Matsukura wins A1

Despite serving a Stop & Go penalty for early contact with Top Qualifier Carson Wernimont and needing to be marshalled later in the race, Naoto Matsukura won the first leg of the A-Main at the Euro Offroad Series in Poland.  The defending champion took the win over Yokomo team-mate Lee Martin with Michal Orlowski completing the Top 3.  After dropping out of contention for a strong finish after being spun out Wernimont would pull up after 5 laps with third position starter Joern Neumann also opting to save his tyres after just 2-laps having led the race very briefly.

Clearly the fastest man on the track, Matsukura said after rebuilding the shocks on his B-Max2 he had a very good feeling with his buggy during the first of the three finals.  Asked about his contact with Wernimont on the wall just as they came around to complete lap 2, the Japanese driver said it was a case of him going for the inside and the American going for the ‘outside’.  Waiting on the Schumacher driver and then serving a penalty for the incident, he would finally move to the front on lap 10 of 16.  Waiting patiently behind his team-mate Martin, who started 4th, a little mistake was enough for him to get down the inside.  Making a couple of mistakes including one on the penultimate lap that cost him over 2-seconds he would hold on to win.

Finishing second Martin said he knew Matsukura was faster and that there was little point in fighting him for 3-minutes.  On making his bobble he said he let him through with the plan being to wait for a mistake from his team-mate.  Unfortunately having made a mistake of his own a lap earlier when the expected mistake did come he was too far back to capitalise.  Starting the race on used tyres, the Vice-World Champion said at the end of the 5-minutes they were getting past their best and with new tyres for A2 he expects to be stronger.

‘Perfect’ was how 13-year-old Orlowski summed up his race to 3rd from 6th on the grid.  Admitting he got lucky from others crashing he said he could haven’t asked for much more from his own driving.  Letting the faster Matsukura through he said he just did his own race and that was his game plan again for A2.

Getting ‘tagged’ by Matsukura, Wernimont said it was a ‘racing deal’ and he was ‘not mad with Naoto’.  Getting off to a ‘good start’ the American said he was a ‘little slow & cautious’.  Dropping to 7th after the contact, he said after getting back one place he got hit from behind by that same car.  After the marshal ‘fumbled’ with his car he decided it was better to pull off and save tyres.

Taking the lead for ‘about 1-second’ after the contact on the wall and the reaction it caused, Neumann said on the jump after the loop his Durango just went ‘fully nose down’ causing him to crash.  Having to be marshalled and last the German said there as little point in continuing and he would save his tyres for A2.

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