Fast forward to 2022, HB Racing now have 3 World Championships with Ty Tessman adding the second in 2014 followed by David Ronnefalk in 2016. The HB Chassis is popular around the world and genuinely considered one of the best all around cars on the race scene.

Silly season 2021-22 was very interesting for HB Racing. The big shock was when their #1 driver David Ronnefalk left the team after 6 years in 2021. Nobody saw this coming and the Viking made the move to Mayako. This seemed to knock some of the wind out of the team near the end of 2021.

HB Racing would turn their attention to young up and coming racers and signed Jackson Brunson, Ryan Pavidis as well as Team Fuller Mason & Kaden. Veteran Cole Ogden would find himself at the top of the totem pole on the team and the HB Team was looking solid going into 2022.

Let’s take a look !

Jackson Brunson

For me this has been the biggest surprise. The Georgia native made the move from AE and has seen some of his best results this year. Jackson has greatly improved and is now a staple in A finals at the big USA races and has a couple top 5s to back it up.

It will be interesting to see if Jackson can make into the semis and see where it goes from there.

Ryan Pavidis

Ryan has focused on 1:8 racing the last 3 years and the results are showing. Having a last name like Pavidis you would think the pressure would be on for Ryan but he seems to approach his racing methodically and in a non stressed way. Let’s be realistic, his shoes of his father are hard to fill when you have had a career like the legend Mark Pavidis.

The move to HB Racing has been good for Ryan, 2022 has seen him continue to make A finals and improve as he fights his way thru the ranks. This will be his first worlds, and a great next step on his RC Journey!

Team Fuller

If I was a team owner these are the two young drivers I I would sign. The Fuller family races as a family and have done great things in a short time. It's really good to see their parents at the races combined with Their sons Ice Man Mason and his younger brother Kaden this is how racing should be a family affair.

TLR IMHO made a big mistake letting them go at the end of 21. Why you may ask? Well Mason had a great 2021 shoeing great pace and not being scared to tackle the big dogs in RC.

W hen I heard he made the move to HB I told everyone that this was the one of the best moves of Silly Season. Mason has had a great 2022 with multiple top 3 places and he’s getting faster each race.

If Ryan Maifield and Dakotah Phend are the two best racers in the USA then Mason isn’t too far behind. Mason has a bright future ahead of him and my dark horse to make the final next week. Also if he doesn’t make the main it’s no big loss as the 17 year old will have many opportunities in the future.

Kaden is the younger brother and after a small break from rc to play football he seems to be rejuvenated and getting faster since he joined HB. He has the potential to be just as good as his brother and I think we will see these brothers become a formidable diad in the RC racing scene. Team Fuller is here to kick ass and take names the future looks bright for them.

Cole Ogden (The Beast From The East)

Cole Ogden is one of the most talented drivers I’ve seen! When the Georgia native has a point to prove on the track it’s almost impossible to stop him. We have seen Cole put on some masterful driving at races. Also what I like about Cole is he doesn't hold back he says what’s on his mind , couple this with his outgoing persona and somewhat wild nature h Ogden has become a fan favorite and has been given the moniker The People’s Champion. Cole definitely has all the tools needed to win this race and any race he attends but if there is one thing he has lacked this year it’s results.

After Ronnefalk left HB Cole was then promoted to what I’d say is the #1 position on the tea. With this promotion also comes more expectations to do well. Unfortunately the man with the long hair has struggled this year to get those results. His racing package is very solid and Cole IMHO should be winning some of these races. I’m not sure if it’s the pressure of being # 1 at HB and having a bunch of youngsters nipping at your heels but Cole hasn’t seemed to be able to replicate the 2020-21 form so far this year.

With that said I believe Cole will do quite well at this race and here is why. The HB car is good, the HotRace tires will be the ticket at Redovan and his engine program is great, but here is the reason I fell he will do well next week ….. experience. Cole has races in Europe many times, he has raced The Neo Race many times and back in 2019 he spent a lot of time in Spain practicing and racing with his then Teammate Ronnefalk. IMHO this gives Ogden a slight edge.

I really hope Cole makes the final. He is the first real East Coast racer to make it big in racing and I really want to see him do well at this race. Also I think he needs to have a good showing to cement himself in the HB team going into 2022 after a not so good 2022. He’s the veteran on the team and is a popular figure in RC he has all the tools needed to do well at this race and I hope he does.

Tomas Musso

After watching the young racer from France at the last 2 rounds I can say that Musso is a legit racer. Musso will represent Monaco and I believe he will do quite well and better than a few of his American teammates. It will be interesting to see if he can transfer his RCGP success to the world stage. He’s experienced for his young age and I think he will surprise many.

Jessica Palsson

Being a female racer in RC can be a bit difficult. We see very few female racers in the make dominated industry but Jessica has carved out her path and is probably one of the most recognized female racers in the industry next to Ronda Drake. Where Ronda is no nonsense and aggressive in her racing Palsson seems to be calm and in control as she hits her lines on the track. Her father is also a well accomplished racer who was very fast in the attitude era of RC. They also run a track in Sweden so Jessica gets lots of practice. RC is for everyone and I hope to see more female racers in the future.

Will Jessica retire JQ for the second time in 3 months ?

Will we see some of the younger HB drivers surprise everyone ?

Will we see Cole Ogden from the 2021 ROAR Nats who was pretty much unstoppable until the fuel tank issue ?

Will we see Mason Fuller snatch the opportunity and show the world what’s up?

There are lots of questions but the answers will have to wait another week!