April 20, 2012

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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April 17, 2012

Champions set for 3-way title showdown at Euro Offroad Series finale

Reigning European 1:10 electric buggy champions Joern Neumann and Lee Martin along with US Champion Dustin Evans are set for a title showdown at the finale of the TLR/Spektrum Euro Offroad Series presented by Horizon Hobby when the trio will battle it out to become inaugural Champion of 2WD Buggy, the new series’ biggest class. Neumann, the European 4WD Champion, won the opening round for Team Durango in the Czech Republic but had to settle for third at Round 2 in Belgian where European 2WD Champion Martin, who along with Evans was making his series debut, took victory for Tamiya ahead of the American TLR driver setting the stage for an exciting climax to the season in Dortmund, Germany, this weekend (20-22 April).

Having already wrapped up the 4WD Buggy title with back to back wins at the preceding rounds, Neumann is out to do a clean sweep of the main EOS crowns on offer at what is a home event for the German ace. In addition to having a strong shot at the 2WD Buggy title he is also in contention for the 4WD Short Course title in which it will be a head to head battle with his Austrian Durango team-mate Hupo Honigl.

Having just kicked off his British National Championship campaign in perfect style over the weekend by TQ’ing and winning both buggy classes, Martin was impressive on his series debut with the Vega converted Tamiya 2WD which he has shown to be a very strong package on high grip tracks. Martin will be joined by his TRF/Speed Passion team-mate Marc Rheinard for the event and although the German World Touring Car Champion is not a regular offroad competitor he is a former European 4WD Buggy Champion so should be able to mix it with offroads top drivers in that class. Interestingly Martin will also contest 4WD Short Course this weekend with a prototype truck from his new 1:8 Buggy sponsors Mugen who look set to enter the electric offroad market having up to now focused only on nitro competitions.

Sampling a European style indoor track and racing on a none dirt surface for the very first time in Belgium, TLR’s Dustin Evans performance was very impressive with the former Reedy Race champion managing a win in the second leg of the A-Main. Having mastered astro turf and the series’ controlled dBoots tyres, he will now be faced with adapting his driving style again this weekend to suit carpet, a surface his rivals know well, but the 26-year-old has already shown that he is a fast learner. Evans must win if he is to be in with a chance of the title and will be looking to his team-mate Mike Truhe for support as he has the benefit of having raced at the opening round in Hrotovice which was held on a carpet track. TLR, who as title sponsors have been instrumental in making the EOS possible this year, will have an increased presence at the season finale with team-manager Kevin Gahan and TLR engineer Dan Hissam, who was responsible for the design of the 22, also making the trip to Dortmund.

Running as part of Europe’s largest consumer hobby show Intermodellbau Dortmund, which is expected to attract over 85,000 visitors, the concluding round of season one of the EOS has attracted just short of 200 entries including an official factory entry from Team Associated. Associated along with TLR, Tamiya, Durango and Kyosho were staunch supporters of the EOS pilot race last year and will be represented for the first time in the actual series by Brent Theilke, the man responsible for managing the World’s most successful offroad race team, along with World Championship finalist Paul Bradby. Apart from his responsiblity for looking after two of the biggest names in the sport, Ryan Cavalieri and Ryan Maifield, Theilke is himself a very competent competitor recently making the A-Main in 2 & 4WD buggy at one of America’s most prestigious international events the Proline Cactus Classic.Associated Sponsors 2012 Race Calendar


March 11, 2012

Leg 3 win nets Martin Runner-up spot in Charleroi

Lee Martin steered his Tamiya TRF502X to victory in the 3rd Leg of the 4WD A-Main to secure second overall at the Belgian round of the inaugural TLR/Spektrum Euro Offroad Series presented by Horizon Hobby.  With Neumann sitting out the race, having secured the overall win in Leg 2, Hupo Honigl led away the field but pressured by the 2WD winner he got slightly out of shape as the race just passed the 1 minute mark allowing Martin to slip through to take the win.  Finishing second Honigl had to settle for the third step on the podium at the Black Country Arena.

In 4WD Short Course the battle for the win went to the final race of the day with Honigl, the Top Qualifier, and Neumann having secured a win a piece in the opening two legs.  Running nose to tail like carriages on a train the Team Durango team-mates put on an entertaining race.  Making contact on a number of occasions Honigl managed to hang on to secure his first overall EOS win.  Unable to match the pace of the two European’s Mike Truhe was best of the rest, the American once again completing the podium just like at the season opener in the Czech Republic.  In the 2WD Short Course class Durango’s chief designer Gerd Strenge was the winner ahead of Luxembourg’s Tom Maquel and Sascha Hengen.

Another successful event for the burgeoning electric offroad series, drivers now have one month to prepare for the third & final round of the inaugural season of EOS which takes place at Europe’s biggest model exhibition in Dortmund, Germany.  Series organisers Scotty Ernst and Uwe Rheinard wish to thank the host club for making the visit to Belgium possible, in particular Jean-Paul Voumard, as well as sponsors TLR, Spektrum, Horizon Hobby, dBoots, Vampire Racing, Proline, Tonisport and DubiDesign who have allowed them to make the EOS a reality.

4WD Buggy Overall Result
1. Jörn Neumann (DE) – Durango DEX410V3 – 2 pts
2. Lee Martin (GB) – Tamiya TRF502X – 3
3. Hupo Hönigl (AT) – Durango DEX410V3 – 4
4. Miguel Matias (PT) – TLR XXX-4 – 8
5. Mike Truhe (US) – TLR XXX-4 – 8
6. Dustin Evans (US) – TLR XX-4 – 9
7. Tom Cockerill (GB) – Schumacher SX3 – 11
8. Nathan Ralls (GB) – Tamiya TRF511 – 11
9. Sebastien Wartelle (FR) – Kyosho ZX5 – 12
10.Darren Bloomfield (GB) – TLR XXX-4 – 18

4WD Buggy Leg 3 Result
1.(3) Lee Martin (GB) – Tamiya TRF502X – 15/5:05.127
2.(2) Hupo Hönigl (AT) – Durango DEX410V3 – 15/5:08.762
3.(4) Tom Cockerill (GB) – Schumacher SX3 – 15/5:10.251
4.(5) Mike Truhe (US) – TLR XXX-4 – 15/5:16.279
5.(7) Miguel Matias (PT) – TLR XXX-4 – 14/5:00.780
6.(8) Sebastien Wartelle (FR) – Kyosho ZX5 – 14/5:02.715
7.(6) Dustin Evans (US) – TLR XX-4 – 14/5:03.682
8.(10)Nathan Ralls (GB) – Tamiya TRF511 – 14/5:07.320
9.(9) Darren Bloomfield (GB) – TLR XXX-4 – 11/3:57.366
10.(1)Jörn Neumann (DE) – Durango DEX410V3 – DNS

View complete results here.

View the event image gallery here.