January 30, 2016

Chassis Focus – Neil Cragg

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Chassis: Associated B44.3
Motor: Reedy Sonic 5.5T
ESC: LRP Flow
Batteries: Reedy 3900mAh
Radio/Servo: KO Propo
Remarks – Making his first EOS outing, former World Champion Neil Cragg is running a pretty standard version of the B44.3 in the 4WD division. In terms of option parts his buggy is only being equipped with a JConcepts aluminium steering rack.

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January 30, 2016

Rheinard get 1st win as Martin retains EOS title

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Team Yokomo enjoyed the perfect day at Round 3 of the Euro Offroad Series in Germany where Marc Rheinard claimed his first win ahead of team-mate Lee Martin, 2nd enough for Martin to successfully retain his 2WD Championship title with one round of the 2015/16 season still to run.  With Rheinard & Martin going head to head in A3 for the overall win in Muelheim-Kaerlich, the Top Qualifier’s impending win would be assisted by Martin when, 5-laps in, the British driver made a mistake coming onto the straight.  With this handing the Tamiya Touring Car ace a comfortable lead he could, despite some bobbles and a late charge from Martin, cruise to claim his first offroad win since joining Yokomo’s Offroad team last May.  With Martin’s charge resulting in a second mistake on the last lap Orlowski would go by for 2nd, a result that would maintain the Schumacher driver’s run of podium finishes this season.

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A driver who has been a regular of the EOS for the past number of season, having previously raced alongside Martin at Tamiya before the Japanese manufacturer dropped its offroad programme, Rheinard was happy to finally register a win.  A former European 4WD Offroad Champion, the German was particular pleased with the fact that his win came with a standard YZ-2 with him joking with Martin that ‘even with a prototype car you still couldn’t beat me’.  A driver who holds the honour of the most winning driver of the Euro Touring Series, today’s win sees him become only the 7th 2WD winner in the EOS’ 18 race history.

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‘A round early again, I’m pretty happy with that’, was Martin’s reaction to his second & Yokomo’s third consecutive EOS 2WD title. Having also won the title at the penultimate round last year, he said while he would have liked to have taken a third win of the season ‘at the end of the day the goal this weekend was on securing the title’.  His first EOS outing with new electric sponsors RC Concept he said it was nice to start the new relation by lifting the title. Commenting on A3, he said ‘I was pushing to catch Marc and knew that coming onto the straight was one place if you get it right you can make up time but I was too tight and hit the piping.  I knew I was guaranteed 2nd so tried to catch him towards the end and knew I needed to try something big but just too far.  It was actually a fun race’.  Having spent the weekend slagging Rheinard for finishing 28th at last week’s Reedy Race of Champions in California, the British ace didn’t miss the opportunity to remind him of the embarrassing result saying ’28 to 1, Well done Marc’ adding ‘you were just super lucky today’.

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A somewhat relieved Orlowski summed up his 2WD performance with ‘I got my podium’.  Coming into the event as the main challenger to Martin in the title chase finishing 2nd to him in the opening two rounds, the 14-year-old said ‘after a bad qualifying with so many mistakes from my side I am happy with third’.  He continued ‘we have a really good car especially on this surface and we showed that by racing for the win at the first two races so I’m frustrated that my driving was the weak link this weekend’.  Behind Orlowski, Martin Wollanka would end up the best Xray in the final with fourth. Unfortunately for Hupo Honigl, Xray’s highest qualifier in 4th, his strong showing didn’t translate into a good debut result with the Austrian ending up 8th, two places behind Joona Haatanen and new team-mate Bruno Coelho.

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Securing fifth overall with 5th in A3, Team Associated’s Neil Cragg summed up his EOS debut with ‘It started promising but kind of faded towards the end’.  Qualifying 3rd, the former World Champion said ‘we were trying different things in the finals and ended up tying ourselves in a knot but for a first effort fifth is not too bad’.  Looking to the EOS season finale in Austria, the British driver said ‘We now know what to expect and know the carpet so we will be a little more prepared for the next one’.  Travelling to Germany to support their star driver, Team Associated’s Craig Drescher was pleased with the progress made on the debut.  An accomplished racer himself with eleven 1:10 Offroad European Championship titles won, he said ‘We did a good job. We knew it would be tough as the other drivers are Pros in the series.  Finishing in the Top 5 we can’t be disappointed and we have got stuff to go back with and come back stronger for the next round’.

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View complete event results here.

View the event image gallery here.


January 30, 2016

Pit Focus – Bruno Coelho

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Team: Xray
Neighbours: Hupo Honigl (left), Juraj Hudy (right) Martin Wollanka (Front)
Charger: LRP Pulsar Competition Touch
Tools: Hudy (long-term borrowed from Martin Hudy, Olly Jefferies and many more..)
Setup Tools: Hudy setup board, Hudy ride height and droop gauges
Car Stand: Hudy
Lipo Bag: Hudy
Transport Bag: Hudy
Features: Sony speaker, Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, Hudy pit lamp, a mango.

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January 30, 2016

Martin handed A2 win

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Lee Martin has won A2 of 2WD at Euro Offroad Series, the Yokomo driver handed the lead after mistakes by both Top Qualifier & A1 winner Marc Rheinard and Neil Cragg.  Taking the win ahead of Xray’s Martin Wollanka and Cragg, the result means that the overall Round 3 winner will be decided in A3 with three drivers, Martin, Rheinard & Wollanka in contention.

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‘Marc gave up the lead and Neil rolled over when I needed him too’, was how Martin summed up his move to the front for the win.  The reigning champion & current points leader, he said ‘after that I just cruised to the finish’.  Starting second on the grid, the British driver would fall to third behind compatriot Cragg after a mistake on the opening lap but within 4 laps had been gifted the race lead.  Making a front link change on his YZ-2 to get more steering, he said this made the car more reactive and it took most of the race to get used to it hence the reason why he didn’t try to better Rheinard’s A1 winning time.  Having lost out on the TQ in qualifying on the tie break he is hoping the A3 result wont require the fastest time to be factored in.

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Rheinard, who would drop to 7th and recover to 4th, said ‘after Lee crashed I took it easy but it was too easy and I missed the landing at the big jump’.  Running a new set of the championship handout Schumacher tyres he said this made the bad landing worse and he rolled as a result of the extra traction.  Expecting the tyres, now that they are broken in, to be better for A3, he said following his mistake ‘it was too hard to come back’ and hoping for mistakes from Cragg and Wollanka they didn’t make any.

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Qualifying 9th, Wollanka was clearly pleased to come out with a second.   Having struggled with his XB2 in qualifying, the Round 1 podium finisher said set-up changes for A2 had improved the car by half a second a lap.  Describing the car as now being ‘perfect’, he said while ‘it will be difficult’ he will be trying to repeat the result in the closing 2WD encounter.

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‘First time all weekend two guys in front of me have made mistakes and I can’t capitalise’, was Cragg’s reaction after the race.  Having struggled in A1 after changes to his car’s front end and a motor change, the Team Associated driver said the car was better after reverting back to his qualifying set-up but added his B5M was ‘stilling missing something’. Commenting on crashing out of the lead which he held for 4-laps he said ‘I was not under real pressure from Lee and I still had a silly roll’.  Sandwiched in the battle for second he said with Rheinard so close behind him he ‘couldn’t have a real go at Wollanka’ adding ‘I’m annoyed at least not to get second’.  For A3 his plan is to try and get a podium which he added ‘would be a good start to the EOS for me’.

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View complete event results here.

View the event image gallery here.