- The full article was originally published on JConcepts (Racing) -
This past week, the JConcepts Team headed out to Hobby Action RC Raceway in Chandler, Arizona, for the 2023 IFMAR 1:10 Off-Road Electric World Championship! This is the most prestigious event of the year and only comes to the United States once every 10 years.
The last time the IFMAR 1:10 Worlds was in the States was in 2013 when A-Main’s Silver Dollar Raceway hosted. Before that, it was in 2003, when it was in Clearwater, FL. This was the same year JConcepts was born, and Jason Ruona debuted the first body in the Illuzion line and the BJ4 4wd Buggy.
When Larry Tom announced he and his team would be hosting the IFMAR Worlds, we knew he would knock it out of the park. Larry and the Hobby Action team certainly went above and beyond!
From the moment you arrived at the front door, you knew you were at the IFMAR Worlds. Larry Tom and StickItOne worked together to create beautiful branding for the event. The columns out front were wrapped with Sponsor Logos and the front sliding doors were dressed in signage welcoming drivers. When you walked into the Hobby Shop, you were greeted by the friendly Hobby Action Staff, and a fully stocked shop. From there, you pass through a pair of glass doors into a World-Class track and pit area!
View the Full Photo Album Here.
The first photo below is the track layout for the 4wd  Buggy portion of the event which we ran first. The second track photo is for the 2wd Buggy portion of the event, where the crew needed to partially change the layout. You can take a look and see the similarities and differences between the two layouts.
In order to enhance the racer and spectator experience, Hobby Action added a section of bleachers on one side of the track, and they added an additional large TV monitor on a pole centered right in front of the pits as you can see the back of it above. There were several other great additions to the facility. All of the pit spaces were custom stickered with each driver’s name and sponsor logos. Coca-Cola sponsored the event and added a large airport-style self-check-out snack and drink station. The driver’s stand was also decorated in massive IFMAR Worlds Branding, which took the venue to the next level!
4wd Buggy A-Main FinalistsÂ
One of the biggest challenges a track will face when hosting the IFMAR 1:10 Electric Buggy Worlds is the Tire-Tech. Tire-Tech requires a lot of space and staff. Of course, Hobby Action did a phenomenal job with this setup! They had perfectly labeled boxes for each driver neatly organized and then had a tire gluing station under a big tent outside. For the event, there were control tires for 4wd Buggy front and Rear, and 2wd Buggy rears. 2wd Buggy front tires were open and drivers could glue these up at their pits. The spec tires were AKA slicks, and many drivers chose to stay consistent running those all the way around.
The format for the event was as follows:
- 2 Rounds of Seeding to determine the heats + 1 Additional round to determine your position in your specific heat
- 5 Rounds of Qualifying
- Triple A-Mains
Seeding:
4wd Buggy: Dakotah Phend (1), Davide Ongaro (2), Broc Champlin (3), Dustin Evans (4), Ryan Maifield (6), Spencer Rivkin (9), Marcus Kaerup (10)
2wd Buggy: Marcus Kaerup (3), Broc Champlin (6), Spencer Rivkin (7), Cole Tollard (8), Dakotah Phend (9)
Qualifying (Best 3 of 5):
4wd Buggy: Dustin Evans (3), Cole Dollard (4), Spencer Rivkin (5), Broc Champlin (7), Dakotah Phend (9), Marcus Kaerup (10)
2wd Buggy:Â Spencer Rivkin (2), Broc Champlin (4), Dakotah Phend (5), Ryan Maifield (8), Marcus Kaerup (9)
The New S15 1:10 Buggy Body
During the Worlds, we introduced the brand new S15 Body for 1:10 Buggy! Read the Full Press Release Here:
Our favorite, the IFMAR World Championships, the pinnacle of RC racing is a perfect setting for product releases and performance debuts. Designed, built, and produced in the last minute, the new S15 body for the B74.2 and B6.4 vehicle is everything you’ve come to expect from JConcepts. The heritage of the IFMAR World Championship winning design S15 runs deep in these new shells.
With successful designs coming from the Punisher, Finnisher, and Silencer line, the JConcepts crew made the decision, it was time for the S15. Incorporating lessons from the lineage, the team concentrated on the cab placement, deflection angles, hard edged (JConcepts chamfering), and side pod winglets. The single side window design is a departure from the usual JC team body shells but drops in nicely on the S15.
The new item follows the chassis shape like a glove and the tidy arrangement is free of unwanted gaps. The center line roof fin helps the body stand up to rigorous demands of crashes and off track excursions and while on the track, provides straight line tracking ability. The top of the side pod rolls into the rear end section helping with the force placed just in front of the rear tires. Just behind the cab, there is a trim-able section dedicated to rear escape of hot air and inner shell build up.
The back of the body has a climbing spoiler shape that uses the rear of the body to increase rear downforce. As always, the body arrives with window mask, decal sheet, two of the latest Carpet | Turf | Dirt wings and backed by JConcepts customer support and racing heritage. Look for a release of these two new styles by early October. #gojconcepts
A-Main Starting Grids:
Final Results:
2wd Buggy:Â Tater Sontag (1), Spencer Rivkin (2), Broc Champlin (3), Aydin Horne (4), Ryan Cavalieri (5), Davide Ongaro (6), Dakotah Phend (7), Brennan Schimmel (8), Ryan Maifield (9), Marcus Kaerup (10)
A1:Â Tater Sontag led the way after taking the overall TQ. On the first lap, there was carnage behind the leader. Tater started to pull away. Third place and back got tangled up in a racing mistake. Rivkin was in second but also had a bobble to caused him to fall back.
This series of events allowed some of the drivers in the back to make their way up the ranks. Aydin Horne quickly made his way from 6th to 2nd on the grid, and Ryan Cavalieri moved from 7th to 3rd. Ryan Maifield and Brennan Schimmel were battling for 4th. Cavalieri was looking for a way around Horne on the second to last lap Cavalieri made a move into 2nd, but Horne quickly took it back. Meanwhile, Tater was looking to keep it clean and keep his gap in 1st. The race concluded with Sontag, Horne, Cavalieri, Schimmel, and Ongaro as your top 5.
A2: A2 always holds a lot of weight as the driver who won A1 has the opportunity to win the whole thing right here, right now. The tone went off and Sontag was on the move. The start of A2 was much cleaner, with Rivkin running 2nd, Ongaro running 3rd, Champlin running 4th, and Phend running 5th. Everyone maintained their starting positions for about half of the race. Ongaro made a move on Rivkin into 2nd  but made a costly mistake shortly after.
This allowed Rivkin back into 2nd and Champlin up into 3rd. From there the race was relatively uneventful. The race concluded with Sontag, Rivkin, Champlin, Horne, and Phend as your top 5! Tater Sontag had officially become your 2023 IFMAR 1:10 Off-Road Electric 2wd Buggy World Champion! His first World Title ever! Emotions were running high as all his friends and family ran up to the driver’s stand to celebrate!
A3:Â This final main would determine the final two podium spots! With Sontag, wrapping up an early win, Rivkin would lead this one out! From tone to tone Rivkin led A3. The primary battle from there was between Champlin and Phend. Champlin was running 2nd when Dakotah Phend made a pass on him into 2nd.
Phend held on to 2nd for several laps before experiencing a bobble and allowing Champlin to take it back. Cavalieri was racing in 4th but was also able to capitalize and move into 3rd. A3 concluded with Rivkin, Champlin, Cavalieri, Kaerup, and Ongaro as your top 5.
4wd Buggy: Davide Ongaro (1), Spencer Rivkin (2), Michal Orlowski (3), Broc Champlin (4), Bruno Coehlo (5), Cole Tollard (6), Aydin Horne (7), Dustin Evans (8), Dakotah Phend (9), Marcus Kaerup (10)
A1: Davide Onagro took the early TQ after TQ’ing 3 of the 5 rounds of qualifying. The first tone went off, and everyone pushed off the starting grid with a clean start. Ongaro and Orlowksi work on pulling away from the rest of the pack. Dustin Evans was running 3rd, and Spencer Rivkin was working his way up from 5th on the starting grid! On lap 5, Evans had some trouble and Rivkin took over 3rd. Orlowski was closing the gap on Ongaro it was a wing-to-wing battle and they were only halfway through.
The race was heating up, and Rivkin was right there with them making it a three-way battle. Ongaro was handling the pressure like a true champ. The race concluded with Ongaro, Orlowski, Rivkin, Champlin, Evans, and Tollard as your top 5.
A2:Â The pressure was on and the nerves were high. That starting tone went off and Davide was on a mission. However, so was Rivkin. Rivkin quickly made a pass on lap one into 4th. Meanwhile, Ongaro and Orlowksi are battling up front, wing to wing once again. Ongaro and Orlowski got a little tangled over the triple which gave Orlowski the lead. Rivkin made another pass and found himself in 3rd. He was looking to make up time and chip away at those positions. Ongaro was reeling in Orlwowski.
About halfway through the race after the straightaway, Ongaro snagged the pipe and got stuck. Rivkin was close enough to capitalize and take over 2nd. Now he was on a mission to find Orlowksi. From 5th to 2nd, Rivkin was making huge strides. Rivkin wanted this win badly. Orlowski made a small mistake in the horseshoe, which allowed Rivkin to get extremely close. On the second to last lap, Rivkin was on his wing applying the pressure. With less than 30 seconds to go, Rivkin made the pass of a lifetime fair and clean into the lead. The crowd was cheering. Rivkin maintained that lead all the way until the final tone. A2 concluded as Rivkin, Orlowski, Champlin, Ongaro, and Tollard.
A3: With two different winners in A1 and A2 it would come down to this final 5-minute race to determine your new 4wd World Champion! You could feel the nerves and pressure building in the silence of the room. That starting tone went off, and it was go-time. Rivkin knew he had to make some serious moves quickly to get out of his 5th-place starting position. Evans had an early bobble, which allowed Tollard and Rivkin to move up into 3rd and 4th. Ongaro and Orlowski were on the move. By the end of lap one, Tollard went wide at the end of the straightaway which allowed Rivkin to move into 3rd. Rivkin had his eyes set on Orlowski. Orlowski was currently on Ongaro’s wing once again. Orlowksi accidentally gets into the backside of Ongaro which spins him out after the tabletop. Orlowski gives the position back to Ongaro, but this allows Rivkin to get closer. The top three were all nose to wing. On the next lap, Orlowski got a little squirmy going into the horseshoe, which forced him out wide. Rivkin was there to shoot through the gap and take over 2nd place. Time was elapsing quickly. Ongaro was pushing the pace hard. Ongaro and Rivkin ran tenths apart for most of the race. On the second to last lap, Rivkin sets the fastest lap of the race with a 17.9. He was looking for a way around Ongaro, Ongaro was driving flawlessly holding his line. They drag race down the front straightaway and Ongaro makes it by for one final lap, and Rivkin gets caught. The race concluded with Ongaro, Rivkin, Coehlo, Phend, and Horne.
Davide Ongaro was officially your new IFMAR 1:10 Off-Road Electric 4wd Buggy World Champion!
Overall, it was an incredible event with JConcepts taking 2 podium spots in 2wd Buggy and 1 spot in 4wd Buggy! However, the JConcepts P2 Body swept the Podium in 4wd Buggy with Ongaro and Orlowski choosing to run it! A huge thank you again to Larry Tom and his crew for hosting a fantastic world and having exceptional hospitality!
Congratulations to Davide Ongaro on taking the 4wd Buggy World  Title and Tater Sontag on taking the 2wd Buggy World Title! Ongaro has won the last two 1:8 World Championships and now he backed it up with his first 4wd Buggy World Title!
Tater Sontag had an impressive week, driving incredibly well and securing his first World Title!
Congratulations to Spencer Rivkin, Broc Champlin, and Michal Orlowski on their podium finishes! All truly excellent and highly coveted accomplishments!
