- The full article was originally published on JConcepts (Racing) -
This past weekend the JConcepts team headed to Columbus, Georgia for the 2023 ROAR 1:10 Off-Road Electric Nationals! This was our first time heading to Hobbytown Columbus, Georgia to race! Shon Harding and the Hobbytown crew spent a ton of time prepping the facility and creating the perfect track layout!
All the drivers had nothing but good things to say about the track layout and facility! When you first enter the building you are greeted by a vast hobby shop filled with everything you could possibly need! This Hobbytown is unique because a large section of the store is dedicated to bow-hunting supplies! There were copious amounts of pit spaces and everyone was able to settle in as well!
The track surface was untraditional, which made for close racing and excellent battles! Drivers, went to work to determine the best tire/sauce combo. We tried various tires throughout the weekend such as silver Smoothie 2s, Blue sanded Ellipes, A2 Ellipses, etc. Drivers also experimented with nearly every tire sauce on the market to determine what would be the winning ticket!
As the weekend progressed the track surface started to groove up and gain a little more traction! When it was all set and done, Phend and Rivkin ran Blue Ellipes in 2wd/4wd Modified Buggy. Dakotah Phend also ran A2 Smoothie 2s in the Modified Stadium Truck A-Mains! For the stock races, everyone had to run the same tire.
The schedule for the weekend was the same as any traditional ROAR race. There was track practice Wednesday, ROAR practice Thursday with Seeding, 2 Qualifiers Friday, 2 Qualifiers Saturday, and Mains on Sunday!
Seeding:
13.5 2wd Short Course: Doug Lariviere (3), Brenden Edwards (4), Justin Sherman (5)
13.5 4wd Buggy: Doug Lariviere (1), Tyler Hooks (4)
13.5 Stadium Truck: Brenden Edwards (1), Patrick Rossiter (2), Tom Sherman (3)
17.5 2wd Buggy: Talon Henley (1), Chase Raymond (4)
Masters 2wd Buggy: Paul Wynn (2), Randy Enger (4)
2wd Modified Buggy: Broc Champlin (1), Dakotah Phend (3), Spencer Rivkin (4)
4wd Modified Buggy: Dakotah Phend (1), Broc Champlin (2), Spencer Rivkin (3), Davey Batta (4)
Modified Stadium Truck: Dakotah Phend (1), Broc Champlin (2), Dustin Evans (4)
Qualifying (Best 2 of 4):
13.5 2wd Short Course: Doug Lariviere (TQ), Brenden Edwards (4), Justin Sherman (5)
13.5 4wd Buggy: Talon Henley (4), Doug Lariviere (5)
13.5 Stadium Truck: Brenden Edwards (TQ), Patrick Rossiter (2), Tom Sherman (3)
17.5 2wd Buggy: Doug Lariviere (2), Talon Henley (3)
Masters 2wd Buggy: Paul Wynn (TQ), Randy Enger (3)
2wd Modified Buggy: Broc Champlin (TQ), Daktoah Phend (2), Spencer Rivkin (3)
4wd Modified Buggy: Spencer Rivkin (TQ), Broc Champlin (2), Dustin Evans (5)
Modified Stadium Truck: Dakotah Phend (TQ), Dustin Evans (3), Spencer Rivkin (4)
Final Results:
13.5 2wd Short Course: Doug Lariviere (2)
13.5 4wd Buggy: Talon Henley (2)
17.5 2wd Buggy: Doug Lariviere (1), Talon Henley (3)
2wd Modified Buggy: Dakotah Phend (1), Spencer Rivkin (2), Broc Champlin (3)
A1: Broc Champlin started on the pole position after taking the overall TQ. The first few laps of A1 were a bit of chaos. On lap 2 Champlin got caught in a fatal mistake that would drop him down to the bottom of the pack. Dakotah Phend was close enough to capitalize and took over the lead. Rivkin also moved up to 2nd. On lap 3, Phend had a bobble that caused him to fall toward the back of the pack and Rivkin took over the lead. Rivkin would hold on to the lead for the remainder of the race. However, Ryan Cavalieri made his way from 7th to 2nd in the field and was in the battle for the lead with Rivkin. Rinderknecht was able to hang out in 5th place for the majority of the race and stay consistent. This allowed him to keep pushing the pace, capitalize on others’ mistakes and move into 3rd! The race concluded with Rivkin, Cavalieri, and Rinderknecht.
A2: The tone went off and Champlin was on the move. Champlin and Dakotah Phend were both making moves early on in the race, with Champlin pushing the pace and Phend right behind him, eager to take the lead. However, by lap 4, Phend had successfully made the pass and taken the top spot, leaving Champlin in 2nd place. Rivkin was cruising in 3rd, waiting for his chance to make a move. Champlin made a small mistake on lap 9, allowing Rivkin to take over 2nd place. In the end, it was Phend who took the win, with Rivkin in 2nd and Champlin in 3rd
A3: It all came down to A3 to determine who would be the 2023 National Champion! The tone went off and Phend was quick and on the move. Phend took over the lead within the first lap of the race and led until lap 9. Spencer Rivkin wasn’t going to let him take it that easily. He made the pass into the lead on lap 10, but Phend wasn’t willing to give it away and he took the lead right back. Champlin ended up cruising along in 3rd for the majority of the race. The race concluded as Phend, Rivkin, and Champlin.
4wd Modified Buggy: Spencer Rivkin (1), Chase Lemieux (2 – Privateer), Broc Champlin (3)
A1: Spencer Rivkin had an outstanding performance in this race, clinching the overall TQ of the class and starting in the pole position. He maintained his lead from the beginning to the end of the race, making it challenging for anyone to catch up. The competition for 2nd and 3rd place was quite intense, with Champlin initially falling back to 3rd and Lemieux taking over 2nd place. However, Champlin managed to reclaim 2nd place by lap 5 after making a successful pass on Lemiuex. Unfortunately, Champlin’s minor mistake led to Lemiuex overtaking him once again. Meanwhile, Ty Tessmann was making significant progress and eventually secured 3rd place. The race concluded with Rivkin finishing first, followed by Lemiuex and Tessmann.
A2: Rivkin was looking to take the win and wrap up his day in 4wd Modified Buggy. He did just that! Rivkin led the entire A2 from start to finish, earning the ROAR 4wd Modified Buggy National Title! Meanwhile, Champlin and Lemiuex were battling for 2nd. Champlin was in 2nd for 6 laps, when Lemiuex made a move. On the next lap, Champlin took it back. While these two were battling, Tater Sontag was making his way through the pack and he took 2nd from both of them. Phend was also sneaking his way up from 6th to 3rd on the grid! The race concluded as Rivkin, Sontag, and Phend!
A3: Spencer Rivkin had a great start and managed to secure an early win, which ultimately set the stage for the final podium spots. The third and final race, A3, was relatively uneventful as Broc Champlin took the lead from the beginning and held onto it until the end. Chase Lemieux maintained his second position throughout the race while Dustin Evans remained in third. In the end, the race concluded with Champlin taking first place, followed by Lemieux and Evans.
Modified Stadium Truck: Dakotah Phend (1), Dustin Evans (2), Chase Lemieux (3 – Privateer)
A1:Â The tone went off and Dakotah Phend was on the move! He was the TQ of Modified Stadium Truck and was determined to take that win. He led the entire A1 race, start to finish, never wavering. The start of each Stadium Truck race was a bit of a toss-up. Drivers had to make that long triple in front of the driver stand, which could mix up a race in a split second. You never knew who was going to make the jump flawlessly and who was going to take a tumble. On the second lap, Evans and Rivkin moved up a spot taking over 2nd and 3rd. They were battling it out for a few laps when Chase Lemieux was charging toward the front. Lemieux quickly took over 2nd place by lap 6 and never let up. Rivkin was hanging on to 3rd when Tessmann made a pass on the last lap. A1 concluded, Phend, Lemieux, and Tessmann.
A2: Phend had been on another planet all weekend long in Stadium Truck and A2 was no different! Phend led the race from start to finish flawlessly, taking the first ROAR National Title of the weekend! Tessmann started in 2nd place but got caught up on that first lap which allowed Evans to move into 2nd. It was Evans and Rivkin battling once again. Rivkin was determined to make a move and took over 2nd on lap 3. From there it was a pretty straightforward race with Rivkin taking 2nd and Evans staying in 3rd!
A3: Phend took an early win in A2, so it is a battle for those remaining podium spots! Ty Tessmann made an early charge leading the race for the first 10 laps of the race. Dustin Evans and Chase Lemiuex had been battling in 2nd and 3rd. Tessmann made a mistake on lap 11 and Evans was there to take over the lead. On the second to last lap, Lemiuex took over the lead, but Evans wasn’t willing to give up and took it back on the final lap! The race concluded as Evans, Lemiuex, and Tessmann.
13.5 Stadium Truck: Brenden Edwards (1)
Masters 2wd Buggy: Paul Wynn (1), Randy Enger (3)
Overall, it was a fantastic weekend for the JConcepts team taking 5 National Titles! Dakotah Phend defended his Stadium Truck and 2wd Modified Buggy titles and Spencer Rivkin defended his 4wd Modified Buggy Title! Doug Lariviere took the title in 17.5 2wd Buggy and Brenden Edwards won 13.5 Stadium Truck! The team worked so hard together to determine the best tire program for the weekend and it truly paid off! We’d also like to thank Shon Harding and the entire Hobbytown Columbus crew for hosting a wonderful event! It’s a quick turnaround for some of our drivers as we head to the Mugen Challenge at LCRC Raceway!
Winning Products:
- P2 Body
- F2 Body
- Ellipses
- Smoothie 2
- Mono Wheel
- Dirt-Tech Inserts
- 6.5″ Wing
- F2 Stadium Truck Body
- Fin Titanium Turnbuckles
- Radial Bearings
