IFMAR 1/8 IC Off-Road World Championships
November 15, 2010
Pattaya, Thailand - US Team drivers were well poised for a positive result at the 13th running of the IFMAR 1/8 IC Off-Road World Championship. US drivers, which included Jared Tebo, Adam Drake, Ryan Maifield, Billy Fischer, Cody King, Ryan Cavalieri, Mike Truhe, Jeremy Kortz, and Josh Wheeler, ascended to the semi-finals, making it a total of nine US Team drivers occupying a majority of the 16 spots available in the semi-finals.
At the conclusion of the semis, The US Team accounted for seven of the 12 grid positions, again showing the tremendous talent of the US drivers. Taking the start in the Final event were Jared Tebo, Adam Drake, Ryan Maifield, Cody King, Ryan Cavalieri, Jeremy Kortz, and Billy Easton, who bumped in from the 1/4 final.
The final unknowingly started with a preview of the finish, with Cody King getting out in front of Atsusi Hara on the first lap, and held it until Maifield worked his way through the field and eventually gained the lead after the ten minute mark. Maifield held the lead until the 25-minute mark, when he was passed by Jared Tebo for the lead. Tebo held on to the lead for five laps, but his hard driving early in the race had compromised his tires and he fell back in the grasp of teammate Cody King. King resumed the lead position just at the halfway mark, and according to timing and scoring, held it to the end of the race, but the long 45-second laps of the Pattaya circuit provided a lot of exciting action between trips across the timing loop. King and Hara traded the lead a couple of times mid-lap, and both drivers had made some minor mistakes in the closing laps which made the race extremely exciting as the conclusion drew near. King managed a 5 to 6-second gap over Hara in the closing laps, and although there were a few nail biters for both of the drivers, it was the more consistent and quicker Cody King that eventually took the title of 2010 IFMAR World Champion.
Congratulations to all the US team drivers that performed so well, and especially to Cody King for bringing the IFMAR World Championship back to the USA, last held by Mark Pavidis in 2006. King's performance was outstanding, and very worthy of the title of World Champion!
