Dakotah Phend doubles up again at the Michigan State Championship Series

  

On Saturday May 25th, all the regional top racers made their way to the second round of the Michigan State Championship Series at Granger Raceway just across the Michigan/Indian stateline in Granger, IN. The track was freshly rebuild and the Granger Raceway crew put in a fast and flowing layout in with plenty of big air! With a total of 131 entries, a long day was ahead for all the racers competing.

1/8th Scale Nitro Buggy
TLR/Orion/Pro-Line sponsored Dakotah Phend was present once again at round #2. Throughout all 3 rounds of qualifying he showed that he is the fastest and thus the man to beat.

The mains were run under the lights, which added an additional challenge, as it became hard to see the ruts that had developed throughout the track. Dakotah Phend took off from the pole, with Derek Weatherholt, VP PowerMaster Fuel sponsored Mo Denton and TLR/Orion sponsored Mike Sontag in tow and the rest of the field not far behind them. Throughout the 30 minute main it showed how treacherous the track conditions were and battles went on throughout the race. TLR/Horizon Hobbies sponsored Tyler Jones bumped up from the B main, after mechanical issues during qualifying, and made his way up through the field. At the end of the grueling 30 minute main, it was Dakotah Phend that crossed the line first, followed by Derek Weatherholt and Tyler Jones.


Results:
1. Dakotah Phend
(TLR, Orion, Pro-Line, Spektrum, Horizon Hobbies, Darkside Designs)
2. Derek Weatherholt
3. Tyler Jones
(TLR, Spektrum, Novarossi, Jconcepts, SideWinder, Horizon Hobbies)
4. Mo Denton
(VP PowerMaster Fuel)
5. Mike Sontag
(TLR, Orion, AMS Raceway)

Standings after 2 rounds:
1. Dakotah Phend (304 pts)
2. Mike Sontag (283 pts)
3. Michael Weihl (280 pts)
4. Mo Denton (279 pts)
5. Scott Rapoport (277 pts)

1/8th Scale Nitro Truggy
TLR/Orion/Pro-Line sponsored Dakotah Phend was hauling the mail once again with his TLR truggy during qualifying to take the TQ honors and start at the front of the grid in the main.

Right after the start of the main, TLR/Orion/Pro-Line sponsored Dakotah Phend put down the hammer and started clicking off laps. Behind Phend, the battle was on between VP PowerMaster Fuel sponsored Mo Denton and TLR/Orion sponsored Mike Sontag. Halfway through the race, Mike Sontag ran into some issues that caused him to drop back to 4th place, handing 3rd place over to TLR sponsored Mike Marshall, but a late charge from Sontag put him back in a podium position. At the end of the 30 minute 'Phend Schooling Session', it was Dakotah Phend crossing the line in first, followed by Mo Denton in second and Mike Sontag in third.
 

Results:
1. Dakotah Phend
(TLR, Orion, Pro-Line, Spektrum, Horizon Hobbies, Darkside Designs)
2. Mo Denton
(VP PowerMaster Fuel)
3. Mike Sontag
(TLR, Orion, AMS Raceway)
4. Mike Marshall
(TLR, Dirtburner Hobbies)
5. Joey Genovese

Standings after 2 rounds:
1. Dakotah Phend (304 pts)
2. Mo Denton (291 pts)
3. Mike Marshall (280 pts)
4. Shane Snyder (271 pts)
5. Joey Genovese (268 pts)

1/8th Scale Electric Buggy
Qualifying in the 1/8th scale electric buggy division was close and the top 3 were only separated by just over 2 seconds, with the TQ honors going to young TLR/Horizon Hobbies sponsored Tyler Jones.

Tyler Jones managed to get a clean start in the main, but second place qualifier Hot Bodies/Tekin sponsored Nick Vasquez had no such luck and had to retire before even completing a full lap. This left room for the rest of the field to chase down Tyler Jones. The battle for 2nd through 5th was between TLR sponsored Collin Weatherholt, RJ Hart, Team Durango/Pro-Line/TrakPower sponsored Edwin Hartman and TrakPower/King Headz sponsored Randy Cathcart. Positions were swapped almost every lap, but at the end of the 10 minute main, it was Tyler Jones that crossed the line in first, followed by Randy Cathcart finishing in second after a late charge and Collin Weatherholt in third.


Results:
1. Tyler Jones
(TLR, Spektrum, Novarossi, Jconcepts, SideWinder, Horizon Hobbies)
2. Randy Cathcart
(Trakpower, King Headz, King Hobbies and Raceway of Valparaiso, IN, MIP, Hobbico)
3. Collin Weatherholt
(TLR, Spektrum, Horizon Hobbies)
4. RJ Hart
5. Bill Taylor

Standings after 2 rounds:
1. Nick Vasquez (288 pts)
2. Paul Edwards (286 pts)
3. RJ Hart (275 pts)
4. Edwin Hartman (272 pts)
5. Ron Schwab (268 pts)

1/8th Scale Electric Truggy
Just like at round #1, top qualifying honors in the 1/8th Scale Electric Truggy class were taken by Ron Schwab.

Top Qualifier Ron Schwab managed to break his electric truggy during the warm-up of the main and was not able to make repairs to show the field how it's done. After the start, RJ Hart made some quick moves from 4th on the grid into the lead, followed by Leese Adam and Rocky Whittaker. RJ Hart managed to pull away from the field, but the battle behind him was on between Adam, Whittaker and Joey Genovese. Once the dust settled after 10 minutes of truggy racing, it was RJ Hart finishing in first, Leese Adam in second and Joey Genovese in third.

Results:
1. RJ Hart
2. Geese Adam
3. Joey Genovese
4. Rocky Whittaker
5. Ken McDonald

Standings after 2 rounds:
1. Rocky Whittaker (293 pts)
2. Ron Schwab (292 pts)
3. RJ Hart (292 pts)
4. Joey Genovese (289 pts)
5. Ken McDonald (284 pts)

2WD Short Course
Round #1 winner Johnny LoGiudice decided not to run 2WD Short Course at round #2, which left the field wide open. After qualifying was over, it was young George 'G3' Berridge that claim TQ honors on a very difficult track for 2WD vehicles.

After a rough lap for a few of the top qualifiers, it was TrakPower/VP PowerMaster Fuel sponsored Tony Carnes that showed the field what the new TrakPower MS-1 ESC and motor can do. Behind him a battle was starting between Jeff Barney, Team Durango/Pro-Line/TrakPower sponsored Edwin Hartman and George 'G3' Berridge. When the 7 minute race came to a conclusion, it was Tony Carnes that claimed the victory, closely followed by George 'G3' Berridge in second and Jeff Barney in third.


Results:
1. Tony Carnes
(M2C Racing, TrakPower Speed Equipment, VP PowerMaster Fuel, Futaba, Dirtburner Racing)
2. Jeff Barney
3. George 'G3' Berridge
4. Joey Genovese
5. Edwin Hartman
(Team Durango, Pro-Line, TrakPower Speed Equipment, Advantage Racing Products, O'Donnell Racing Fuel, Sumo, Darkside Designs)

Standings after 2 rounds:
1. Tony Carnes (293 pts)
2. Joey Genovese (284 pts)
3. Jeff Barney (278 pts)
4. Hayden Heath (271 pts)
5. Lorie (258 pts)

4WD Short Course
Several fast 4WD short course guys were in attendence and there was a battle to claim the top qualifying spot. After 3 rounds, it was Randy Cathcart that claimed the TQ honors.

TrakPower/King Headz sponsored Randy Cathcart managed to get away cleanly after the start, followed by A Main Hobbies/AKA sponsored Scott Rapoport and George 'G3' Berridge. Last year's 2WD Short Course champion Johnny LoGiudice borrowed a 4WD short course for this event and was making his way up into the top 3 with his eyes on the number 1 spot. Last year's 4WD short course champion, Scott Rapoport, didn't want to give up and kept the battle for second going, but in the end, it was Randy Cathcart that crossed the line in first, Johnny LoGiudice in second and Scott Rapoport in third.


Results:

1. Randy Cathcart
(Trakpower, King Headz, King Hobbies and Raceway of Valparaiso, IN, MIP, Hobbico)
2. Johnny LoGiudice
3. Scott Rapoport
(A Main Hobbies, AKA, OS Engines, O'Donnell Racing Fuel, ProTek RC)
4. Michael McDuffey
5. RJ Hart

Standings after 2 rounds:
1. Scott Rapoport (298 pts)
2. Michael McDuffey (284 pts)
3. Richard Bauer (282 pts)
4. Russell Chester (273 pts)
5. Russ Heath (258 pts)

Novice Class
After 3 rounds of qualifying, Austin Weihl managed to claim the top qualifying honors!

Right after the start, Brayden Hart managed to take the lead, followed by Austin Weihl and Nick Chester, but Austin Weihl quickly made a pass to take over the lead. Nick Chester managed to squeeze by Brayden Hart on the very last lap to claim second behind Austin Weihl and Brayden Hart in third.
 

Results:
1. Austin Weihl
2. Nick Chester
3. Brayden Hart

Standings after 2 rounds:
1. Austin Weihl (302 pts)
2. Nick Chester (292 pts)
3. Brayden Hart (292 pts)
4. Kody Culbert (150 pts)
5. Jade Hoffmann (142 pts)

The organizers of the Michigan State Championship Series would like to thank everybody for coming out and supporting the series and helping it grow into the ultimate off-road series of Michigan. A very big thank you as well to the series sponsors: O'Donnell Racing Fuel, Duratrax Performance Tires, Pro-Line Racing, M2C Racing, Dirtburner Racing, Team Durango, TrakPower Speed Equipment, VP PowerMasters Fuel, Sumo R/C Racing Products and Advantage Racing Products. Also a big thanks to the crew at Granger Raceway for providing a great facility and a very well run program!

Round #3 will be at THE Track in Carleton, MI on June 15th 2013.

 

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