Team Associated Victorious at 29th Pro-Line Cactus Classic

Thursday, Mar 26, 2015 at 12:00am UTC

2015 began a new era for the Pro-Line Cactus Classic. The long-standing location in the heart of famous downtown Scottsdale, AZ relocated to central Phoenix and is now a part of a shared complex that contains go karts, an arcade, slot cars, and a full-service kitchen. The new Hobbytown/SRS boasts a large indoor track that contains over 1,000 tons of mostly clay which allows for large elevation changes, formed obstacles, and high-grip conditions.

With 28 years of running the event under the beautiful Arizona sun, the 29th running of the Pro-Line Cactus Classic had a lot of heritage to live up to. Racers from all over the world were eager to visit the new facility and become the first champions of the new era. Team Associated was on hand as well to support the event and racers while competing to bring home some hardware of their own.

In the Racing Truck Modified class, Team Associated’s Ryan Cavalieri put his brand-new RC10T5M on pole and was joined by teammates Spencer Rivkin (4th), Steven Hartson (5th), Carson Wernimont (7th) and Brent Thielke (10th). The track conditions proved to be challenging and the triple A-Main events didn’t go as planned for top qualifier Cavalieri, who finished second overall; however, his time in the third A-Main was the fastest of them all as the team continued to tune the T5M Team Kit.

Team Associated vehicles were also the most popular in the 2WD Modified Buggy class where they occupied Ryan Cavalieri (2nd), Spencer Rivkin (4th), Carson Wernimont (7th) and Steven Hartson (10th). A close battle that came down to A3 saw Cavalieri finish second overall with his 3-gear equipped B5M.

In the 4WD Modified class, going in to the final qualifier, there was a three-way tie for top qualifier honors with Ryan Cavalieri in the hunt with his B44.3 Factory Team. With the grid set for the main, Cavalieri settled in to third on the grid while teammates Carson Wernimont, Spencer Rivkin, and Steven Hartson again made Team Associated vehicles the most popular in the main event, rounding out eighth through tenth on the grid. In A1 and A2, Cavalieri showed he meant business and came out with a blistering pace unmatched by anyone to claim his first Cactus Classic title at the new indoor facility.

With over 70 entries in the 17.5 2WD Buggy class, Team Associated again dominated this class by having B5M-based vehicles occupy all ten spots in the main event. As the 7-minute final played out, Team Associated’s rising female driver Kamryn Ayers found herself in a position to contest for the win. With the whole hometown facility behind her, the 13-year old local remained calm, worked her way to the lead on lap 17 of 20, and never looked back. As she took her victory lap, the Hobbytown/SRS crowd erupted with applause and awe as Ayers crossed the finish line as the first female to win the Cactus Classic.

With a large facility, well-stocked hobby shop, pit tables, and on-site recreation, the new Hobbytown/SRS has a lot to offer racers and spectators alike. We look forward to seeing this facility continue to grow, and now with their first major event under their belt at the new location, anticipate many more to come.


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