Chassis Focus – Martin Wollanka

Chassis: SWorkz Prototype
Motor: Nosram N22 5.5T
ESC: Nosram HD
Batteries: Nosram 4200mAh LCG
Radio/Servo: Sanwa/Xpert
Tires: Schumacher (handout)
Body: Pro-Line Elite
Remarks – Top Austrian driver Martin Wollanka is back at the EOS for his home race, debuting at the wheel of a prototype 4WD Buggy from SWorkz. Equipped with full Nosram electrics, the prototype sports a lower centre of gravity and completely redesigned wishbones and suspension geometries for a higher corner speed and better handling.

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Neumann wins A2, all to play for in A3

Joern Neumann has won the second A-Main of 4WD at the Euro Offroad Series in Austria, the Schumacher driver managing to prevent A1 winner Bruno Coelho from snatching an early win at the penultimate round of the championship.  Top Qualifier Michal Orlowski, who had issues in A1, led away the field but on the first run through the triple landed his car on its roof. Afterwards it turned out Orlowski’s view of his car had been blocked for a second time today by a marshal attending a car causing his bad landing.  This moved Neumann to the front but he was under pressure from Coelho.  Holding the Xray driver at bay for 6-laps, Coelho would manage a mistake in his quest to get by, allowing the German to then control the race and win ahead of Daniel Kobbevik who actually leads the points going into A3 with a pair of second places.  Also benefiting from the mistakes up front Martin Wollanka completed the Top 3 ahead of Orlowski and Coelho, leaving the race wide open in terms of who can take the overall win.

Reacting after the race having had an error on the opening lap of A1 Neumann said, ‘I made no mistakes, it was a really clean run.  It is my first A-final win since Berlin when I was racing for Durango, which I think is more than 3 & a half years ago’.  He continued, ‘I controlled the pace over Kobbevik after Bruno crashed and was able to maintain the gap to the end, now I need to repeat it again in the last one’.

‘I just did the same thing again’ was Kobbevik’s summary of A2, the young Norwegian benefiting from another error free 5-minutes to again gain two places to finish 2nd.  He said, ‘It was very difficult  to do anything about Joern because he had a big gap and we had the same speed’.  Looking to A3, he said, ‘I will try to be in the Top 3 because then I can make the podium’.  Asked if he planned to push harder in A3, he replied, ‘I will just do the same as I did the in the first two. It has worked well so far’.

Asked about his 3rd place, Wollanka said, ‘I made no mistakes while the guys in front of me made mistakes’.  The Austrian added, ‘I just drove my own race.  A clean run is the most important thing because it is so difficult to come back from a mistake on this track’.

Explaining his first lap crash, Orlowski said, ‘I went into the triple on the first lap and marshals were running to other cars so I couldn’t see my car.  The next time I saw it it was sliding on it’s roof. I don’t know what happened.  I tried to get back but had some more crashes’.  He continued, ‘the car still feels good but now I need the win and in a faster time with Joern and Bruno outside the Top 2 if I am to win. It’s going to be very interesting’.

View complete event results here.

View the event image gallery here.

Coelho leads unexpected Xray 1-2 in A1

Bruno Coelho led a somewhat unexpected Xray 1-2 in the opening A-Main of 4WD at the penultimate round of the Euro Offroad Series.  Starting behind the Schumachers of Michal Orlowski and Joern Neumann, the pair gifted Coelho the win with both drivers making early mistakes.  While Orlowski would come back at the reigning champion, contact in the air between them would see Orlowski damage his car with the Pole limping home in third, his car down to three wheels as a result of a broken hub.  Behind Coelho a clean drive from Daniel Kobbevik would see him get second, it looking like an Xray 1-2-3 at one point until Martin Bayer made a late mistake allowing Orlowski to slip back through for third.

Summing up his A1 win Coelho said, ‘I was not expecting two mistakes from them’, them being the two Schumacher drivers. He continued, ‘Neumann had a mistake on the first lap and I got by and then I forced to catch Orlowski and managed to close. Then he had a mistake at the table top and I got by.  He touched me in the single but let me go and then he had a problem because he dropped a lot’.  He concluded, ‘I hope for something similar (more mistakes) in the next one’.

‘I’m very happy with that’, said a very pleased looking Kobbevik, the result a repeat of his opening 2WD A-Main.  The 13-year-old add, ‘I drove my own race and stayed clean but this time I was very fast because I was on new tyres’.  Looking to make his second EOS podium of the season, he said, ‘I hope I can do the same in the next one’.

Orlowski looked to take his problem in his stride, the EOS Slovakia 4WD winner impressed that he managed third with ‘only 3 wheel drive’.  On his tumble that cost him the lead he said, ‘It was just a mistake, I was too short on the table top’.  Catching back up to Coelho at an impressive rate following the error which cost him 2-seconds, he said, ‘the speed is there, I just need to make no mistakes.’  Regarding the broken hub he said it was as a result of the landing after he touched Coelho in the air, both cars tumbling down the track and with only the bearing holding everything in place his car got slower and slower as the bearing began to fail.  Still with his extra set of tyres permitted to A-Main drivers at his disposal, he said, ‘I have another set of new tyres so we should be good for A2 & 3’.

View complete event results here.

View the event image gallery here.

Chassis Focus – Michal Orlowski

Chassis: Schumacher Cat L1
Motor: LRP X22 5.5T
ESC: LRP Flow X
Batteries: LRP 3500mAh Ultra LCG
Radio/Servo: Sanwa
Tires: Schumacher (handout)
Body: Kit
Remarks – Points leader after 3 rounds of the 4WD Championship, Michael Orlowski appears in dominating form here at Round 4 in Wels where Team Schumacher is debuting their all new CAT L1 4WD platform in its production version. After months of intensive testing and racing the details on the British manufacturer’s latest buggy have been disclosed. Featuring a completely new suspension geometry for both front and rear ends, the L1 also sports adjustable differential heights and all new roll bars. The chassis allows now for a greater flex with the motor mount only kept in place by two screws, and the steering system mounted directly on the bulkhead. Great attention has been paid to keeping the weight as low as possible, and the chassis is wider and slightly shorter than on the older K2 car. As for option parts, Michal is using front double joint driveshafts and titanium screws.

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