4WD Winners
Driver;(Qualified);Country;Points;Chassis;Motor;Speed;Control;Battery
WC Steven Hartson ( 6) USA 2 Associated LRP LRP Reedy
2 Naoto Matsukura ( 8) Japan 3 Yokomo Yokomo Yokomo Yokomo
3 Ty Tessmann ( 3) Canada 4 Hot Bodies Orion Orion Orion
4 Jörn Neumann (TQ) Germany 7 Durango Orion Orion Orion
5 Ryan Cavalieri (2) USA 9 Associated Orion Orion Orion
6 Ryan Lutz ( 7) USA 11 Durango Tekin Tekin ProTek RC
7 Travis Amezcua ( 9) USA 12 Durango Muchmore Viper Reedy
8 Dakotah Phend ( 10) USA 12 TLR Orion Orion Orion
9 Ryan Maifield ( 4) USA 14 Associated Reedy LRP Reedy
10 Lee Martin ( 5) England 15 Tamiya Muchmore Viper ProTek RC
when both crashed over the right
side triple, moving Tessmann up to
second. A crash with one minute to
go left Lutz’s car broken, setting up
a three-way battle for third between
Neumann, Matsukura, and Cavalieri.
Neumann crashed again over the
right-side triple with less than a
minute to go, letting Matuskura
to the inside, and despite a late-race crash by Hartson that’s how
the main finished – with Hartson
enjoying a two second cushion on
Tessmann, and third through fifth
separated by less than a second!
Top five: Hartson, Tessmann,
Matsukura, Neumann, Cavalieri
A2 had a much cleaner start, with all
but one car getting around the first
lap without incident, but the second
time the field went through the front
section wasn’t so great; Cavalieri
spun out after the front tabletop and
got plowed by Tessmann, who then
got slammed by Maifield, leaving
both Team Associated teammates
broken. The crash moved Matsukura
into second and Ryan Lutz to third,
with TQ Neumann enjoying his
biggest lead yet. Neumann crashed
at the end of the straightaway at
the two-minute mark, however, and
Matsukura caught him to make it a
battle for the lead. Neumann bobbled
later that lap on the back triple and
Matsukura moved into the lead that
he’d never relinquish, going on to win
by a second and a half. Two laps later,
Neumann crashed on the right side
triple again, which moved Lutz into
second, and that’s how they finished.
Top five: Matsukura, Lutz, Neumann,
Tessmann, Hartson
In the championship-deciding
third A-Main, Hartson exercised
tremendous patience in the first two
corners to move up two spots to
fourth on the first lap after clearing
Maifield and Martin. Neumann spun
out on the first tabletop jump after
starting lap two and dropped to
a mistake on the first lap dropped
him to last. Hartson traction-rolled
in the switchback with 30 seconds
left to go, opening the door for
Tessmann, and just three turns
later Matsukura forced his way to
the inside of Cavalieri to move up
to third. With 10 seconds left on
the clock, Tessmann traction rolled
turning onto the front straightaway
and set up a last lap dash for the win
between Hartson and Matsukura.
Matsukura’s attempt at a dive-bomb
pass over the tabletop-triple, and
the ensuing collision, broke the right
rear suspension on Matsukura’s
car – leaving Hartson to comfortably
cruise across the line for his first
world championship.
Top five: Hartson, Matsukura,
Tessmann, Cavalieri, Amezcua.
sixth. The top three (now Cavalieri,
Tessmann, and Hartson) ran in
formation until Cavalieri bobbled
on the front tabletop at the 3:00
mark, which put Tessmann and
Hartson out front. Tessmann cased
the right side triple about a minute
later, and Hartson snuck by to the
inside; meanwhile, Matsukura had
worked his way up to fourth after
Steven Hartson didn’t spill anything on himself - just prior to the trophy photo being taken he was doused with a cooler of ice water like
the winning coach of a football game!
Former European
champion Lee Martin
(front) and current ROAR
National Champion Ty
Tessmann (rear) were
among the frontrunners in 4 WD, but
neither were able to
make a challenge for
the win.
This near-catastrophe is
just some of the luck Steven
Hartson enjoyed during
Sunday’s main events.
