Orlowski sets pace at EOS season opener

Michal Orlowski has set the pace for the first controlled practice at the Euro Offroad Series season opener at the Nurburgring.  With the track needing to be tweaked after each of the opening two free practice runs this morning, the Schumacher driver would lay down the fastest 3-consecutive lap time for the first of the two practice rounds that will determine the seeding of 2WD qualifying heats.  Super close at the top of the time sheets, Orlowski would be just .0001 of a second faster than reigning Champion Lee Martin with Martin Wollanka completing the Top 3 ahead of Neil Cragg.

‘I’m surprised by my pace’ was Orlowski reaction to CP1.  The championship runner-up for the past two seasons, the Polish driver continued, ‘I didn’t feel the car was very good as I was having problems with it traction rolling’.  Describing the first run on the track as a ‘struggle’ he said after ‘a lot of changes’ to his car’s set-up the day had been getting better each run.  To address the traction roll he is having to contend with he plans to go to a thicker shock oil in the front.  As well as allowing him to ‘push harder’ he said he hopes it can help make the car more consistent. Asked about the track layout, he replied, ‘I don’t like the step up step down but it still fun to drive and I like the rest of the jumps’.  He concluded ‘it’s a difficult track’.

Commenting on his run, Martin said, ‘the car feels good and its nice to drive’.   The British driver continued, ‘it’s felt good since the first practice and other than trying some set-up ideas Shin (Adachi) has worked on at Yatabe I have only made a rear spring change’.  Having not raced on carpet since last season’s EOS finale which was also run at the Nurburgring, he said he has just been getting his ‘confidence back on carpet’ adding it was ‘good to have an easy morning’.  Having been involved with deciding the tweaks to be made to the track in free practice, he said ‘now the stuff is in the right place the track works pretty well’.   He added, ‘the steps are still odd but the rest of it works alright.  Describing it as a pretty short lap he feels ‘4WD will be fast and frantic’.

Describing the track layout as ‘different’, Wollanka added ‘it looks easy but its a bit tricky.’   The Austrian, who was a podium finisher here at last year’s season opener, said his Xray is ‘working really good’ contributing a new diff to his pace. Asked about the benefits of the new unit he replied it makes the car ‘corner to corner much faster’.  In terms of the chassis set-up he said the biggest change he has had to make is to the rear roll centre for the ‘long corners’. For the final 2WD practice he plans to test a different weight oil in the diff.

‘Pretty good to be honest’ was how Cragg summed up practice so far.  While 7/10th off the lead pace pace over his best 3-laps, the European Champion said his B6 is not far off and its ‘trying to get back into driving a 1:10 car’ that is his biggest issue describing himself as ‘driving like an animal’.  With the 1:8 World Championships early next month in Las Vegas, he said driving 1:8 has been his big focus so he needs a few more runs to get back into his rhythm as his last carpet outing was here last season when he was the Top Qualifier.  In terms of his B6 he said ‘if we can get a touch more steering we’ll be dialled’.  While the car is ‘really comfortable’ he needs ‘1 or 2/10ths’ and he will try going down in the front oil & springs for the final practice.

Setting the fifth fastest time, when Hupo Honigl was asked if he had changed much on his Xray over the morning he replied ‘actually no’.  The Austrian said his XB2 has been ‘pretty good’ from the first practice and he has just been working on his driving.  One of the EOS’ longest serving drivers, the former race winner is a huge fan of this weekends track.  ‘I love the track.  It has a really nice flow, there is nothing crazy in it’.  Looking to the final 2WD practice, before drivers switch over to 4WD for four rounds of practice, he said the car feels really good so I will just run new tyres, him having been on used tyres for the previous three practices.

Completing the Top 6 ahead of Marc Rheinard, Team Associated young gun Joona Haatanen described his car as ‘OK’ adding they have been ‘changing little things’ every run.   Having problems with his motor temperature, the Finn plans to switch to a smaller pinion for the final practice.  The 13-year-old said the consistency is there in the car but he needs to find a little more corner speed and so for the last run they will take weight off.

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