April 9, 2013

Cavalieri adds World class to record EOS Finale entry

Reigning 2WD & 4WD Electric Offroad World Champion Ryan Cavalieri will compete in the season finale of the ‘TLR/Spektrum Euro Offroad Series presented by Horizon Hobby’ in Dortmund, Germany, this weekend (12-14 April) with the American super star set for his first experience of European style indoor offroad racing. Cavalieri is part of a strong line-up of Team Associated drivers traveling to the fourth & final round of the 2012/13 EOS which again runs as part of of Europe’s largest consumer hobby show ‘Intermodellbau Dortmund’ and is expected to attract over 85,000 visitors.

Having made his EOS debut at last year’s season finale, making the A-Main in 4WD, Associated team manager Brent Thielke makes a welcomed return this weekend and will be hoping to pass on his experience of racing on the carpet surface track to both Cavalieri and 2WD Short Course Reedy Race Champion Kody Numedahl who is also traveling over from the US. In addition to the three Americans, Team Associated have also entered 11-time European Offroad Champion Craig Drescher and top Danish driver Jonas Kaerup.

Making the closing race to the second season of the Euro Offroad Series a truly world class affair, the record 249 entries also includes the 1:8 Offroad World Champion Robert Batlle. The Spaniard will be looking to build on his promising international electric offroad debut at Round 3 in Leoben, Austria, where he took his Yokomo to 6th overall in 2WD Buggy.

For all the drivers the man to beat is Team Durango’s Joern Neumann who did the double in Dortmund 12-months ago to lift the overall championship titles, both of which he has already successfully defended having suffered just one defeat this season. The last encounter did see the German ace, who has never been out qualified or beaten yet in 4WD Buggy since the series inception, come under pressure from Team Xray’s Martin Bayer who on only his second EOS outing was the star of the third round. The Czech driver enjoyed a podium double taking the runners-up spot in 4WD and 3rd overall in 2WD.

Bayer’s team-mate, 3-time European 1:8 Offroad Champion Renaud Savoya, also impressed coming close to securing the 4WD TQ honours on his debut only to lose out on tie-break with Neumann. The French ace will be one to watch now that he has had time to analysis all the experience gained at Round 3, the Xray duo staying on after the race had finished to compete a number of hours of testing with the XB4 on the carpet.

Also making his series debut at Round 3 and coming away with a podium finish in 4WD, Team Kyosho’s David Ronnefalk is sure to once again be in the mix. Having started at the tail end of the grid for both A-Mains in Austria, if the Swedish teenager can qualify higher he will certainly be in the hunt for a win this weekend.

FacebookTwitter

March 10, 2013

4WD Podium for Bayer & Ronnefalk

Martin Bayer and David Ronnefalk claimed the remaining two spots on the 4WD Buggy podium at the TLR/Spektrum Euro Touring Series either side of newly crowned Champion Joern Neumann after the 1:8 Offroad regulars finished 1st & 2nd respectively in the closing race of what was a successful first visit to Leoben in Austria.

With Neumann having sewn up the overall win at the third round of the series in Leg 2 and with it successfully defended his 4WD Buggy title, the German sat out the final A-Main leaving Team Xray’s Renaud Savoya to start at the front of the grid ahead of team-mate Bayer. Leading for the opening lap Savoya would give the Czech driver a wide birth allowing him to go to the front.  Having held off Hupo Honigl in a great Leg 1 battle, as the race progressed it looked like the dual would be repeated as the Austrian, who earlier wrapped up his first EOS win when he claimed victory in 4WD Short Course, closed right in on the leading XB4.

Failing on his first attempt, Honigl set about a second charge in the closing laps knocking up to half a second a lap off Bayer’s lead but with three laps to go the Durango suffered a broken drive shaft.  With the buggy slowed this allowed Bayer to cruise to the win and claim Xray’s first EOS Podium finish on only their second outing. A contender for a podium finish, as Honigl tried to nurse the DEX410 to the finish he couldn’t hold off Ronnefalk or fellow countryman Peter Pinisch who got passed on the final run down the main straight.  Pinisch’s Associated getting passed cost Honigl a podium finish handing it to Ronnefalk, who having qualified 9th on the grid put in some impressive drives over the three finals.

While disappointed at missing out on repeating Durango’s 1-2 finish in 2WD Buggy earlier in the day, the weekend did see Honigl claim his first overall victory when he won 4WD Short Course ahead of TLR’s Oskar Levin and Neumann who had an ongoing electrical problem in his truck all weekend which saw the truck regularly lose steering despite having changed every component at one stage. In 2WD Short Course, 4WD Buggy A-Finalist Martin Kreil also driving a Durango took victory winning all three A-Mains.

Overall Result 4WD Buggy
1. Joern Neumann (DE) – Durango – 2 pts
2. Martin Bayer (CZ) – Xray – 3
3. David Ronnefalk (SE) – Kyosho – 5
4. Hupo Honigl (AT) – Durango – 6
5. Peter Pinisch (AT) – Associated – 6
6. Michal Orlowski (PL) – Durango – 10
7. Renaud Savoya (FR) – Xray – 12
8. Martin Kreil (AT) – Durango – 13
9. Jiri Mara (CZ) – Xray – 15
10.Oliver Scholz (DE) – Team C – 17

4WD Buggy A-Main Leg 2 Result
1.(3) Martin Bayer (CZ) – Xray – 15/5:13.489
2.(9) David Ronnefalk (SE) – Kyosho – 15/5:16.209
3.(5) Peter Pinisch (AT) – Associated – 15/5:17.792
4.(4) Hupo Honigl (AT) – Durango – 15/5:17.879
5.(2) Renaud Savoya (FR) – Xray – 15/5:18.427
6.(10)Martin Kreil (AT) – Durango – 14/5:00.422
7.(7) Jiri Mara (CZ) – Xray – 14/5:03.335
8.(8) Oliver Scholz (DE) – Team C – 9/3:06.562
9.(6) Michal Orlowski (PL) – Durango – 8/2:43.457
10.(1)Joern Neumann (DE) – Durango – DNS

Complete event results can be found here.

View our event image gallery here.

FacebookTwitter

March 10, 2013

Neumann maintains unbeaten EOS record

Joern Neumann has kept his reign as the only driver to win 4WD Buggy in the TLR/Spektrum Euro Offroad Series after another dominant performance in the second A-Main at Round 3 of the series secured the Team Durango driver the overall win in Leoben, Austria.  The champion of last season’s inaugural EOS and the winner of all six events that have been run since the creation of the series, today’s victory also means that the German ace has successfully defended his title with the season finale still left to run.

Starting Leg 2 from pole position, having been the 4WD Top Qualifier at every EOS, Neumann saw off a challenge from Team Xray’s Renaud Savoya on the opening lap after which he pulled clear of the field to win by almost half a lap ahead of team-mate Hupo Honigl who managed to keep Peter Pinisch at bay.

Again it was a frustrating race for series debutant Savoya who has really impressed in 4WD this weekend.  Having ended qualifying equal on points with Neumann only to lose out on the TQ honours on tie break, the No.2 starting XB4 of Savoya would lose second to team-mate Martin Bayer as he tried a pass for the lead on Lap 1.  Holding third for 2-laps, the French driver’s race would effectively come to an end on the next lap as an error dropped him back to last from where he could only recover to 8th.  Bayer, who withstood extreme pressure from Honigl in Leg 1 to finish second, looked like he might be on target to secure his second podium of the event but on the same lap as Savoya had a serious of moments that dropped the star of the 2WD Buggy back to fifth were he would eventually finish just behind Kyosho’s David Ronnefalk.

With the overall win decided Leg 3 will see a five way battle between Bayer, Honigl, Pinisch, Ronnefalk and Round 1 podium finisher Michal Orlowski for the two spots either side of Neumann on the podium.

4WD Buggy A-Main Leg 2 Result
1.(1) Joern Neumann (DE) – Durango – 15/5:05.634
2.(4) Hupo Honigl (AT) – Durango – 15/5:15.011
3.(5) Peter Pinisch (AT) – Associated – 15/5:15.968
4.(6) Michal Orlowski (PL) – Durango – 15/5:17.544
5.(9) David Ronnefalk (SE) – Kyosho – 15/5:19.558
6.(3) Martin Bayer (CZ) – Xray – 15/5:19.806
7.(10)Martin Kreil (AT) – Durango – 14/5:00.522
8.(2) Renaud Savoya (FR) – Xray – 14/5:00.960
9.(8) Oliver Scholz (DE) – Team C – 14/5:03.213
10.(7)Jiri Mara (CZ) – Xray – 14/5:08.603

Complete event results can be found here.

View our event image gallery here.

FacebookTwitter