Chassis Focus – David Ronnefalk

Chassis: HB D413
Motor: Orion
ESC: Orion
Batteries: Orion
Radio/Servo: Ko Propo
Remarks – Swedish ace David Ronnefalk is running a version of the D413 that features some development parts the team has been testing for carpet racing. The chassis is 6mm longer, and the bulkheads feature higher roll centre positions, while the layout has been changed with the motor moved in the front for a better balance. He is also using graphite arms inserts and the optional aluminium shock caps.

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Martin takes Q3 in Germany

Lee Martin is the third different driver in as many round of qualifying to the top the times in 4WD at the opening round of the Euro Offroad series at the Nürburgring in Germany.  The reigning champion was fastest ahead of Q2 pace setter Bruno Coelho setting the stage for a three way fight for the overall TQ in the fourth & final qualifier with Q1 winner Martin Wollanka also in the mix.  Behind Martin & Coehlo, Michal Orlowski was again third fastest just ahead of the Yokomos of Carson Wernimont and Tom Cockerill.

‘Getting better little by little’ was how Martin summed up his TQ run.  The British ace said with their new car ‘today is a test session as much as it is a race for us’.  Having had issues with the car developing grip roll in the early heats he said they have now got it pretty consistent through the run now but added they ‘can still make it a bit better’.

Coelho said his run ‘was OK’, a mistake early on costing him over two & a half seconds. With the error also allowing Lee Martin to go by, the Xray driver said he had to follow behind him for the rest of the run as there was now way to get passed and this cost him a little time. Despite the mistakes he said P2 was good result, after his DNS in Q1 it locks him into the A-Main.

Orlowski said his run was ‘OK until my mistake’.  Crashing just before the track’s feature jump, he said after being marshalled he got the jump wrong losing more time, the error costing him a total of around 5-seconds.  While his new Schumacher is ‘working really well’ he said he has the feeling the traction is increasing every run and so for the next one he will make a change to make the rear of the CAT-KF2 more loose.

Wernimont said ‘that was a little better’, changes to the front end of his Yokomo improving things.  The American said that slowing down helped too as he avoided a lot mistakes and could get in a clean run.  Team-mate Tom Cockerill summed up his run as ‘better than expected’ adding ‘at least I finished’ after having retired from the previous round with slipper problems.

A driver normally in the hunt at an EOS but who is struggling this weekend, David Ronnefalk managed a Top 6 run.  The HB driver said this is the first time they ‘have experienced this much grip’ and the D413 is built for less grip so ‘its been a struggle’.  Having ‘basically changed everything’ on the car he said for Q3 it was pretty easy to drive and he hopes he can get in a repeat run in the final qualifier and make the A-Main.

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Coelho back on track with Q2 TQ

Having not even made the start of the opening qualifier after destroying his car during the warm-up, Qualifying top seed Bruno Coelho got things back on track as he topped the time in Q2.  Making his Euro Offroad Series debut at the Nürburgring and the overall Top Qualifier in 2WD yesterday, the Xray driver outpaced the Yokomo of reigning champion Lee Martin by 9/10ths of a second with Schumacher’s European Champion Michal Orlowski completing the Top 3.  Behind them the Bayer brothers would set the 4th and 5th fastest times, with Martin ahead of Ales. Having set the Q1 pace, Martin Wollanka had a DNF breaking his Xray with 30-seconds remaining in the qualifier.

‘I didn’t crash so it was good this time’, was Coelho’s response to his TQ run.  After a combination of ‘unlucky and stupidity’ in the opening qualifier he said for Q2 ‘all was ok and no mistakes’.  Having known he had a good car following the morning’s free practice setting the fastest lap of the second qualifier he said ‘lets just keep it going like this now’.  Having had a DNF in Q1, Martin Bayer said while a better run he is ‘still (making) stupid mistakes like jumping too short’.  He said all the problems are the driver and not the car and he ‘needs to get confidence back and (he) can get there’.

Giving a quick update on his second P2 run, Lee Martin said, ‘ I drove a little better and the car was a little better’ adding ‘we are still learning’.  Yokomo/Muchmore team-mate Marc Rheinard would complete the Top 6.

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Wollanka tops Q1 at Nürburgring

The opening 4WD qualifier at the Euro Offroad Series season opener at the Nürburgring threw up an unexpected TQ run from Xray’s Martin Wollanka, the Austrian topping the times ahead of yesterday’s 2WD winner Lee Martin.  Marc Rheinard would complete the Top 3 ahead of Michal Orlowski, the new European Champion having been on a TQ pace until a motor issue in the final 30-seconds.  There was drama before the top heat had even got underway as practice top seed Bruno Coelho pulled the side off his Xray during the warm-up.  Pulling a wheelie coming onto the main straight his XB4 would veer into the  wooden boards on the straight with a gap at race control resulting in the car being left with no right side suspension.

Commenting on his surprise TQ of the opening round, although he did show promise in practice setting the fourth fastest time, Wollanka said, ‘I had some luck as others made mistakes by I am really happy, its my first time to TQ a round’.  Asked about his preproduction XB4 2016, he said it ‘had a little too much steering but hopefully that was due to the new tyres so it should be better for the next one’.  Planning to leave the car unchanged for Q2 he said his target is to just get another good run, two of the four qualifiers to count, and then he might look at set-up adjustments.

‘Wasted opportunity’ was Martin’s reaction to Q1 continuing ‘should have been an easy TQ’.  Describing his prototype of the expected Yokomo YZ-4 kit release, as ‘good at the beginning’ he said it then developed grip roll leading to a number of mistakes.  Planning to glue up the tyres more for Q2 the reigning champion will also switch to a stiffer spring.

Martin’s Yokomo team-mate Rheinard described his qualifier as ‘not bad for a first run’.  The German touring car ace said he was ‘not fast and just tried for a safe run. I still crashed but 3rd is a good start’.  Asked about his car he replied that it ‘just hard to drive, on the edge all the time’.  To try improve it for Q2 he will also glue up the tire walls on the handout Schumacher Minipin tyres.

Having an early start to his day to avail if free practice at 07:00, having struggled in practice Orlowski said it as a productive morning.  Making a number of improvements to his new CAT-K2 he said the car is now very good. Going for a safe opening run he was on the TQ pace but in the closing stages his sensor wire came off causing the motor to get very hot with it eventually shutting down on his final lap. Happy that the TQ pace is there he said they are looking a lot more promising than during Friday’s practice.

Making his first EOS appearance since leaving his design role at Schumacher, Yokomo driver Tom Cockerill who didn’t feature in 2WD would set the 5th fastest time.  The former 2WD Top Qualifier said copying Lee Martin’s set-up for today was a ‘huge improvement’.  With the car ‘way way easier to drive’ and now having corner speed, the only issue is that he feels like a passenger over the jumps a problem he plans to ask designer Shin Adachi for a solution to.  New Yokomo signing Carson Wernimont also had issues with jumping and landing, the American ending up 7th fastest.

Completing the Top 6 was Ales Bayer, younger brother of Xray’s lead offroad driver Martin and newly crowned 1/5th scale European Champion.  Having copied the set-up used by his brother to set the second fastest time in practice, he said the car was good and his nerves were the biggest issue for him in Q1.  Describing it as a very good run with only one small mistake over the 5-minutes he hopes he can repeat it again in Q2.  Unfortunately for Martin it was not a good start with him falling to complete the full run.

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Video – 2wd A-main Leg 3

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWXor3_hsMM[/youtube]

Martin opens title defence with Nürburgring win

Reigning Euro Offroad Series Champion Lee Martin got his title defence off to a strong start by taking 2WD win today at the Nürburgring in Germany.  The Yokomo driver claimed his 4th win at the 15th championship race of the EOS when he backed up his A2 win with victory in the three way A3 decider.  Second overall at the Season #5 opener would be Schumacher’s Michal Orlowski despite the A1 winner crashing and finishing only 5th in A3. Xray’s Martin Wollanka would claim his first 2WD podium thanks to seeing off Carson Wernimont for second in A3.  Unfortunately for Wollanka’s team-mate and star of qualifying, Bruno Coelho would finishing a disappointing 6th as mistakes again cost the touring car ace dearly.

‘A good start’ that was how Martin summed up his opening win before adding ‘I should have TQ’d too but blew that myself’.  While missing out on the bonus championship point for TQ, he said opening with a win was important as predicted ‘it is going to be a tough EOS season’.  Commenting on the closing 2WD race of the first of the championship’s four rounds, the event switching to 4WD tomorrow, Martin said ‘that one was pretty easy’.  Getting to the front following a mistake by Coelho, he said further changes to his Muchmore powered YZ-2 were good and it was the first time he felt comfortable with the car.  With the pursuing Orlowski making a mistake on lap 5, the same lap on which Martin set the fastest lap of the race, he added it ‘was easy then’.

Winner of last season’s finale Orlowski was pleased to back that up with second despite having been ‘very close to the win’.  Throwing away the A2 lead with a mistake as a result of his car losing power, a new motor was fitted to his Cougar KF2 for the deciding leg.  The fresh motor would cause problems as having more power he said it was difficult to drive leading to his early mistake as he tried to chase down Martin.  Despite the new motor the car would again loose power over the final two minutes of the race leaving him unable to regain places.  Afterwards the problem was traced to the slipper and not to electrics as previously thought.  Having experienced set-up issues in qualifying and then slipper problems in the final, the 14-year-old said he was ‘very happy’ to come out of the event with second.

Wollanka declared himself ‘very happy’ as he ended the day as the best of the Xrays on what was a very strong 2WD showing from the Slovakian manufacturer.  With his high profile team-mates Coelho 6th and former 2WD winner Martin Bayer only able to finish 8th,  the Austrian said it was nice to end the day with a good race and end up on the podium.

Finishing 5th overall behind his Yokomo team-mate Marc Rheinard, Wernimont said while ‘it’s not really where anyone wants to end up’, for his ‘first time with the car I’ll take it’.  Working with the cars designer on a set-up for A3 he said his YZ-2 ‘got quicker’ but he ‘ran out of time to find a way around Wollanka’ for a Yokomo 1-2.  He added at least I end 2WD on a high note which is good going in the World Championship, the event taking place at the Yokomo owned Yatabe Arena in Japan in two weeks time.

‘It was not my afternoon, after a really good morning it was a really bad end to the day’, that was Coelho’s view of things.  The Portuguese ace, who has shown this weekend he can be quick at the controls of anything he drives, said to start first and end up 6th is ‘very disappointing’ adding ‘small mistakes cost me a lot’.  Looking to tomorrow’s 4WD action, having topped seeding practice, he said ‘I hope to wake to a good day in the morning’.

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