January 19, 2014

Bayer & Matsukura complete 4WD Podium

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Team Xray’s Martin Bayer and Yokomo’s Naoto Matsukura completed the 4WD Buggy podium after finishing 1-2 in the closing race at Round 2 of the EOS in Berlin.  With Team Durango’s Joern Neumann seeing off a strong challenge from Bayer in A2 to wrap up his 9th straight overall win in the series, A3 was all about deciding who would be runner up to the German.

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With the No.1 Durango sitting out the final encounter, it was Yokomo’s Lee Martin that led away the high qualilty field but Bayer, starting from 3rd, quickly found a way passed the British driver.  Once out front, the Czech driver started to pull clear in what looked like being only a formality in him securing the overall runners-up position.  Setting an almost identicial time to Bayer’s fastest lap of the race, Matsukura though would set about a mid race charge pulling in the European Champion and setting the stage for yet another exciting climax to what was an entertaining day of finals.  With 1-minute to go the Japanese driver was all over the Xray forcing Bayer to overshoot the run up to the Xray Table top.  Coming off side by side they touched with the yellow Yokomo coming off worst allowing Bayer to go on to take the leg by almost 4 seconds.

Just seeing of Euro Touring Series Champion Ronald Volker, Team C’s Hupo Honigl completed the Top 3 for the leg to secure 4th overall ahead of Martin.

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In Short Course,  Neumann took the 4WD win ahead of Honigl and Denmark’s Torben Højfeldt who earlier wrapped up 2WD in the truck class.

4WD Buggy Overall Result
1. Joern Neumann (DE) – Team Durango – 2 pts
2. Martin Bayer (CZ) – Team Xray – 3
3. Naoto Matsukura (JP) – Yokomo – 5
4. Hupo Honigl (AT) – Team C – 7
5. Lee Martin (GB) – Yokomo – 9
6. Ronald Volker (DE) – Yokomo – 11
7. Christopher Krapp (DE) – Kyosho – 12
8. Renaud Savoya (FR) – Team Xray – 12
9. Robert Batlle (ES) – Yokomo – 15
10.Peter Pinisch (AT) – Team Associated – 16

4WD Buggy A-Main Leg 3 Result
1.(3) Martin Bayer (CZ) – Team Xray – 16/5:09.834
2.(5) Naoto Matsukura (JP) – Yokomo – 16/5:13.783
3.(6) Hupo Honigl (AT) – Team C – 16/5:17.264
4.(4) Ronald Volker (DE) – Yokomo – 16/5:17.348
5.(8) Christopher Krapp (DE) – Kyosho – 16/5:18.353
6.(7) Renaud Savoya (FR) – Team Xray – 16/5:19.735
7.(2) Lee Martin (GB) – Yokomo – 16/5:20.637
8.(10)Peter Pinisch (AT) – Team Associated – 15/5:04.206
9.(9) Robert Batlle (ES) – Yokomo – 15/5:06.059
10.(1)Joern Neumann (DE) – Team Durango – DNS

View the complete event results here.

View the event image gallery here.

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January 19, 2014

EOS win #9 for Neumann

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Despite facing by far his toughest opposition yet at a Euro Offroad Series race, Team Durango’s Joern Neumann remains unbeaten in 4WD Buggy after he secured win #9 at Round 2 of the series today in Berlin.  Taking a relatively easy win in A1, the German faced intense pressure second time round from Team Xray’s Martin Bayer but a last lap coming together allowed him to take the Leg and with it the overall win.

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‘Next time 10’ was Neumann’s reaction to what he said was by far the most pressure he has come under since he began his reign as the 4WD master of carpet surface tracks which are the norm for indoor racing in Europe.  Top Qualifier for the race, he said like at last weekend’s DHI Cup where he took a third consecutive win Bayer and himself had the same speed.  Commenting that Bayer’s Xray ‘seemed to have a little more steering’ than he had but his DEX410 was very easy to drive.

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‘Very close but second’ was how Bayer summed up the entertaining 5-minute encounter. Getting passed the No.2 starting Yokomo of Lee Martin at the second corner, the driver who took the European Championship title off Neumann last Summer, said it was really good to be able to battle with his rival from the first lap.  Descibing it as an ‘amazing race’, the Czech ace said the track this weekend made it really difficult to pass and that was why he went large at the Durango Double. Unfortunately he collided with the rear of the Durango in mid air and had to wait to allow Neumann to resume the lead which he would hang on to over the remainig half a lap of the race.

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Starting from 5th on the grid Naoto Matuskura finished both legs third.  The Japanese ace who took the overall 2WD buggy win earlier in the day, said his starting position left him too much to do to try and battle for the lead.  Posting the fastest lap of the race, the World Championship runner-up said he also needs to improve his B-Max 4 which he feels is lacking pace in the low speed corners.

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Yokomo team-mate Martin who fell back to 5th and 4th respectively in the opening two legs said he ‘can’t get the sweet spot’ in terms of set-up.  His first time with the B-Max 4 on a high grip track he said he needs more time to work on set-up and find something that will give the car a better balance between front and rear.

4WD Buggy A-Main Leg 2 Result
1.(1) Joern Neumann (DE) – Team Durango – 16/5:10.170
2.(3) Martin Bayer (CZ) – Team Xray – 16/5:12.099
3.(5) Naoto Matsukura (JP) – Yokomo – 16/5:12.594
4.(2) Lee Martin (GB) – Yokomo – 16/5:15.014
5.(6) Hupo Honigl (AT) – Team C – 16/5:16.057
6.(9) Robert Batlle (ES) – Yokomo – 16/5:16.474
7.(4) Ronald Volker (DE) – Yokomo – 16/5:20.700
6.(7) Renaud Savoya (FR) – Team Xray – 16/5:29.142
7.(8) Christopher Krapp (DE) – Kyosho – 15/5:03.260
8.(10)Peter Pinisch (AT) – Team Associated – 8/2:42.019

4WD Buggy A-Main Leg 1 Result
1.(1) Joern Neumann (DE) – Team Durango – 16/5:09.311
2.(3) Martin Bayer (CZ) – Team Xray – 16/5:10.341
3.(5) Naoto Matsukura (JP) – Yokomo – 16/5:15.315
4.(6) Hupo Honigl (AT) – Team C – 16/5:18.692
5.(2) Lee Martin (GB) – Yokomo – 16/5:23.417
6.(7) Renaud Savoya (FR) – Team Xray – 15/5:01.635
7.(8) Christopher Krapp (DE) – Kyosho – 15/5:03.684
8.(10)Peter Pinisch (AT) – Team Associated – 15/5:04.033
9.(4) Ronald Volker (DE) – Yokomo – 15/5:04.962
10.(9)Robert Batlle (ES) – Yokomo – 15/5:11.603

View the complete event results here.

View the event image gallery here.

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January 19, 2014

Video – 2wd A-main Leg 3

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owOF7HneMHo[/youtube]

*The original file from our camera was corrupted so it couldn’t be used. Thankfully Tony Evdoka was able to give us the video he shot so we can share with you this awesome race.

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