Bayer benefits from last lap Ronnefalk error in Q3

With 2WD Buggy qualifying resuming at the Hudy Arena, it was 4WD Top Qualifier Martin Bayer who took Q3, the Xray driver benefiting from a last lap error by David Ronnefalk.  Despite losing over a second after casing the double just before the timing loop and rolling, Ronnefalk still claimed second only 2/10th off Bayers TQ time.  Making a vast improvement over yesterday’s opening two 2WD qualifiers, Schumacher’s Tom Cockerill posted the third fastest time for the round putting the Top Qualifier of the season opener back in the hunt for a starting position in the A-Main.

Ronnefalk said his Orion powered RB6 ‘was amazing for 4 minutes & 40 seconds until (he) screwed up’.  Describing the mistake as ‘not good’, the 17-year-old Swede said the mistake most likely cost him a chance of the  overall TQ as even if he manages a clean final qualifier he will need to do so in a quicker time that that set by Naoto Matsukura on Q1 yesterday.  It was a poor resumption of 2WD qualifying for two time EOS 2WD Top Qualifier Matsukura as the Yokomo driver, who found the track to have less grip than yesterday, posted only the 8th fastest time.

After a terrible day yesterday in his strongest of the two main EOS classes, Cockerill said he ‘rolled the dice and for once it went in his favour’.  Making a huge set-up change to his Cougar, he reverted to the set-up with which he won the DHI Cup earlier this year which vastly improved the car for the tricky track.  A clean run the British racer said he will run the car as is in the final one as such were his results yesterday he still needs another good round to make the A-Main.

Setting the fourth fastest time was Team Yokomo’s Lee Martin.  The former EOS race winner, he said a new set-up improved his Yokomo but it now needs further adjustments in other areas ‘to get it to work properly’.   Going into the final qualifier the Brit is confident his buggy will be the best its been all weekend.    Behind Martin, Team Associated’s Juho Levanen and Peter Pinisch had their best showings so far as they took their Centro converted B4s to the 5th & 6th fastest time respectively.  For Q2 pace setter Hupo Honigl the qualifier lasted only 2-minutes as he broke a the front shock tower mount on his Team C.

2WD Buggy Q3 times
1. Martin Bayer – Xray – 13/5:19.560
2. David Ronnefalk – Kyosho – 13/5:19.762
3. Tom Cockerill – Schumacher – 13/5:24.551
4. Lee Martin – Yokomo – 12/5:00.583
5. Juho Levanen – Team Associated – 12/5:02.379
6. Peter Pinisch – Team Associated – 12/5:04.877
7. Oskar Levin – Team C – 12/5:06.073
8. Naoto Matsukura – Yokomo – 12/5:07.943
9. Joern Neumann – Durango – 12/5:08.013
10.Renaud Savoya – Xray – 12/5:08.508

View the complete event results here.

View our event image gallery here.