2012 Cactus Classic – Race Recap Part 2
Race Recap Part 2
By: Jason Ruona
So jumping into the truck, 2wd and 4wd mains it was obvious who the challengers were. Ryan Cavalieri had modified truck pretty much covered from the tone in A-1 and A-2. Maifield had unusual problems on the front jump section and had a difficult time either tripling or quaking the section. Because of that he wasnt able to give Cavalieri the race he normally would. During A-3 the truck worked extremely well and Maifield was able to check out and finish 2nd overall.
Zack Genova driving his Team Associated B4.1 and B44.1 held it down for the Florida drivers in both 13.5 classes. Driving aggressive in the 2wd main, Zack held the lead for quite awhile and just missed victory while Mike Friery took the win in the last 3-4 minutes. Zack would finish 2nd. In the 4wd class Zack left little to discuss as he simply took the early lead and checked out. The JConcepts equipped B44.1 was on point in the final and he took the checkered flag in style with the Kustom R/C graphics painted Finnisher body and wing.
The 2wd Mod mains provided the excitement. Cavalieri took A-1 after a battle with Maifield, Tebo and Evans. He won by a slight amount at the finish line giving him an important first win.
A-2 was just as tight but this time Dakota Phend was up front with Cavalieri and Tebo. Maifield recovered from a quad crash and was also in the hunt. Cavalieri made a critical mistake which allowed everyone to tighten up a little bit and Phend was now up front with Maifield chasing. It was a race to the wire with Phend holding off the rest of the boys to secure the A-2 victory. Maifield finished 2nd giving himself a chance at the overall.
A-3 came up just as about the sun was starting to set and the leaders freight trained the course. Evans made the first mistake allowing Maifield to squeak by into 3rd. Tebo led with Cavalieri 2nd, Tebo made a small mistake on the Island section and Cavalieri was now leading with Maifield just a fraction behind. Maifield put on a push and rushed the quad section and made a nice pass near the start / finish line. A driver on a mission, Maifield stretched his lead ad then pulled out to a huge lead after Cavalieri made a mistake. Crossing the finish line Ryan Maifield took his 2nd overall championship of the day winning A-3 and tiebreaker over Cavalieri by turning the fastest time in the main events.
4wd modified was just as intense but this time the race was just between 2 drivers. Ryan Cavalieri once again got off to a great started and got around the TQ Ryan Maifield on the opening lap. Cavalieri kept his composure, as he normally does,and held a slight edge to the finish line. Maifield finished 2nd.
In A-2 Maifield was determined to not let this one slip away and drove a perfect race. Start to finish Maifield hammered the throttle out front and it was Cavalieri who first made a mistake, giving Maifield a large gap which he held to the finish. Both drivers were tied up entering A-3.
For A-3 you could see both drivers focused and ready. TQ Maifield looked locked and loaded and he blasted off from the start, looking confident. Cavalieri stayed very close and got aggressive as he was looking for his 2nd overall championship of the day. Maifield fought back and made another great move to retain the lead. Lap after lap the guys flew around the SRS track and jumped the quad each and every time. I can’t remember seeing 2 races as good as this in almost back to back scenerios. Maifield would just not allow a pass by Cavaleri as he stayed his ground and pulled away slightly toward the end, culminating Maifield’s three Class wins, bringing the victorious day to a close. An amazing day for the local driver.
To close out this event blog I’d like to thank the SRS staff and event organizers, sponsors and announcer Scotty Ernst. Top notch name and event made the Cactus Classic another for the memory. Congratulations and thanks to the JConcepts drivers for making it special.
