Coelho wraps up EOS season with second 2WD win

Bruno Coelho has wrapped the 2WD racing of EOS Season #8 with his second win in the category.  Having dominated qualifying and the opening A-Main on the championship’s first visit to the Austrian ERT Steyregg track, the Xray driver would bring on an extra workload with an error filled A2 that forced things to go to A3.  With main rival Joona Haatanen, winner of A2, having a bad start to A3 it looked like Coelho’s race was going to be easier but a mistake by the EOS Poland winner would let Champion Michal Orlowski to hit the front.  In this order the overall result would favour Haatanen, thanks to the Team Associated driver having a faster A2 winning time but Orlowski couldn’t hold on and handed the lead back with a mistake three laps later.  Unfortunately for Orlowski the error also cost him a podium to cap off his title winning campaign, with Hupo Honigl filling the final step to return to the EOS podium after a long absence.

‘It was a tough final but luckily and fortunately I was able to take it home’, was Coelho’s thoughts on A3.  His 5th 2WD EOS career win he continued, ‘we worked good in practice, took all four qualifiers so to not take the final would have been cruel.  It can happen though, so I’m super happy for sure’.  He added, ‘we are using a prototype car we are working on for the Worlds and today all the Xray’s in the final showed we are working in the correct way’.

Commenting his A3 performance, Haatanen said, ‘I had a mistake on the first lap when I hit the pipe and then everyone hit me.  I was hoping Michal would win because then it would have been a win for me.  Anyway it is my first time to finish second in the EOS so I am happy with that’.  Travelling to Austria without his father this weekend and with team-mate Neil Cragg unable to attend because of British Championship commitments, the teenager concluded, ‘I am happy that I’m alone here and the car works good’.  Overall Haatanen ends the season 3rd overall in the points losing out on second to Coelho who was runner-up thanks to the only TQ of his campaign which he claimed today.ù

‘I’m super happy. I think it is almost 5-years since I had my last EOS podium’, was Honigl’s reaction to his third overall.  The former 2WD race winner admitted he was starting to think his podium days were over, ‘I’m really happy because I didn’t think it would happen again’.  Rating the track as being one of his all time favourites, when asked about 4WD the Austrian replied, ‘I think 4WD will be harder but let’s see, we will see even more crashes in 4WD’.

Summing up his 2WD result, Orlowski said, ‘we finally found what we were looking for at the end of qualifying which was a bit late’.  He added, ‘we didn’t start well but at the end we had the pace to win so I’m happy with that but I made too many mistakes in all the finals’.  For this weekend we prepare a lot for 4WD. I would’ve liked to win 2WD but you can’t be at the top all the time. I’m excited for 4WD.  It is supposed to be wet and I quite like that. Last year at the season finale I finished 4th in 2WD and won 4WD so I am confident for tomorrow’.

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