EXCLUSIVE: Kenney quit Mugen for Kyosho, won debut race

0 Dec. 2, 2016, 3:19 p.m.

By Aaron Waldron
LiveRC.com

After two years with Mugen Seiki, Northern California semi-pro off-road racer Ryan Kenney agreed to race Kyosho buggies in 2017. The move comes after the strongest season of his career, during which the 27-year-old made his IFMAR Worlds debut in Las Vegas - where he finished 93rd out of 234 entries - and even won a round of the Nitro Nights series at Central Valley RC Raceway with a spectacular charge through the field following an early-race flameout.

The signing gives Kyosho a presence in the nitro racing scene in NorCal. Following an excitement-induced episode which left him stuck in the following position for quite some time, Kenney had the following to say about his big move:

“I would like to thank Kris Moore, Tim Long and everyone at Mugen for everything over the last two years. For 2017, I'm excited to announce that I'll be running for Kyosho. I'd like to thank Joe Pillars for the opportunity, and I'm very excited for what the future has to bring.”

Ryan competed with his new Kyosho buggy at Delta RC in Antioch, CA this past weekend, taking the win on the tricky covered track ahead of a competitive field that included former nationals finalists Phillip Atondo and Austin Blair. Kenney said this about the win, "First race of 2017 couldn't have gone better. My Kyosho MP9 was super easy to drive in the main. #prolineracing electrons were dialed and also took all 3 spots on the podium. Shoutout to Mason Eppley for the insanely fast TQ run and for making me nervous at the end.”