It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a driver switch up sponsors and have this kind of weekend. The last time we saw a glimpse of this kind of magic was when Ryan Maifield switched to TLR, back in 2014, and came out winning 2wd and 4wd on his debut race. As awesome of a feat that it was, keep in mind it was at a JConcepts INS race hosted by Outback Raceway and the competition was not even close to what Dakotah faced in Columbus, Ohio, at the 33rd Annual Winter Midwest Championships.
For Dakotah Phend to adapt so quickly to the new JConcepts bodies, wings, rubber, is a testament of his dedication, talent, and desire to win. We all knew that the Phenom is a very talented wheel, but now with the support of JConcepts at the track, the results are simply amazing and we can’t wait for more. First thing’s first… The lightweight F2 on the TLR looks freakin’ dialed. With his paint on it, the natural body lines come to life and the results are proven. 3 classes, 3 TQ’s, 3 wins.
Looking at the front end of Dakotah’s 5.0 Elite 2wd buggy, you can see that he’s one of the few drivers that runs a tower front wing and not a low mounted front wing that’s so wildly popular today. He prefers the feeling that the tower wing gives him over the lower front wing and just replaces it after it gets beat. The JConcepts narrow Aero Front Wing got the job done and comes in a nifty pack of 2. Also, on Dakotah’s car is a prototype set of the JConcepts TLR 5.0 Fin Titanium Turnbuckles that come in TLR’s standard, 3.5mm diameter.
Since Dakotah isn’t sponsored by an ESC company, interestingly enough, he has the XR10 Pro installed and not the new G2. For servo, the Spektrum S6240RX combo servo/receiver mounted for ease and simplicity. Trinity 5000mah White Carbon for battery and X-Factor Modified for motor.
For those who are wondering, Dakotah has tested all the shocks and prefers the older 4.0 shocks with 3.5mm shafts as his “go to” set. He uses the JConcepts Hich Clearance wing on his 2wd and S-Type wing on his 4wd for rear-end downforce.
Because of the high grip and speed at the Ohio Factory, Dakotah used the long link in the front, but what also helped tame the steering down is the wide carcass of the silver Ellipse 2wd front tires. With a wide body that almost likes like a 4wd front tire, the steering feel comes in smoother and also adds stability and predictability in high traction situations.
Here’s a close up of the Dakotah’s front end, especially the unique caster block/spindle design that is now signature to TLR 2wds. A pair of AE grey front springs, narrow track and 2/2 for spindle height.
Making it look easy over the weekend, the silver Ellipse rear tires can take a lot of abuse given the fact that Dakotah is hard on the gas and going extremely fast around the track. With the stiff Dirt Tech inserts holding and transferring the power to the ground, the combination of dialed rubber and closed cell inserts really did the trick for Dakotah.
It’s not always your weekend every time you go to the track, but this magical weekend was Dakotah’s and we couldn’t be more excited for the Phenom. Congrats to Dakotah on his flawless debut performance at the Winter Midwest Championships and we’re sure there are going to be more kick-ass weekends like this in the future!!
++ Winning Product Used by Dakotah Phend ++
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Body – Dakotah has tested all the bodies on his 2wd (I mean all the bodies) and prefers the feeling of the F2 body the most…. as of now. On his 22X-4, he’s been testing the JConcepts F2 prototype and has been loving it.
- JConcepts TLR F2 2wd body in lightweight (#0319),
- JConcepts TLR 22X-4 Prototype F2 4wd body in lightweight (#XXXX)
- JConcepts TLR Finnisher 22-T Truck Body in lightweight (#0367)
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Wings – From his testing, Dakotah likes the High Clearance wing on his 2wd and the Aero S-Type on his 4wd and actually adjusts his gurney according to how his car feels and needs. Dakotah also used the narrow tower wing for stability and smoothness.
- 2wd front wing – TLR 22 Aero Narrow Tower Wing (#0155)
- 2wd rear wing – High Clearance Wing (#0197)
- 4wd rear wing – Aero S-Type TLR rear wing (#0193)
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Tires – Most of the team preferred ground down slicks. They felt that it was easier to drive and more comfortable around the entire track. The silver compound proved to be easy to drive while being extremely fast on the track at CRCRC.
- 2wd front tires – Silver Ellipse 2.2” front tires (#3197),
- 4wd front tires – Silver Ellipse 2.2” 4wd front tires (#3198)
- 2wd/4wd Rear tires – Silver Ellipse 2.2” rear tires (#3196)
- Stadium Truck tires – Silver Ellipse 2.2″ Tirs (#3199)
- Foams – Many of the team drivers prefer harder foams when driving on high grip and the Dirt Tech foams were perfect for the slick tire conditions.
