2018 Lonestar Nitro Challenge recap

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Tyler Hooks

0 May 30, 2018, 8:33 a.m.

By Tyler Hooks
LiveRC.com

This past weekend was the 2018 Lonestar Nitro Challenge at Thornhill Raceway put on by Joey Christiansen and directed by Jimmy Babcock. The three day event was pretty standard with Friday practice, Saturday qualifying, and Sunday mains plus the always popular horseshoe tournament. As far as the racing went, Team Associated's Jake Dellinger would take the TQ honors in Pro Buggy and Pro Ebuggy with Dillon Caldwell taking TQ in Pro Truggy. 

In Pro Buggy Jake Dellinger and Dillon Caldwell would break away from the field early with Tekno's Tyler Hooks not far behind, but with Tyler having a DNF early on, the race for 3rd was seemingly Team Associated's Austin Jeffries' until Xray's Ethan Lefebvre mounted a late race charge to take over the spot. Jake Delligner would come out victorious after a lengthy battle with Caldwell which ended in a flame out for the HB privateer, Caldwell would rebound to finish 2nd.

Pro Truggy would see Dillon Caldwell walk away from the field, Ethan Lefebvre who ran 2nd for about half the race would run into problems taking him out of the race and promoting Tyler Hooks to 2nd and HB Racing's Chris Marrant to 3rd after a 45  minute battle with Mugen's Miguel Villalobos for the final podium spot.

Finally in Pro Ebuggy with a double A main format there was little margin for error. Tyler Hooks would take the A1 victory with Austin Jeffries finishing 2nd after a late race mistake from Jake Dellinger who would round out 3rd. In A2 Hooks would fall back to the end of the field early but would rebound to finish 3rd. Austin Jeffries would hold off Jake Dellinger to take the A2 victory with Dellinger finishing 2nd. Jeffries would take the overall win, with Hooks in 2nd, and Dellinger 3rd.

Expert Buggy: 1st Brian Rohde, 2nd Luis Gudino, 3rd Nick Lefebvre, 4th Nick Vanderpool, 5th Brian Beck

40+ Truggy: 1st Nick Vanderpool, 2nd Aaron Royston, 3rd Kieth West

Intermediate Truggy: 1st Luis Petz, 2nd Chris Lawson, 3rd Ryan Murphey

Intermediate Ebuggy: 1st Daniel Cantu, 2nd Christopher West, 3rd Emilio Gudino, 4th Tony Paulini, 5th Parker Riggs

40+ Ebuggy: 1st Quincy Hughes, 2nd Forrest St. Clair, 3rd Nick Vanderpool

Intermediate Etruggy: 1st Tony Paulini, 2nd Parker Riggs, 3rd Brian Kerr

Expert Etruggy: 1st Quincy Hughes, 2nd Rocco Margiotta, 3rd Daniel Grobe

Expert Ebuggy: 1st Brian Rohde, 2nd Matt Lawton, 3rd Jonathan Coral, 4th Daniel Grobe, 5th Cauy Moore

Expert Truggy: 1st Todd Geary, 2nd Rob Allen, 3rd Clay Grantham, 4th Wyatt Beiter, 5th Cauy Moore

40+ Buggy: 1st Casey Peck, 2nd Reggie Tongue, 3rd Forrest St. Clair