Bayer wins EOS Season finale

Martin Bayer has won the season finale of the Euro Offroad Series in Wels, Austria, it having been 2-years to the week since the Czech driver last stood on the top step of the EOS podium.  The Xray driver denied team-mate Bruno Coelho the perfect weekend thanks to his A2 win, the time of which was 3/10ths of a second quicker than Coelho’s A3 win giving him the overall victory at the Modellbau Wels on the tiebreaker.  His first win since back to back champion Coelho arrived into the championship, today’s win marks his 4th EOS Career win.  With Coelho having to settle for 2nd, it was 2WD Champion Michal Orlowski who would complete the podium as the curtains came down on the championship’s sixth season.

Joking with Coelho, ‘I was just the better driver’, a very happy Bayer said ‘For sure I’m super happy. It has been a long time’.  One of five drivers going into A3 with a chance of the win he said, ‘I knew that to win (A3) was going to be difficult because Bruno had fresher tyres but I also knew it would be very close with the times.  After the disaster of A1 the 2nd and 3rd finals were perfect’. His first win since his appointment as Xray’s Offroad Team Manager and only the third driver to win in 4WD this season he added, ‘the car is so perfect I really enjoy driving it.  It has been a great EOS season for us’.

‘I sucked in the finals’, was how Coelho summed up missing out on becoming only the third driver in the EOS’ 24 event history to do a clean sweep of a race weekend.  He continued, ‘I made a mistake in the first final and also the second but finally in the third I drive a clean race.  I tried to get the best 5-minute time but couldn’t do it but I am still happy for Martin to win because he deserves it’.

Having missed the first day’s action in Austria due to a school Exam and having to race the J-Main in 2WD because he didn’t run any qualifiers, Orlowski said, ‘It is good to be back on podium’.  The only non-Xray driver to win in 4WD this season when he won his home round in Poland, the 15-year-old said, ‘In the last one I was hoping I could get second because then I would have got second overall and second in the championship’.  He continued, ‘I got passed Wollanka and then was battling with Lee Martin but I think it was my error coming onto the straight and I rolled.  In the end third (overall) was still a pretty good result.  Overall I had one win and 3 podiums so hopefully next season will be even better’.

Backing up his P3 in A2 with another in A3, Lee Martin would miss out on the podium finishing the final round 4th overall ahead of compatriot Neil Cragg.  The first season of EOS Martin has failed to register a race win, for Cragg 5th place would mark his best 4WD finish of the EOS, the Associated driver contesting the class since the arrival of the B64 at the third round in Slovakia.

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Bayer wins A2 from Coelho

Martin Bayer has won the second 4WD A-Main at EOS Austria, the Xray Offroad team manager capitalising on an early error from Top Qualifier Bruno Coelho. In the first run through the centre double double, Coelho took too much of an inside line forcing him to have to back out of the second double which was enough for Bayer to get to the front.  With Martin Wollanka taking out Lee Martin at the same section, delaying the field, the two Xray’s could run their own race up front with Bayer keeping tight lines to the finish to win ahead of Coelho.  Recovering from the incident with Wollanka, Martin would complete the Top 3 ahead of A1 winner Michal Orlowski, the stage now set for a showdown for the final win of Season #6.

With great banter between the Xray duo after the race, Coelho imitating his team boss and saying ‘It was easy for me’, Bayer said, ‘he made a mistake at the first double and I got by and then I just tried to keep a tight line’.  ‘In practice we didn’t get to run one lap together but somehow today its all happening. I just tried to stay safe and have no incidents so I’m very happy for this’.  Looking to the final race of the season, which could see the overall win go to one of 5 drivers, the former EOS race winner said, ‘I hope for the 3rd main nothing special happens and I can make the podium because we have no result from the first final’.

Explain his error at the double double, Coelho said, ‘I went too much to the inside and was going to hit the board so I had to back out after that I had to battle with Bayer to the end’.  Joking, ‘It was just because he is a friend I don’t take him out’, he added, ‘He didn’t open the door so I couldn’t get by, it was a good race’.

‘It was a good take out’ was Martin’s reaction to getting hit by Wollanka.  The Yokomo driver continued, ‘I don’t think it was massively intentional and he just got it wrong.  At least he waited which was some justification. Luckily I still ended up third otherwise it was Leg 1 times two’.  On A3 he said, ‘I would like to just run the first few laps clean and hang with the Xrays and hopefully force them to race each other’.

Orlowski said he was pretty happy to end up with fourth.  He said, ‘Wollanka crashed Lee in the second double and stopped in the racing line and I was unlucky to hit him and drop down to last.  After that I was just making laps and somehow got fourth at the end’.  One of the contenders for the win, the only driver other than Coelho to win in 4WD this season, the Polish driver said, ‘with 5-guys able to win its going to be exciting’.

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Orlowski survives early chaos to win A1

Michal Orlowski came out on top of the opening A-Main of 4WD at the Euro Offroad Series in Austria, the Schumacher driver capitalising on all three Xray drivers starting ahead of him rolling at the same corner. Off the start it was Top Qualifier Bruno Coelho who led away the field from team-mate Martin Bayer but as they came onto the straight for the first time the Xrays performing a synchronised roll which would end Lee Martin’s challenge as he collected Bayer’s car.   This would leave Martin Wollanka to lead but 3-laps later he would execute an almost carbon copy of his team-mate’s error allowing 5th place starter Orlowski to go to the front where, despite his slipper going, he would stay to the end.  Wollanka would finish second with Neil Cragg completing the Top 3.

Having highlighted after qualifying that anything could be possible in the finals here with the example of the P2 he got from 8th on the grid in the second of the A-Mains at Round 3 of the EOS at the Hudy Arena, Orlowski said with a smile, ‘I got a bit lucky at the start’.  He continued, ‘I don’t know what happen but I just tried to not hit anything and went from 5th to 2nd.   Then I followed Wollanka until he made a mistake’.  The EOS’ 2WD Champion said towards the end of the race he could feel a belt or his slipper was going so he ‘tried to be really smooth’ which was why Wollanka started to close. With enough of gap however he would roll the last few jumps adding ‘I was lucky to finish’.  Discovering afterwards the slipper was ‘worn out’, they will fit a new one for A2 and ‘hopefully something similar will happen up front’.

‘I was first and it was all looking good but then I hit the dot’, was Wollanka’s reaction after the first encounter of the triple A-Mains.  The Austrian continued, ‘I tried everything to close on Orlowski.  I closed a bit but it was not enough to try to overtake’.  Tangling with Lee Martin as they both tried to recover from the first lap chaos, Coelho would eventually pull up half way into the race explaining that his roll was a result of hitting the dot in the corner coming onto the main straight.

Cragg said, ‘I just waited for the chaos and got through to third’.  The Associated driver continued, ‘my car as a little twitchy but I that was down to new tyres and more me than the car’.   Catching and battling with Wollanka, with whom he had an altercation in the final qualifier, for a second time the Brit would throw away a possible 2nd with a mistake but concluded, ‘I can’t argue with getting a third’.  Behind Cragg AE team-mate Karri Salmela would have a good race finishing fourth from 9th on the grid.

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3rd TQ in a row for Coelho at EOS season finale

Bruno Coelho is on target to round out Season #6 of the Euro Offroad Series in Austria with the perfect result.  Having TQ’d and won 2WD, the Xray driver has secured the overall TQ for 4WD with few mad enough to bet against the World Champion not capping off his EOS title winning season with a 4th 4WD win.  After breaking his car in Q1 last night, today Coelho was unstoppable taking all three remaining qualifiers even recovering from an error in the final round to top the times.  Making it an Xray 1-2 on the grid, Q1 winner Martin Bayer will start second with Yokomo’s Lee Martin the best non Xray on the grid securing third ahead of Martin Wollanka and EOS 2WD Champion Michal Orlowski.

‘It’s the same car all season and its working amazing so there is not more I can say really’, was Coelho reaction to his third consecutive 4WD TQ. Commenting on his final qualifier he said, ‘it was not a perfect run because I flipped and then had to open for Lee (Martin).  I then just tried to recover the lost time and when Lee had a mistake I was able to get 1st’.  Asked about the finals he said, ‘I will try to finish the season with the perfect weekend’.

Commenting on equalling his best qualifying of the season, Bayer said, ‘the speed is ok but not like Bruno has’.  Securing second on the grid thanks to his P1 & 2 in the opening two qualifiers, the Czech driver said, ‘I started second once before this season at the Hudy Arena and it was a disaster.  I hope this time not to break so I will just try to drive clean races’.   Starting fourth with his second in Q1 and 4th in Q3, Wollanka made sure he wont be on either Neil Cragg and Marc Rheinard’s Christmas list after hitting both drivers in the final qualifier.

‘Not too bad’ was how Martin summed up his third spot on the grid.  A former double winner at the Modellbau Wels hosted event, he said, ‘my car is consistent. It lacks a bit of punch out of the corners compared to the shaft drive car but it is nice to drive’.  Leading the final qualifier, he said, ‘I had a couple of bobbles without which I could have pushed myself up to 2nd on the grid’.  Looking to the finals he said, ‘Bruno has a rear gunner in Martin but you never know what can happen. I’ve just got to wait for some stuff to happen’.

Orlowski said after a good start to qualifying with a P3 in Q1 last night, he struggled with a loose servo in today’s first qualifier.  In Q3 a mistake would end his run but making some small changes to his Schumacher to get more rear traction he was able to get another P3 in the final round admitting ‘others crashing into each other helped’.  On his 5th place starting position he said,  ‘it will be difficult as there is no places to plass but at the Hudy Arena I got a 2nd from 8th on the grid.  I will just drive my own race and maybe there will be a pile up at the front’.

Cragg was not pleased with his 6th place on the grid saying, ‘It’s very annoying racing with shit drivers’.  On the last qualifier, he continued, ‘I started really well and caught Wollanka quickly, he let me go but then drove into my side.  Its frustrating to start 6th cause I feel our car is better than that’.  He concludes, ‘the car is pretty dialled so lets hope there are a few crashes ahead of me’.

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Coelho redeems himself to head Xray 1-2-3 in Q2

Having broke his car in the opening 4WD qualifier last night, Bruno Coelho redeemed himself this morning by leading an Xray 1-2-3 in Q2 at the Euro Offroad Series in Austria. The back to back EOS Champion, topped the times by over 4-seconds from Q1 pace setter Martin Bayer who is running in the second fastest heat.  Also running in that heat, Kája Novotný would complete the Top 3, a further second back.  With the Xray’s the dominant force the honour of best of the rest would fall to Neil Cragg, the Associated driver finishing a frustrated fourth feeling he had the pace for at least a Top 3 finish.  Behind him Marc Rheinard led the Yokomo challenge with 5th for the round.

‘Yesterday I was doing some crash testing.  It was a rookie mistake, I had quite a comfortable lead but went and hit the board on landing but today there was no mistakes so it was a perfect run’, said Coelho after the second of the four qualifiers.  Aiming for a back to back double having won 2WD yesterday at Modellbau Wels hosted season finale he said, ‘the car is working pretty good as always so I will just try to put in another clean run’.  The only driver to run a 17-second lap time, when asked about tyre wear which is something of an issue in 2WD, he said, ‘the wear is nothing like 2WD, my 4WD tyres are still like new’.

The man responsible for Xray offroad programme, Bayer said, ‘our 4WD is so good, you just need to drive without mistakes’. Posting a somewhat surprise TQ in Q1 after being only 12th fastest in practice, he continued, ‘I had no expectations for the first heat, just drive.  Today I had a mistake but still got second.  To have a 1 and a 2 after two rounds is very good’.  Having already booked a spot in the A-Main, the Czech driver said, ‘I think the next one I will test something’.

‘Perfect, the car is super good’, was how Novotný’s summed up his second qualifier.  The 20-year-old Czech National Champion explained, ‘for Q1 we rebuilt the car fully but forgot to tighten the clutch but we fixed that for today and it was a lot better’.

‘I’m really frustrated to be honest’ was Cragg’s reaction to Q2.  He continued, ‘I was in a solid second and didn’t want to get caught up with Wollanka so I just cruised around happy to get a second for the round but it definitely cost me 3rd, maybe even second’.  On his B64 he said, ‘the car is good, I’m into the A-Main after two rounds so I’m pretty pleased with that.  Making his first 4WD A-Main at the previous EOS encounter at Arena 33 and finishing 6th he said ‘the aim here is to finish in the Top 5’.

Rheinard said, ‘I just drove around as fast as I could. It felt a little slower than yesterday but its still a good result’.  Sixth in Q1, the Touring car ace said, ‘I’m thinking about tyres for the next.  Not sure whether to run new or do one more run on this set’ – which now have two runs on them.  Behind Rheinard, Yokomo team-mate Lee Martin would complete the Top 6 while EOS debutant Ryan Maifield had a number of errors on his run and ended up 11th fastest.  Having completely changed the set-up of his YZ-4, the American, who had a DNF in the first round, is hoping for a better performance over the final two qualifiers.

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