This past weekend the JConcepts team headed to Gainesville, Georgia for the 2023 Wicked Weekend! The facility is absolutely stunning and it’s definitely become one of our favorite venues for RaceTime events. The pavilion is enormous and the fact that it has completely open sides is amazing. It allows for so much sunshine and fresh air to flow through, which really adds to the overall feel-good vibe. The team arrived on Wednesday afternoon to set up the pits and prep for the weekend ahead. For practice, drivers have the option to choose from practice group A or group B. Group A got to practice on Thursday 8am-8pm and Group B got to practice 8pm-10pm on Thursday and finish up on Friday 7am-12pm. There was a shakedown run for every driver starting at 12:15pm on Friday, where drivers could choose one vehicle to practice with during their assigned heat. From there, we started round one of qualifying on Friday afternoon and completed the final two rounds on Saturday.
All the drivers thoroughly enjoyed it and felt that it flowed very well. If you want to see for yourself, check out the photo above!
In terms of tires, most drivers stuck with the tried-and-true Reflex, Mono Wheels, and Dirt-Tech Inserts combo. They did experiment a bit with the blue, aqua, and green compounds, depending on factors like weather and race length. This year they decided not to water the track, which would change the surface some. To help prevent the foam from ballooning, many drivers used the JConcepts Insert Bands or glued the foam.
As for the cars themselves, the majority of drivers had the S15 body on their buggy and the new S15 Body on their truck. And, of course, we saw the new go-to Razor wing in black, white, yellow, and grey. All in all, it was a great race and everyone had a lot of fun!
View The Full Photo Album Here.
Qualifying (2 of 3):
40+ Electric Buggy: Brent Thielke (TQ), Ken Rand (3), Mark Moon (5)
40+ Nitro Buggy: Brandon Melton (TQ), Brent Thielke (3)
Electric Truggy: Kaden Fuller (2), Hunter King (3), Aydan Manchanda (4)
Intermediate Electric Buggy: Hunter King (TQ), Aydan Manchanda (2), Patrick Rossiter (4)
Intermediate Nitro Buggy: Patrick Rossiter (TQ), Cole Chura (3)
Intermediate Nitro Truggy: Patrick Rossiter (2), Trent Walker (3)
Pro Electric Buggy: Seth VanDalen (TQ), Dakotah Phend (2), Mason Fuller (4)
Pro Nitro Buggy: Seth VanDalen (TQ), Dakotah Phend (3)
Pro Nitro Truggy: Ryan Maifield (TQ), Dakotah Phend (2), Seth VanDalen (4), Joe Bornhorst (5)
Final Results:
40+ Electric Buggy: Brent Thielke (3), Randy Enger (4), Ken Rand (5)
40+ Nitro Buggy: Brandon Melton (1), Chris Pace (3)
Electric Truggy: Kaden Fuller (2), Aydan Manchanda (3), Dylan Bartlett (5)
Int. Electric Buggy: Hunter King (1), Trent Walker (3), Patrick Rossiter (4)
Int. Nitro Buggy: Cole Chura (1), Jake Stikeleather (2), Patrick Rossiter (3)
Int. Nitro Truggy: Patrick Rossiter (1), Cole Chura (3)
Pro Electric Buggy: Seth VanDalen (1), Mason Fuller (2), Dakotah Phend (3), Ryan Maifield (5)
A1: Seth VanDalen led the way after taking the TQ! VanDalen led for the first few laps of the race before Phend made a pass into the lead the next four laps. Mason Fuller was making his way up from 4th on the grid and found himself in the lead position 3 laps. VanDalen was determined and on the move. On lap 11, VanDalen made the pass back into the lead and held on for the remainder of the race. Mason Fuller finished 2nd, Dakotah Phend finished 3rd, Ryan Maifield finished 4th, and Ryan Lutz took 5th.
A2: The track was slower in A2, however, if a driver could get a high enough finish, it could be enough to mix up those final results. The final results were based on best 1 of 2. VanDalen led from the start once again, and Dakotah was in second. In the first two laps of the race, both VanDalen and Phend got caught in some of the rough spots on the track and fell back a little bit. Ryan Lutz took the lead and Mason Fuller moved into 2nd. On lap 8, Lutz had an unfortunate break which allowed Fuller to take the lead. VanDalen had made his way back up to 2nd. Bornhorst made his way up to 3rd, but on lap 12, experienced a heart-breaking break as well. Ryan Cavalieri and Lee Setser were now battling in 3rd and 4th. The race concluded as Mason Fuller in 1st, Seth VanDalen in 2nd, Ryan Cavalieri in 3rd, Lee Setser in 4th, and Spencer Heckert in 5th!
Pro Nitro Buggy: Dakotah Phend (1), Seth VanDalen (2)
The Pro Nitro Buggy A-Main was an intense 30-minute race. Seth VanDalen led from the initial tone after taking the TQ. When the tone went off he was on the move, ready to work on increasing the gap! VanDalen was gone slowly chipping away, creating a safety net for himself. The battle for 2nd place, however, was intense. Cole Ogden started 2nd, but after a few laps Ryan Maifield, Ryan Cavalieri, and Dakotah Phend were all in the hunt for that 2nd place position. On lap 5, Ryan Maifield took over 2nd for two laps, but Cavalieri jumped in there and took it for 6 laps. The section that was the most challenging to get through was the landmine section before that center double-double. On every lap, it felt like you were holding your breath hoping to make it through without wrecking. The track was dry and falling apart, making mistakes easy to come by. Maifield was able to hop up into 2nd place shortly after, but Phend was on the move. On lap 14, Phend took over 2nd place and never looked back. Cavalieri, Rose, and Tebo ended up battling for those final podium positions. Phend was getting closer and closer shortening the gap between him and VanDalen. VanDalen was having an excellent race, cruising around in first for the entire race. On the final lap of the race, the cars were getting harder to drive and the track was challenging. Phend was able to get close enough to VanDalen and VanDalen was holding strong on to the race line. They both went through the minefield section, VanDalen’s car got squirrely, and Phend’s car bounced up, but he was able to land it and pass VanDalen. From there, Phend crossed the line and took the win and VanDalen took second.
Pro Nitro Truggy: Ryan Maifield (1), Mason Fuller (2), Seth VanDalen (4), Dakotah Phend (5)
The Pro Nitro Truggy race was the first pro race to happen on the main day. Ryan Maifield started in the pole position after taking the TQ and Dakotah Phend started 2nd. The tone went off and Maifield was on the move! In fact, Maifield essentially led the entire race start to finish, and had an excellent race! The primary battle became for those final podium positions. Dakotah Phend was able to hang out in 2nd until lap 18, when Mason Fuller, Seth VanDalen, and Jared Tebo were moving up! Mason Fuller took over 2nd place with Jared Tebo right behind him in 3rd. Tebo hung on for about four laps when VanDalen took over that 3rd spot. VanDalen caught Fuller and the two of them went back and forth in 2nd for a few laps. Ultimately, Fuller was able to hang on to that 2nd spot more. The final two minutes of the race were the most intense. Seth VanDalen took over 2nd, Tebo was in 3rd, and Fuller was in 4th. Tebo was surging to get around Seth, but Seth was held up by lap traffic. Seth was able to get around, and the two of them were in a fight. On that back double, Tebo and VanDalen go over side by side, and they land, Tebo tried to make a move but ended up running into VanDalen and getting caught on the pipe a bit. Mason Fuller is now in 3rd. They both went over the center double before the minefield section, VanDalen got a little sideways on the pipe, and Fuller and a lap car both get by. VanDalen quickly gets back to it and Fuller is on the move. They all go through the minefield, it’s Fuller, a lap car, and VanDalen all wing to wing going over the giant center double-double. At this time, Tebo caught back up to them also. Fuller was still in 2nd, and VanDalen was in 3rd, able to get by the lap car, but unfortunately, the lap car hits the back of him as they land to go over the roller section, which gets VanDalen a bit squirrelly. Tebo sends it to the inside and squeezes by VanDalen. It was now Fuller, Tebo, and VanDalen as 2nd-4th. The final countdown was on the clock. After the straightaway, into the next roller section, VanDalen uses the same move back on Tebo and gets by into 3rd. In the next corner, Tebo does it back to VanDalen. An insanely, close battle! They go back and forth a few more times, and on the last turn, Tebo got by into 3rd.
We had an absolute blast at the 2023 Wicked Weekend! It was truly unforgettable – the venue was top-notch, the weather was perfect, the team atmosphere was electric, and we couldn’t have asked for more. Our team did amazing as well – huge congratulations to Dakotah Phend, Ryan Maifield, Seth VanDalen, Brandon Melton, Patrick Rossiter, Hunter King, and Cole Chura on their well-deserved wins this weekend! It’s been a long road of hard work, and we couldn’t be prouder of our team. Everyone gave it their all on the track, and we all had an amazing time. Looking ahead, we’re already prepping for the ROAR 1:10 Off-Road Dirt Nationals in Columbus, GA next week!
Winning Products:
- Razor Wing
- S15 Body
- Mono Wheels
- Dirt-Tech Inserts
- Fin Titanium Turnbuckles
- Radial Bearings
- RM2 8th Scale Buggy Insert Bands
- RM2 8th Scale Truck Insert Bands
- Satellite Tire Bands
- Medium Glue