Perfect start to EOS finale for Neumann

Joern Neumann has given his hopes of a securing a second buggy title in the inaugural TLR/Spektrum Euro Offroad Series presented by Horizon Hobby an early boost by topping 2WD buggy practice at the season finale in Dortmund, Germany.  The Team Durango star, who is in a three way battle for the overall championship crown with Team Losi Racing’s Dustin Evans and Tamiya’s Lee Martin, set the fastest three consecutive laps to head the time sheets by 3/10ths from Evans to secure the top seeding for tomorrow’s qualifying while Martin struggled to gel with the track ending up with only the 8th fastest time.

Neumann who already wrapped up the 4WD Buggy title at the preceding round in Belgium, used the morning practice runs to try different oils in the front shocks of his Speed Passion powered DEX210 and switched to a heavier oil for the fifth & final round said his buggy was now very easy to drive.  Featuring jumps created by the German race engineer Gerd Strenge, Neumann described the track as ‘really nice’ and is confident his buggy is in good shape for qualifying tomorrow.

Evans, who also spent his opening practice runs adjusting his shocks set-up for the high grip carpet track, said his Orion powered TLR22 was ‘awesome’. Making his non-clay surface race debut at Round 2 in Charleroi where he finished a very impressive second overall, the US National Champion said he was a lot more confident with the surface this time round.  Although his buggy was fast in Belgium he said it was hard to drive but making a number of set-up changes this morning it now felt safe.  Needing to take the win on Sunday if he is to have any chance of claiming the overall title for the series’ biggest class, the former Reedy Race Champion believes he is in good shape for qualifying and should easily be able to better his 5th on the grid last time out.

Setting the third fastest time was Team Losi Racing’s Darren Bloomfield. Disappointed with his performance on his EOS debut last month, especially considering the wealth of experience he has racing on astro turf over his rivals, the British driver said he is in much better shape this weekend. Skipping the warm-up race for this year’s 1:8 Offroad European Championship to compete in the EOS finale, Bloomfield said after some work on his shocks everything feels good including his new Orion electrics.  Running LRP electrics in Charleroi, he has since signed for Team Orion and so now runs an identical package to his American team-mates Evans, who signed for the Swiss brand at the start of the year, and Mike Truhe. Truhe, who ended practice 5th fastest, ran used front tyres in timed practice causing him to lack a little steering but the 2010 US Champion said with a fresh set of the controlled dBoots tyres on for qualifying the buggy should work well on a track which he added is the best track of the series.

Causing the biggest surprise of practice to end up fourth fastest separating the Losi’s of Bloomfield and Truhe was reigning electric Touring Car World Champion Marc Rheinard.  Running Round 2 winner Martin’s spare Vega conversion Tamiya TRF201, the German who is not an offroad regular broke the buggy on his first practice run but has since adjusted quickly to the mid motor mounted 2WD buggy, a class the German is openly not a big fan of.  Martin, who ended up being over 2-seconds off his title rivals Neumann and Evans over three laps, said he is not enjoying the layout as he doesn’t feel he is connecting with the track.  Breaking a chassis in early practice he said his buggy may also not be 100% and after this evenings 4WD practice he will give it a thorough look over, adding he might for the opening qualifier run a set-up he knows works well on carpet rather than chasing the problem.

Completing the Top 6, Hupo Honigl said his Durango felt good but he just needs to drive it cleaner.  Running as part of Intermodellbau Dortmund, the biggest Hobby Exhibition in Europe, the former European Champion described the track at as the most challenging of the three venues on the inaugural EOS calender.

Schumacher’s Tom Cockerill ended the 2WD Buggy practice 7th fastest.  The British driver said his SV2 feels alright on the track but on the time sheets is slower than he’d like but he thinks everything should be ok when the times start to count towards something.

Elsewhere Tony Truman was the fastest Team Associated in 10th just ahead of Paul Bradby while AE team manager Brent Theilke made a very respectable carpet debut to set the 18th fastest time.  Running the CML Centro C4.1 of former World Champion Neil Cragg, which he only got his hands on late last night when it arrived with Truman who traveled over by car with Martin and Cockerill,  the American missed the first practice and then broke on the second lap of his second practice.  Really enjoying his first EOS experience he said the hardest aspect of the track is the transition from the carpet to the wooden jumps.  Finding it hard to be consistent, he said he managed two good laps behind Evans but threw away the potentially quick reseed time when he crashed on the third lap.

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