Round #2 of the Michigan State Championship Series at Dirt Burner Raceway and Hobbys Shop in Livonia was extremely well attended. With 171 entries and 23 heats the racers voted nearly unanimously to shorten the program to include just two qualifiers after the first round. Some of the fastest racers in the area were in attendance including national champion Dakotah Phend. The high traction technical track provided for very close racing in all classes.

Nitro Buggy A-Main

The Nitro Buggy class was very well attended and proved to be very competitive with racers filling four mains, A-D. Dylan Gerard took TQ and the Nitro A-Main win with his TLR 8ight 3.0 buggy. Dylan was the only racer to run a hundred lap race in the thirty minute main. Shane Racer started second on the grid behind Dylan and managed to defend his position for the entire race. Jay Churra started third on the grid but finished sixth. Mike Marshall qualified sixth but worked his was up to finish third with ninety five laps. Positions three through sixth were tough battles throughout the race. Michael Weihl finished fifth just 8.239 seconds behind Mike “Chedda” Legue.

Top 5
Dylan Gerard
Shane Racer
Mike Marshall
Chedda
Michael Weihl

Points after Round #2
Michael Weihl 290
Jay Churra 282
Mike Marshall 281
Chedda 278
Tony Carnes 276

Nitro Truggy

            TLR’s Kevin Morales and Mike Marshall finished first and second both on a 98 lap pace. Chad Shorkey finished third followed by Joey Genovese and Brian Scott.

Top 5
Kevin Morales
Mike Marshall
Chad Shorkey
Joey Genovese

Points After Round #2
Mike Marshall 296
Chad Shorkey 295
Brian Scott 285
Jay Churra
Joey Genovese

2wd Short Course

Gary Watts took both TQ and the win. George Berridge started second on the grid followed by Tom Erickson. Gary managed to run a 21 lap race in 7:15. George ran a 19-lap race, as did Tom who finished just 9.57 seconds behind him. Darrel Allan, Joey Genovese and Dennis Sauvage finished fourth-sixth respectively and all finished with 18 laps. 2wd SC is proving to be one of the closest classes this year.

Top 5
Gary Watts
George Berridge
Tom Erickson
Darrel Allan

 Points after Round #2
George Berridge 297
Joey Genovese 283
Dennis Sauvage 297
Gary Watts 152
Tom Tanner 148

4wd Short Course

With TLR’s Dakotah Phend in attendance this was obviously one of the most exciting races to watch. Dakotah took both TQ and the win nearly running a twenty five lap pace but just missing it to run a 24 lap race in 7:00.524. Gary Watts started third on the grid and finished a lap behind Dakotah running a 23 lap pace in 7:19. Bradely Rippee qualified second but finished third. Dakotah had a blisteringly fast 16.943 fast lap for the race. Jimbo finished fourth followed by George Berridge.

Top 5
Dakotah Phend
Gary Watts
Bradley Rippee
Jimbo
George Berridge

Points after Round #2
Bradley Rippee 299
Seth Rippee 284
Doyle Strappazon 278
George Berridge
Stephen Marlen

2wd Buggy

2wd Buggy is a free class in the Michigan State Championship Series but it is still very competitive. The top five competitors in the A-main raced very closely. Positions one through four all finished the race in their qualifying position but all traded positions on the track throughout the seven minute race. Gary Watts took the win with 22 laps in 7:13.313 followed by Chris Peterson who finished just 2.118 seconds after Gary. Michael Weihl was just 4.329 seconds behind Chris. Conner Stanley finished fourth and Josh Short finished fifth just 11.135 seconds after Stanley.

Top 5
Gary Watts
Chris Peterson
Michael Weihl
Conner Stanley
Josh Short

Points after Round #2
Michael Weihl 293
George Berridge 280
Lorie 246
Gary Watts 152
Dakotah Phend 152

1/10 4wd Buggy

The 1/10 4wd buggy class provided very close racing and the top three all finished within seconds of each other. Chris Peterson took the win after completing twenty three laps in 7:05:990. Jimbo finished behind Chris by just 2.392 seconds and RJ hart was just 8.880 seconds behind. Aaron Arnet finished fourth followed by Ron Jackson in fifth.

Top 5
Chris Peterson
Jimbo
RJ Hart
Aaron Arnett
Ron Jackson

Points after Round #2
RJ Hart 290
George Berridge 289
Aaron Arnett 282
Stephen Marien 270
Ron Jackson 273

1/8 Electric Buggy

TLR swept the podium of the 10-minute A-main with the 8ight-E 3.0 buggy. Dakotah Phend finished first followed by Kevin Morales and Bradley Rippee. Team Durango’s Edwin Hartman finished fourth followed by Paul Edwards in fifth.

Top 5
Dakotah Phend
Kevin Morales
Bradley Rippee
Edwin Hartman
Paul Edwards

Points after Round #2
Bradley Rippee 297
Paul Edwards 288
Chedda 284
Seth Rippee
Edwin Hartman

Electric Truggy

Bradley Rippee took both TQ and win in electric truggy. Bradley completed 33 laps in 10:11 with a fast lap of 17.480. Seth Rippee finished second after completing 32 laps in 10:05. Jeff Waltz started second on the grid and finished third just .651 seconds behind Seth!

Top 5
Bradley Rippee
Seth Rippee
Jeff Waltz
Ron Jackson
Joey Genovese

Points after Round #2
Bradley Rippee 304
Seth Rippee 293
RJ Hart 287
Joey Genovese 284
Ron Jackson 281

Novice Class

The Novice class is designed to showcase the next generation of racers. The technical track layout was challenging but the Novice Class racers rose to the challenge. Austin Weihl took both TQ and the win followed respectively by Tony Gentz and Ethen Gentz. Austin ran an 18 lap race in 7:16 while Tony Gentz completed 15 laps in 7:14. Austin’s Hotbodies truck was dialed and held the fastest lap in the novice class of 21.946. Ethan Followed closely

Top 5
Austin Weihl
Ryker Haaksma
Brayden S
Austin Homer
Reese Maul

Points after Round #2
Austin Weihl 302
Brayden S 149
Tony Gentz 148
Ryker Haaksma 147
Ethen Gentz 146

The Michigan State Championship Series would like to thank our sponsors, Nankin Hobby, VP-Pro USA, TRL Racing, Dirt Burner Racing, M2C Racing, and VP Power Master Fuels. The MSCS would not be possible without the support of our sponsors and the help of our local tracks. The Michigan State Championship series would like to extend our thanks to Dirtburner Hobbies and Raceway for providing an awesome track and facility.

We are looking forward to seeing everyone at Central Michigan Raceway in Ithaca Michigan, on May 31^st for round #3.

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