Ryan Lutz dominates RC X-Games

Kyosho team driver Ryan Lutz TQ’ed and won both Pro Buggy with his MP9, and Pro Truggy with his ST-RR at the recent X-Games race. In the buggy class, Lutz got the holeshot and never relinquished the lead, even during pit stops. Lutz’s average lap times were 2.6 seconds a lap faster than eventual second place finisher Thielke, with Kendall Welch taking 3rd. Lutz didn’t get away from the motocross-style starting gate as cleanly in the Truggy final, coming out of the dust in fourth place. But, it wasn’t long before he settled into a blistering pace that would average more than 4.3 seconds faster per lap than second place Michael Paige, also running an ST-RR. Brandon Rohde and Kendall Welch finished third and fourth respectively, giving Kyosho a sweep of the podium plus. The RC X-Games also featured a “Last man standing” event, which was reduced to a demolition derby at its end, a big air contest, and a two-hour, three-man endurance. Kendall Welch scored top honors with his 777WC, showcasing the durability of the Inferno, while Lutz, Rohde, and Welch also teamed up for the endurance, taking top honors in yet another event.

Source: Kyosho [kyoshoamerica.com]

Robin Nelson wins Blue/Grey Classic

Top drivers from around North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia showed up for the Blue/Grey Classic last Sunday, hosted by Nitro Valley Speedway in Cherryville, NC, which is located about 30 miles from The Farm 2, host of the 2008 Worlds. The event attracted over 100 drivers including Robin Nelson, Ryan Lopez, Travis Phillips, Chris Pace and Brandon Melton as well as local favorites such as Robby Saxton, Jeremy Talent and Justin Atkins. Ryan Lopez TQ’d the Pro Buggy class, but in the final he flamed out after battling Robin Nelson during the first half of the A-Main. This allowed Robin Nelson to go on and take the win in the A-Main with his Werks B7ProC powered Hyper 9, giving Hobao their first big win on the East Coast with the new buggy.

Source: Werks Racing [werksracing.com]

Adam Drake wins JBRL Rd5

Thunder Alley R/C was the host to round 5 of the JBRL Nitro Series this past weekend. The event was very busy with many of the top US drivers in attendance trying to prepare for the IFMAR Worlds. The current IFMAR 1/8th World Champion Mark Pavidis was in attendance along with many other top drivers and when the dust settled from qualifying, it was the Losi 8ight racer Adam Drake that took the TQ by more thqn 3 seconds over HoBao’s Jeremy Kortz. The final was an exciting race with Losi’s Adam Drake and Kyosho’s Cody King, but just like round 4 of the JBRL it was Adam Drake that came out on top, with Cody King 2nd and Ryan Lutz 3rd.