ROAR 1/8 EP Off-road & 4WD SCT Nationals – Report
The 2019 ROAR 1/8th Electric Off-road & 4WD Short Course Nationals were held at Adrenaline RC Raceway in Winchester, Virginia this past weekend. The ROAR National Championships is the biggest race of the year and just having wrapped up the 1/8th Fuel Nationals earlier in Hutto, Texas, it was time for the 2019 ROAR E-Nationals featuring most of the same top drivers competing for E-Buggy, E-Truggy, 4×4 SCT, and Masters E-Buggy National championships. Of course, the heavy hitters were in attendance which is always going to make for a good show. This year’s track was hosted by Adrenaline R/C. The layout made use of the track space and was a very nicely put together layout that mixed fun and challenge. The racing was going to be very close on a tight layout like this and the mains definitely showed that. Regardless, the fastest drivers seem to always find another gear when they need it and at this race, the usual suspects were still there.
In E-Buggy it was a masterclass effort by Mugen Seiki’s Ryan Maifield this year at the 2019 ROAR E-Nats as his flawless performance in A1 and A2 secured him another title defense in a class that he’s dominated in recent years. On a tight track like this one, qualifying order was the most important and Maifield utilized his TQ spot to perfection. Ryan’s closest competitor was Team Associated’s Spencer Rivkin. With a clutch win in A3, Spencer slotted himself 2nd on the podium to take home three of the four 1/8th National titles this year. TLR’s Dakotah Phend had his trademark brilliant speed over the weekend and was able to wrap up 3rd overall after three intense mains.
With an amazing job in qualifying, Tekno’s Joe Bornhorst courageously earned the overall E-truggy TQ to start out in front. In the end, the track position paid off greatly as it was nearly impossible to pass with the larger trucks. As the mains started, Bornhorst controlled the gap and delivered a tone to tone victory in both A1 and A2 to take his 1st national title. TLR’s Dakotah Phend definitely had the speed to contest for the win, as he won A3 to lock up 2nd with Maifield finishing 3rd overall with his best scores of two 2nd place finished in A2 and A3.
In Masters 40+ E-Buggy James Henry took a spectacular comeback win. After a DNF in A1, James bounced back to win A2 and A3 and to wrap up the overall championship in clutch fashion. Ronald Gereshenski finished 2nd in A1 and A2 to end up 2nd overall with Kevin Mummah taking the last spot on the podium.
Over in the 1/10th 4WD Short Course class it was Dakotah Phend with the overall TQ and in from Jared Tebo in 2nd and Joe Bornhorst in 3rd.
Images: JConcepts [jconcepts.net]
