Flashback Friday: Ryan Cavalieri sweeps the 2011 IFMAR 1:10 Offroad World Championships

 

 

Up until 2011, the only drivers in the past 20+ years to sweep an IFMAR 1:10 Offroad World Championship event was the great Masami Hirosaka in 1989, and Martin Achter at the boycotted South African event in 2009.

 

Coming into the 2011 IFMAR World Championships, it had been nearly 4 years since majority of the drivers had done battle for a 1:10 Offroad World Championship victory, as in 2009 the race was boycotted by most major teams and drivers claiming the location was unsafe for such an event, and chose not to attend. 

 

One driver who took the 4 year "vacation" to his advantage was none other than Team Associated's Ryan Cavalieri. Cav was no stranger to the World Championship winner's circle, as he already had 2 previous 4wd titles to his name going into the event. During the time between the 2007 and 2011 events, his 4wd domination, speed, and consistency would carry over to his 2wd racing. 
 

 
 

As qualifying got under way in Vaasa, Finland for the 2011 IFMAR 1:10 Offroad World Championships, there was no doubt that Cavalieri would be a front runner and contender for the title in both classes. He would go on to qualify 2nd in 2wd behind Neil Cragg, and 3rd in 4wd behind Ryan Maifield and Jorn Neumann.

 

In 2wd buggy it would be Jared Tebo winning A1, but he would struggle to keep pace with the Associated duo of Maifield and Cavalieri. Cavalieri would go on to win A2 and A3 securing the overall 2wd IFMAR World Championship win. 
 

  
 

In 4wd buggy A1 was a disaster for some, and a gift from the R/C Gods for others- most importantly, Ryan Cavalieri. The 2WD champ was able to capitalize on Jörn Neumann’s technical problems, which struck while the German had huge lead with only a few laps to go. Pretty much every driver in the top half of the field flirted with the lead but were unable to run more than two corners in succession without doing something stupid. Cavalieri was fortunate to gain the lead late in the race when there wasn’t much more time for him to throw it away like everyone else did.
 
 
Team Associated’s Ryan Cavalieri was able to secure the overall win in A2 after starting fourth on the grid, and battling his way through Jared Tebo, Jörn Neumann, and teammate Ryan Maifield. Maifield came up short on the quad, which allowed Neumann and the rest of the top three to pass and run off hiding. Neumann appeared ready to avenge his misfortunes from A1 and wheel his way to victory, but Cavalieri tracked him down within a couple laps. Neumann then carried a wheelie a little too aggressively through the washboard section and did a dragster-flip off the end of the track, allowing Cavalieri to take the lead and never look back. 

 

This meant a victory for Ryan Cavalieri in the 4wd class as well, which puts Cav in the history books as one of only a select few to sweep one of the most prestigious events in R/C car racing.

  

 

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