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Video – IFMAR 1/8th Onroad Worlds Main Final

Posted: 17 Sep 2017 10:35 AM PDT

Video – Main Final

Posted: 17 Sep 2017 10:34 AM PDT

2017 IFMAR 1/8th Worlds Winning Car

Posted: 16 Sep 2017 11:44 AM PDT

Dario Balestri

Creation Model Infinity – Max Power RP9.S – Runner Time Fuel – Protoform R19 body – Sanwa transmitter – Savox Servo

Balestri finally gets deserved World title

Posted: 16 Sep 2017 11:43 AM PDT

Dario Balestri is finally a World Champion. One of nitro racing’s unquestionably fastest & most talented drivers, the Italian delivered a long overdue victory at the 21st running of the 1:8 Onroad World Championships in Monteux, France. Top Qualifier for the 1-hour main, the Infinity driver would waste that opportunity with a very bad start from pole that saw him swallowed up by the pack and off onto the grass. Rejoining a distant last, while new team-mate Naoto Matsukura led from the defending champion Simon Kurzbuch, Balestri set about his recovery eventually going to the front when Matsukura, who he had in his sights, hit trouble. With Matsukura’s championship debut ending with a P8 DNF, it was Kurzbuch who would finish runner-up, 5-seconds back after an hour of intense racing. While not the result the Shepherd driver was after it does complete an impressive run of three consecutive 1:8 World Championship podium finishes. Claiming the final step on the podium would be Shoki Takahata, the Mugen driver having a good recovery after an incident with 2015 runner-up Takaaki Shimo cost him a lot of time due to a tucked body.

Continue reading this report here or view our complete event coverage here.

Balestri finally gets deserved World title

Posted: 16 Sep 2017 11:41 AM PDT

Dario Balestri is finally a World Champion. One of nitro racing’s unquestionably fastest & most talented drivers, the Italian delivered a long overdue victory at the 21st running of the 1:8 Onroad World Championships in Monteux, France. Top Qualifier for the 1-hour main, the Infinity driver would waste that opportunity with a very bad start from pole that saw him swallowed up by the pack and off onto the grass. Rejoining a distant last, while new team-mate Naoto Matsukura led from the defending champion Simon Kurzbuch, Balestri set about his recovery eventually going to the front when Matsukura, who he had in his sights, hit trouble. With Matsukura’s championship debut ending with a P8 DNF, it was Kurzbuch who would finish runner-up, 5-seconds back after an hour of intense racing. While not the result the Shepherd driver was after it does complete an impressive run of three consecutive 1:8 World Championship podium finishes. Claiming the final step on the podium would be Shoki Takahata, the Mugen driver having a good recovery after an incident with 2015 runner-up Takaaki Shimo cost him a lot of time due to a tucked body.

With the enormity of his win leaving Balestri somewhat lost for words to describing the feeling, he said, ’I made a shit start. My fault. I waited too long on the start I was in the middle of the pack and had a big crash which ended in the grass. Then my tyres were dirty but when they got clean the car was unbelievable and I could come back’. A driver who has so many times come close to the World title but come short in terms of his luck, he added, ‘this was the best car I have ever driven in a final and the engine too’ – his fastest lap over 2/10th quicker than that of Kurzbuch. Making two tyre stops, describing them both as ’super fast’, he agreed the win was a monkey off his back and lifted the pressure of finally achieving his life’s goal might make him enjoy racing even more. ‘I have to thank Kenji San my boss for giving me the opportunity to change my life. He has created a fun and passionate team and for sure it is a nice atmosphere to work in. There is no pressure.’ He continued, ‘This result is for all the team, they worked a lot for the brand. Nikiado San has done an amazing job with creating this car’. Balestri was also indebted to his engine builder Massimo Fantini, a former Worlds Top Qualifier who never quite managed the title. ‘I have no words to describe the engine. Fantini deserves this for all the work & time he has put into the sport’. Having waited so long to get the official status of being the World’s No.1 driver, Balestri was making sure he thanked everyone who made it possible. ‘My mechanic Antonio (Castellani) put all of himself in the race. He was perfect and of course so was my second mechanic Massimo (Mannucci).’

Kurzbuch said, ‘I am a little disappointed at the end. We go into a race with the crew to win it but this time we couldn’t do it.’ He continued, ‘I can’t say we made big mistakes but we lost a few seconds here and there. Still 3 World Championships in a row on the podium and last year’s 1:10 podium in Gubbio is good for a hobby driver’. Being more specific about his final, he said, ‘the start was good as I could overtake Dario so it was just me an Naoto. Apart from two times on the grass I drove a clean final but it wasn’t enough in the end. My pit crew did an amazing job. It was hard work under the French sun for 1-hour’. As the reigning Euro Nitro Series champion he concluded, ‘we will take a few days off and then prepare for Fiorano because the ENS title is still open and we want to make sure we bring that one home’.

Summing up his first World’s final, Takahata said, ‘I’m very happy to be on the podium but I think we could have got more’. Unfortunately his challenge for a better result, was severely hampered when he was hit by Shimo. With the supplied marshals originally instructed to not touch the cars other than place them back on track, the body tuck was very costly. Original planning two tyre stops for the race, the 23-year-old’s crew would change it and drop the second tyre change to try to recover some of the lost time, his MRX6 not having any issues going the unscheduled extra distance on the tyres.

Having left no doubts in the minds of nitro racing’s best drivers that he is a new force to be reckoned with, Matsukura was understandably down beat after his impressive performance was brought to an end by a flat receiver battery. The reigning multiple 1:12 World Champion, only made his competitive 1:8 debut at the opening round of the ENS this year but took control of the race putting a lap on the entire field at the half way mark. A clean race to that point for the ‘full punch’ driving style Japanese ace, he would get his entry from the pit lane wrong and make contact with the barrier which would require an extra pit stop next time round to fix the body. He would have a second mistake also after leaving the pitlane as his car ‘had no steering’ and he ended up on the grass this time it costing him the lead. In the end however it was all going to be in vein as his battery died, him saying afterwards, ‘I don’t know why because I changed it before the race’. He continued, ‘My car was super good and my own pace was good I had no mistakes only the one after the pits but still I was on top. I will come back and next time I’ll get the win’.

Finishing fourth, last year’s 1:10 podium finisher Alessio Mazzeo described it as ‘a very hard race’. The Xray driver continued, ‘I made a big mistake the first lap and lost too much time and then I pushed too hard to make back the time. 4th is the correct place for my performance. Dario and Naoto were too fast for me and congrats to Dario, I know the passion he has for this’. The first 1:8 Worlds the 200mm specialist has contested he continued, ‘This is my first 1:8 Worlds and I never imagined at the start of the week I could make the final so for that I am very happy with the result’.

Making it five different manufacturers in the Top 5, ARC’s Silvio Hachler said, ‘I am pretty happy with 5th. One week ago I would for sure have taken this but I really wanted 3rd place’. The Swiss driver continued, ‘I’m happy with the car and engine but had one small mistake myself when I came into the pits too early and my crew was not ready’. His second time to make a Worlds final, bettering his P6 in Japan in 2013, he concluded, ‘the field was super competitive so to finish top half I’m really happy’.

View complete event results here.

View our event image gallery here.

Samix SCX10 II lower shock & suspension link mounts

Posted: 16 Sep 2017 11:40 AM PDT

Coming from Samix and made for the Axial SCX10 II trail truck are lower shock and suspension link mounts made from brass. They weigh a combined 43g and thus add a good amount of weight to the lower part of the chassis which will lead to improved climb performance. Due to the rigidity of the material they also eliminate flex of the lower shock mounting for optimised suspension efficiency. The parts come machined from high-quality brass material, they sport a black coating for wear and looks and come in sets of four.

Source: Samix [rcsamix.com]

Kurzbuch set to defend title after Semi win

Posted: 16 Sep 2017 06:55 AM PDT

Simon Kurzbuch is set to defend his World title this evening in France, the Shepherd driver winning his Semi Final to progress to the 1-hour final that will decide the winner of the 21st running of 1:8 Onroad World Championships. Starting from pole in the second of the Semi encounters have lost out on the TQ to Dario Balestri and the Super Pole to Naoto Matsukura, Kurzbuch would win the 30-minute encounter from Jilles Groskamp and Silvio Hachler with the fastest race time to secure 3rd on the grid. Winner of the first Semi ahead of fellow Japanese driver Shoki Takahata, Takaaki Shimo will line up third ahead with Takahata completing the top half of the grid ahead of Groskamp, Hachler, Alberto Picco, Alessio Mazzeo and Lars Hoppe. Coming into the event as one of the pre-event favourites along Kurzbuch and Balestri, there was cruel luck for Bruno Coelho. Starting from pole the Xray driver was in clear control of the race until he suffered a suspected partial engine seize at the end of the straight. While the engine fired back up in the pits he title hopes were done. Also suffering similar faith was former World Champion Adrien Bertin. With the large French crowd fully behind the HB driver, cheering loudly his every pass, he worked his way to the front leading for a time but with 8-minutes to go his engine stopped. A heartbreaking end to what was to be the veteran racers retirement from competitive racing.

‘We won our Semi so we achieved our goal’, was Kurzbuch reaction to his win but he wasn’t so happy. The Swiss driver continued, ‘I think we need to improve for the final especially also my driving. I need to risk more’. While pleased with his car, the factory Novarossi driver said they must also look at the engine. He said, ‘One stint really tight. We did have good fuel time so maybe it was the temperature. We need to check this for the final’.

Finishing just 2/10th behind Kurzbuch 2-years ago in Brazil, Shimo summed up his Semi win by saying, ‘It was unlucky in qualifying but today is OK’. Coming through from the earlier 1/4 Final and starting the Semi 9th, he added, ‘we had work after qualifying but today we jump and jump again’. Looking to the final, the Infinity driver, who has made the Final since 2011 and finished 2nd twice, added, ‘My car & engine are good so my plan for the final is to enjoy it and have fun’.

Starting 3rd on the grid, Takahata would have an impressive recovery from a bad start which saw the Mugen driver in the grass before the first corner and needing to be marshalled. From last however he would quickly get back to the front to claim his first 1:8 Worlds Final start. Making an outside only tyre change during the race, the 23-year-old saying tyre wear is higher today, he said 2 stops for all four tyres could be a option for the final but he is confident he has the car to put in a good race. While the Semi B would see two Japanese drivers progress it would be the end for 2013 Champion Tadahiko Sahashi, the Serpent driver having the disadvantage of having to make one extra fuel stop compared to his rivals.

In an exciting battle for the final guaranteed bump up spot, the final two spots decided by quickest race times, Mazzeo would come out on top. With Coelho’s demise, the Italian will carry Xray’s hopes in the final. Dedicating his making of the final to his friend Giuseppe Catanzaro who passed away recently, he said, ‘Like always it came down to the last lap. The conditions were very hard with the wind and my engine was too lean so when I gave full throttle it lost power. The car was also very loose in the rear but I grit my teeth and we did it’. Set-up to run a different set-up for the final he concluded, ‘I have to thank Massimo (Fantini) for this and also Daniele (Ielasi) because he changed the strategy during the race and that got me through’.

‘I could not hear any commentary so I had no idea of the running order’, was Groskamp’s reaction. He added, ‘I just drove my own race but I didn’t know if I was racing for position or if a driver was a back marker but in the end I made it and my car was super good’. A finalist in 2013, Groskamp is one of 5 Infinity’s to make the final, with Alberto Picco bumping up from the 1/4 finals. Unfortunately for team-mate Jesse Davis, while he looked to recover from a slow tyre change, on his last stop his mechanic’s t-shirt would get wrapped up in the front wheel costing the quick Australian time and a chance to bump up having been in contention before the stop.

Benefiting from mistakes from Hoppe and JJ Wang right at the end, Hachler was delighted to make it through. The Swiss driver and great friend of Kuzbuch said, ‘It was a perfect race until I lost a wheel’. As the ARC driver exited the pits after his tyre stop the rear left wheel came off with his hopes of making the final looking to be over. ‘I pushed 100% after that. I drove on the limit and I also got a bit lucky other crashed ahead of me but the car was perfect and I can drive on the limit for a long time so I think it will be good for the final’.

View complete event results here.

View our event image gallery here.

Semi final line-up complete for 21st WC

Posted: 16 Sep 2017 03:04 AM PDT

The 21st running of the 1:8 Onroad World Championships is down the final 22 drivers with the 1/4 finals completing the line up for the two Semi finals which will decide the 8 drivers to join Dario Balestri and Naoto Matsukura in the fight to become the World Champion. In the first of the 1/4 encounters it was JJ Wang who took the win ahead of Takaaki Shimo after the 2015 Vice Champion was given a penalty for bad refuelling. Behind them John Ermen was holding third but the ARC driver came under intense pressure from 2013 World Champion Tadahiko Sahashi in the final laps. With the Serpent driver all over the Dutchman the pair made contact at the final corner with Ermen ending up on the grass. While Ermen protested the result, after watching video footage of the pass officials deemed the result would stand with Sahashi progressing to the Semis.

In the second 1/4 final, Alberto Picco was the winner from Infinity team-mate Carmine Raiola who was another to be penalised for bad refuelling. Behind them Takehiro Terauchi would complete the Top 3 of a race that would see reigning 1:10 European Champion Toni Gruber and former finalists Rick Vrieljink and Flavio Elias go out. Losing second gear on his WRC, Gruber tried to continue but it was too much for his engine and it expired. For Vrieljink his chances of progressing ended when he ran out of fuel and for Elias, who was running his 5th final after a bad qualifying, his run ended due to a broken steering servo.

‘Very happy’ was how Wang summed up progressing to the Semis. The Mugen driver continued, ‘qualifying was so so, so I’m happy to still be in the mix’. On the 20-minute encounter which he started 4th, the Chinese American driver said, ‘The start was good for me but the conditions were very difficult. The Top 3 were evenly spaced but then the drivers behind started to attack. When Shimo got the drive through I took the lead and just tried to drive a safe race to the end’.

Echoing Wang’s comments of conditions being more difficult today, Picco said, ‘the track was not as good as yesterday. It was slippery and more difficult to drive’. He continued, ‘I just tried to keep a good pace without pushing because I didn’t have the same confidence as before because of the dust on the track’. Otherwise, the Italian veteran said the rest of the race was good and while conditions are more difficult he will leave his Infinity unchanged for the longer 30-minute Semi Final.

View complete event results here.

View our event image gallery here.

Plug failure puts Collari out

Posted: 16 Sep 2017 01:52 AM PDT

Lamberto Collari is out of the 21st running the 1:8 Onroad World Championships. The driver who has been World Champion a record 9 times, saw his attempt for a 10th title end when he suffered a glow plug failure while leading his 1/8 Final with 2/3rd distance complete. The Italian’s last Worlds Final appearance was when he won the last of his titles in Switzerland in 2009. Losing 3-laps as a new plug was fitted, Collari eventually finish 8th while up front it was former Finalist Rick Vrielijnck who took the win to progress to the 1/4 Finals. Also joining the Capricorn driver by completing the Top 3 would be Thomas Desmaries and Paphon Chanyasah. For 2013 and 2015 Finalist Shinnosuke Yokoyama it was the end of his run of final appearances with the Japanese driver finishing 6th.

In the first of the 1/8 finals which got the final day of action in France underway, it would be Serpent’s Merlin Depta who took the win having started 8th on the grid. Behind the German, former European Champion Oliver Mack would follow him home having start the the 20-minute directly behind his fellow countryman. One of the standouts, having had a bad qualifying when he ended up qualifying in the 1/64th final, 2015 Finalist Flavio Elias completed his run of bump ups with third. As a result the Brazilian Capricorn driver will now make his 5th race start here in Monteux. Casualties of the race included Michael Salven who went out after a crash at the start and his Serpent team-mate & 2009 Finalist Mark Green who could only manage P5.

View complete event results here.

View our event image gallery here.

Chassis Focus – Silvio Hachler

Posted: 16 Sep 2017 01:51 AM PDT

Chassis – ARC R8.1
Engine – OS Speed R2102 Gold Edition
Tyres – Matrix (Handout)
Fuel – Runner Time
Radio/Servos – Sanwa/Savox
Body – Xtreme Aerodynamics R18
Remarks – Highest ranked within the ARC team after qualifying here in Monteux, Swiss driver Silvio Hachler is using a pretty standard version of the R8.1 from the Taiwanese factory using only an optional set of Team Titan titanium screws.

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Chassis Focus – Shoki Takahata

Posted: 15 Sep 2017 08:12 AM PDT

Chassis – Mugen MRX-6
Engine – OS Speed R2103
Tyres – Matrix (Handout)
Fuel – Runner Time
Radio/Servos – Sanwa
Body – Xtreme Aerodynamics R18 Strong
Remarks – Japanese Mugen driver Shoki Takahata is running a few new parts on his MRX-6. The new chassis features a carbon weights slide and has a different shape to bring the rear bulkheads closer to each other enabling the use of longer suspension arms. The clutch bell is also new, with an updated shape that allows for the use of 4 ball bearings instead of the usual two.

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New In The Pits – Gimar

Posted: 15 Sep 2017 08:03 AM PDT

New from Gimar is the latest version of their RACE engine tuned by Max Fantini. The unit features a DLC treated crankshaft and updated timing on both the shaft and the cylinder, in addition to a long life conrod and a rear ceramic bearing. The front ceramic bearing is available upon request. The engine will be available in the 25 and 16% Nitro configuration and also in a pre-run version.

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Video – Super Pole Shootout

Posted: 15 Sep 2017 05:57 AM PDT

Video – 1/8th Main Final

Posted: 20 Aug 2017 12:07 PM PDT

Kurzbuch completes perfect weekend at ENS Austria

Posted: 20 Aug 2017 10:03 AM PDT

Simon Kurzbuch completed the perfect weekend at the penultimate round of the Euro Nitro Series in Austria. Having maintained 100% TQ record, the Shepherd driver pulled off his second win of the season ahead title rival Bruno Coelho. With Coelho running out of fuel during the 45-minute Aigen encounter, making things a lot easier for Kurzbuch to claimed his third ENS Austria win in a row, the result sets up a title showdown between the two great drivers for the season finale at Fiorano in Italy. Behind them Lars Hoppe would complete the podium ahead of a battling Jilles Groskamp, John Ermen and Robert Pietsch, the latter recovering from an early crash with Silvio Hächler.

‘Perfect work by my pitcrew and good work from me. I didn’t drive perfect but in the end we won’, was how Kurzbuch summed up his 8th ENS career win. He continued, ‘of course it was bad luck for Bruno but we are back in the championship now and that was our goal this weekend’. The World Champion would take note of Coelho’s fuel short coming and with no serious threat of the Portuguese driver catching him would make an additional fuel stop in the last 3-minutes of the race to be sure he wouldn’t suffer a similar faith. With ENS Austria the last major event before he defends his World title next month in France, Kurzbuch said he was very happy with his performance as well as for the ‘whole Shepherd team’ who with four cars in the final was the best represented manufacturer.

Coelho, who stunned the 1:8 runners with his performance at the season opener in Mulhouse and backed it up with a P2 in Ettlingen, said, ‘everything was going perfect until we had the flameout’. Running 5-minute stops he said they couldn’t explain why he ran out of fuel because it happened at 4:30, a considerable difference when all previous stops had shown up no issues. On that he said, ‘Maybe it was not refuelled fully but we need to look back at the lap times and see what happened’. Chasing his first ENS title as he goes for the triple crown of E championships having already been crowned the latest ETS and EOS champion, the Portuguese driver felt he didn’t have as good a car for the first half of the race as he did the second. He said, ‘My first set of tyres where not so good but the second set was perfect’. Setting the fastest lap of the race on the second set, he said the lat 25 minutes of the race was perfect and had he not had his flame out it would have been a very close finish between himself and Kurzbuch. While the World Championship will be the immediate focus of all the drivers for now, asked about the final ENS title decider in Italy, Coelho said, ‘It will be difficult. Fiorano I don’t like so much because it is a big open track but for sure I will go there to fight for the win’.

‘I’m very happy. Third was more than I expected before the final’, was the reaction of a very pleased Hoppe, the 2017 Shepherd signing enjoying his second podium finish at the Aigen track. The German continued, ‘the final was the best the car was all weekend. I had a crash a the beginning and had to put the trim completely to the left side but after that it was a clean race with no problems’. Making a complete tyre change during the race, he said having started out with a 5-minute fuel strategy once he had a gap over 4th they switched to 4:30 stops to be safe. Hoppe’s podium finish marks the first time since the inaugural ENS season that Shepherd have had two cars on the podium, he also a part of that when he finished 3rd behind Kurzbuch in 2nd at the Hockenheimring in 2014.

Flying the flag on his own this weekend for Infinity, Groskamp said, ‘From 10th to 4th is nice but the performance was not perfect’. The Dutchman continued, ‘Finally we found out our car works on small tyres but not on big tyres’. He said with his car on big tyres for the start he was more concerned about not getting in the way of other drivers because his car was difficult and as a result he was not able to get into his rhythm. Opting to change only the outside tyres at 15-minutes into the race, he said on rejoining the car was ‘really terrible, almost undriveable’ but then they came in and the car got better and better and all this considered he declared himself, ‘maximum happy with 4th’. Choosing to come Aigen as his preparations for the World Championship, he said, ‘I am very happy to be here because we learnt a lot about strategy. Changing only 1 side is not a good way, you save 5-seconds but you lose it on the track (in performance)’. He concluded, ‘we also know we need to work on the car’s performance on big tyres’.

A former winner in Aigen, John Ermen said his 5th place result was the ‘maximum possible’. The ARC driver said, ‘At the start my car was perfect. Its good on big or small tyres. My engine was on the rich side at the beginning but then on the second refuelling it was so rich to keep on the pace was impossible so I had to stop to tune it. Then 2 laps before my stop it ran out of fuel and one more time I had to have the engined tuned’. The Dutchman added, ‘With all this we lost too much time which was too bad, we had Top 3 pace’. For ARC team-mate Hächler, after a great qualifying performance that gave him his best ever starting position of P4, his hopes of a good race ended quickly after a crash with Pietsch in which his fuel tubing got nicked causing him engine tuning issues. After repairs the Swiss driver would go on to set the second fastest lap of the race, his pace some consolation for his P8 finish.

Completing the Top 6, Pietsch initially looked to have got away with the contact with Hächler but during his first fuel stop the INS Box which was unknowingly dislodged from the impact flew off in the pitlane. Others to have issues included newly crowned 1:10 European Champion Toni Gruber. The WRC driver had a heavy off in the warm-up and with damage to his car called the 10-minute delay. In the race however things didn’t improve for the Round 1 podium finisher as he continued to struggle with the cars steering as well as having to stop for repairs when the belt managed to get over the side of the pulley. He would finish 9th, 16 laps down on the leader.

View complete event results here.

View our event image gallery here.

Video – 1/10th Main Final

Posted: 20 Aug 2017 07:50 AM PDT

Coelho back on top with Aigen win

Posted: 20 Aug 2017 07:46 AM PDT

After his DNF in Germany, Bruno Coelho has moved back to the top of the Euro Nitro Series standings with a dominant 1:10 win at Round 3 of the championship in Austria. Taking his third TQ start of the season at Aigen, the Xray driver controlled the race from start to finish, even with his rivals getting a second chance after the first attempt at running the 45-minute encounter was stopped by a rain shower. In the first running, second place qualifier Leo Arnold would suffer a flame out while Thilo Tödtmann would lose drive due to a loose set screw. With cars struggling to make it around the track due to the passing shower, the race was stopped but having just failed to reach 25% distance it meant a complete rerun, luckily for Arnold and Tödtmann. After a wait to allow the track to dry, Coelho led the field away again and never looked back while behind Tödtmann made good use of his second life to secure second with Marco Kaufmann completing the podium as Arnold again had engine issues.

Only missing out on taking all six qualifiers through his own driving error in Q4, allowing team-mate Arnold to take the round, Coelho summed up his final by saying, ‘Everything worked perfect, the tyre change, refuelling, everything’. He continued, ‘We came here for first place because the last race was bad for me and I need to drop a 10th place. The TQ & win are good for the championship and we will try to do the same at the last one. We need to get the title.’

‘I’m a lucky guy’, was Tödtmann’s reaction to his second place. Explaining his issue in the first running of the final, the Shepherd driver said, ‘the set screw came loose in the pulley. I always check them before the race but I will double check them for the future’. On the race proper, the German described it as ‘a safe final’. Choosing to change just the outside tyres, the new surface having very little wear, he said everything worked really good and with a comfortable gap over 3rd place he could drive easy to the finish. A podium finisher last year in Aigen, when he was third for Capricorn, second is his best ENS finish which he said is great for his first season with Shepherd and also after just missing out on bumping up to the Main final at the European Championships in France last week.

Making it two podiums in a row having claimed his first ENS Top 3 at Ettlingen, Kaufmann said the result in Aigen was ‘for sure not bad’. The Xray driver continued, ‘I tried to crash with nobody and do my own race and it paid off in the end’. Like Tödtmann, Coelho changing all four tyres, the German only changed his outside tyres 13-minutes into the race. With a comfortable lead over Gerhard Kandelhart who would finish fourth, he said ‘I was 1-lap up on 4th so at the end I knew I just had to keep the car on the track and I would be safe to the end’.

View complete event results here.

View our event image gallery here.

A-Main grids complete at ENS Austria

Posted: 20 Aug 2017 02:33 AM PDT

The final grid line-up for the A-Mains at Rounds 3 of the Euro Nitro Series at Aigen are complete. In 1:10 it was Shepherd driver Franz Engel who took the win in the 20-minute B Final to secure 11th on the grid for the main event. Behind the Austrian, 12-year-old IYRCA International Youth Champion Oliver Havránek would take a very popular second place ahead of pole sitter Leonardo Varga to book his first ever ENS A-Main appearance. In the 1:8 encounter it was Shepherd driver Timo Schröder who took the win but only after the company’s owner Patrick Schafer had a flameout while holding the lead. It would still be a Shepherd 1-2 however as 8th place starter Michael Kammer took second ahead of Nejc Mihelic.

View complete event results here.

View our event image gallery here.

Chassis Focus – Toni Gruber

Posted: 20 Aug 2017 02:30 AM PDT

Chassis – WRC GTX 1.3
Engine –Novarossi Mito 35 WC
Fuel – Runner Time
Tires (handout) – MR33
Radio/Servo – KO Propo
Body – Blitz

Remarks – WRC’s star driver Toni Gruber has come to Aigen with a number of new features on the latest version of the GTX. Choosing to run a more flexible chassis for this track, the car has been fitted with a new battery plate and new carbon discs that sit mounted inside the wheels.

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Chassis Focus – Bruno Coelho

Posted: 20 Aug 2017 01:11 AM PDT

Chassis – Xray NT1 2017
Engine –Max Power XP3.9
Fuel – Runner Time
Tires (handout) – MR33
Radio/Servo – Sanwa/Savox
Body – SRC Spark

Remarks – Claiming his 3rd TQ of his 2017 ENS campaign here in Aigen, Bruno Coelho is running the usual NT1 with optional aluminium parts. The very same car as he used at the European Championships in France last week, he said even the set-up is pretty much the same.

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Chassis Focus – Simon Kurzbuch

Posted: 19 Aug 2017 09:12 AM PDT

Chassis – Shepherd Velox V8 “WC”
Engine – Novarossi Mito WCS
Fuel – Energy
Tires (handout) – MR33
Radio/Servo – Futaba
Body –Xtreme Aerodynamics R18 Flat

Remarks – Claiming the overall TQ here in Aigen, Simon Kurzbuch is running the basic Simon Kurzbuch Edition of the Velox V8 “WC”. Over the standard car this includes aluminium wheel axles, titanium screws, Brilliant RC ball bearing set, brass battery plate, and 0.8 clutch. The Swiss driver said even on the set-up everything is pretty much how he normally runs the car.

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Kurzbuch on point with ENS Austria TQ

Posted: 19 Aug 2017 08:51 AM PDT

Simon Kurzbuch is the Top Qualifier at Round 3 of the Euro Nitro Series in Austria. The Shepherd driver secured his third TQ start of the season when, after a delayed start to Day 2 of qualifying at Aigen, due to overnight rain, he was fastest for a third time in Q5. An important bonus championship point for the reigning champion, starting behind him on the grid for the 45-minute A-Main tomorrow will be points leader Bruno Coelho who took Q4. The only other driver to TQ one of the five qualifying rounds, the return of rain causing the cancellation of Q6, Robert Pietsch will line up third ahead of a competitive looking Silvio Hächler. Qualifying fifth, Toni Gruber makes it five different manufacturers at the front end of the grid with Lars Hoppe completing the Top 6.

‘One more step closer to getting to the top of the standings. We reached our first goal of the weekend and I hope we can end with a good result’, was Kurzbuch’s reaction after claiming his 7th ENS career TQ honours. Commenting on his run that secured him pole for the final, he said, ‘It was a really good run but at the end it was a little wet which made it difficult. I was afraid that I lost it on the last lap because it was bad again’. Yesterday a bad final lap prevented him from wrapping up the overall TQ in Q4 as Coelho beat him by 0.046 of a second. Chasing a hat trick of wins at the Aigen track, having clinched the title with his win here last year, looking to the final the Swiss ace believes tyre strategy is the biggest opportunity to find an advantage. The factory Novarossi driver said fuel consumption is ‘good’ but with the new surface changing the track from a tyre eater to one where wear is quite low he feels it important to have a good strategy for this change. Asked if he had decided on when and what tyre change he would make he replied, ‘I have to discuss it with my father this evening’.

Summing up his qualifying, finishing 6-tenths of a second off Kurzbuch in what was to be the final qualifier, Coelho said, ‘the car was very good on the track but we made a bad tyre decision’. He continued, ‘we used small tyres but at the end it was difficult to drive because they were too low’. Asked about his chassis, his Q4 TQ coming with a damaged chassis because of a lack of time to change it after a big off in the third round, he said, ‘we checked it and the damage doesn’t effect it so we have kept it’. Chasing his first Aigen win, this only his second visit to the Austrian track, the Xray driver added, ‘I am confident for the final. My car is really good. We still need to discuss tyres. The wear is super low but for sure we need to change. It is not easy to calculate because we don’t have information from before and we don’t have this wear anywhere else.’

‘I’m ok with P3’ was Pietsch’s reaction following the announcement Q6 wouldn’t run due to the rain. Top Qualifier here in 2015, he said, ‘I was unlucky in the last qualifier as I had an unglued rear tyre so I could have got a better position’. Asked about his approach to tomorrow’s final he said, ‘It is hard to say now because we are not sure about the rain. Cooler conditions are better for me but I think it might be warmer again. We will check tomorrow in practice what we will do’. Asked about the low tyre wear, the 2013 World Champion replied, ‘tyre wear is not a problem, it might be possible to do the race with no stop’.

Securing his best ever ENS qualifying position Hächler said, ‘P4, I’m really happy with that’. The ARC driver was less happy with his final qualifying attempt however saying,’I had no grip once the rain drops started. It really affected my car more compared to the others’. Overall pleased with his car this weekend in the hot & dry conditions, the two time ENS podium finisher said, ‘I hope the sun is back tomorrow and the track is warmer. If its like that I change nothing for the final’. Asked about strategy he replied, ‘I have really good fuel consumption and I think I can save 1 or maybe 2 stops on some other drivers. The tyres I have to discuss but it would probably be hard to drive 45-minutes without changing’.

Fresh from winning the 1:10 European Championship last week, Gruber said, ‘P5 is not bad but it is not what I wanted to get’. The WRC driver continued, ‘we still have the problem with the steering but we will test a lot of things in the practice tomorrow to try find the problem. If we can fix it then the car will be complete’. The German will go into the final as he would any other saying, ‘I will start the final like all finals, I drive safe at first. We think a lot about not changing tyres but maybe one change will be better, we will see tomorrow’.

With the big focus on the 1:8 title fight, with the 1:10 field having less depth than normal due to last week’s Euros in France, it is Bruno Coelho who will start on pole. With drivers getting in all six rounds of qualifying, Coelho wrapped up the TQ in Q5 and capped off the day with a fifth TQ run in Q6. The only driver to top the winner of the season opener when he took Q4, Leo Arnold made it an Xray 1-2 on the grid. Shepherd’s Thilo Tödtmann secured 3rd ahead of team-mate Melvin Diekmann with ENS Germany podium finisher Marco Kaufmann completing the Top 5 ahead of Austrian Gerhard Kandelhart.

View complete event results here.

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Chassis Focus – Merlin Depta

Posted: 19 Aug 2017 05:48 AM PDT

Chassis – Serpent 988 Viper
Engine – OS Speed R2103
Fuel – Runner Time
Tires (handout) – MR33
Radio/Servo – Sanwa/Savox
Body – Blitz TS0040

Remarks – Leading the Serpent challenge at the end of the first day of qualifying, Merlin Depta is using new harder plastic parts the company has produced for the upcoming World Championships next month in France. Apart from that the German said the rest of his 988 Viper is ‘pretty standard’ with the exception of some of his own handy work. It turns out Merlin has his own CNC machines and his work is featured on the car in the aluminium throttle link and his carbon radio box. The radio box which features a 30gram tungsten weight gives the the car a better centre line balance, the weight offsetting the off centre weight and position of the engine. In terms of unique set-up being used on the car to get it more suited to the Aigen track, both himself and Dominic Greiner are running a ‘quite soft’ rear end set-up to help reduce the rear of the car twitching. He described the feeling as being similar to that experienced by drivers in Ettlingen.

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ETS Season#10 Championship Winning Cars

Posted: 30 Jul 2017 07:28 AM PDT

Bruno Coelho (Volante Modified)

Xray T4 ’17 – Hobbywing Xerun V10 4.5T – Hobbywing Xerun XR10 Pro – EZ Power Graphene 6600mAh – Montech Racer body – Sanwa transmitter – Savox Servo

Alexander Duchet (Xray Pro Stock)

Xray T4 ’17 – Muchmore Fleta 13.5T – Muchmore Fleta Euro ESC – LRP Stock Spec 8000mAh – Protoform LTCR body – Sanwa transmitter – Highest Servo

David Ehrbar (Serpent Formula)

Serpent F110 SF3 – Scorpion RS-3420 21.5T – Scorpion Vanguard ETS Black Edition – Arrowmax 4600mAh – ODP Gonzo body – Sanwa transmitter – GM Servo

Final round of A-Mains rained off

Posted: 30 Jul 2017 07:26 AM PDT

The final round of A-Mains at the ETS Season #10 finale has been rained off. A weekend of hot conditions with around half an hour left to go to bring the season to a close, heavy rain arrived at Minidrom Ettlingen drenching the track and ending any chances of running the A3. With the overall wins in Modified and Formula already decided in A2, Bruno Coelho and Tim Benson the winners, it was the Pro Stock class that lost out. With Olivier Bultynck winning A1 and Alexandre Duchet A2, with only two Mains run it was the best result of two to decide the final result with a fastest winning time giving it to Bultynck over the new champion Duchet. Tobias Vogel, third in A1 completed the podium in Germany. In terms of the podium for Modified, a faster P2 in the opening A-Main would give Infinity’s Naoto Matsukura his second consecutive podium while Xray’s Tim Wahl, second in A2, celebrates his first ever ETS podium, the German putting in a great home event. Behind first time ETS winner Benson, in Formula Matej Dobnikar would end the season with his best ever result finishing second while Jitse Miedema, second in A2, completed the podium. Newly crowned champion David Ehrbar rounded out his season with 7th place.

View the complete event results here.

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Champion Coelho caps of ETS season with record 5th win

Posted: 30 Jul 2017 05:22 AM PDT

Back to back Euro Touring Series Champion Bruno Coelho has capped off his title winning campaign with a record breaking 5th win of the season at Minidrom Ettlingen in Germany. Top Qualifier for a 5th time in Season #10, the Xray driver wrapped up his 10th ETS career win with another dominant drive in A2, this time heading home team-mate Tim Wahl. Behind the Xrays, contact between the two Infinity’s of Naoto Matsukura and Marc Rheinard would mix things up a little allowing Ronald Volker through to third. In the end Matsukura would take back the position from his former team-mate to complete the top 3 after seeing off a final corner pass attempt by Mugen’s Robert Pietsch.

Reacting to his A2 performance, Coelho said, ‘I started very strong, the car felt perfect over the first 3-laps and I already had a lead of something like 1-second so then I could just manage the advantage’. Celebrating his overall win at a hot Ettlingen with some ice cream, he said, ‘The goal is always to win every time and learn & develop. I was not 110% prepared for this race because when I came here for testing it rained so I’m super happy with today’s result. The 5 wins are the result of all our work over the year. I have to thank Francesco (Martini) for his perfect job all season and also all my sponsors as we all work in this direction’. With Montech’s new Racer bodyshell making a big impact this weekend, he continued, ‘I am happy with Montech’s new body. Six cars used it in the final which is very positive step’.

‘I don’t think I was at any time before as nervous as this time’ said Wahl after A2. Doing an impressive job to qualify second for his first ETS outdoor A-Main appearance, the German who wasn’t comfortable with the conditions in A1 said this time, ‘everything was perfect’, it having got hotter since the morning’s opening encounter. Looking strong now for his first podium finish he said, ‘for sure the aim is the podium but Marc and Naoto know Bruno will not race (A3) so they will be looking for a (leg) win too’. The 22-year-old concluded, ‘I will try my best and see what happens’.

Matsukura declared himself ‘lucky’ to get third in A2. Surviving getting tapped from behind by Rheinard and then eventually getting by Volker when the Yokomo driver had a half spin while under pressure from his fellow former World Champion. Describe the hit from Rheinard as a ‘race accident’, the Japanese driver said, ‘my car was pretty good after that but then I had a mistake on the straight, I was super lucky to get away with it’. It was this moment that let Pietsch close him up, the separation at the line just 2/100ths of a second. Looking to better his 3rd place at the previous round at the Hudy Arena, Matsukura said the plan for A3 was to ‘pressure him (Wahl) at the start and hope I can get a good pass with no contact’.

‘Nice races’, was Pietsch’s reaction after A2. The nitro World Champion has been making a big impression on Mugen’s ETS debut with his new MTC-1 touring car and is showing he is not afraid to mix it with electric’s best racers. Asked about getting up to 4th position from his P6 starting position, he replied, ‘I don’t know how it happened. I just wanted to keep it clean and it was working out’. With the racing on track a lot closer than normally experienced in nitro, and this only his second EP outdoor race he is enjoying the experience saying, ‘I have the feeling everyone is careful and won’t make stupid moves so its nice to race like that and I think its good for the spectators too to watch’. On his attempted pass on Matsukura he said, ‘he went a little outside at the hairpin so I saw a gap but I didn’t accelerate enough’. For the closing race of the season he will make a speedo setting change, feeling he was down a little in top speed compared to the others. Behind Pietsch, Rheinard would finish 5th followed by Volker.

While little happened at the front of the Volante Modified encounter, A2 of Xray Pro Stock would see French ETS season rookie Alexandre Duchet take the title and make fans among onlookers as he pulled off an impressive pass on title rival Olivier Bultynck. Having won A1, Top Qualifier Bultynck looked like he was on target to take the overall win but on the last lap Duchet got down the inside of the Awesomatix driver in the infield to make it a dream debut season as he retains the title for Xray. In the Scorpion Power Formula class, Tim Benson wrapped up his first overall ETS victory taking his Serpent to the A2 win albeit by a smaller margin second time round from Infinity’s Jitse Miedema who was closing fast on the German over the closing laps. Bultynck completed the Top 3 while Jan Ratheisky retired meaning it is David Ehrbar who is the overall champion making it a great day for Team Serpent.

View the complete event results here.

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Video – Modified A-main Leg 2

Posted: 30 Jul 2017 04:14 AM PDT

Video – Pro Stock A-main Leg 2

Posted: 30 Jul 2017 03:55 AM PDT

Video – Formula A-main Leg 2

Posted: 30 Jul 2017 03:42 AM PDT

Coelho cruises to A1 win at ETS Germany

Posted: 30 Jul 2017 02:20 AM PDT

Bruno Coelho cruised to an easy win in the opening A-Main of the ETS Season Finale in Germany this morning, the Top Qualifier having a winning margin of almost three seconds over Naoto Matsukura. Top Qualifier at the uniquely challenging Minidrom Ettlingen track, Coelho immediately took control of A1 making a blistering start ahead of Xray team-mate Tim Wahl. Starting his first ever outdoor ETS A-Main from second on the grid, Wahl was looking good in 2nd early on but had a slight moment on the curbing was enough to let Matsukura and the rest of the pack to close, the Infinity driver executing an impressive move on the German on the entry to the sweeper to take second. Matsukura’s Infinity team-mate Marc Rheinard would shortly make a similar pass on Wahl, these being the only two passes of the race, the rest of the field finishing in the order they started.

‘It was a very good final. I was very confident with the car after my 1/2 lap warm-up’, said Coelho after the race. Chasing his fifth win of the season, the back to back Champion said, ‘Tim had not so good a start which gave me space so I could just drive my own race and lead it to the end’. Describing track conditions as ‘completely different to yesterday’, he said, ‘it was more stable in the rear and much easier to drive and I hope it stays like this for the rest of the day’.

‘I’m happy with second’ was how Matsukura summed up his opening final. Starting third on the grid he said, ‘I took Tim on the straight which was a perfect pass but it was too late because Bruno was too far away’. Also describing track conditions as being ‘different’ today, the ETS Slovakia podium finisher said, ‘my car was super easy but after 2-minutes it had understeer so we make a little change in the set-up for the next one to get more steering’. A driver who seems to have re-found his touring car form since joining class newcomers Infinity, the 2014 World Champion said, ‘I try to get one place better the next one’.

Giving his views on A1, Rheinard said, ‘What can I say we lost the race in qualifying again’. The 4-time World Champion continued, ‘Bruno is a little faster but I think we are closer than it looks. If I was starting second I could at least challenge Bruno a little bit’. He added, ‘It is a difficult track to pass but I made a nice move on Tim on the straight which gave me third’. With Montech’s Racer body looking to have the advantage at this track Rheinard concluded, ‘I was the best LTC finisher’.

‘I’m happy with this’ was Wahl’s reaction to finishing 4th. With 4-World Champions on the grid, he continued, ‘If anyone said before the start I would finish 4th I would agree with this’. In terms of his car, he said, ‘It was not perfect for these conditions. The track is more stable today and my car is best when its loose but it is windy and getting hotter so I expect it to change’.

In the Pro Stock class, Olivier Bultynck couldn’t do more for his title aspirations as the Awesomatix driver lead from start to finish with championship rival Alexandre Duchet finishing 2nd. Contact between Tom Krägefski and Max Mächler would benefit Tobias Vogel who would complete the Top 3. In Formula, Serpent’s Tim Benson drove the perfect race, the Top Qualifier winning from Matej Dobnikar who closed in the final laps. In the title battle, reigning champion Jan Ratheisky got the better of Bultynck to finish 3rd, the duo having start 8th and 6th respectively.

View the complete event results here.

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Video – Modified A-main Leg 1

Posted: 30 Jul 2017 02:18 AM PDT

Video – Pro Stock A-main Leg 1

Posted: 30 Jul 2017 02:01 AM PDT

Video – Formula A-main Leg 1

Posted: 30 Jul 2017 01:58 AM PDT

EOS 4wd Buggy Series Winner – Focus

Posted: 23 Apr 2017 10:00 AM PDT

Bruno Coelho (Portugal)

Xray XB4 14 – Hobbywing Xerun XR10 Pro – Hobbywing Xerun – EZ 3500mAh Graphene – Sanwa/Savox

EOS 2wd Buggy Series Winner – Focus

Posted: 23 Apr 2017 09:55 AM PDT

Michal Orlowski (Poland)

Schumacher Cougar KC – LRP Flow-X– LRP X20 – LRP LCG P5 4000mAh – Sanwa

Bayer wins EOS Season finale

Posted: 23 Apr 2017 09:16 AM PDT

Martin Bayer has won the season finale of the Euro Offroad Series in Wels, Austria, it having been 2-years to the week since the Czech driver last stood on the top step of the EOS podium. The Xray driver denied team-mate Bruno Coelho the perfect weekend thanks to his A2 win, the time of which was 3/10ths of a second quicker than Coelho’s A3 win giving him the overall victory at the Modellbau Wels on the tiebreaker. His first win since back to back champion Coelho arrived into the championship, today’s win marks his 4th EOS Career win. With Coelho having to settle for 2nd, it was 2WD Champion Michal Orlowski who would complete the podium as the curtains came down on the championship’s sixth season.

Joking with Coelho, ‘I was just the better driver’, a very happy Bayer said ‘For sure I’m super happy. It has been a long time’. One of five drivers going into A3 with a chance of the win he said, ‘I knew that to win (A3) was going to be difficult because Bruno had fresher tyres but I also knew it would be very close with the times. After the disaster of A1 the 2nd and 3rd finals were perfect’. His first win since his appointment as Xray’s Offroad Team Manager and only the third driver to win in 4WD this season he added, ‘the car is so perfect I really enjoy driving it. It has been a great EOS season for us’.

‘I sucked in the finals’, was how Coelho summed up missing out on becoming only the third driver in the EOS’ 24 event history to do a clean sweep of a race weekend. He continued, ‘I made a mistake in the first final and also the second but finally in the third I drive a clean race. I tried to get the best 5-minute time but couldn’t do it but I am still happy for Martin to win because he deserves it’.

Having missed the first day’s action in Austria due to a school Exam and having to race the J-Main in 2WD because he didn’t run any qualifiers, Orlowski said, ‘It is good to be back on podium’. The only non-Xray driver to win in 4WD this season when he won his home round in Poland, the 15-year-old said, ‘In the last one I was hoping I could get second because then I would have got second overall and second in the championship’. He continued, ‘I got passed Wollanka and then was battling with Lee Martin but I think it was my error coming onto the straight and I rolled. In the end third (overall) was still a pretty good result. Overall I had one win and 3 podiums so hopefully next season will be even better’.

Backing up his P3 in A2 with another in A3, Lee Martin would miss out on the podium finishing the final round 4th overall ahead of compatriot Neil Cragg. The first season of EOS Martin has failed to register a race win, for Cragg 5th place would mark his best 4WD finish of the EOS, the Associated driver contesting the class since the arrival of the B64 at the third round in Slovakia.

View complete event results here.

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Video – 4wd Buggy A-main Leg 3

Posted: 23 Apr 2017 08:59 AM PDT

Video – Modified Truck A-main Leg 3

Posted: 23 Apr 2017 08:14 AM PDT

Bayer wins A2 from Coelho

Posted: 23 Apr 2017 07:21 AM PDT

Martin Bayer has won the second 4WD A-Main at EOS Austria, the Xray Offroad team manager capitalising on an early error from Top Qualifier Bruno Coelho. In the first run through the centre double double, Coelho took too much of an inside line forcing him to have to back out of the second double which was enough for Bayer to get to the front. With Martin Wollanka taking out Lee Martin at the same section, delaying the field, the two Xray’s could run their own race up front with Bayer keeping tight lines to the finish to win ahead of Coelho. Recovering from the incident with Wollanka, Martin would complete the Top 3 ahead of A1 winner Michal Orlowski, the stage now set for a showdown for the final win of Season #6.

With great banter between the Xray duo after the race, Coelho imitating his team boss and saying ‘It was easy for me’, Bayer said, ‘he made a mistake at the first double and I got by and then I just tried to keep a tight line’. ‘In practice we didn’t get to run one lap together but somehow today its all happening. I just tried to stay safe and have no incidents so I’m very happy for this’. Looking to the final race of the season, which could see the overall win go to one of 5 drivers, the former EOS race winner said, ‘I hope for the 3rd main nothing special happens and I can make the podium because we have no result from the first final’.

Explain his error at the double double, Coelho said, ‘I went too much to the inside and was going to hit the board so I had to back out after that I had to battle with Bayer to the end’. Joking, ‘It was just because he is a friend I don’t take him out’, he added, ‘He didn’t open the door so I couldn’t get by, it was a good race’.

‘It was a good take out’ was Martin’s reaction to getting hit by Wollanka. The Yokomo driver continued, ‘I don’t think it was massively intentional and he just got it wrong. At least he waited which was some justification. Luckily I still ended up third otherwise it was Leg 1 times two’. On A3 he said, ‘I would like to just run the first few laps clean and hang with the Xrays and hopefully force them to race each other’.

Orlowski said he was pretty happy to end up with fourth. He said, ‘Wollanka crashed Lee in the second double and stopped in the racing line and I was unlucky to hit him and drop down to last. After that I was just making laps and somehow got fourth at the end’. One of the contenders for the win, the only driver other than Coelho to win in 4WD this season, the Polish driver said, ‘with 5-guys able to win its going to be exciting’.

View complete event results here.

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Video – 4wd Buggy A-main Leg 2

Posted: 23 Apr 2017 06:45 AM PDT

Video – Modified Truck A-main Leg 2

Posted: 23 Apr 2017 06:29 AM PDT

Orlowski survives early chaos to win A1

Posted: 23 Apr 2017 05:58 AM PDT

Michal Orlowski came out on top of the opening A-Main of 4WD at the Euro Offroad Series in Austria, the Schumacher driver capitalising on all three Xray drivers starting ahead of him rolling at the same corner. Off the start it was Top Qualifier Bruno Coelho who led away the field from team-mate Martin Bayer but as they came onto the straight for the first time the Xrays performing a synchronised roll which would end Lee Martin’s challenge as he collected Bayer’s car. This would leave Martin Wollanka to lead but 3-laps later he would execute an almost carbon copy of his team-mate’s error allowing 5th place starter Orlowski to go to the front where, despite his slipper going, he would stay to the end. Wollanka would finish second with Neil Cragg completing the Top 3.

Having highlighted after qualifying that anything could be possible in the finals here with the example of the P2 he got from 8th on the grid in the second of the A-Mains at Round 3 of the EOS at the Hudy Arena, Orlowski said with a smile, ‘I got a bit lucky at the start’. He continued, ‘I don’t know what happen but I just tried to not hit anything and went from 5th to 2nd. Then I followed Wollanka until he made a mistake’. The EOS’ 2WD Champion said towards the end of the race he could feel a belt or his slipper was going so he ‘tried to be really smooth’ which was why Wollanka started to close. With enough of gap however he would roll the last few jumps adding ‘I was lucky to finish’. Discovering afterwards the slipper was ‘worn out’, they will fit a new one for A2 and ‘hopefully something similar will happen up front’.

‘I was first and it was all looking good but then I hit the dot’, was Wollanka’s reaction after the first encounter of the triple A-Mains. The Austrian continued, ‘I tried everything to close on Orlowski. I closed a bit but it was not enough to try to overtake’. Tangling with Lee Martin as they both tried to recover from the first lap chaos, Coelho would eventually pull up half way into the race explaining that his roll was a result of hitting the dot in the corner coming onto the main straight.

Cragg said, ‘I just waited for the chaos and got through to third’. The Associated driver continued, ‘my car as a little twitchy but I that was down to new tyres and more me than the car’. Catching and battling with Wollanka, with whom he had an altercation in the final qualifier, for a second time the Brit would throw away a possible 2nd with a mistake but concluded, ‘I can’t argue with getting a third’. Behind Cragg AE team-mate Karri Salmela would have a good race finishing fourth from 9th on the grid.

View complete event results here.

View the event image gallery here.

Video – 4wd Buggy A-main Leg 1

Posted: 23 Apr 2017 05:07 AM PDT