Bayer wins A2 from Coelho

Martin Bayer has won the second 4WD A-Main at EOS Austria, the Xray Offroad team manager capitalising on an early error from Top Qualifier Bruno Coelho. In the first run through the centre double double, Coelho took too much of an inside line forcing him to have to back out of the second double which was enough for Bayer to get to the front.  With Martin Wollanka taking out Lee Martin at the same section, delaying the field, the two Xray’s could run their own race up front with Bayer keeping tight lines to the finish to win ahead of Coelho.  Recovering from the incident with Wollanka, Martin would complete the Top 3 ahead of A1 winner Michal Orlowski, the stage now set for a showdown for the final win of Season #6.

With great banter between the Xray duo after the race, Coelho imitating his team boss and saying ‘It was easy for me’, Bayer said, ‘he made a mistake at the first double and I got by and then I just tried to keep a tight line’.  ‘In practice we didn’t get to run one lap together but somehow today its all happening. I just tried to stay safe and have no incidents so I’m very happy for this’.  Looking to the final race of the season, which could see the overall win go to one of 5 drivers, the former EOS race winner said, ‘I hope for the 3rd main nothing special happens and I can make the podium because we have no result from the first final’.

Explain his error at the double double, Coelho said, ‘I went too much to the inside and was going to hit the board so I had to back out after that I had to battle with Bayer to the end’.  Joking, ‘It was just because he is a friend I don’t take him out’, he added, ‘He didn’t open the door so I couldn’t get by, it was a good race’.

‘It was a good take out’ was Martin’s reaction to getting hit by Wollanka.  The Yokomo driver continued, ‘I don’t think it was massively intentional and he just got it wrong.  At least he waited which was some justification. Luckily I still ended up third otherwise it was Leg 1 times two’.  On A3 he said, ‘I would like to just run the first few laps clean and hang with the Xrays and hopefully force them to race each other’.

Orlowski said he was pretty happy to end up with fourth.  He said, ‘Wollanka crashed Lee in the second double and stopped in the racing line and I was unlucky to hit him and drop down to last.  After that I was just making laps and somehow got fourth at the end’.  One of the contenders for the win, the only driver other than Coelho to win in 4WD this season, the Polish driver said, ‘with 5-guys able to win its going to be exciting’.

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Orlowski survives early chaos to win A1

Michal Orlowski came out on top of the opening A-Main of 4WD at the Euro Offroad Series in Austria, the Schumacher driver capitalising on all three Xray drivers starting ahead of him rolling at the same corner. Off the start it was Top Qualifier Bruno Coelho who led away the field from team-mate Martin Bayer but as they came onto the straight for the first time the Xrays performing a synchronised roll which would end Lee Martin’s challenge as he collected Bayer’s car.   This would leave Martin Wollanka to lead but 3-laps later he would execute an almost carbon copy of his team-mate’s error allowing 5th place starter Orlowski to go to the front where, despite his slipper going, he would stay to the end.  Wollanka would finish second with Neil Cragg completing the Top 3.

Having highlighted after qualifying that anything could be possible in the finals here with the example of the P2 he got from 8th on the grid in the second of the A-Mains at Round 3 of the EOS at the Hudy Arena, Orlowski said with a smile, ‘I got a bit lucky at the start’.  He continued, ‘I don’t know what happen but I just tried to not hit anything and went from 5th to 2nd.   Then I followed Wollanka until he made a mistake’.  The EOS’ 2WD Champion said towards the end of the race he could feel a belt or his slipper was going so he ‘tried to be really smooth’ which was why Wollanka started to close. With enough of gap however he would roll the last few jumps adding ‘I was lucky to finish’.  Discovering afterwards the slipper was ‘worn out’, they will fit a new one for A2 and ‘hopefully something similar will happen up front’.

‘I was first and it was all looking good but then I hit the dot’, was Wollanka’s reaction after the first encounter of the triple A-Mains.  The Austrian continued, ‘I tried everything to close on Orlowski.  I closed a bit but it was not enough to try to overtake’.  Tangling with Lee Martin as they both tried to recover from the first lap chaos, Coelho would eventually pull up half way into the race explaining that his roll was a result of hitting the dot in the corner coming onto the main straight.

Cragg said, ‘I just waited for the chaos and got through to third’.  The Associated driver continued, ‘my car as a little twitchy but I that was down to new tyres and more me than the car’.   Catching and battling with Wollanka, with whom he had an altercation in the final qualifier, for a second time the Brit would throw away a possible 2nd with a mistake but concluded, ‘I can’t argue with getting a third’.  Behind Cragg AE team-mate Karri Salmela would have a good race finishing fourth from 9th on the grid.

View complete event results here.

View the event image gallery here.