaker over Juan Carlos Canas who also had 5 points. Lastly, Ryan Maifield would qualify straight into the semi-final with a 13th overall.
Seeding & Qualifying
Seeding Overall: Ryan Maifield (4), Dakotah Phend (7)
Round One of Qualifying: Ryan Maifield (6), Dakotah Phend (10), Mason Fuller (20)
Round Two of Qualifying: Dakotah Phend (TQ), Ryan Maifield (6), Mason Fuller (26)
Round Three of Qualifying: Dakotah Phend (2), Spencer Rivkin (19)
Round Four of Qualifying: Dakotah Phend (3), Ryan Maifield (22), Joona Haantanen (23)
Round Five of Qualifying: Mason Fuller (17), Ryan Maifield (18), Dakotah Phend (19)
Round Six of Qualifying: Dakotah Phend (18), Ryan Maifield (21)
Bump Ups:
When it came time for the finals all of our drivers fought hard and gave it their all. We had several drivers make the bump into higher finals. Jackson Brunson had a solid run in his 1/16B final, led the entire race, and bumped into the 1/8B final. Brunson was also willing to take a risk and test silver ReHabs which we hadn’t really run. It ended up being a very solid option and ultimately, helped Phend and Maifield determine what tires to run in their semi and finals. Adam Drake also stepped up and was willing to test tires all week long to help further the team! It truly was an incredible week of teamwork and it’s moments like these that we feel extra grateful for the drivers on our team.
Phi Long Nguyen: Bumped up to the 1/16B Final
Jackson Brunson: Bumped up to the 1/8B Final
Joona Haantanen: Bumped up to the 1/4A Final
Joe Bornhorst: Bumped up to the 1/4 B Final
Spencer Rivkin: Bumped to the 1/2 Final
The Semi-Finals & LCQ:
We originally had Dakotah Phend (2nd) and Ryan Maifield (13th) qualify straight into the semis. Spencer Rivkin was able to make the bump from the quarter as well! When it came time to run the semis, Ryan Maifield was able to finish 3rd in his 1/2A. However, the 1/2B was a bit messy from the start. Dakotah Phend fell back and, unfortunately, did not make the final. However, there was one last hope in the Last Chance Qualifier. Phend and his crew reset and prepared to fight. Luckily, he was able to have a blazing run in the LCQ and move to the final. He even ran a 49.86 lap time on Silver ReHabs, which was very impressive!
When it came to the final, Maifield would start 4th and Phend would start 13th. They put on their Silver ReHabs and lined up on the grid. The temperature was around 95 degrees and the surface was even hotter. Ongaro led the way from 1st on the grid. Ryan Maifield had great pace from the start and hung on to Ongaro and Canas. What became very impressive was the movement of David Ronnefalk. Ronnefalk started 11th and quickly picked up the pace as he took down each car. Dakotah Phend was not far behind. Phend was on a mission as he clicked off fast lap after fast lap. He was ranking up in position very quickly over the hour main. By lap 56, Phend (who started last) was in 3rd battling with Canas. At any point, these top drivers (Ongaro, Ronnefalk, Phend, Canas, and Maifield) were close enough that it could’ve been anyone’s victory! It was truly impeccable to witness! Ultimately, Ongaro was able to hang on to 1st for the majority of the race. The surface really suited his driving style, he was incredibly fast, and his consistency paid off!
Final Results:
1st: Davide Ongaro (Starting Pos. #1) (Used JConcepts S15 Body & Fin Turnbuckles)
2nd: David Ronnefolk (Starting Pos. #11)
3rd: Juan Carlos Canas (Starting Pos. #2)
4th: Ryan Maifield (Starting Pos. #4)
5th: Ty Tessmann ( Starting Pos. #3)
Junior Nitro Buggy:
This was Phi-Long Nguyen’s first world event! Not only did he drive impressively all week, but he also drove his heart out for the Junior 1:8 Off-Road World Title! He started 5th on the grid and worked his way to the top. He actually made his way to the lead by lap 11 but dropped back to 3rd on lap 20. With 3 laps left in the race, Phi was determined to make it happen. If you know Phi, he’s willing to make those gutsy moves out on the track to achieve the glory. On the final lap, he surged past Pariente and took the win in classic Phi style! Kaden Fuller also ran extremely well and led part of the race too!
1st: Phi-Long Nguyen
3rd: Kaden Fuller
Overall, we feel the week was a success for the JConcepts Team and we are proud of all our drivers who made the trip to Redovan, Spain! The Worlds is not an easy feat and we saw every single one of you dig deep and push your limits out on the track. Next year, we will have the IFMAR 1:10 Off-Road Worlds in the USA, along with the newly added IFMAR 1:8 E-Buggy Worlds in Portugal. A huge thank you to the Baldo family for hosting a phenomenal event along with all of the volunteers, staff, and attendees who contributed to a successful event!
Winning Products:
S15 Body
Fin Turnbuckles
ReHabs
Razor Wing (Coming Soon)
Bullet Wheels
Dirt-Tech Inserts
RM2 Wing Buttons
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