I'm running the big bores on mine. 55 pistons front and rear with 30wt oil both front and rear as well with Kyosho Yellow in front and Kyosho Gold in the rear. I never tried running the big bore springs on the stock shock as I just went straight to this setup after the stock spring/shock combo. I have yet to try cutting the upper deck but if I can get a chance to run on clay before the Reedy Race (I don't see this happening) I will give it a try for sure. I am not running the Lee Martin modification that Brad posted on his trf blog, however I have the camber links right down as low as possible with the stock setup. I have only added weight between the batteries and I'm not going to lie I put wayyy too much effort into stuffing a ton of weight back there

My setup is not perfect and does lack high speed steering but serves as a decent starting point for most clay tracks as far as running the big bores go. I am also running the JC Finnisher body which has more steering than the Tamiya body.

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For the last three years the start of winter has been marked by one of the best indoor off-road races of the year. I'm of course talking about the Spektrum Electric Off-Road Championships hosted by S&N's Trackside Hobbies in Brookfield, Wisconsin. Drivers from all over North America travel to this suburb of Milwaukee to go toe-to-toe for the coveted title of Spektrum Race Champion. This year's event was no exception as some of the best in the world were on-hand. 2011 IFMAR World Champion Ryan Cavalieri, 2011 Reedy Race of Champions, ROAR National Champion and defending Spektrum Race Champion Dustin Evans, Mike True, Brent Theilke, Kevin Gahan and many other top drivers competed over the course of three days.
As in previous years, we have compiled video coverage of each and every A-Main from the Spektrum Race. We didn't stop at just the factory modified classes either, as each A-Main that was run, including the Sportsman, Slash and SCB classes, are here in their entirety. You can also check out our photo gallery from the event, which is also featured below. As always, we'd like to thank all those who attended the 2011 Spektrum Electric Off-Road Championships, as it is the drivers and the competitors who make this event truly special.

Photo Stream

2WD Modified Buggy

The A-Main 1 of 2WD Mod was amazing! Ryan Cavaleiri took the early lead but Chad Due and Dustin Evans went head-to-head for second. Evans made an awesome move on Due to take second about 1/3 of the way through and set sail to try to catch Ryan. Dustin reeled in the World Champ, but several mistakes never got him closer than 1.8 seconds to Cavaleiri, who won A-1. Evans had to settle for second with Due coming home in third.

In A-Main 2 Top Qualifier, Cavalieri got a clean start with Chad Due and Dustin Evans in tow. Due dropped out early, allowing Evans to move up and put pressure on Cavalieri. With 2-minutes to go, Ryan caught the pipe coming onto the main straight, allowing Dustin to get by for the lead. From here, Dustin began to pull away as he took the win in A2, with Cavalieri finishing second and Kody Numendahl taking third. Mod Buggy wound up going to A3 to decide everything!

Not only would the third Mod Buggy A-Main decide the winner, but A3 was also THE final race of the event. With a win a piece for Dustin Evans and Ryan Cavalieri, they both had a shot at the overall title. From the tone, Cavalieri led the field through the first laps with Chad Due in second and Dustin Evans in third, just as they had qualified. Dustin was extremely fast, yet remained patient behind Due, but both were losing ground to Cavalieri in the lead. Nearing the 2-minute mark, Evans tried to make a move on Due and clipped a pipe, costing him precious seconds to both front runners. Due was not able to put on much of a charge to catch Cavalieri, and Ryan held on to take the win in A3 and the overall win. Due finished 2nd in the main and third overall while Evans finished third in the final A-Main and second overall.

2WD Modified Stadium Truck

If there was any doubt regarding the return of Stadium Truck, this race put that to rest. Stadium Truck was back with a vengeance and a very large turnout in both the Modified and 17.5T classes. In the first A-Main, Dustin Evans shot out to an early lead from his Top Qualifying position, but a mistake with 2:00 to go put Ryan Cavalieri right back on his spoiler. A few laps later, Ryan got hung up at the same spot, allowing Dakotah Phend to slip by for second. Several laps later, Dakotah made a mistake going into the sweeper and Ryan got by. In the end, it was Evans taking A-1 followed by Cavalieri and Phend.

From the tone, A-Main 2 was full of some great action. Dustin Evans, Ryan Cavalieri and Dakotah Phend separated themselves from the field and battled hot and heavy for the top spot. Evans began to pull away and had a 3-second lead when he bobbled over the triples, bringing Dakotah and Ryan right to his rear spoiler. Evans was untouchable, however, as he again drew away from the duo of Ryan and Dakotah to take A2 and wrap up the overall win. Cavalieri finished second and Phend was third.

With the overall win wrapped up, Dustin Evans sat out A-Main 3. A3 of Modified Stadium Truck was a race of who would make the least number of mistakes. Ryan Cavalieri and Dakotah Phend tangled several times, allowing Mike Truhe to get the lead and take the win in A3. Cavalieri finished second and Phend took third. In the final standings, it was Dustin Evans as the Modified Stadium Truck Champion, followed by Ryan Cavalieri and, with his win in A3, Mike Truhe took third.

4WD Modified Buggy

What's old is new again, or at least, that's how it seemed in 4WD Mod Buggy this year. One of TLR's top drivers, Dustin Evans, went old school and busted out a XX-4 in an effort to take the top spot in this year's event. He wasn't alone as Dan "Dyno" Hissem, lead racecar designer for TLR, also ran a XX-4. Dustin proved he was plenty fast in qualifying by taking the TQ spot, but local driver Chad Due was right behind him. In A1 of 4WD Modified, Evans proved that his TQ wasn't a fluke as he led tone-to-tone to capture the win. The battle for second was fast and furious between Chad Due, Stephen Just, Michael Paige and Brent Thielke. The battle came down to the last lap as Michael Paige passed Stephen Just to take second, Just finishing third.

A-Main 2 was incredibly close. How close? .021 seconds. That was the difference between Michael Paige and Dustin Evans. On the tone, Evans got the hole shot, followed by Chad Due, Brent Thielke and Michael Paige. Both Theilke and Due made mistakes, opening the door for Paige to move into second. With 90-seconds left, Evans parked it and allowed Paige to capitalize and take the lead. With time winding down, Paige lawn-darted over the triples, letting Evans get by and take the win. Paige was second and Chad Due finished third.

Much like Modified Stadium truck, by winning the first two mains, Dustin Evans had the 4WD Buggy Championship wrapped up. That opened the door for the rest of the top 10 to try to improve their final positioning one last time. Brent Thielke took the early lead but would receive pressure from Chad Due. Due eventually made the move and captured the win in A-3 with Thielke second and Colton Kruse third.

Modified 2WD Short Course Truck

Modified 2WD Short Course Truck was an interesting mix of local, regional and national talent. Ryan Cavalieri, Kody Numedahl, Matt Chambers and Joe Pillars all came in with guns blazing to take on the local and regional drivers such as Chad Due, Mike Nelson, Matt Sunderlage and Michael Paige. The entire field was fast, with only a single 7-minute A-Main to decide everything. The A-Main was 7-minutes of action between Ryan Cavalieri, Kody Numedahl, Chad Due and Matt Chambers. Some fenders were banged, paint was traded, but in the end it was Cavalieri taking the W. Numedahl and Due completed the podium.

Modified 4WD Short Course Truck

4WD Modified SCT was a highly competitive race with several drivers spending time at the front of the pack. Dakotah Phend shot out to the early lead from his TQ position with Cavalieri, Truhe and Numendahl in-tow. As is prone to happen, contact between the leaders occurred and shook things up. When the dust settled, Kory Numendahl worked through the carnage and took the win. Cavalieri would have to be happy with second and Mike Truhe had a great run to finish third.

2WD 17.5T Buggy

Unlike the modified class, the 2WD Buggy Class ran a single A-Main to determine the winner. However, those in the A-Main would have 7 long minutes to compete. The 2WD Buggy A-main was a family affair between Eric and Andy Krivitz. Andy got the hole shot from the pole; however, a mistake about 2-minutes in dropped him back to 2nd behind Eric. But Eric wasn't able to draw away and soon Andy was on his rear wing. Andy made a move coming onto the straight and Eric didn't contest the position as Andy went into the lead and on to take the win. Eric was able to maintain second place while Cory Podolski took third.

2WD 17.5T Stadium Truck

While not seeing quite the resurgence in the 17.5 class as in modified, there was still a solid group representing the class. The Stock Stadium Truck main came down to a race between Nathan Evans and Dayton Miller. Evans started on the pole and led early, however a bobble allowed Miler to take the lead and eventually the win. Evans was second and young Jason Hills finished third.

2WD 17.5T Short Course Truck

With over 50-entrants, perhaps the most competitive class of the weekend was the 17.5T Short Course Truck class. The top 20-drivers, after qualifying, all had 16-lap runs, with Ken Seymour posting the best single run of a 16/5:00.163. As someone who qualified in the top-20 himself, I will tell you, making the A-Main was a feat in and of itself. When the dust settled and we were ready to run the A-Main, it would prove to be a great race.
The A-Main had it all. Three starts after 2 re-starts due to first turn pile-ups, a dominating performance and a heartbreak. Youngster Jason Hills took the lead on the 3rd start from the TQ position and quickly began to gap the field. Cory Yoder, Brian Lutz, Ken Seymour and Michael Frasier all duked it out behind Hills for second. As the race went on, the battle for second came down to a race between Lutz and Seymour, with Seymour leading the charge. Unlike qualifying, the main was 7-minutes long and unfortunately, Hills' motor was a bit over-geared for the main and he was sidelined with less than a minute to go. This meant the Seymour/Lutz battle was now a battle for the win, with Seymour taking the win, Lutz finishing second and Michael Frazier third.

Spec Slash

You can't really argue that the Slash was the originator that created the current trend of Short Course Trucks in RC. As such, the gang at Trackside continue to run a Spec Slash class as a low-cost/high-fun alternative for those still looking to have some fun racing. The rules limit the modifications someone can install on the truck. For example, you must use the stock Titan 12T motor, XL5 ESC and Traxxas Tires, however, you can use any Traxxas option part designed for the Slash. This spec-type of racing breeds very close competition, which we saw.
What do you get when you take 12 Stock Spec Slashes and throw them on a racetrack for 7-minutes together? One wild race! Tony Ballisterri took the TQ honors in qualifying; however, a first lap incident made him a spectator early. Second qualifier Young John Ermer, Jr. took the opportunity presented to him and showed how to get it done by taking the lead early on and dominating the 7-minute main. A number of drivers mixed it up for the runner-up spot, but Jacob Blundon came out on top that battle to take second while Larry Wright took home third.

Short Course Buggy

Just getting into the mix, the Short Course Buggy class made its debut here at the 2011 Spektrum Race. Much like the Spec Slash class, the SCB participants were limited to kit-type motors and limited chassis upgrades, but they were allowed to use any Short Course treaded tires (no ribbed front tires allowed). Bryce Stapleton took the top spot in qualifying and lead early portions of the A-Main. Stapleton was sidelined with just over a minute left and made the battle for second into a battle for the overall win. Jim Lewins, Jeff King and Colin Kelber were nose to tail throughout most of the event. In the end, it came down to who would run the cleanest race with the fewest mistakes and Colin Kelber was the man as he took the top spot on the podium. Jeff King would finish second with Jim Lewins third.

Sportsman

Whether young or old, the Sportsman class is the future of our hobby. This is the class where beginning racers can come and compete against drivers of similar experience levels to cut their teeth and develop their racing skills. A staple of the Spektrum Race, practically any vehicle can be entered in Sportsman and, as you can see here, there were a variety of different vehicles. From Short Course Trucks, 2WD Buggies and Stadium Trucks, Sportsman is all about getting some very valuable experience. In the 2011 Spektrum Race, Mason Neubert took the win in Sportsman, followed by Tyler O'Brien and Tom Siegel.