Evans wins ‘Awesome’ Leg 2

Reigning US Champion Dustin Evans has won an exciting second 2WD Buggy A-Main at the Euro Offroad Series in Belgium, the TLR driver afterwards describing his battle with Joern Neumann as ‘awesome’.  Having been handed an early break in the opening leg, Top Qualifier Lee Martin had contrasting fortunes in Leg 2 when he touched the corner on the first block section of the track which put his Tamiya on it roof and leaving him last at the end of the first lap.  Recovering to finish 6th the European Champion said he could have been no more than 2mm off his regular line through the corner but added it was his own fault and he is now going to have to try harder in the deciding leg.

Making his debut on an astro turf track this weekend, Evans said the race was ‘probably one of the better finals I have driven’.  Getting more and more comfortable on the surface which to an American racer is very alien, he said his Orion powered TLR22 once again felt really good, proven by his fastest lap of the race.  Getting away with bouncing his buggy off the wall through the sweeper at the end of the straight after he had to go offline to pass an out of shape Cockerill, Evans said he practiced his pass on Neumann a lap earlier.  Taking a run at Neumann up the ‘Horizon Hill’ to see if a move would be possible he backed out confident he could pull it off next time round which is exactly what he did to take the lead.

Fitting a gear diff to his Speed Passion powered DEX210, Neumann said his buggy was a lot less edgy than in the opening Main but was still difficult to try.  Trying as hard as he could to keep Evans at bay he said he knew the the TLR driver would eventually find a way passed.

Starting sixth on the grid Mike Truhe completed the Top 3 just ahead of TLR team-mates Darren Bloomfield and Oskar Levin.  Third in Leg 1, Cockerill pulled up his Cougar SV2.  Having changed rear tyres, the British driver said they were not bedded in enough giving him too much grip and to save his front tyres he stopped early.  For Leg 3 Schumacher’s Design, Development & Race Engineer will revert to the same set of rear dBoots run in the opening final.

2WD Buggy Leg 2 Result
1.(5) Dustin Evans (US) – TLR22 – 15/5:16.271
2.(2) Jörn Neumann (DE) – Durango DEX210 – 15/5:18.849
3.(6) Mike Truhe (US) – TLR22 – 14/5:03.373
4.(4) Darren Bloomfield (GB) – TLR22 – 14/5:03.609
5.(7) Oskar Levin (SE) – TLR22 – 14/5:03.885
6.(1) Lee Martin (GB) – Vega Tamiya – 14/5:08.778
7.(8) Hupo Hönigl (AT) – Durango DEX210 – 14/5:11.995
8.(9) Nathan Ralls (GB) – MCS Kyosho – 14/5:12.678
9.(10)Wouter Wynen (BE) – Associated C4.1 – 14/5:19.531
10.(3)Tom Cockerill (GB) – Schumacher SV2 – 10/3:38.914

View complete results here.

View the event image gallery here.