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Manalvo and Knauth defend their NTP Offroad Championship titles

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Mike Garrison

0 June 25, 2012, 4:53 a.m.

6/25/2012

By Mike Garrison

LiveRC.com

OCR Raceway Race Report:

www.ocrraceway.com

Sergio Manalvo driving an OS powered MBX6R succesfully defends his Pro Buggy title against all comers winning all bar one of the qualifying rounds giving him the TQ and a big win in what can only be described as an intense 1 hour long A Main Final. And in the Short Course Truck class defending champ Tony Knauth, campaigning a Hobbywing powered Hobao, picks up the TQ with wins in 4 out of the 6 qualifying rounds, and takes a clean sweep of the 4 leg final to take out the 2012 Championship.

Throughout Pro Buggy qualifying Manalvo was in fine form, with only Knauth able to take a win against him in Round 2. The Top 6 qualifiers Manalvo, Knauth, Nicol, Ciccone, Tampe and Thomas going directly into the 10 car A Main, the final 4 grid positions to be decided in the B Final. Tom Dexter taking the B Final win running in front from start to finish to put himself in grid 7 for the A Main, with Aaron Dexter, Daniel White and Jai Dolkefflee filling the final 3 positions.

In Truck qualifying, Knauth taking strong wins in the first 4 rounds, with Tim Nicol taking round 5 and Phil Ciccone taking a 0.60 sec win over Knauth in round 6. The all rounds count multi leg finals getting underway at aprox 10.30pm, with Knauth getting out early in F1 ahead of Miller and Nicol, Knauth setting a new lap record of 31.373 and FTD of 13 laps in 7m 24.263 secs, Tampe and Harris fourth and fifth. F2 saw Knauth again going even harder breaking the lap record again with a 30.914 secs putting a lap on the field, Nicol taking a strong second over Ussher and Harris. F3 saw another lap record with Knauth resetting it again with a 30.901 secs, and taking the win ahead of Miller and Ussher holding on for third ahead of Nicol and Harris, Davies, Offord, Dayap, Tampe and Ciccone rounding out the Top 10. F4 the final round saw Knauth setting a new Holeshot of 49.217 secs and taking a clean sweep, Miller close this time finishing just 0.204 secs behind, Nicol 4 secs back in third Harris and Dayap fourth and fifth.

The Pro Buggy A Final getting underway just after 11.00pm, with Manalvo and Knauth off the front row, Manalvo getting away clean, Knauth getting caught up in turn 3 dropping to last, Nicol, Tampe and Ciccone setting out after the leader, the B Final winner Tom Dexter in the chase also. Manalvo never really being challenged throughout for the lead, it was left to the rest to battle it out for the final podium positions. Nicol having dramas on lap 44 costing him an chance, Dexter moving into second 2 laps down from the leader, Tampe battling with Ciccone for third, Knauth coming back through the field racing hard against Aaron Dexter for fifth spot. Daniel White breaking on lap 65 and pulling out unable to return. Ciccone having issues on lap 72 letting Knauth into fourth who was struggling with a broken front shock, doing well to hang on, surprisingly only a few seconds off the pace. Ciccone running in fifth ahead of Aaron Dexter, Dylan Thomas just behind in seventh, Jai Dolkefflee, Tim Nicol and Daniel White rounding out the Top Ten. After a gruelling 1 hour and 12.681 secondsand 114 laps it was Manalvo taking the 2012 title ahead of West Australian driver Tom Dexter on 111 laps, Nathan Tampe had been closing the gap to finish 15.573 secs back in third, Knauth in fourth on 104 laps, and Ciccone fifth on 103 laps.

A huge congratulations to the winners of all the finals and classes, and a big thank-you to all the competitors that raced, giving all they had, making this a fantastic event, with an awesome atmosphere, great people and intense racing action.

And of course and big show of gratitude for our most gracious sponsors and supporters!