April 22, 2017

Chassis Focus – Bruno Coelho

Chassis: Xray XB2 17
Motor: Hobbywing 6.5T
ESC: Hobbywing Xerun XR10 Pro
Batteries: EZ 3500mAh Graphene
Radio/Servo: Sanwa/Savox
Tires: Schumacher (handout)
Body: Lightweight Xray body
Remarks – Winner of the EOS here in Austria, 4wd Champion Bruno Coelho is running his 2017 XB2 from Xray in the sam configuration as the Arena33 with only a 2mm shorter wheelbase. His first run on carpet for new servo sponsor Savox, he believes he is one of the only front runners to use a low profile servo. In terms of the car, just as in Germany, he is using a prototype from anti-roll bar which he says helps the car carry more speed through the corners.

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April 22, 2017

Coelho sees off Maifield to win A2 at EOS

After a tough opening A-Main at EOS Austria, Top Qualifier Bruno Coelho delivered the win in A2 seeing off the attentions of an also improved Ryan Maifield.   Having thrown away a comfortable lead in A1 and then rolling out of the lead while under pressure from Joona Haatanen, this time round the Portuguese driver ran a near perfect race overcoming the pressure of EOS debutant Maifield.  Behind them it was A1 winner Haatanen who would complete the Top 3 setting the stage for a thrilling deciding 3rd A-Main at Modellbau Wels.

Chasing back to back 2WD wins having claimed his first EOS 2WD win last month at Arena 33 in Germany, Coelho said, ‘It was a perfect round now’.   Having struggled with traction roll in the first encounter, he said ‘there was less traction for sure’ which made his Hobbywing powered XB2 ‘more easy to drive’.  Echoing his rivals concerns that ‘tyre wear here is a lot’, on his battle with Maifield he said, ‘I was a little nervous when Maifield started pushing and had a few moments when I jumped short and the car bounced but in the end it was a very good round’.

‘I had a pep talk with my driver’ was Maifield’s response to his improved showing in A2. Setting the fastest lap of the race, the American continued, ‘I’ve got to be better starting out, because these guys come swinging out of the gate’.  Improving his Orion powered YZ-2 with a spring change after struggling in the first encounter, he said, ‘I need to keep Bruno honest for the first 2-minutes and then I think I have a chance but its still going to take a mistake to get by him.  We’ll see how 3 goes.’ For team-mate Lee Martin a mistake at the left side double on Lap 10 of 17 would drop him from 3rd to 5th.

Haatanen was pleased with his P3 saying, ‘I was on old tyres but it still went very good’.  Starting from 4th on the grid but dropping to fifth after a mistake, the 14-year-old added, ‘It is hard to catch up without someone making a mistake because we are all the same speed but I had a good race with Neil (Cragg)’. Looking to A3, the battle for the overall win wide open, he said, ‘everyone is struggling with tyre wear and no one has new tyres anymore so it will be an exciting race’.  Behind Haatanen, Cragg would finish 4th 2/10ths back.

View complete event results here.

View the event image gallery here.


April 22, 2017

Haatanen wins exciting A1 in Austria

Joona Haatanen came off the winner of an exciting opening 2WD A-Main at the Euro Offroad Series season finale in Austria this morning.  Lining up 4th on the grid, the Finn drove an impressive race, capitalising on mistakes from the Top 3 starters to lead home an Associated 1-2.  With the first key mistake of the race coming from Ryan Maifield,  one lap later Haatanen would get by Maifield’s Yokomo team-mate Lee Martin with 2nd place looking the likely outcome of the race for the teenager as Top Qualifier Bruno Coelho pulled out a comfortable lead.  However at the half way mark Coelho would traction roll his Xray off the front jump allowing Haatanen to close right up.  Following the EOS Round 3 winner for 4-laps, the Arena 33 Top Qualifier would go to the front when Coelho went flying off the track at the end of the straight. With Martin and Neil Cragg also getting through, it was the fight for 2nd between the battling Brits that would provide the closing entertainment.  While Martin would run a tight line to try defend his position, on the penultimate lap he hit a corner dot which pushed him wide which was all Cragg needed to make the pass to claim 2nd with Martin finishing as he started.  Crashing on his final lap, Coelho would end up fourth with Maifield’s first ever EOS race ending with a 5th.

‘It was a super good race, my car was super good on new tyres’, was how Haatanen summed up his A1 win.  He continued, ‘I was 3 or 4 laps behind Lee and then he made a mistake.  Then Bruno crashed and I was right behind him and maybe after 3-laps he crashed at the end of the straight away and I passed him with 1-minute to go’.  With his B6 particularly strong on new tyres, him using his single set of extra tyres allocated for the finals in A1, when asked about his A2 he replied, ‘I will use the same tyre, I hope they will be good’.

‘I just drove smart’ was Cragg reaction after the final.  Starting from 5th on the grid, he continued, ‘I waited to pick up the pieces and at the end I was able to put pressure on Lee and he left me a little gap’. Also running on new tyres, he said ‘my car has been good all weekend but I am a little concerned about tyre wear but there is nothing I can do about it’.  ‘Super pleased’ with the Associated 1-2, team-manager Craig Drescher’s delight when Cragg made the pass on Martin echoing through the hall, Cragg said hopefully A2 would be a ‘crash fest’ so he could again pick up the pieces.

Commenting on his race, Martin said, ‘I ran used tyres and didn’t have the grip needed’.  He continued, ‘I thought I was on for 2nd, even 1st at one time, but tried to go tight but hit a dot which let Neil slip through’.  Maifield summed up his race by saying, ‘whatever magic my car had is gone. I had zero corner speed which made it really tough’.

‘It was a little bit of a disaster’ was how Coelho summed up the first of the triple finals.  He added, ‘There is much more traction than yesterday and in the warm-up I flipped 3-times.  In the race I had a comfortable lead and traction rolled without reason and then again at the end of the straight’.  He ended by saying, ‘I hope used tyres are better’.

View complete event results here.

View the event image gallery here.