Spencer Rivkin Wins Inaugural BKlassic Race!!

Brian Kinwald was a special individual. He lived and breathed RC and at a young age, showed the world that he was not like any other racer on this planet by winning the IFMAR World Championships in Basildon, England, in 1993. That was his first WC title and in 1997, Brian went on to win it again, but this time for Team Losi Racing. With 2 WC titles and a ton of National titles under his belt, Brian is undoubtedly considered one of the best to hold a radio. But what is truly special about Brian Kinwald is the influence he had on young racers back then and for many decades to come.

Unfortunately, the news of Brian passing earlier this year was felt throughout the entire industry. From those who knew him well, to those who only know the name… we all knew deep down inside we were losing someone that wasn’t just a great champion, an icon, but a wonderful individual. Below is a message from Brian’s dad to all the racers who attended the BKlassic.

So in his memory, we celebrate his life by having one of the coolest races in his honor. Thanks, Brian for the wonderful, countless memories, and for influencing so many people around the world with your love for RC racing. You will be missed.

Thanks to Larry Tom, of Hobby Action Raceway, for holding a special memorial race for Brian, now known as the BKlassic. From the auctions and donations, Hobby Action was able to raise $6,000 to donate to the Crohns and Colitis Foundation to help out with the cause!

This year’s layout was actually something Brian drew up and was involved in the design layout. Also, the “inverted” style mains was an idea that was also inspired by Brian to promote tougher racing and a true champion as you started each main by your finishing results, but inverted. So if you won A1, you started last in A2. If you finished 3rd in A2, you start 7th in A3(with a 10 car main).

Sometimes, the first thing you hear after posting a layout photo is, “Where are the jumps?” This layout didn’t get that kind of reaction as there were 3 sets of massive triples that took a lot of skill to masterfully clear. It wasn’t easy by any means. Come up short and you’d pay the price. Go long and the car slaps hard resulting in lost time and stability. Overall, the layout flowed great, challenged your jumping skills, and was a blast to drive on…. just the way Brian would have liked it.

21.5 Indy Stock 2wd

There’s definitely a strong group of 21.5 Independent Stock 2wd drivers at Hobby Action and we’re glad to see this! To qualify as a 21.5 Indy driver, you cannot have any sponsorships and this is basically done to promote racing for beginners and avid racers that are new or can’t get a lot of track time. Since 17.5 stock racing requires a lot to be competitive and filled with aftermarket hop-ups and charging solutions, the Indy class makes it much easier to go out and have a good time.

After delivering 3 near-perfect mains with a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finish, Daren Olney came out on top and claimed the 21.5 Independent 2wd title. Deadly fast, Isaiah Keene finished in 2nd with a 1st and a 2nd place effort in two of his 3 mains. However, with all three rounds counting towards your overall results, the points were close. Taking home 3rd was Bryan Day.

17.5 2wd Stock Buggy

17.5 2wd Stock Buggy is always a great show no matter where you go. It’s the right speed for most people and this promotes some of the best racing around. No stranger to the winner’s circle this weekend was Ezra Keller. Ezra won every main he was in, even A2 when he started dead last after winning A1. Yokomo’s Nolan Whitely put up a valiant effort and finished 2nd after getting two 2nd place results and a 3rd place to wrap up 2nd. Yokomo/JConcepts’ Riley Schaeffer had some great speed and found his way to 3rd place overall putting a huge smile on his face.

17.5 Stock Short Course

Congrats to Caden Lindsell as he conquers the weekend with remarkable driving that was solid and consistent all weekend long. Placing 1st, 2nd and 3rd in his mains, Caden is your 17.5 Stock SCT Champion. Nearly knocking Caden off the top step, Shane Koerber slides into 2nd. Mark Vyne slots himself in 3rd with some great racing with Oil Can.

Vintage

These are cars that Brian Kinwald himself has piloted back in the day to his WC wins. The vintage class was awesome to watch as they brought back a lot of nostalgia mixed with modern tech. Taking the win in dominant fashion, Jerry Walters steals the show with his Losi 2wd. 2nd place went to Mark Vyne and your 3rd place finisher was Ethan Kovalsky (not pictured).

13.5 4wd

It was a battle royal in a very tough 13.5 4wd class as AE’s Ezra Keller was on a mission to win the 1st ever BKlassic. After Yokomo’s Nolan Whitely took A1, it was an uphill battle for Ezra, but under pressure, Ezra finished solidly in 2nd while Nolan took a 5th. Putting the hammer down, Ezra went on to win A3 and with it, the overall. Nolan wound up 2nd with the always improving Riley Schaeffer taking home the 3rd place prize.

Mod 2wd SCT

Later in BK’s career, he really started having fun tuning his modified SCT. Not known to be performance handling beasts, Brian had special setups and devices on his SCT to keep it from traction rolling to gain maximum performance. Stepping into his shoes this weekend was Kyle Davis, followed by his good friend, TLR’s Chris Wheeler, who placed 2nd. Taking the last spot on the podium was, Nick Sava.

2wd Modified