Matsukura is 2WD Top Qualifier at EOS

Japan’s Naoto Matsukura is the 2WD Buggy Top Qualifier for the TLR/Spektrum Euro Offroad Series Round 2 in Langenfeld, Germany, after the series debutant backed up his Q3 topping run with an even faster 5-minute pace in the fourth & final qualifier.  The Yokomo driver, who has never raced offroad on a carpet & wood surface track before, took Q4 ahead of Tamiya’s Lee Martin after both Joern Neumann and Dustin Evans with whom he was swapping the lead pace each made costly mistakes.  Finishing on the same points as Neumann’s Durango which TQ’d Rounds 1 & 2 of qualifying, Matsukura secured pole on tie break thanks to his Q4 pace and will start ahead of the reigning champion for what is an interesting grid line-up with four different buggies filling the Top 4 places.  Third on the grid will be Evans’ TLR22 while the No.4 will be carried by Martin’s TRF201.

Matsukura was understandably ‘very happy’ to take the TQ saying he actually likes the high grip surface more than clay adding that his touring car experience benefited him. The 4-times reigning Japanese National Champion said the result is great for the new B-Max2 MR buggy and he hopes he can convert the TQ into a win.  Asked about the finals the 19-year-old said on pace he thinks himself and Neumann are very closely matched with his advantage being in the corners and the Germans strength being the jumps.  With all the drivers saying passing will be difficult Matsukura said starting at the front is going to be a huge advantage.

Neumann agreed with his fellow World Championship finalist that overtaking will be hard but added that running the full 5-minutes without a mistake was just as hard and the race would be decided by who made the least amount of mistakes.

Evans said the technical design of the Gerd Strenge built track was going to make for ‘pretty exciting racing’ with the key to passing being to force the driver in front of you into a mistake.  Although his buggy started to push in the final laps of the last qualifier due to his front tyres going off, Evans is confident he his buggy is a match for the two starting ahead of him and it will come down to who drives the cleanest finals.

The first A-Main will take place later this evening with Legs 2 & 3 scheduled for tomorrow.

2WD Buggy Q4 times
1. Naoto Matsukura – Yokomo – 14/5:00.195
2. Lee Martin – Tamiya – 14/5:04.407
3. Hupo Honigl – Durango – 14/5:06.232
4. Christopher Krapp – Kyosho – 14/5:07.591
5. Dustin Evans – TLR – 14/5:07.726
6. Tom Cockerill – Schumacher – 14/5:10.452
7. Otto Ausfelt – TLR – 14/5:12.216
8. Bjorn Prumper – TLR – 14/5:12.550
9. Benni Groschel – Durango – 14/5:14.604
10.Markus Metsch – – 14/5:14.762

2WD Buggy A-main Grid
1. Naoto Matsukura (JP) – Yokomo – 310 pts
2. Jörn Neumann (DE) – Durango – 310
3. Dustin Evans (US) – TLR – 306
4. Lee Martin (GB) – Tamiya – 302
5. Hupo Honigl (AT) – Durango – 302
6. Darren Bloomfield (GB) – TLR – 302
7. Oliver Scholz (DE) – Team C – 301
8. Christopher Krapp (DE) – Kyosho – 299
9. Otto Ausfelt (SE) – TLR – 298
10.Tom Cockerill (GB- Schumacher – 298

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