ROAR NATS: LiveRC is live on the scene in Texas!

0 June 18, 2014, 8:42 a.m.

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6/18/2014

By Aaron Waldron

LiveRC

Though LiveRC's streaming coverage of the 2014 ROAR Fuel Off-Road Nationals presented by AKA officially begins Thursday morning, the crew is already on the scene at the incredible Thornhill Racing Circuit in Hutto, TX setting up for what will surely be a fantastic event. After all, we're just four days away from the long main events that will decide the top racers in North America for two of the RC world's most prestigious racing divisions. LiveRC All Access passes are available for this weekend's event, unlocking real-time commentary from world-renowned race announcers Charlie Suangka and Scotty Ernst, interviews in the pits, and an inside look at what goes down this weekend that could only be surpassed by being here - all from the comfort of your home (away from the heat and humidity).

IMPORTANT LINKS

LIVE BROADCAST

PURCHASE ALL ACCESS PASS

CURRENT TIME IN HUTTO, TEXAS

MORE WAYS TO GET COVERAGE
LiveRC Facebook account -- various pictures and results
LiveRC Twitter account -- breaking news and live race updates throughout the weekend
LiveRC Instagram -- JConcepts Pit Report account -- pictures from the pits

LiveRC YouTube account -- RVA (Race Video Archive) recordings of all races available to All Access Pass members

Here's everything you need to know about this weekend's event:

If there's anyone with something to prove this weekend, it's Dakotah Phend. Runner-up in both classes in 2012, and by far the fastest in buggy qualifying last year, the 2013 2WD Modified Buggy National Champ is still looking for his first big nitro off-road win.

Oddly enough, we're less than 200 miles away from Porter, TX and the host of last year's event, Gulf Coast R/C Raceway. Run under a roof-covered track for the first time, the biggest story of last year's ROAR Nationals was Team Losi Racing superstar Dakotah Phend and his masterful domination of qualifying in the Buggy division - only to suffer a mechanical failure during the semi and miss out on a chance to race for the title.

Dakotah's TLR buggy was even faster on the track that it looked in the LiveRC photo studio, easily clinching TQ honors. A fluke mechanical error during the semi, however, knocked him out of contention even before the start of the main event.

After the drama of the Buggy semifinals had settled came 45 minutes of Truck racing, with TQ Tessmann repeating his 2012 victory by leading the pack into the first corner and never looking back. The wire-to-wire victory and full-lap interval back to second-place finisher Ryan Lutz told the tale of just how boring Ty and his Hot Bodies D8T made the race, while Mike Truhe logged one of the best finishes in his final year with TLR by finishing third before heading off to join Serpent.

(From left to right) Ryan Lutz, Ty Tessmann, Mike Truhe

Final Results (Truck)

With fastest qualifier Dakotah Phend out of the way, Tessmann was the heavy favorite to double up for the second year in a row. That's exactly what happened for more than half of the 60-minute final, until Tessmann too fell victim to mechanical gremlins that knocked him out of the race. The window of opportunity was blasted wide open yet again, and it was Phend's TLR teammate Adam Drake who took advantage. 'The Drake' held off the rest of the field and crossed the line for a victory lap before his closest challengers could make it by, becoming the first three-time class champion in history. Then-teammate Truhe completed a banner farewell weekend, edging former WC Cody King by five seconds for second overall.

(From left to right) Mike Truhe, Adam Drake, Cody King

Final Results (Buggy)

PAST ROAR FUEL OFF-ROAD CHAMPIONS

TRUCK

Year Driver Chassis Engine Tires 2006 Scott Hughes Mugen Seiki O.S. Pro-Line 2007 Taylor James Jammin' O.S. Pro-Line 2008 Ryan Maifield Kyosho GRP JConcepts 2009 Ryan Maifield Associated Reedy JConcepts 2010 Jared Tebo Kyosho Orion AKA 2011 Ryan Maifield Associated LRP JConcepts 2012 Ty Tessmann Hot Bodies O.S. Pro-Line 2013 Ty Tessmann Hot Bodies O.S. Pro-Line

BUGGY

YearDriverChassisEngineTires 1998 Derek Furutani Laro TOP Pro-Line 1999 Richard Saxton Thunder Tiger O'Donnell GRP 2000 Brian Kinwald Kyosho O.S. GRP 2001 Chad Bradley Kyosho O.S. Pro-Line 2002 Jeremy Kortz Kyosho O.S. Pro-Line 2003 Mark Pavidis Kyosho O.S. Pro-Line 2004 Jason Ashton Mugen Seiki JP Pro-Line 2005 Ryan Cavalieri Kyosho Sirio Pro-Line 2006 Ryan Maifield Thunder Tiger O.S. Pro-Line 2007 Adam Drake TLR Trinity Pro-Line 2008 Mike Truhe TLR GRP Pro-Line 2009 Adam Drake TLR Novarossi Losi 2010 Jared Tebo Kyosho Orion AKA 2011 Ryan Cavalieri Associated Orion Pro-Line 2012 Ty Tessmann Hot Bodies O.S. Pro-Line 2013 Adam Drake TLR Novarossi Pro-Line

Even in just today's early practice rounds, the large and fast TRC layout has identified itself as a major factor in how this weekend's on-track racing action will shake out. Keep checking LiveRC.com all weekend long for a behind-the-scenes scoop on the hottest stories from the pits, and stay tuned to the live broadcast so you don't miss a thing!