HobbyPLEX Team Associated Summer Series race report

 

The penultimate round of this year’s Team Associated Summer Series at the Plex took place August 17th at the HobbyTown USA Hobbyplex in Omaha, NE. Several championships were locked up, while others were blown wide open.

Plexspec Beginners

Just as everyone’s attention was fixed on point leaders Travis Hizer Jr. and Kaden Fuller, Clayton Wittmayer put down an untouchable TQ time in the opening qualifier. Kaden’s streak of TQ points through the first four rounds would come to an end. In the main, a massive pileup on the first lap sent most of the frontrunners to the back. Travis drove a smart race and crossed the line first. Clayton would settle for second and wonder what would have been if the first three rounds of the series had gone better. Adam Rutherford made another podium appearance in third. Travis now holds a one point lead on Kaden. Adam is guaranteed third overall six points back from Kaden, but well ahead of Clayton in fourth. If the last round finishes like it should, Travis and Kaden will start one and two, then cross the line in a photo finish while giving each other a thumbs up as “Thunder in Your Heart” by John Farnham plays in the background. Keep your eyes and your ears tuned.
 

Stock Truck

Both stock classes are still in play, but just barely. Brian Valles came out swinging Saturday with a fast time. In the main, Don Drozd grabbed the lead on lap four and never looked back. Cole Henriksen took a nice second place finish. Jeremy Heerde from Sioux Falls, South Dakota finished third. Brian would finish sixth. In the grand scheme of things, Brian’s bad day won’t hurt him too bad. Mathematically, Cole still has a shot, but he needs to finish three spots ahead of Brian. A tie would go to Brian with the better throw out score. Cole has to look out as well, because Don Drozd could easily take over second with a whole bunch of mind numbing scenarios.


Stock Buggy

Coming into Saturday, eight-year-old Mason Fuller clung to a two-point lead over Brian Valles. Brian started the day with another solid run and snagged the TQ point. Mason would start third. At the tone it looked like Brian might walk away, but a crash lap shuffled him back to fifth. Mason had his own issues early and was mired in the back of the pack for the first part of the race. While all that was going on, Brian Cox drove smooth and steady to a lap lead and the win. Jeremy Heerde took another podium with his new carbon fiber X-Factory buggy. Mason Fuller came back to finish where he qualified. Brian Valles finished right behind him. With the TQ point, Brian tied Mason in points for the day, which will lead us to a drama filled final round in September. Cole Henriksen, Jay Fairchild and Chris Pfligler are in a dead heat for third.
 

Pro-2 SCT

After round three it looked as if Team Associated’s Alex Vanderbeek might be able to coast to the finals. It’s still an uphill battle for the rest of the field, but the race has tightened to a few points. Local Kyosho driver Dillan Voelker has put together back to back TQ’s and wins. Dillan’s wire to wire win was impressive, but so was Alex’s battle to finish second. At the tone he dropped to fifth. Within a few laps he worked back to third behind local hot shoe Derek Wood. They swapped spots for another couple laps until Alex finally pulled ahead for good. Alex hasn’t finished outside of the top three all year, which is bad news for Dillan. Dillan is the reigning Pro-2 champ for three years in a row. He’ll need another TQ and win, plus a bad race from Alex to win this year’s series. A tie would go to Alex. Pro-2 will probably be the most anticipated race of the finals.
 

4wd Modified

The points system used for the summer series rewards consistency, which is why Team Associated’s Will Brinton is this year’s 4wd modified champ. His third wire to wire TQ and win of the season sealed the deal. X-Factory’s David Fast is assured second overall after another runner up performance. The battle to watch is for third. Only one point separates Brian Bernt and Dustin Hosick. Dustin has the better tie breaker so he needs to finish ahead of Brian in the finals to earn that final podium spot.
 

Novak SCB

For Don Drozd, his race day in Novak SCB was just a formality. All he had to do was finish within the top five and the poster on the wall would be his. Of course, Dillan Voelker wouldn’t go down without a fight. Don helped out his cause by putting down another TQ, but Dillan simply drove away from the field in the main. He posted a fast lap quicker than most Pro-2 trucks. Don crossed the line in second, doing what he needed to do. A growing theme in all the classes is the race for the final podium spot at the end of the year. Jason Andrews holds a one point lead over Rob Turner who has a two point lead over Jim Morgan.
 

Mod Buggy

For the third year in a row, Team Losi Racing’s Alex Sturgeon will be the summer series champion in mod buggy. Alex never finished outside of the top three, was top qualifier 4 out of 5 rounds and won three times. Alex and Hobbyplex local Derek Wood battled back and forth for the first part of the main on Saturday, but a mistake from Derek let Alex slip away. Team Associated’s Will Brinton finished a much needed third. Will and Derek are making their mark as the other fast guys to look out for in Omaha. The points race to watch will be for second and third. Derek Wood’s strong second half of the season has catapulted him to second place. Team Associated’s Mack Vanderbeek sits third, one point back. All the pressure will be on Derek’s shoulders to hold Mack off.
 

Mod Truck

Derek Wood continued to show his muscle in Mod Truck. He set an untouchable TQ time in the first round well ahead of the field. In the main, Alex Sturgeon returned to familiar territory on the third lap. Derek settled for second and newcomer to mod truck Brian Bernt finished off the top three. Alex’s win secured him his second title of the series. Even though he was missing from the weekend, Team Associated’s Mack Vanderbeek still holds on to second, five points ahead of Derek Wood. Once again the remaining order of a modified podium comes down to Mack and Derek.
 

Pro-4 SCT

Dustin Hosick’s big start to the season and consistent top three finishes has earned him this year’s Pro-4 championship. It seemed that he would bag another TQ and win on Saturday, but a stripped a wheel on the last lap shuffled him to third. Last year’s champ, Mark Gengenbach won the day. Durango’s Nick Pavel finished second. What’s really cool is the three way battle for second and third. Mark, Nick and super dad Mike Fuller are within one point of each other. If the Plexspec kids get a John Farnham song, then their dads in Pro-4 get “Winner Takes All” by Sammy Hagar. It seems appropriate.
 

The finals take place September 14th. Thanks to this year’s title sponsor Team Associated. Without them our year would not have been successful. Our door prize sponsors need mentioned as well. Thanks to TLR, Team Orion, Dynamite, Novak, Futaba, Duratrax, Team Durango, Lunsford, Pro-line, Jconcepts, AKA, Panther, Traxxas, MIP, RPM, Kyosho, and HPI for their support. 

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