Martin 2WD Top Qualifier at EOS
Lee Martin is 2WD Top Qualifier for Round 2 of the Euro Offroad Series at the Hudy Arena in Slovakia. The reigning champion & current points leader claimed his 5th EOS pole position when he topped the fourth and final round of qualifying in Trencin ahead of Michal Orlowski, his only challenger for the overall TQ. Winner of the event last season, Orlowski will start the finals from second surrounded by Yokomos as Martin’s team-mate Marc Rheinard secured third on the grid thanks to a P4 run in the final qualifier. For home team Xray, Bruno Coelho lines up fourth ahead of team-mate & former event winner Martin Bayer who was another to improve his grid position greatly with a strong Q4 performance in which he set the third fastest time.
His first TQ at the Hudy Arena, Martin said a mistake at the start of the final qualifier by Orlowski made things a little easier for him. Reporting his tyres as going off towards the end of the 5-minutes he said compared to the opening round at the Nurburgring tyre wear is a little higher and he will have have to start the finals on new tyres. While most have reported a loss of steering on first run tyres, the Brit feels his YZ-2 will be fine with his bigger concern being how his tyres will face up to the third leg of the finals should that end up being the deciding encounter as it did at the season opener where he took the win. Asked about the challenge of Orlowski he said any of the Top 4 could win highlighting in particular Coelho’s Q3 pace.
Top Qualifier for the event last time the EOS visited the world famous facility, Orlowski described Q4 as a ‘messy’. The Schumacher star would lose over 2 & half seconds with a mistake on his opening lap and said his driving was inconsistent as he went from going short or too long over the jumps. The only driver to match Martin’s 23-lap pace set in Q3, the 14-year-old said he has the pace to battle with Martin for the win. Describing the track as ‘difficult’, he said with everyone having problems getting their speed right every lap, for in particular the doubles, this could open opportunities to pass should they run wide.
Rheinard said a new set of tyres transformed his YZ-2 for Q4 allowing him to back up his Q1 P2 finish with a fourth to deny Coelho 3rd on tie break. Starting from the same grid position as he did when he made his debut for Yokomo at the EOS Season #4 Finale at the Arena last May, the German said the start is going to being ‘interesting’ when all the cars go into the first double together. A ‘fast track anyway’ he said the added difficulty of trying to get the braking for the doubles right should make for interesting racing.
Describing his final qualifier as a ‘disaster’, Coelho said he was ‘flipping everywhere’ as a result of driving over the curbs as a result of bad driving. Asked about the finals, the Portuguese star said it would be difficult to overtake but added it would be extra difficult due to his touring car rival Rheinard starting in front of him but added ‘you never know’. Commenting in his Q4 performance Bayer said ‘its getting better but it a bit too late’. A three time EOS race winner, the Czech driver said starting on the straight with the first jump being the double, adding with a smile, anything could happen there.
Securing his best EOS starting position, young Team Associated talent Joona Haatanen completes the Top 6 on the grid ahead of Nurburgring podium finisher Martin Wollanka. Running new rear tyres on his Reedy powered B5M for the final qualifier the Finn said this left him with a little understeer with the run being his worst of the four qualifiers. Looking to the final the 12-year-old said his plan for the race was to stay out of trouble and ‘just see what happens’.
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