Race Report

Cavalieri Wins, Tebo TQs Pro Gas Truck At The Nitro Challenge

Event: Nitro Challenge Location: The Dirt Race Park – Hemet, CA Dates: 2/15/06 – 2/19/06

 

Top 3 Pro Gas Truck: Jared Tebo (2nd place), Ryan Cavalieri (winner), and Adam Drake (3rd place)

Synopsis:

Looking to kick off 2006 offroad gas season in style, Team Associated, along with all the other top manufacturers, descended upon Hemet, Calif. to the Dirt Race Park. Known for his challenging, flowing layouts, Joey Christiansen designed a track that not only held up to the unpredictable weather, but also to a record 500 entries among Gas Truck, Truggy and 1/8th Scale.

In the Pro Gas Truck category, Jared Tebo left off right where he finished 2005. Jared took his Factory Team GT to the #1 qualifying spot by TQ’ing the first and second rounds of qualifying, while his teammates Ryan Cavalieri and Ryan Maifield secured 2nd and 3rd on the grid.

After a clean first corner, Jared bobbled through the rhythm section, which allowed fellow GT drivers, Marty Korn and Ryan Maifield to sneak through and battle for the lead on the first lap. As the first few minutes expired, Korn continued to lead while his GT teammate Taylor James found his way in to second with Maifield in tow. A mis-timed jump through the rhythm section broke James’ truck while popping a ballcup off Maifield’s GT. This incident allowed Korn to stretch his lead and Ryan Cavalieri to inherit the second place position.

As the first pit stops approached, Cavalieri worked his way to the lead while Tebo continued to battle through the pack. Korn had a few untimely crashes, which allowed the ever-present Adam Drake to vault in to the third position. For the next 30+ minutes there was a virtual “chess match” between the top three competitors. Cavalieri was content leading while maintaining a steady pace, Tebo was in position to take time off Cavalieri’s lead, while Drake was close enough to strike if disaster struck the top two.

In the end, Cavalieri held on to the lead and almost lapped the field, while Tebo was never able to fully recover from his first lap mishap. Congratulations to all those who made the “A” main and you know the phrase… "You still can’t beat a GT!"

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Results: Pro Gas Truck

Position	Name	Vehicle	Engine	Fuel
1	Ryan Cavalieri	FT GT	Orion	Sidewinder
2	Jared Tebo	FT GT	O’Donnell	O’Donnell
3	Adam Drake	AD2	Sirio	Trinity
4	Marty Korn	FT GT	Orion	O’Donnell
5	Mike Truhe	AD2	Sirio	Trinity
6	Ryan Maifield	FT GT	LRP	O’Donnell
7	Richard Saxton	FT GT	O’Donnell	O’Donnell
8	Jimmy Babcock	AD2	O’Donnell	O’Donnell
9	Cody King	FT GT	Orion	Sidewinder
10	Jesse Robbers	AD2	Fantom
11	Travis Amezcua	AD2	Sirio	Trinity
12	Taylor James	FT GT	O.S.	O’Donnell
13	Shawn Blackwell	FT GT