Matsukura takes first A-Main in Austria

Despite a roll that cost him over two & a half seconds, Naoto Matsukura triumphed in the opening A-Main of 2WD at the Euro Offroad Series finale in Austria.  Starting from the TQ position the Yokomo driver looked to have proceedings under control until a mistake just before the loop moved title rival Hupo Honigl to the front.  While the Team C driver would lead for 5-laps after failing on his first attempted pass on the second attempt Matsukura would force his way back to the front where he would stay till the end.  Having been somewhat off the pace in qualifying, making use of the 1-hour free practice session before the start of the finals, Lee Martin got his Yokomo working piling on the pressure on Honigl in the closing laps the former European Champions separated by just 0.068 at the line.

Describing his Yokomo B-Max 2 as ‘perfect’, Matsukura said his mistake was down to driver error as he jumped too short on the corner double after the chicane the front of his buggy catching the second of the jumps sending it landing on its roof.  Rejoining behind Honigl, the Japanese ace was helped by the Austrian getting caught in the corner after the end of the straight allowing him to shadow the No.2 buggy.  Having to wait on Honigl after making contact with the TM2 V2, he didn’t wait long to make a second pass which he himself described as a ‘good pass’.  Able to control the race out front helped by Honigl coming under the attention of Martin, Matsukura said it was not easy to pull away and he is taking nothing for granted in A2 when he could wrap up his first ever EOS title.

Honigl said he could do nothing about Matsukura’s ‘comfortable lead’ early in the race but after the leader crashed he just tried to stay in front with a safe drive.  With him closing he said he was forced to push and this ultimately lead to his mistake.  The winner of the season opener Honigl said while he can follow Matsukura without much trouble his rival just has the ability to push harder something that when he tries results in mistakes.  Wanting always to push harder but knowing its going to lead to problems he said this is quite challenging mentally.  Commenting on the challenge from Martin he said the British ace ‘came pretty much out of nowhere’ adding he ‘didn’t expect him to be so fast’.

Having had Shin Adachi drive his car in the 1-hour free practice after qualifying and driven the Japanese driver cars, Martin said he made a number of changes to his car for A1.  Fitting a new gear diff case, which made the diff much smoother, adding droop and going to a harder shock spring he said the changes gave him a competitive car.  Encouraged by this Martin said he is very confident going into A2.

Behind Martin, Martin Bayer finished a distant fourth followed by 12-year-old Michal Orlowski who was the only Durango DEX210 in the race.  Unnoticed by us, Neumann this morning made a switch from his DEX210 to a DEX410 with the front diff and drive shafts removed for today’s 2WD action.  The German, who pulled off to save tyres after contact on the opening lap with Martin left him last, said he made the switch due to the more forward position of the motor in the 4WD.  For A2 he said he hopes his gamble to pull off meaning he has free tyres for the next two mains while his rivals will have to run one set a second time will pay dividends.

2WD Buggy A-Main Leg 1 Result
1.(1) Naoto Matsukura (JP) – Yokomo – 15/5:10.858
2.(2) Hupo Hoingl (AT) – Team C – 15/5:12.149
3.(4) Lee Martin (GB) – Yokomo – 15/5:12.217
4.(5) Martin Bayer (CZ) – Xray – 15/5:19.867
5.(8) Michal Orlowski (PL) – Durango – 15/5:24.528
6.(9) Juho Levanen (FI) – Associated – 14/5:06.836
7.(10)Peter Pinisch (AT) – Associated – 14/5:07.114
8.(7) Shin Adachi (JP) – Yokomo – 14/5:13.730
9.(6) Tom Cockerill (GB) – Schumacher – 13/4:54.915
10.(3)Joern Neumann (DE) – Durango – 0/0:12.100

View complete event results here.

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Matsukura is Top Qualifier for EOS Finale

Team Yokomo’s Naoto Matsukura is Top Qualifier for the title deciding season finale of the Euro Offroad Series.  The Japanese ace secured the 2WD pole position for the Modelbau Wels event in Austria with a second TQ run in the final qualifier with his Q3 time giving him the tie breaker over Hupo Honigl who took Q1 & 2.  Honigl will start second on the grid with the third of the title contenders & defending champion Joern Nuemann set to start in the number 3 spot.

His third TQ of Season #3, Matsukura was understandably pleased to secure the honour maintaining his record of starting every EOS race he has attended from pole position in the championship’s premiere class.  Again not a fully clean round, the 20-year-old making one mistake that cost him almost 3-seconds & dropped him to fourth, he said he was ‘super happy’ to be leading away the grid.  Missing the opening race of the season, where Honigl took his win, Matsukura said although his aim for this evening is to take the win he has to be conscious of the points scenario as unlike his rivals he must count today’s result as 3 from 4 rounds are counted.  Chasing his third EOS race win, he knows he doesn’t need a victory to become only the second driver to be crowned EOS champion ending Neumann’s reign.  With all drivers set to start off the finals with new Pro-Line tyres, the rules allowing them to get two new sets for the triple A-Main, Matsukura said that will be the only change to his car for A1 with him confident his car works well on new tyres.

‘I gave everything but he was a hair faster’, that was how Honigl summed up the final qualifier.  The Team C driver pushed Matsukura right to the finish, how hard he was trying coming to light when he crashed on landing four corners from the finish with his buggy needing to be marshalled.  One of the instigators of the EOS, the multiple European Champion said ‘still second on the grid is fine’ and for the finals he will be on ‘full attack’.

Neumann said while he tried his best for a TQ run his tyres were too far gone.  In with an outside chance of retaining his title for a third season, the German said with a fresh set of tyres for A1 he was going for nothing less than the win with his Orion powered DEX210 ‘really good’ on new rubber.

Having a poor final qualifier, ending up only 29th fastest, Lee Martin starts fourth on the grid right in front of Martin Bayer.  The British ace said his chances for the race would depend on what work he could get done on the set-up of his Yokomo during the 1-hour free practice session between qualifying and the start of the finals.  Planning to swap cars with Shin Adachi, who lines up 7th for the final, during the practice he hopes by the Yokomo’s head of development driving his car and him driving the Japanese drivers car they can find something that allows him to mix it with the three title contenders starting ahead of him.

Bayer, who backed up his improved Q3 performance with another 3rd fastest time in the final qualifier, said they continue to make progress with the prototype XB4-2 but said being realistic he doesn’t believe he is yet in a position to challenge a podium adding the ‘Top 3 are really fast’.

2WD Buggy A-Main Grid
1. Naoto Matsukura – Yokomo – 310 pts
2. Hupo Hoingl – Team C – 310
3. Joern Neumann – Durango – 305
4. Lee Martin – Yokomo – 304
5. Martin Bayer – Xray – 304
6. Tom Cockerill – Schumacher – 302
7. Shin Adachi – Yokomo – 300
8. Michal Orlowski – Durango – 299
9. Juho Levanen – Associated – 297
10.Peter Pinisch – Associated – 295

2WD Buggy Qualifying Round 4 – Top 10 times
1. Naoto Matsukura – Yokomo – 15/5:17.760
2. Hupo Hoingl – Team C – 15/5:22.424
3. Martin Bayer – Xray – 14/5:01.263
4. Joern Neumann – Durango – 14/5:04.660
5. Michal Orlowski – Durango – 14/5:04.856
6. Juho Levanen – Associated – 14/5:05.294
7. Peter Pinisch – Associated – 14/5:06.584
8. Oskar Levin – Team C – 14/5:07.000
9. Carson Wernimont – Schumacher – 14/5:08.095
10.Ronald Volker – Yokomo – 14/5:08.325

View complete event results here.

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Chassis Focus – Naoto Matsukura

Chassis: Yokomo BMax 2 MR
Motor: Yokomo 6.5
ESC: Yokomo
Batteries: Yokomo
Radio/Servo: Sanwa
Remarks: Winner of the second round of this EOS season in Berlin, Yokomo’s Japanese ace came here in Wels well prepared to fight for his first EOS title. Showing incredible speed in the last two rounds of qualifying, he is running an updated version of his mid-motored buggy. The biggest update is a lighter gearshaft, a machined lightweight motor mount and a lightweight body. Naoto also worked on improving the stability and the consistency of his car and to do so he lowered the rear arm mount in order to change the roll centre.

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Matsukura takes Q3 at EOS

After setting the fastest laps of the opening two qualifiers of 2WD Buggy at the Euro Offroad Series in Wels, Austria, Naoto Matsukura finally managed to pull off a TQ run in the penultimate round.   Laying down another new outright fastest lap, the Yokomo driver took Q3 from early pace setter Joern Neumann in a new fastest time, something that could prove crutial should qualifying go to a tie break with Q1 & 2 pace setter Hupo Honigl.  While Martin Bayer had a good round to complete the Top 3, after a perfect morning at the Modelbau Wels Hobby Show, mistakes in the third qualifier meant Honigl would post only the fourth fastest time.

Running a time that was 3-seconds faster than Honigl’s best TQ time, that gap being reduced by a mistake by Honigl on the last lap that delayed both Matsukura and Neumann, Matsukura was happy to finally cut out the errors that cost him in Q1 & 2 although the Japanese ace did still have one moment of his own doing.  Happy with his B-Max 2, he said other than a refreshing of the shocks the plan for the final qualifier is to ‘go for the overall TQ’ and deny Honigl the extra championship point it carries.

Changing to a lighter oil in the diff of his Durango, Neumann said his DEX210 was ‘much better’.  On the TQ pace the defending Champion said he threw it away with a mistake.  Passing Lee Martin at the chicane he got the double wrong and this led him to miss his line for the jump section in front of the drivers stand causing him to roll on the landing.    Confident the pace is in the car he will be hoping he can end qualifying for his first clean run of the day.

‘Heading in the right direction but still not perfect’ was how Bayer described his car after setting the third fastest time.  Winner of the previous round of the championship at the Hudy Arena last month, the Czech ace said a change of the front and rear geometry on the prototype XB4-2, he is racing for the first time this weekend gave the buggy better steering.  Improving the car ‘step by step’ he said both himself and the car’s designer Juraj Hudy are learning more and more about the car every run and so will continue to try new things every run.

After the perfect morning, taking Q1 & 2, Honigl said he just made a number of small mistakes at the beginning of the run which dropped him back but it was a double mistake on his last lap that cost him dearly.  Crashing at the chicane he would immediately repeat the crash as he tried to turn around back into the racing line.  This would delay three cars most notably Matsukura and more so Neumann as they all piled into the crashed Team C.  Honigl said the car was good and for the last qualifier it is just the driver that needs improving.

Behind the Austrian, Shin Adachi and Tom Cockerill completed the 6 while Lee Martin had a poor run to set only the 7th fastest ime. The World Championship runner-up said having to let Neumann and Matsukura passed, the former two times after he crashed,  ended up costing him time and positions.

2WD Buggy Qualifying Round 3 – Top 10 times
1. Naoto Matsukura – Yokomo – 15/5:17.108
2. Joern Neumann – Durango – 15/5:18.013
3. Martin Bayer – Xray – 14/5:02.066
4. Hupo Hoingl – Team C – 14/5:02.388
5. Shin Adachi – Yokomo – 14/5:03.649
6. Tom Cockerill – Schumacher – 14/5:03.683
7. Lee Martin – Yokomo – 14/5:05.187
8. Martin Wollanka – Xray – 14/5:05.679
9. Oskar Levin – Team C – 14/5:08.772
10.Michal Orlowski – Durango – 14/5:10.419

View complete event results here.

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Chassis Focus – Hupo Honigl

Chassis: TeamC TM2 V2
Motor: Dualsky 6.5
ESC: Dualsky
Batteries: H-Speed
Radio/Servo: Futaba
Remarks: In contention for the win of the overall championship, TeamC’s top driver Hupo Honigl is using the exact same car he ran in the previous two EOS encounters. Having tried many things during practice, he finally reverted to his basic setup saying that “the car is so good that I tried to make it better but it was impossible, so I stepped back and here i am, running my usual setup”. The only small addition to his car being a small fin right behind the cab on his body – that he admitted has the only function of “looking cool” – the Austrian is delighted with the way his car is behaving and is pretty confident for the day.

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Video – 2wd Buggy Qualifying Rd2

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vq0L2YXRFRY[/youtube]