Team Associated TC7 prototype scored two ROAR national titles

ADVERTISEMENT | ADVERTISE WITH US

By Aaron Waldron
LiveRC.com

Race report from Team Associated:
www.teamassociated.com

Tamiya Raceway in Aliso Viejo, CA is considered the finest on-road racing facilities in the U.S. and was host to the 2015 ROAR On-Road Nationals. The top U.S drivers were on hand to battle it out on the newly surfaced track in unusually hot, humid, and rainy conditions.

It is no secret that Team Associated has been developing a new touring car. The TC7 prototypes, now equipped with even more new parts and production suspension geometry, dominated the 13.5 and Modified classes. 

The TC7 prototypes of Ryan Cavalieri and Rick Hohwart were the class of the field in the Modified class. Never challenged, these two drivers were left to battle it out for the win. Rick was the top seed entering qualifying and topped the time sheets in each of the first two qualifying rounds. Ryan stormed back in round three with the fastest time to set up a round four showdown to determine the top qualifier. By a mere .25 seconds, Cavalieri took the round win and the advantageous TQ position with a better tie-breaking score. Rick started second, with the TC7 prototypes of Keven Hebert and Randy Caster in third and fourth respectively. 

The main events were all TC7 prototypes. A-Main leg one started clean until turn two where a slight bobble by Cavalieri let Hohwart inside, but light contact sent Hohwart spinning into the infield. Cavalieri took advantage and cruised to an easy win followed by Hebert. Hohwart charged back from sixth to take the third position. 

In leg two, Cavalieri and Hohwart ran nose to tail, no more than a second apart for the entire race, with Cavalieri taking the win and his fifth ROAR National Championship of 2015. Hebert crossed the line in third. With the win out of reach and second overall virtually guaranteed, Rick Hohwart went all out in leg three to take the win while setting the fastest single lap time and fastest overall run of the three main events. Hebert completed the TC7 prototype podium sweep with Team Associated/Reedy factory driver Eric Albano in fifth and Team Associated's Randy Caster in seventh. 

The 13.5 class followed a similar script. Keven Hebert's TC7 prototype was the number-one seed heading into qualifying. He and Rick Hohwart split the qualifying at two rounds apiece with the tie-breaker going in Keven's favor. The pair, powered by Reedy's all-new Sonic 540-M3 13.5 motor, fought it out nose to tail in the first two legs of the A Main, with Keven coming out on top both times to take the class victory. Rick had to settle for second position, with Kyle Bergstrom rounding out the top three. 

Special thanks to ROAR, Tamiya, and Fred Medel for organizing this outstanding event, and to the participants for testing their skills against the best drivers in the U.S.