Of course, one of the main purposes of a World Championship is to find the #1. The winner matters, and that’s why many are here – to fight for the win or rank themselves against the best drivers from all around the world. With that in mind there are a few clues here from the second day of practice about how that battle might shape up over the next few days.

A reminder though, nothing yet matters – it’s all just open practice. Different drivers will use that practice differently. Some will want to stay with what they know is working, building confidence on the driving side. Others will experiment relentlessly, exploring tyre and setup options and thinking about track conditions and performance at different times of day. So, it’s interesting, and it’s useful – but until seeding starts tomorrow, or more importantly, qualifying on Wednesday, we just don’t know who is on what kind of running program, so comparing like with like is tricky. We’re back where we were yesterday, conclusions are impossible, but observations are interesting. So let’s dive into some observations from my couch on the other side of the world, and then I want to finish with something a little different. Stick with me, this might be a long one!

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US DRIVERS STEP UP

A number of US drivers who flew just a little under the radar yesterday stepped it up today. Mason Fuller was one, going fourth in the morning opener, then second in FP5 in the middle of the day with a time good enough to hold him up as fourth fastest on the three-lap metric. Just a tenth back and starting to find his groove is Dakatah Phend (winner of our pre-race bracket tipping competition) and then an ultra-impressive Chase Lemieux. Brandon Rose and day-one star Camden Lime also sit inside the top ten.

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KILIC WITH A BANG

Burac Kilic is an enigma. So fast when the mood strikes, and driving so on the edge at times it is breathtaking. This afternoon was one of those times, going second quickest to Davide Ongaro and just a half-tenth back. Gearing the Mugen up for a big challenge?

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TEKNO?

The powerhouse Tekno team has started things quietly this week. Joao Figuieredo was quick at times yesterday but slipped today, and Daniel Pariente went P7 overall (interestingly on 6Mik tyres, making it five tyre brands in the top 10), but many of Tekno’s US drivers are yet to fire. Time will tell whether that’s a deliberate low-key start, or a sign they haven’t gelled with this track yet. All eyes will be on Ryan Maifield over the next couple of days, but he has history and is likely to grow stronger each day.

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HAVE TRACK CONDITIONS LEVELLED OUT?

We wondered about this yesterday, have the biggest gains in track condition now been made, and we’re left with a relatively stable track for the rest of the week? It looked slightly quicker in FP5 in the middle of the day, and fast times in FP6 were nearly identical. I saw one interview with Ongaro noting that he thought the track was quicker in the middle of the day than the morning or afternoon. One factor likely to play out is incoming weather. The roof will keep things dry, but temperatures and humidity are likely to change significantly Thursday with incoming storm fronts. Maybe track conditions (and engine tune) might shift with that storm?

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THE WORLD CHAMPIONS

One of the interesting things about a Worlds is taking a look at which previous winners of IFMAR World Championships are present. There are four previous 1/8 Nitro Buggy Champs (Ongaro of course, plus Ronnefalk, Batlle and Yuichi Kanai), but a total of 13 across all disciplines that I can spot (who did I miss!!!?). While we’re still in practice mode, I thought I’d take a look at each, and how the week is shaping up at this early stage. Remember, just as with everybody else, ex-World Champs are all at different stages of their careers, and are at this race for different reasons. Not all of them are here to try and win. Here’s the run-down:

- Davide Ongaro (1/8 IC - 2018/22/24, 1/10 Off 2023). What’s to say? Fastest in practice, nothing we’ve seen shakes the sense that he’s the favourite. Team Associated would be excited about Ongaro’s early pace.

- David Ronnefalk (1/8 IC 2016). Goes #10 in practice, but was top 3 in every round but FP6. He’s started the week well and looks in good shape to be a threat when Saturday rolls around, particularly if he can share data with XRAY teammate Dakotah Phend.

- Marcus Kaerup (1/10 EP Buggy 2025, 1/8 EP 2025). 11th quickest but with a number of top ten runs. I’m still expecting a good qualifying performance and a semi-final spot for Kaerup in his bid to win in three different classes. Good support for him from the powerful AE squad

- Robert Batlle (1/8 IC 2012). It’s said to be Robert’s last World Champs race, and for sentimental reasons there are a whole bunch of people hoping for one last A final performance for this legendary racer. Went 14th fastest, but looking comfortable for strong long-run speed with the SWorkz.

- Ryan Maifield (1/10 Off – 2017 x2). We remarked earlier, eyes will be on him once the clock starts properly. 21st quickest in practice, but seeding tomorrow might show the real situation at this early stage. Don’t give up on the champion American driver and the Tekno squad he leads.

- Ryan Cavalieri (1/10 Off – 2003/05/11 x2). A solid run through practice for Cav, 25th quickest as he, Pekko and JQ work on speed from the Mayako buggy. It's always a good thing when Cav is on form.

- Spencer Rivkin (1/10 Off – 2015/19). A quiet start for a guy who is favoured on this track, even if he spends more time running 1/10 these days. 31st through practice, but the chance to draw on setup ideas from some fast of AE teammates.

- Jared Tebo (1/10 Off – 2007/13). Part time racer, full time dad, full-time business owner. One of the fun media pieces we’ve enjoyed are Jared’s kids roaming the pits doing interviews. Check them out over at the JTP Facebook page. Tebo was 35th quickest in practice, and will need to find some speed.

- Bruno Coelho (1/10 Off – 2015/19, Touring 2018/22/24). Started brightly with p5 in the opening free practice round on a green track, but has slipped a little since then. I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t move forward from P36, but it’s a class field and progress won’t be easy. Small Inf1nity team with rumoured new buggy have some work ahead.

- Tater Sontag (1/10 Off – 2023). Hasn’t quite yet found his groove, but good setup clues to follow from Phend/Ronnefalk/Lemieux. 45th through open practice and work to do, for sure.

- Jorn Neumann (GT8 – 2020). Tough start to the week for the small WiRC squad, with Neumann searching for speed and consistency.

- Billy Easton (1/10 Off – 2003). Very much a part -time racer these days, it’s great to see Easton running here. 112th through practice.

- Yuichi Kanai (1/8 IC 2000). The legendary 2000 World Champ, R/C personality and Kyosho designer is back at the Worlds for the bazzillionth time. Not here with any lofty goals at this stage of his career. His 162nd speed in practice does nothing to tarnish the legend of Kanai.

Did I miss any World Champs? Let me know!

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WHEN THE CLOCK STARTS

Finally tomorrow we’re into timed runs that matter for something at least, with two rounds of seeding practice that will be used to set the qualifying heats for Wednesday and Thursday. The usual IFMAR format of spreading the top-seeding drivers across the first few heats is in play, so as long as you seed into the top 36 you’re in a “fast” heat. Seed lower than that, though, and traffic becomes a factor in qualifying and makes life just that little more difficult. Nobody wins a Worlds tomorrow, but it can sure give us some more concrete clues – even if the format stays with three consecutive laps for one more day. Tomorrow we’ll look at seeding results, but we might take a look at underlying 10-minute pace as well, to see what might emerge in Q1 on Wednesday morning.

All the timing charts are over at ifmar.liverc.com, and the always brilliant Red RC is now on site with all the good info from each round of practice today. The other media piece that's worth a look today is Pekko Iivonen and Camden Lime's track-walk video from the guys at The No Name Rc Podcast. What else did you spot?