Last weekend the Nitro Compound in Maricopa, AZ hosted the 2024 FTC (Factory Tracks Challenge). This race brought out 250 entries competing in 14 different classes.
On Friday just after 11am practice began as drivers tried to learn the new layout that was crafted for this race. Practice ran until around 8pm that night under the track’s lights.
Saturday morning the race resumed with the opening round of qualifying. Due to the size of the event there were only two qualifying rounds, and a driver’s best finish was used to see who was the top qualifier in their respective classes. Some classes allowed a few bump ups from the lower mains otherwise the A Mains were locked in based on qualifying results.
The second round of qualifying ended shortly before 6pm, and then a few of the lower mains were ran to save some time for the following race day. On Sunday morning the mains resumed again just past 8am and the final main wrapped up just past 3pm that afternoon.
Team driver Mason Fuller lead the charge for the JConcepts team and he secured the double TQ in both the Pro 1/8 Nitro and Electric Buggy classes! The 10 minute A Main for the Pro 1/8 Electric Buggy class was up first, but unfortunately Mason wasn’t able to compete. He was mounting some fresh rubber for the race when some glue got in in his eye. Luckily he was ok, but his eye was too watery to see clearly and compete in the final. His tire teammate Ryan Maifield qualified 3rd overall and jumped out into the lead on the opening lap. He would make a mistake on lap 6 to drop back to 2nd place, but he would regain the lead again on the next lap before racing on to win by over 9 seconds on 2nd place!
Team products used:
- 4073 – Blue compound Dirt Bite 1/8 buggy tire
- 0430 – S15 body for the Tekno NB48 2.0 | 2.1
- 3357 – Mono 1/8 buggy wheels
- 5010 – Tekno NB48 2.1 Fin Titanium Turnbuckle Set
- 2992 – Radial NMB Bearing Set for the Tekno NB48 2.1
- 2998 – Razor 1/8 buggy and truggy wing
- 0506 – Tekno NB48 2.0 | EB48 2.0 Front Scoop | Nose Cone
- 8125 – RM2 Clover Large Flange Wing Buttons
Five races later the Pro 1/8 Nitro Buggy A Main was underway. This time Mason was able to compete in the race and held an early lead over his teammate Ryan. However, lady luck was not on his side on Sunday as he struck a large dog that had wandered onto the track! The dog was thankfully ok, but it did drop Mason back to 2nd place. A few laps later Mason’s pipe came off which had to be fixed during the race too. This gave Ryan a huge lead as he clicked off fast laps. Mason would eventually work his way back up to 2nd place, but in the end Ryan would take home his 2nd victory at this event! Joining Ryan and Mason on the podium was fellow JC driver Spencer Rivkin in 3rd place to complete the JConcepts podium sweep!
Team products used:
- 4073 – Blue compound Dirt Bite 1/8 buggy tire
- 0430 – S15 body for the Tekno NB48 2.0 | 2.1
- 3357 – Mono 1/8 buggy wheels
- 5010 – Tekno NB48 2.1 Fin Titanium Turnbuckle Set
- 2992 – Radial NMB Bearing Set for the Tekno NB48 2.1
- 2998 – Razor 1/8 buggy and truggy wing
- 0506 – Tekno NB48 2.0 | EB48 2.0 Front Scoop | Nose Cone
- 8125 – RM2 Clover Large Flange Wing Buttons
Photo credits: The Nitro Compound