Team Associated Dominance at the 2nd Annual Gun Smoke Classic!

Monday, Nov 25, 2013 at 12:00am UTC

IE/RC (Inland Empire R/C) hosted the 2nd Annual Gun Smoke Classic over the weekend of November 16-17. With over 270 entries and 37 heats, the race was well attended by racers from across the Southwest. Team Associated was out representing, with World Champion Steven Hartson leading the way, along with teammates Tanner Denney, Kody Numedahl, Kevin Motter, Jeff Helms, Spencer Rivkin, Nick Wautlet, and Richard Lake all making the journey.

Qualifying got underway Saturday with three rounds of rocket-round qualifying that lasted from 9am past 9pm. When the final tone sounded it was Team Associated’s Steven Hartson who dominated qualifying by taking the TQ in 2WD Modified, 4WD Modified and 1:8 Electric.

Sunday morning brought about the lower main events where the top two finishers from each lower main advanced to the next main. The highlight here was Nick Wautlet, who bumped all the way from the 2WD Expert Modified Buggy D Main to the A Main event. As the A Mains got underway, the track continued to evolve and challenge the racers to choose the best combination of tire and additive.

In the highly contested 2WD Expert Modified class, Steven Hartson took a comfortable win in A1, but things heated up in A2 and A3. In A2, Tanner Denney worked his way up to the tail of Hartson and with just a few laps remaining, Hartson crashed and broke-out, allowing Denney to cruise to the A2 victory and set a winner-take-all showdown in A3. Unfortunately for the newly crowned World Champ, Hartson, a failure again in A3 took him out of the main event, which put Denney in the driver’s seat to claim the overall victory, which he did. After all three mains were completed it was a 1-2-3 Team Associated sweep with an impressive set of main events from eighth qualifier Kevin Motter to finish 3rd overall with Barry Baker finishing 2nd overall. All three drivers used the B4.2 Factory Team with Centro conversion.

In the 4WD Expert Modified Class it was again a showdown between Hartson and Denney, with Hartson getting the better of the 18-year-old Denney in A1 and A3 to take the title. Denney banked his two second-place finishes to earn second overall while fellow Team Associated teammate Spencer Rivkin finished third overall, completing the second podium sweep for Team Associated, this time with the B44.2 Factory Team.

Riding his performance in the 2WD main events, Kevin Motter turned his second qualifying position in to victory in A1 and A2 of the Truck Modified class and secured the title with his T4.2 Factory Team.

The victories just kept on coming for Team Associated as Tanner Denney and his Reedy-powered SC10.2 Factory Team started from the TQ position and won A1 and A3 to take the 2WD Modified Short Course Title.

In probably the most dominant performance of the weekend, Steven Hartson and his RC8.2e Factory Team cleaned up in the 1:8 eBuggy class. While setting lap times at over a second per lap faster than the competition, Hartson was in a completely different category than the competition.

The Gun Smoke Classic is now in the books and the champions have been crowned. With long days and good racing, the IE/RC facility continues to be a popular destination for racers from across the Southwest. Team Associated would like thank the organizers and racers for a great event, and we’ll see you again next year.

Equipment Used:
2WD Modified – Tanner Denney
#9041 Factory Team RC10B4.2
#C0060 C4.2 Mid-Motor Conversion Kit
#238 Reedy Sonic 540 Mach 2 7.5 Modified
#310 Reedy 5700mAh 65C 7.4V Saddle Pack Competition LiPo Battery

4WD Modified – Steven Hartson
#9062 Factory Team B44.2 
#737 WolfPack 4800mAh Saddle 7.4V 25C

Truck Modified – Kevin Motter
#7025 Factory Team RC10T4.2
#239 Reedy Sonic 540 Mach 2 7.0 Modified
#309 Reedy 7000mAh 65C 7.4V Competition LiPo Battery

2WD Short Course Modified – Tanner Denney
#7038 SC10.2 Factory Team 
#239 Reedy Sonic 540 Mach 2 7.0 Modified
#309 Reedy 7000mAh 65C 7.4V Competition LiPo Battery

1:8 eBuggy – Steven Hartson
#80933 SC8.2e Ready-To-Run 
#311 Reedy 4600mAh 55C 14.8V Competition LiPo Battery


Pictures