WORLDS: Spencer Rivkin is 2WD World Champion

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By Aaron Waldron
LiveRC.com

At just 16 years old, Arizonan Team Associated racer Spencer Rivkin captured an improbable IFMAR World Championship from third on the grid through a combination of car control, raw speed, and incredible focus under the pressure of leading the fastest pack of 2WD racers on the planet.

Top Qualifier Jared Tebo drove away from the grid to win A1, surviving a mistake in the front step-down section of the track to pull back away. Second qualifier Neil Cragg, however, wasn’t so lucky - an early mistake dropped him out of contention, and he finished sixth. In his place, Spencer Rivkin and Ryan Cavalieri battled for second, with the Team Associated teammates coming together after the center tabletop that resulted in a slightly controversial non-call from the IFMAR officials. The collision left Cavalieri to end off former teammate Ryan Maifield, though he did secure third for the round.

Rivkin drove by Cragg early when the Brit checked up over the tabletop at the start of A2, then passed Tebo on the second lap to take a lead that he never relinquished. Cavalieri managed the same strong start as he did in A1 to move into second, though he wasn’t able to challenge for the win. Cragg also benefitted from a series of mistakes from Tebo, moving back into third by the end of the race.

The top four ran in qualifying order for the opening three laps of the title-deciding third round, until Cragg made a mistake that dropped him to fourth behind Rivkin and Cavalieri. Rivkin and Cavalieri both moved past Tebo after the 2013 champion crashed at the halfway point, and Tebo swapped positions twice more with Cragg before making his way back to third. Rivkin passed the timing loop before the clock expired, earning a well-deserved victory lap as the 2015 2WD IFMAR World Champion.

Here is the overall results for the entire field: