Welcome to the space that will eventually be the LiveRC NEO12 Race Blog! It will feature photos, words, results, recaps, and various other editorial commentary on the weekend's events.
For full LIVE coverage, make sure you tune into our live, All-Access Pass broadcast! Details on getting your AAP can be found here. For this event, we will only be offering a limited number of All-Access Passes in order to maintain the highest quality feed for our customers, so make sure you get yours while you can!
In case you aren't familiar with The NEO Race, the race and broadcast schedule runs as follows:
Friday April 6: Practice
Saturday April 7: Qualifying
Sunday April 8: Qualifying and Lower Mains Monday April 9: Upper Mains
*Replays of the day's racing will run overnight on all nights except Monday.
Also, we will be producing a DVD for NEO '12! You can pre-order it with your AAP purchase to save money, or you can order it from our store.
Judging by the early reports from NEOBUGGY.net, things are shaping up nicely at the host venue! The LiveRC crew departs for England tomorrow morning. Broadcast begins on April 6th!
Talk to you all in a few days!
Today is setup day at NEO '12 -- for both the NEO crew, the DXR crew and the LRC crew. Workers of all varieties had the campus to themselves for a majority of the day while they prepped Harper Adams' soil building for the hundreds of racers that will soon inhabit all corners of the facility.
As the day went on, racers began arriving and sorted themselves and their equipment into the racer dormitories that are 200 feet from the race track -- a feature that is unmatched at any off-road track in the world. Words cannot even express how awesome it is to be able to walk over to your very own dorm room at the end of a long day.
Tomorrow we begin! As per the NEO '12 schedule, there will be three rounds of controlled practice on Friday.
Until then, here are some photos to help get you in the mood:
The Scene:
The entrance to Harper Adams University College/NEO '12
Cool buildings like these are all over the Harper Adams campus.
You may never see R/C cars racing in a setting as unique and awesome as this.
The Track:
The track from the front side.
The track from the back side.
The soon to be full pit area.
The best part (OK, maybe not the best part...there are a lot of 'best parts' here) of NEO '12, is the limited practice. I know some people may not like it -- and I must admit, a few years back I would've scoffed at the idea of barely getting any track time before racing started -- but now, I see how smart it actually is. The formula is simple: get practice over with ASAP and start racing. As a person who isn't racing at the event, this is much better than having to watch practice for three days. Let's face it: the same drivers will be at the top and at the bottom whether there are three rounds or three weeks of practice. The NEO '12 theory is simple and smart: get to the racing as fast as possible. Kudos to this decision.
Three rounds of controlled practice were run today. If you aren't familiar with the NEO program, the race and practice is run with extreme precision. Heats are pumped through without hesitation and holdups are kept to a bare minimum. In fact, there aren't ANY hold ups. This style of racing is awesome -- especially for LiveRC, whom can actually attempt to give you (the viewers) some sort of timetable as to when things will be broadcast. For instance, you can look at the NEO '12 race guide for when the final will run on Monday afternoon, set your imaginary DVR, and theoretically record the final in its entirety as if it were a sporting event on TV. This is the type of precision that will help our sport and our coverage gain fans. People can plan around races they want to see and tune in whenever they want. Brilliant.
Anyways, like I said; three practice rounds were run today in order for drivers to get a feel for the track and to seed tomorrow's qualifying heats in order of who can turn the fastest three consecutive lap times.
Here is practice ended up:
1. Jared Tebo 3/1'41.939 2. Jesse Robbers 3/1'42.117 3. Simon Willetts 3/1'42.613 4. Cody King 3/1'42.656 5. Ryan Maifield 3/1'42.752 6. Ty Tessmann 3/1'42.892 7. Robert Batlle 3/1'42.988 8. Neil Cragg 3/1'43.103 9. Reno Savoya 3/1'43.613 10. Adam Drake 3/1'43.691 11. Jerome Aigoin 3/1'43.988 12. Darren Bloomfield 3/1'44.447 13. Jorn Neumann 3/1'44.696 14. Ryan Cavalieri 3/1'44.703 15. Dylan Rodriguez 3/1'44.782
Notepad:
The option lane is proving to be less of an option than, perhaps, originally intended. We heard estimates from those in the know that 99% of drivers are using the wider "B" lane, which throws drivers over a mild double as opposed to the long washboard section in lane "A." The A lane appears to be faster up until the final bumps coming out of the washboard, which are spaced farther apart than the rest and cause extreme disruption to any vehicle that is carrying any amount of speed. Look for the A lane to be reserved for "hero passes" when a driver is desperate, or when the B lane is overly congested.
Many drivers were guilty of "over driving" in the morning session. Obviously, nobody had been on the track before, but some guys probably got a little jumpy knowing that their first ever laps were also on the clock...and mattered, in some small way. In the second and third rounds, things calmed down a lot and people regained their "driving intelligence" -- if you can call it that.
Not too many people worried about tire choices today. The drivers we talked to seemed confident in the rubber they were going to run. Perhaps this is due to their familiarity with the surface here at Harper Adams, which looks exactly the same as it has in recent years. Most drivers are on small-block "hole shot" type tires, which is to be expected considering the dust and loam-free surface.
The only new parts we found (granted, not much time was available for roaming the pits looking for new gear) were a couple of "bits" (to use a proper British term) from Kyosho. In particular, a new radio tray that will be on their forthcoming buggy kit, as well as a more refined version of their WC front shock tower.
And now, a few pictures. Presented by AKA!
New Kyosho radio tray. I was told to note the placement of the KO switch -- the transponder can be mounted directly underneath it for maximum electronic mounting efficiency.
New Kyosho shock tower.
It is a tad bit chilly this year, as opposed to last -- as evidenced by this fluffy hat.
Tebo had an excellent run in the morning session, then made a ton of setup changes and had a horrible run. Here, he game-plans with Adrien Bertin about his final practice session strategy.
Jorn says that he has been enjoying his electric racing quite a bit, as of late. The Reedy International Off-Road Race of Champions invitational class winner, nonetheless, is here and ready go.
Ty Tessmann, the winner of the last "major" 1:8 event, The Dirt Nitro Challenge, will have plenty of eyes on him once racing begins tomorrow.
Simon Willetts was the surprise of the practice session, placing third overall. Granted, this is practice and doesn't mean a whole lot. But still, Willetts had a great run into the A-final at last year's NEO, and looks to do the same this time around.
Ryan Maifield spent most of the time he wasn't on the track in his dorm room sleeping. Maifield had quite the adventure on his way to NEO '12. After many plane-swaps due to various aeronautical ailments, Ryan was able to arrive in the UK WITH his luggage, which at one point had been on its own path far from his own. However, after many delays, Maifield was still able to arrive at Harper Adams only shortly before practice this morning.
That will do it for practice. Tomorrow, we begin qualifying! Racing begins at 08:00 sharp, so don't forget to tune in!
Day two at The NEO Race is done...well, day ONE of actual racing. But also, day four of us being here. Confused yet? I am. Forget all that. All you need to know is that the first three rounds of qualifying are now complete, and Ty Tessmann is holding the early advantage on the field.
Tessmann piloted his Hot Bodies "Franken-Car" to the front of Q1 and Q3 to take a solid set of results into the final two rounds tomorrow. Hot on his heals is Kyosho's Jared Tebo, whom TQ'ed Q2 followed by Tessmann. Tebo said his car is very good, but he simply "over-drove" in the final round of qualifying today. Look for him to be involved in any fight for TQ or the overall win - however, when we've seen him struggle, overdriving has usually been the cause. If he can calm down and run like he is capable, he will still be the favorite for most.
Notes:
Team Associated driver Ryan Maifield is quietly sitting third, continuing his trend of "doing well without making noise" that we've seen him develop during 1:8 qualifying lately. When it comes main time, we've seen Maifield dominate large portions of 1:8 races over the years, but a string of horrendous luck has often finished many of his weekends too early. He should be in a good position to try to avenge at least one of those weekends come Monday.
Jesse Robbers also continued a recent trend of his own - leading portions of the A-heat, but falling near the end. Jesse clearly has the speed and the car to run with anyone, but his ability to maintain late in heats has cost him this year, so far.
A little more detail on the aforementioned "Franken-Car" that Tessmann is running: Ty says the car is a D8 with different front and rear ends...which, to us, sounds like an entirely new car- save for one slab of aluminum. The new parts are allegedly the doing of new Hot Bodies engineer Torrance Deguzman. The car looks good (as if you need me to tell you that).
his is Tessmann and Tebo dominated
Tessmann was also running new Pro-Line Square-Fuzzies, which mirror the look of their 1:10 namesake. Ty said he is a little worried that the small pin may not last for the entire 45 minute final, but is having no problems running them for multiple qualifying heats. Somewhere, Matt Francis approves of his tire selection.
Both Tebo and Tessmann commented on the increasing traction the circuit gave as the day progressed. Tire choice may soon be affected.
Another thing worthy of noting is the cold weather. Many drivers have been overheard discussing how tough it is to stand on the driver's stand for long periods of time due to the cold. Some drivers (maybe 1/3 of them) have some sort of radio/hand warmer bag that they take with them and use during their race.
The option lane was changed slightly overnight. The last two humps in the washboard section were shaved down making the lane slightly more of an option than it was in practice. However, even with the increased efficiency exiting the washboard section, drivers whom take the main lane carry much more speed up to the triple before the straightaway, which has caused most drivers to avoid the option lane.
Don't forget to tune in tomorrow for the final two rounds of qualifying, as well as the start of our lower main events!
Current Qual Points
1. Ty Tessmann - 598 2. Jared Tebo - 589 3. Ryan Maifield - 587 4. Jesse Robbers - 585 5. Ryan Cavalieri - 577 6. Robert Batlle - 577 7. Cody King - 571 8. David Ronnefalk - 570 9. Jerome Aigoin - 569 10. Ryan Lutz - 569 11. Darren Bloomfield - 568 12. Adam Drake - 565 13. Neil Cragg - 560 14. Yannick Aigoin - 554 15. Reno Savoya - 552
Photos of people:
David Ronnefalk had a great day of qualifying from the B heat, placing himself 8th overall so far.
Slobbatech is also killing it this weekend.
Andy Moore showing all the off-roaders how tough he is by drinking piping hot coffee out of a thin plastic shot glass. Dangerous!
The DXR crew are the ones responsible for the amazing track. And with a logo like that, the confidence they have in their craft is clearly shown. Huge props to them!
Tessmann knows a thing or two about cold weather.
Quite the week was had here at NEO '12! We saw 4 days chock full of elite 1:8 nitro buggy racing. We saw an amazing track crew build yet another gem of a circuit. We saw the perfect race venue - Harper Adams - continue to prove that it can't be beat when it comes to convenience and practicality. And, of course, we saw the entire crew from NeoBuggy continue to push and evolve The NEO Race into one of the greatest and most internationally-attended races in the world.
But of course, the thing everyone saw the most of was Jared Tebo dominating. The three-time NEO winner extended his streak of perfection this weekend making him a perfect four-for-four at NEO races he's attended. He's also TQ'ed all four. It's probably safe to assume that he enjoys coming here.
We had many questions going into the final, such as: would Ty Tessmann continue his march to the front of the world-wide nitro stage? Would Ryan Maifield be able to shed the DNF monkey off of his back? Would Jared Tebo be able to rebound from a less than stellar start to the 2012 race season? All of those questions were answered with a resounding yes.
Tebo stretched out a sizable lead on lap one, and extended it further after staying out 7 laps longer than his competitors - a strategy that would net him one less pit stop over 45 minutes than Ty Tessmann.
The strategy proved important, as the Tessmann was eventually able to close the early gap Tebo had developed, but was stopped short by a necessary pit stop that Tebo was able to avoid. Had they both had the same pit schedule, Tebo would have still had a small lead, but you never know what could have happened had Ty been in Tebo's view, chasing.
In the end, Tebo led wire-to-wire for the second straight year - capping a dominating weekend performance that was fitting for the man who has, so far, been unbeatable under the roof at Harper Adams.
Pictures and Final Results:
(L-R) Ty Tessmann, Jared Tebo, Ryan Maifield
Uh oh...this is the moment she realizes she is in the worst possible location
Tebo has done this before
Elliot Boots teaching one of the WAXX Underwear trophy girls that they shouldn't stand around once the champagne starts getting shook up
That will do it for us in the UK! It's now time to pack and sleep! We want to give a big thanks to Phil from NeoBuggy.net for helping us get here, and to the DXR crew for building an awesome track! And last but not least, we want to thank you for tuning into our coverage!
On behalf of Brandon Rohde, Scotty Ernst, Bob Kendall, Erik Jensen, Ross Walters, this is Eric Swanson signing off on the NEO '12 race blog! See you at the next race!
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