Ryan Maifield takes a double victory at 2014 Dirt Invert.
For the 2nd consecutive year, the JConcepts Dirt Invert took place just outside of Phoenix, AZ, and this time at Warehouse 3 Raceway. The triple A-main, Invert format was brought back to compliment an even larger turnout of just under 250 entries.
Team Associated / JConcepts drivers Ryan Maifield, Tanner Denney, Spencer Rivkin and Tommy Hinz battled some of Arizona’s finest TLR drivers such as Chris Wheeler and Charles Hicks. The man behind the race format, Brian “Dirt” Kinwald, was on hand promoting the newly released RC10 Worlds car and also taking a shot at some of the best drivers in the regional areas.
As racing started it was clear the drivers to beat in qualifying were Ryan Maifield in 4wd modified and Spencer Rivkin in 2wd modified. Both Ryan and Spencer used their watered track runs to perfection turning in blistering runs in the 18 lap range. Qualifying was sorted by fastest single run so both drivers were able to hold their positions throughout the 3 rounds of qualifying while all other positions changed each round. 8 drivers would sit in the A-main and 2 drivers from each main could bump-up from lower mains.
The A-mains started with Ryan Maifield taking 4wd and 2wd modified A1’s to jump into the points lead while Tanner Denney and Spencer Rivkin earned 2nd place finishes in 2wd and 4wd respectively.
A2 began with Maifield in the last starting position, however, it wasn’t long before he was up front in 4wd with Tanner Denney in 2nd. With 2 laps to go Maifield popped a ball-cup allowing Tanner by on the last lap to scoop up a victory. In the 2wd main, Tommy Hinz got a great start and led from the tone. Spencer Rivkin moved up to apply pressure but mistakes dropped him back just enough to allow Tommy some breathing room. Toward the end Maifield recovered to pull into 3rd while Spencer and Tommy battled it out for the win. On the last turn, Spencer was able to get a full rotation on the buggy and squeeze inside Tommy just at the finish line to complete a wild finish.
A3’s once again belonged to Maifield. Starting 9th and 8th, Ryan worked his way quickly to the front of the pack with his most impressive drives of the weekend. In 4wd, Maifield completely checked out and the JConcepts equipped B44.2 was rocking out front picking up his 2nd 4wd victory of the day and scoring 1,2,1 to easily take the overall victory. Spencer Rivkin finished 2nd and Tanner Denney 3rd.
The 2wd main was critical in the early moments as Ryan made his way to the front. 2 cars made contact and Maifield tried to squeeze by. Maifield flipped sending him to the back of the pack while Charles Hicks and Chris Wheeler were up front. Other points competitors, Spencer Rivkin, Tanner Denney and Tommy Hinz also got unfortunate starts and were sitting mid to back of the pack. Maifield hammered down on the B5M moving from 9th to 3rd and into 2nd. Maifield took the lead coming on the front straightaway and never looked back on his way to another victory. Tanner Denney battled into the top 3 to gain valuable positions as well as Tommy and Spencer. In the end Maifield, grabbed the overall with a 1,3,1 while Tanner Denney finished 2nd, Spencer Rivkin 3rd and Tommy Hinz 4th.
The top 3 positions in both modified classes relied on JConcepts all weekend. The Silencer bodies and Hi-Clearance wings on the B5M’s provided the fit and force while Bar Codes in green compound with Dirt-Tech inserts provided the dominating grip all weekend.
17.5 buggy qualifying was intense all weekend and the mains proved to be even tougher. JConcepts driver Ashe Deering had the B5 on point and finished off the overall victory in A3 taking the well deserved win. Ashe’s car was sporting the JConcepts Silencer body, Hi-Clearance wing with Dirt Webs tires hooking the Warehouse 3 dirt.
13.5 buggy belonged to Tommy Hinz. The Arizona driver had his sights locked onto TQ and was able to snatch it early on in qualifying. The B5 rear motor car was flying and Tommy’s setup proved to be too much taking an A1 and A2 victory. Hinz locked up the overall with a 5th in A3. The B5 was decked out with Silencer body, Hi-Clearance wing and glued to the track with green compound Bar Codes.
