Yatabe Arena to host 2015 Electric Buggy Worlds

The world famous Yatabe Arena will host the 2015 IFMAR Electric Buggy World Championships, returning the same venue which it hosted 18 years ago, on that occasion Matt Francis took the 2WD title for Team Associated and Mark Pavidis bringing home the honours for Yokomo. The race is scheduled to be held from September 26th to October 3rd and we hear that the Yatabe Arena will undergo some expansion work in preparation.

Hartson is World Champion following thrilling A3

Steven Hartson is the 2013 4WD Electric Buggy World Champion, the American claiming the 15th IFMAR title in a thrilling 5-minutes of racing at the Silver Dollar R/C Raceway in Chico, California.  Having been a surprise winner of the opening A-Main from fifth on the grid, the factory Team Associated driver was one of five drivers in with a shot of the title going into the deciding third A-Main but came out on top to win ahead of Naoto Matsukura and Ty Tessman, the same order as how they would line up on the final podium.  Once again Top Qualifier Joern Neumann would drop out of an early lead, a problem with the front shock leaving the German with a very difficult buggy, and the 2011 Runner-up would only end up 7th for the leg to finish 4th overall ahead of outgoing champion Ryan Cavalieri.

View our complete event coverage here.

New World Champion to be crowned as Naoto wins A2

A new 4WD World Champion is to be crowned in California after leg 2 of the A-Main saw reigning Champion Ryan Cavalieri retire with a broken car on lap 2 in an incident that also saw his Associated team-mate Ryan Maifield eliminated.  Starting from 8th on the grid, it was Team Yokomo’s Naoto Matsukura who took the win 1.5 seconds ahead of Durango’s Ryan Lutz and Joern Neumann.  The win puts the 3-time 1:12 World Champion, who was 3rd in A1, in strong contention for the title as A1 winner Hartson could only manage 5th second time round.

View our complete event coverage here.

Hartson wins action packed A1

Team Associated’s Steven Hartson was a surprise winner of the opening A-Main at the 4WD Electric Buggy World Championships this morning, the American finishing 1.9 second ahead Ty Tessman.  On the first lap things looked to have been handed to Top Qualifier Joern Neumann as a fast starting Maifield hit the No.2 starting Ryan Cavalieri delaying the pursuing field with Hartson coming out in 2nd spot.  With a comfortable lead Neumann’s reign at the front lasted just a lap as the German rolled his Durango next time round giving former Worlds Finalist Hartson the lead from Ryan Lutz.   Taking control of the race while the rest of the drivers fell over one another, such was Hartson’s lead that the 21-year-old was able to get away with rolling his Reedy powered B44.2 onto its roof on the last lap.  Requiring it to be marshalled he was still able to hold on for a convincing win.  Having worked his way back up to second after a good battle with Lutz, who would break & retire in the final minute, further mistakes by Neumann would see him finish 4th just ahead of defending Champion Cavalieri who would post the fastest lap of the race.

View our complete event coverage here.

Neumann is 4WD Worlds Top Qualifier

Despite the best efforts of defending Champion Ryan Cavalieri, Team Durango’s Joern Neumann is Top Qualifier for the 15th running of the 4WD Electric Buggy World Championships. Cavalieri was the only driver going into the fifth & final round of qualifying who could deny Neumann from starting on pole position for tomorrow’s A-Main at Silver Dollar R/C Raceway in Chico, California. TQ’ing the round from Ty Tessman, Cavalieri complete the run in 11 laps in 5:06.990 a mere .135 shy of the time needed to deny the German his first Worlds TQ.

View our complete event coverage here.