At Hayden, Idaho, the HRCR hosted the 2024 ROAR 1/8th Scale Off-Road Nitro Nationals last week. The track crew presented a challenging layout for racers of various skill levels to put their speed to the test. Competitors from across the country participated in the event to vie for the crown of North American National Champion in Nitro Buggy and Nitro Truggy.
The initial practice day saw wet and rainy conditions, but as the weekend progressed, excellent weather and tough competition awaited. During seeding practice, the team diligently worked on optimizing speed and refining their setups. The standout drivers in the early sessions were:
Nitro Truggy: Mason Fuller claimed the top spot with Phi-Long Nguyen trailing just by a hair’s breadth after their fastest three consecutive laps. Dakotah Phend and Ryan Maifield secured the 3rd and 4th positions, respectively.
Nitro Buggy: Mason Fuller once again dominated, this time leading by over a second. Ryan Maifield followed in 2nd place, while Dakotah Phend and Seth VanDalen settled for the 4th and 5th slots.
Qualifying rounds spanned over 2 days with 2 sessions each day. The top 2 out of 4 rounds determined the starting grid for the main events.
Nitro Truggy: Ryan Maifield and Mason Fuller claimed TQ honors in 2 rounds each, resulting in a tied TQ position, won by Fuller in the tiebreaker. Ryan Maifield settled for the 2nd starting position. Dakotah Phend secured 3rd place, with Jared Wiggins commencing from 5th.
Nitro Buggy: Dakotah Phend delivered a flawless qualifying performance in Nitro Buggy by TQ-ing all four rounds. Ryan Maifield followed with 2nd and 3rd place finishes to earn the 2nd starting position. Jared Wiggins and Mason Fuller found themselves in another dead heat for 3rd, with Jared claiming the spot this time. Brandon Rose rounded off the top 5 in qualifying.
The Main Events on Sunday featured ladder finals for Nitro Buggy and alphabet mains for Nitro Truggy. The Nitro Buggy TQ, Dakotah Phend, secured a direct spot in the main final from the pole position. The remaining top 23 drivers advanced to the semi-finals, with additional racers added through bump-ups.
Out of the semi-finals, joining Dakotah Phend in the Nitro Buggy main were Mason Fuller, Phi-Long Nguyen, Ryan Maifield, Jared Wiggins, Spencer Rivkin, Brandon Rose, Joe Bornhorst,Joey Bourdon and Lee Setser.
Nitro Truggy Main: The lead in the Nitro Truggy main changed hands multiple times during the final event. Ryan Maifield closely trailed Mason Fuller in the first half but eventually overtook him with clever maneuvering around slower competitors. Maifield’s lead extended to over 20 seconds by the end. Mason Fuller secured the second spot, with Dakotah Phend finishing 5 seconds behind in third place. Jared Wiggins and Cole Tollard completed the top 5 positions.
1st Ryan Maifield, 2nd Mason Fuller, 3rd Dakotah Phend
Nitro Buggy Main: The Nitro Buggy main race was fiercely fought throughout. Dakotah Phend, Mason Fuller, Ryan Maifield, and Phi-Long Nguyen all took turns holding the lead before the midway point. Eventually, it came down to a close battle between Maifield and Phend in the latter half. Despite multiple lead changes, Ryan Maifield managed to establish a considerable gap towards the end, securing the victory. Dakotah Phend settled for second place, while Phi-Long Nguyen delighted the crowd with a third-place finish. Brandon Rose also clinched a spot in the top 5 with a strong 4th place finish!
1st Ryan Maifield, 2nd Dakotah Phend, 3rd Phi-Long Nguyen
Ryan Maifield opted for A1 Rehab in the Nitro Buggy Main
In the Nitro Truggy Main, Ryan Maifield went for A2 Relapse
Dakotah Phend chose A2 Relapse for the Nitro Buggy Main
In Nitro Buggy Qualifying, Dakotah Phend decided on Blue Relapse
