FLASHBACK FRIDAY: The final Cactus Classic under the Arizona sun [REPLAY]

0 March 5, 2015, 7:47 p.m.

By Aaron Waldron

LiveRC.com

Everybody knows that Friday is meant for reminiscing old times. Each week we take you back in time as we flashback to some of R/C racing's greatest moments, products, drivers, and more!

Flashback: 2014

The final Cactus Classic held outdoors at SRS

In 2013, the Hobbytown USA franchise that took over Scottsdale R/C Speedway announced its plans to move the track operations - and with it, one of the oldest races in RC history - to a new indoor location. Just weeks before last year's Cactus Classic, however, came the announcement that the new facility wasn't going to be ready in time, and the electric off-road world got a second chance at "the last Cactus to be held outdoors." The typically tacky and abrasive SRS dirt was blanketed in sugar, creating an enormous level of grip, and a tough layout including big jumps and huge elevation changes pushed even the world's best to the brink every lap.

Modified 2WD Buggy

Last year's Cactus Classic was the first opportunity for 2013 ROAR National Champion Dakotah Phend to prove that his Nats victory was no fluke. The young Michigander was near the top of the charts throughout practice and carried that progress over when the clock turned on. Phend earned overall TQ honors and held off Ryan Maifield in both A1 and A2 to lock up the victory, with Maifield beating then-AE teammate Cavalieri to round out the podium.

Final Results:

Phend, Dakotah (TQ)
Maifield, Ryan
Cavalieri, Ryan
Tebo, Jared
Lutz, Ryan
Tessmann, Ty
Fischer, Billy
Neumann, Jorn
Amezcua, Travis
Evans, Dustin
Rivkin, Spencer

Modified 4WD Buggy

Jörn Neumann, driving for Team Durango in 2014, surprised the field by setting the fastest times in two of the four rounds of qualifying to earn Top Qualifying honors - but his luck ran out by the start of A1. Fourth qualifier Ryan Maifield made the most of Neumann's misfortune in the first A-Main and took the win ahead of Dakotah Phend and Ty Tessmann, but struggled in A2 leaving the door open for defending national champion Ty Tessmann to force a title-deciding A3 as he won over Phend and Jared Tebo. With multiple drivers still in contention heading into A3, Neumann finally pulled it all together and drove away from the field while Tessmann and Maifield battled for second - which would determine the overall. Maifield outlasted Tessmann in a fight to the finish, earning his fourth straight Cactus Classic victory in 4WD and his 14th - and last - for Team Associated.

Final Results:

Maifield, Ryan
Tessmann, Ty
Phend, Dakotah
Neumann, Jorn
Fischer, Billy,
Lutz, Ryan
Wernimont, Carson
Tebo, Jared
Cavalieri, Ryan
Borkowicz, Daimon
Numedahl, Kody

Modified Stadium Truck

While the buggy classes were packed with talent, all three truck divisions were only sprinkled with factory stars. Jared Tebo started from the front of the grid after being the fastest driver in qualifying, but German sensation Jörn Neumann won the first A-Main over Ryan Cavalieri and Billy Fischer. Tebo rebounded, however, and locked up the championship by winning A2 and A3 while Neumann hung on for second and Centro-equipped Billy Fischer finished third.

Final Results:

Tebo, Jared
Neumann, Jorn
Fischer, Billy
Cavalieri, Ryan
Gardner, Mitchell
Denney, Tanner
Hartson, Steven
Pillars, Joe
Spear, Scott
Kinwald, Brian

Modified 2WD Short Course

The 2WD short course class unfolded as a two-horse race between Ryan and Ryan, with Cavalieri earning the upper hand in qualifying. The two were at it again in A1, and Maifield edged his rival by less than a half a second to take the win with TLR's Chris Wheeler in third. Cavalieri held on for the A2 victory while Durango's Travis Amezcua squeezed ahead of Maifield for second by just two-tenths of a second, forcing a third A-Main to determine the overall. Cavalieri used the advantage of starting up front to hang on ahead of Maifield and Wheeler in A3, which cemented the final finishing order.

Final Results:

Cavalieri, Ryan
Maifield, Ryan
Wheeler, Chris
Rivkin, Spencer
Amezcua, Travis
Evans, Dustin
Truhe, Mike
Wernimont, Carson,
Turner, Cody
Kinwald, Brian

Modified 4WD Short Course

With just a single A-Main used to determine the winner of the 4WD short course class, it was up to TLR's Dakotah Phend to ward off challenges from Durango teammates Ryan Lutz, Jörn Neumann, and Travis Amezcua. Phend did just that from the TQ spot on the grid, pulling away from Lutz and Neumann to hang on for his second championship of the weekend.

Mod 4wd Short Course Truck Final Results:

Phend, Dakotah
Neumann, Jorn
Lutz, Ryan
Amezcua, Travis
Jenson, David
Arredondo, Carlos
Gatton, Kenny
Forrest, Dawn
Harmon, Dan
Popham, Sean

Heading into next week's race under the roof and on the clay of the new Hobbytown USA in Phoenix, we can throw out everything we know about what it's like racing at the Cactus Classic - but last year's event, like the 27 that came before it, will forever be etched into RC racing history.

Flashback Friday

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