Neumann completes perfect EOS season

Back to back Euro Offroad Series Champion Joern Neumann completed the perfect season at the closing race of the second season of the 1:10 Electric Offroad Championship as he maintained his 100% winning record in 4WD Buggy securing his 7th victory with a tone to tone win in Leg 2 of the A-main ahead of Xray’s Martin Bayer and reigning World Champion Ryan Cavalieri.  The second round of 4WD Mains at the Dortmund event also saw the German ace successfully defend his 4WD Short Course Truck title as he took his third win of the season in the class.  Neumann said he was delighted with how the season had gone adding he is already looking forward to next season’s EOS which as one of the first international drivers to sign up for the inaugural series he has seen it gain huge popularity. This weekend’s fourth & final round of the TLR/Spektrum sponsored championship attracting 239 entries.

While Neumann checked out from his TQ starting position to win by 5.8 seconds, behind him there would be a good battle between Bayer and EOS debutant Cavalieri.  Starting from 7th on the grid, Bayer, who was impressive in Leg 1, took his LRP powered XB4 up through the field and after a number of laps behind the four time World Champion he found a way through to second with three laps to go.  Holding off the American to take second by 3/10ths the Czech driver said afterwards ‘it was a very long race’ adding ‘it felt like a 30-minute race not 5-minutes’.  Happy with the performance of his buggy and with a second EOS podium finish now within his grasp, he said starting from so far down the grid made it difficult to stay in contact with the leaders as he was losing too much time getting passed the other drivers but he would give it his best shot.

Cavalieri said his Orion powered B44.2 was ‘a whole lot better’ second time round after he ran thicker sway bars.  Making the buggy more stable he could carry a lot more corner speed and for the final race he hoped to further improve on that by going up one more on the front sway bar.

Second in the opening Leg, Hupo Honigl had a tough second half to the race with two separate bad laps dropping the Austrian back to 5th with him able to recover one of those positions to finish 4th.  Unfortunately for Durango team-mate Michal Orlowski it was another disappointing race, the 11-year-old would retire from fourth with 5 laps to go.

Second in the opening A-Main, Kyosho’s David Ronnefalk was not able to repeat his ‘safe drive’ pushing ‘a little too hard’ and getting swallowed up by the pack in the opening laps eventually finishing 8th.  Retiring from Leg 1, team-mate Christopher Krapp took his ZX5 to 5th with multiple 1:8 Offroad European Champion Renaud Savoya completing the Top 6.

4WD Buggy A-Main Leg 2 Result
1.(1) Joern Neumann (DE) – Team Durango – 20/5:02.862
2.(7) Martin Bayer (CZ) – Xray – 20/5:08.667
3.(5) Ryan Cavalieri (US) – Associated – 20/5:08.997
4.(3) Hupo Hönigl (AT) – Team Durango – 20/5:10.990
5.(6) Christopher Krapp (DE) – Kyosho – 20/5:13.270
6.(9) Renaud Savoya (FR) – Xray – 19/5:01.302
7.(10)Robert Batlle (ES) – Yokomo – 19/5:04.927
8.(4) David Ronnefalk (SE) – Kyosho – 18/5:05.023
9.(8) Oliver Speith (DE) – Team Durango – 17/5:08.980
10.(2)Michal Orlowski (PL) – Team Durango – 15/3:49.788

View the complete results here.

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Neumann wins opening 4WD A-Main

Joern Neumann’s domination of the TLR/Spektrum Euro Offroad Series season finale continues in Germany as the Team Durango driver took the win in the opening 4WD Buggy A-Main but it wasn’t the perfect race as a mistake let team-mate Hupo Honigl through to the lead for 2 laps before the Austrian handed it back with a mistake of his own.  In the end Neumann, who is chasing an unbeaten run of seven wins, took the leg by 4.4 seconds from Honigl with Kyosho’s David Ronnefalk seeing off a late challenge from fellow EOS Austria podium finisher Martin Bayer.

Making his mistake three laps into the race, Neumann said he got caught out by the switch from 2WD Buggy, in which he took the overall win earlier in the day, back to his 4WD.  Getting just three warm-up laps to re-adjust from his DEX210 to his DEX410 he said took the landing as he would with his 2WD and it rolled.  Able to steer his 2WD before landing on the flat surface after the jumps he said doing this with his 4WD caused the buggy to grip roll.  Having to get the buggy landed first and then feed in the steering he said once he made the mistake he was able to adapt the right driving style. Setting the fastest lap of the race, a 15.094, which was 4/10ths faster than the next best lap time which was set by Ronnefalk, he said his Speed Passion powered buggy worked perfectly in the race.

Honigl was also happy with his DualSky powered example of the DEX410 and the Austrian was very honest about his mistake saying it was simply down to him ‘focusing on what Joern was doing rather than concentrating on his driving’.  Starting from third on the grid, he was happy to finish second saying even without the mistake he knew he would never be able to hold off his recovering team-mate.  Unfortunately for the team’s 11-year-old star Michal Orlowski an early incident dropped the talented Polish driver to the back of the field from where he would recover to finish 6th.

Ronnefalk was pleased with third saying he drove a safe opening final.  Happy with how his Orion powered Lazer ZX5 worked over the 5-minute encounter he plans to push a little harder in Leg 2 with an overall podium finish his goal. Claiming his first 2WD EOS podium finish earlier in the day he is confident he can run closer to the front but added challenging Neumann would be a very tall order.  Unfortunately the race didn’t go well for team-mate Christopher Krapp.  A false start to the race saw his ZX5 get collected by the Durango of Oliver Speith resulting in a broken rear arm.  With the start delayed to allow the runner up in 2WD Buggy fix his buggy, the German would retire while running fifth with a broken front diff which he said may have been caused by the earlier heavy impact the buggy got.

Lining up 7th on the grid and dropping back to ninth at the start, Team Xray’s Bayer put in a very strong race to finish a competitive 4th ahead of team-mate Renaud Savoya who started the race from 9th. Savoya’s 1:8 Offroad rival Robert Batlle managed to work his way through from 10th on the grid to run 3rd but it was shorted lived, the Yokomo driver tumbling back down the order to finish 9th and the last buggy running.

4WD Buggy A-Main Leg 1 Result
1.(1) Joern Neumann (DE) – Team Durango – 20/5:05.609
2.(3) Hupo Hönigl (AT) – Team Durango – 20/5:10.039
3.(4) David Ronnefalk (SE) – Kyosho – 20/5:11.402
4.(7) Martin Bayer (CZ) – Xray – 20/5:12.022
5.(9) Renaud Savoya (FR) – Xray – 19/5:02.026
6.(2) Michal Orlowski (PL) – Team Durango – 19/5:02.224
7.(8) Oliver Speith (DE) – Team Durango – 19/5:04.950
8.(5) Ryan Cavalieri (US) – Associated – 19/5:08.317
9.(10)Robert Batlle (ES) – Yokomo – 19/5:11.115
10.(6)Christopher Krapp (DE) – Kyosho – 12/3:10.509

View the complete results here.

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Krapp & Ronnefalk complete 2WD Podium

Kyosho pairing Christopher Krapp and David Ronnefalk completed the 2WD podium at the fourth & final round of the 2012/13 Euro Offroad Series joining overall winner Joern Neumann after they claimed an Orion powered RB6 1-2 in the third A-main at the Dortmund event.  With Top Qualifier Neumann having wrapped up his third win of the season in Leg 2, the German was able to sit out the the closing final leaving the No.2 buggy of Krapp to lead from start to finish.

Running a geardiff for the first time in his mid motored C4.1, Team Associated’s Ryan Cavalieri was much happier with the handling and was able to lay down his best lap of the finals setting the fastest lap of the race.  Finding a way passed Ronnefalk on lap 10, the World Champion kept the Swede at bay for 6 laps before a mistake dropped him back to third where he would finish to claim 5th overall on his EOS debut.

Having had strong showings in the opening two legs when he came from 6th on the grid to finish third, podium contender Hupo Honigl had a fraught race. Eventually finishing the leg 8th, the Austrian would be classified 4th overall ahead of his young team-mate Michal Orlowski.  In terms of the championship the result was good enough to give Team Durango a 1-2-3  in the final 2WD Standings with Neumann the champion from Honigl and Orlowski.

2WD Buggy Overall Result
1. Joern Neumann (DE) – Team Durango – 2 pts
2. Christopher Krapp (DE) – Kyosho – 3
3. David Ronnefalk (DE) – Kyosho – 4
4. Hupo Honigl (AT) – Team Durango – 6
5. Michal Orlowski (PL) – Team Durango – 8
6. Ryan Cavalieri (US) – Associated – 9
7. Kody Numedahl (US) – Associated – 10
8. Tom Maquel (LU) – Team C – 11
9. Brent Thielke (US) – Associated – 15
10.Martin Bayer (CZ) – Xray – 15

2WD Buggy A-Main Leg 3 Result
1.(2) Christopher Krapp (DE) – Kyosho – 20/5:14.928
2.(3) David Ronnefalk (DE) – Kyosho – 20/5:15.753
3.(4) Ryan Cavalieri (US) – Associated – 19/5:01.344
4.(5) Michal Orlowski (PL) – Team Durango – 19/5:02.204
5.(7) Kody Numedahl (US) – Associated – 19/5:13.830
6.(9) Tom Maquel (LU) – Team C – 18/5:01.858
7.(10)Martin Bayer (CZ) – Xray – 18/5:02.740
8.(8) Brent Thielke (US) – Associated – 18/5:03.149
9.(6) Hupo Honigl (AT) – Team Durango – 18/5:08.879
10.(1)Joern Neumann (DE) – Team Durango – DNS

View the complete results here.

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Neumann wins 2WD at EOS Finale

Joern Neumann has capped off the successful defense of his Euro Offroad Series 2WD Buggy title by claiming overall victory at the season finale in German after he backed up his win in Leg 1 of the final with a second win although this time round the German didn’t have it all his own way with Christopher Krapp leading 7 laps of the 19 lap encounter before a mistake dropped him back to second.  Once again Hupo Honigl worked his way up from 6th on the grid to complete the Top 3.

His third win of the four round championship, his only defeat in 2WD happening at his home event in Langenfeld where Japan’s Naoto Matsukura took the win, Neumann again pulled clear of the pack early as he made the race look like it was just a formality to him putting the win beyond his rivals.  On lap 6 however the race would take on a bit of life as the German made a mistake that cost him almost 5-seconds and allowed Krapp, who has really impressed in 2WD this weekend, to the front.  Slowly Neumann closed in on his fellow countryman getting too close at one stage causing the RB6 to roll.  Waiting to allow the No.2 buggy to resume the lead, the incident unsettled Krapp and further into the lap he made a mistake allowing the Champion through where he would stay to take the win by just over 2-seconds.

‘Really happy’ with how his DEX210 has worked all weekend, Neumann described the moment that almost cost him the Leg 2 win as a ‘stupid mistake’.  Getting up on two wheels coming after the crossover he said he over corrected causing the buggy to roll and land out of his sight due to the large crowd at the edge of the track.  Thinking the buggy was on its roof he waited for the marshal to attend to it but said he didn’t seem to be any hurry and it wasn’t till he gestured him to drive on that he realised the buggy had actually landed on it wheels. Able to laugh about the incident afterwards, Neumann said it was great to end the season with a win and he hopes he can top off the perfect weekend by repeating the result in 4WD later today, a class in which he has never yet been beaten.

Krapp, said after an unfortunate early mid air bobble with team-mate David Ronnefalk which dropped the Swede to the back of the pack, he just set his sights on finishing second and he was as surprised as everyone else when he found himself in the lead after Neumann’s mistake.  Admitting he knew Neumann had the faster car, the Kyosho driver who is better known for his efforts in electric touring cars, said he was happy to take second and his aim for Leg 3 to try and make the podium along with Ronnefalk.  With Neumann sitting out the last final, Kyosho will start 1-2 on the grid and with a second place finish each Krapp is confident they can put both RB6s on the podium by working together.  The biggest threat to that result is Hupo Honigl who has a pair of third place finishes.

Having again run in the Top 3 early in the race World Champion Ryan Cavalieri said he is happy with his starts but unfortunately it goes down hill from there.  Finishing the second leg in 7th, Kody Numedahl the best placed Associated in 5th,  the American said his buggy doesn’t have the pace as he is losing too much time in the chicanes.  Having run in the second fastest of the qualifying groups he was unable to properly compare where he is losing time but that has become very clear in the finals and for the third leg he will run a geardiff in the C4.2 in an attempt to try and find more pace.

2WD Buggy A-Main Leg 2 Result
1.(1) Joern Neumann (DE) – Team Durango – 19/5:00.268
2.(2) Christopher Krapp (DE) – Kyosho – 19/5:02.445
3.(6) Hupo Honigl (AT) – Team Durango – 19/5:04.438
4.(5) Michal Orlowski (PL) – Team Durango – 19/5:07.805
5.(7) Kody Numedahl (US) – Associated – 19/5:09.779
6.(3) David Ronnefalk (DE) – Kyosho – 19/5:09.992
7.(4) Ryan Cavalieri (US) – Associated – 19/5:11.881
8.(8) Brent Thielke (US) – Associated – 19/5:15.324
9.(9) Tom Maquel (LU) – Team C – 18/5:00.196
10.(10)Martin Bayer (CZ) – Xray – 18/5:06.410

View the complete results here.

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Neumann takes unchallenged 2WD Leg 1 win

Team Durango’s Joern Neumann drove completely unchallenged to take the win in the first of the 2WD A-Mains at the TLR/Spektrum Euro Offroad Series season finale this morning in Dortmund Germany.  Starting from pole position the German quickly established a lead setting the fastest lap of the race to finish almost half a lap in front of Kyosho’s David Ronnefalk and his own team-mate Hupo Honigl who came through from 6th on the grid.

With back to back champion Neumann checked out and on cruise control, the main battle of the race would be between the two Kyosho’s of Ronnefalk & Christopher Krapp and Associated’s Ryan Cavalieri.  A bad 8th lap from Ronnefalk, who got the jump on his team-mate at the start to move into 2nd, would allow both Krapp and Cavalieri through but 2-laps later Krapp would get it wrong at the crossover where he would collect Cavalieri’s pursuing Centro C4.1.  This allowed the Swede back up to second where he would stay till the end.  Looking like he would get his day off to a solid start with a Top 3 finish with 2 laps to go Cavalieri had a moment of his own that would cost him over 2.5 seconds and drop him back to sixth behind the Team C of Tom Maquel where he would finish in front of his Team manager Brent Thielke.

2WD Buggy A-Main Leg 1 Result
1.(1) Joern Neumann (DE) – Team Durango – 20/5:11.095
2.(3) David Ronnefalk (DE) – Kyosho – 19/5:02.405
3.(6) Hupo Honigl (AT) – Team Durango – 19/5:05.718
4.(2) Christopher Krapp (DE) – Kyosho – 19/5:05.843
5.(9) Tom Maquel (LU) – Team C – 19/5:07.444
6.(4) Ryan Cavalieri (US) – Associated – 19/5:08.733
7.(8) Brent Thielke (US) – Associated – 19/5:13.141
8.(10)Martin Bayer (CZ) – Xray – 19/5:15.033
9.(5) Michal Orlowski (PL) – Team Durango – 19/5:18.559
10.(7)Kody Numedahl (US) – Associated – 18/5:02.209

View the complete results here.

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Neumann’s reign in 4WD continues with TQ no.7

Joern Neumann’s domination of 4WD Buggy in the TLR/Spektrum Euro Offroad Series remains intact after the German claimed his 7th consecutive overall TQ honour to put him in the best position possible to end the second season of the EOS as the only 4WD race winner since the creation of the series.  After posting only the fourth fastest time in Q2, the European Champion bounced back in Q3 to become the only driver to complete a 20-lap qualifier, a feat he would repeat in the final qualifier to lead a Team Durango 1-2-3 on the grid with Q2 pace setter Michal Orlowski set to carry the No.2 on his DEX410 and Hupo Honigl due to line his example up third for tomorrow’s triple leg A-Main.

Needing good runs in the final two qualifiers, just like he did in 2WD, Kyosho’s David Ronnefalk again came good setting the 2nd & 3rd fastest times respectively to book himself 4th on the grid ahead of series debutant & reigning World Champion Ryan Cavalieri.  The only Associated driver to make the final, with Brent Thielke set to start 8th in the B-Main, Cavalieri did not have a good last qualifier posting only the 11th fastest time but armed with a lot more knowledge of the surface, today being only his second day to run on a carpet offroad track, the American should be able to run closer to the pace of the series regulars in the finals.

Behind Cavalieri, Kyosho’s Chrishtopher Krapp will start 6th ahead of the Xray of Round 3 podium finisher Martin Bayer who is joined in the final by his team mate Renaud Savoya who together with his nitro offroad rival Robert Batlle scraped onto the back of the grid in 9th and 10th respectively. Making it four Durango’s in the A-Main, 17-year-old Oliver Speith will start 8th.

4WD Buggy Qualification Round 3
1. Joern Neumann – Team Durango – 20/5:12.375
2. David Ronnefalk – Kyosho – 19/5:01.012
3. Michal Orlowski – Team Durango – 19/5:03.199
4. Ryan Cavalieri – Associated – 19/5:06.047
5. Martin Bayer – Xray – 19/5:06.818
6. Renaud Savoya – Xray – 19/5:06.999
7. Christopher Krapp – Kyosho – 19/5:09.004
8. Oliver Speith – Team Durango – 19/5:09.942
9. Patrick Hofer – Associated – 19/5:10.597
10.Oliver Scholz – Team C – 19/5:12.451

4WD Buggy Qualification Round 4
1. Joern Neumann – Team Durango – 20/5:13.317
2. Michal Orlowski – Team Durango – 19/5:01.267
3. David Ronnefalk – Kyosho – 19/5:03.122
4. Christopher Krapp – Kyosho – 19/5:03.171
5. Martin Bayer – Xray – 19/5:04.093
6. Renaud Savoya – Xray – 19/5:08.366
7. Joakim Nicolaisen – Associated – 19/5:12.754
8. Robert Batlle – Yokomo – 19/5:13.827
9. Luca Rua – Kyosho – 19/5:14.935
10.Markus Metsch – Team Durango – 19/5:15.491

4WD Buggy A-Main Grid
1. Joern Neumann (DE) – Team Durango – 310 pts
2. Michal Orlowski (PL) – Team Durango – 308
3. Hupo Hönigl (AT) – Team Durango – 306
4. David Ronnefalk (SE) – Kyosho – 305
5. Ryan Cavalieri (US) – Associated – 303
6. Christopher Krapp (DE) – Kyosho – 301
7. Martin Bayer (CZ) – Xray – 301
8. Oliver Speith (DE) – Team Durango – 299
9. Renaud Savoya (FR) – Xray – 298
10.Robert Batlle (ES) – Yokomo – 29

View the complete results here.

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