Matsukura opens EOS title defence with Polish win

Naoto Matsukura got his 2WD title defence in the Euro Offroad Series off to the perfect start in Poznan, Poland, as he took the overall win at Round 1 of the championship’s fourth season.  Having survived making contact with Top Qualifier Carson Wernimont in A1, the Yokomo driver wrapped up the win in A2 with a more straight forward pass on the American to win by 10-seconds.  Taking the win in A3 ahead of Lee Martin, Joern Neumann would claim second overall with Martin completing the podium, his first in 2WD for Yokomo.

Despite his considerable winning margin in A2, a pleased Matsukura said today’s victory was ‘not easy’.  With Wernimont catching the dots through the sweeper at the end of the straight causing his Schumacher to run wide, this allowed Matsukura to pass on the inside for the lead.  Describing A2 as being his best 5-minutes on the track in terms of mistakes, the 4-time electric onroad World Champion managed his first error free round of the weekend, the 21-year-old said it was a good start to the championship and he hopes for the same tomorrow as he chases his first ever 4WD victory of the EOS.  Very happy with the feeling he had with his Nosram powered B-Max 2 in the finals he wished to thank his Yokomo team and in particular his mechanic Naoya Kitagawa with whom he last season became the first driver to deny Neumann an EOS buggy title.

Getting passed Wernimont on lap 6 of 16 after a mistake by the American, Neumann was happy with 2nd adding Matsukura was the fastest driver and deserved the win.  Describing his DEX210 as good for the final A-Main as he ran a new set of Schumacher tyres, the German said with the next race not till February they have time to improve their game to the Japanese driver.  Hoping also for better carpet at Round 2, he said this would make tyre wear ‘not so big a problem ‘ for him.

Declaring himself ‘happy enough’ with his first podium, this still being his first year with Yokomo, Martin said he had the pace to be second overall.  In A3 he said having got by Wernimont he tried to catch Neumann continuing that maybe if the race had been 1-minute longer he would have been able to do so as in the time he had he couldn’t push too hard as ‘the track would just throw you off’.

Missing out on a podium, Wernimont said A3 ‘didn’t go to plan’.  Catching the dots in A2 with his Cougar KF getting up on ‘a bike’ (two wheels) and him having to run wide to save it, he said for A3 he ‘just tried to drive around clean’ but ended up crashing.  Describing his car as feeling ‘awesome’,  the 17-year-old said in the end it was a ‘couple of mental mistakes that cost him a podium’.  Still with 4WD to look forward to tomorrow he said he just has to ‘gather it up and get ready’ for that now.  Having battled with Wernimont for P2 in A2 before crashing on the run to the loop, Polish star Michal Orlowski would finish 5th overall with Tom Cockerill completing the Top 6.

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Video – 2wd A-Main Leg 2

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0ZZV1_K8UM[/youtube]

Video – 2wd A-Main Leg 1

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oB8cfCFwQvc[/youtube]

Matsukura wins A1

Despite serving a Stop & Go penalty for early contact with Top Qualifier Carson Wernimont and needing to be marshalled later in the race, Naoto Matsukura won the first leg of the A-Main at the Euro Offroad Series in Poland.  The defending champion took the win over Yokomo team-mate Lee Martin with Michal Orlowski completing the Top 3.  After dropping out of contention for a strong finish after being spun out Wernimont would pull up after 5 laps with third position starter Joern Neumann also opting to save his tyres after just 2-laps having led the race very briefly.

Clearly the fastest man on the track, Matsukura said after rebuilding the shocks on his B-Max2 he had a very good feeling with his buggy during the first of the three finals.  Asked about his contact with Wernimont on the wall just as they came around to complete lap 2, the Japanese driver said it was a case of him going for the inside and the American going for the ‘outside’.  Waiting on the Schumacher driver and then serving a penalty for the incident, he would finally move to the front on lap 10 of 16.  Waiting patiently behind his team-mate Martin, who started 4th, a little mistake was enough for him to get down the inside.  Making a couple of mistakes including one on the penultimate lap that cost him over 2-seconds he would hold on to win.

Finishing second Martin said he knew Matsukura was faster and that there was little point in fighting him for 3-minutes.  On making his bobble he said he let him through with the plan being to wait for a mistake from his team-mate.  Unfortunately having made a mistake of his own a lap earlier when the expected mistake did come he was too far back to capitalise.  Starting the race on used tyres, the Vice-World Champion said at the end of the 5-minutes they were getting past their best and with new tyres for A2 he expects to be stronger.

‘Perfect’ was how 13-year-old Orlowski summed up his race to 3rd from 6th on the grid.  Admitting he got lucky from others crashing he said he could haven’t asked for much more from his own driving.  Letting the faster Matsukura through he said he just did his own race and that was his game plan again for A2.

Getting ‘tagged’ by Matsukura, Wernimont said it was a ‘racing deal’ and he was ‘not mad with Naoto’.  Getting off to a ‘good start’ the American said he was a ‘little slow & cautious’.  Dropping to 7th after the contact, he said after getting back one place he got hit from behind by that same car.  After the marshal ‘fumbled’ with his car he decided it was better to pull off and save tyres.

Taking the lead for ‘about 1-second’ after the contact on the wall and the reaction it caused, Neumann said on the jump after the loop his Durango just went ‘fully nose down’ causing him to crash.  Having to be marshalled and last the German said there as little point in continuing and he would save his tyres for A2.

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Wernimont cracks carpet surface at EOS

American talent Carson Wernimont has made a break through in terms of racing on European style indoor tracks by claiming an impressive TQ run double at the Euro Offroad Series in Poland.  Having shown strongly in practice yesterday for what is only his second time to race on carpet, he finally put his Schumacher at the top the time sheets in Q4 going on to back that up in Q5 with a second TQ run.  The result puts 17-year-old old in contention alongside defending Champion Naoto Matsukura and Lee Martin for the overall 2WD TQ going into the sixth & final qualifier at the EOS #4 season opener.

Having stiffened up his shock package after posting the third fastest time in Q3, with his Cougar KF jumping and landing better Wernimont would secure his first TQ run ahead of last year’s race winner Hupo Honigl.  Further improving his car for Q5, making up a front wing that improved high speed steering, he would take that round ahead of former race winner Martin.  ‘Way more satisfied with these result than Austria’, him making his EOS debut at last season’s final round, he said he was starting to adapt to the carpet something which is very different to anything he has raced on back in the United States.  Looking to give Schumacher a repeat for the TQ they took at the Poznan event last year, he said with his buggy now ‘pretty good’ he would leave it as is for last qualifier into which he goes as the current points leader of the qualification ranking.

Sitting third in the ranking with one round to go, Martin was on a TQ run in Q5 before he clipped his back wheel off a jump and spun his Yokomo under the crossover with two laps to go.  Getting second for the round he said his B-Max2 felt OK and he would leave it as is for the overall TQ deciding round.  Having topped Q3, the British driver said other than Matsukura, who is ‘slightly faster’ gaining his advantage over the ‘silly single jumps’, the rest of the field had the same pace and all he could do for the last one was ‘just try to TQ it’.

Having TQ’d Q1 & 2, Matsukura has struggled with costly crashes ever since.  Pulling a rear corner off his B-Max2 in Q4, in Q5 he would post the 4th fastest time.  The Japanese ace, again the fastest driver on outright lap times, said new tyres left him struggling for the first 2-minutes with his car ‘twitchy’.  After that he said the car was ‘super fast’ and preferring used tyres he said everything is there now to take the last round & overall TQ if he can just manage to cut out the mistakes.

‘Finally’ eliminating his mistakes to post the second fastest time in Q4 and third in Q5, Honigl said the latest run was his best.  Benefiting from others crashes in the fourth round he said with a potential TQ on offer to him he ended up pushing too hard towards the end and he crashed too.  Set to start fourth and having not wanted to ‘waste’ a run by making a set-up change, for Q6 he will as he looks to better how his car lands. Describing his TM2 V2 as normally very good on landing he said on this track it could be better and he will use the last qualifier to try to improve it for this evening’s upcoming triple leg finals.

Elsewhere Joern Nuemann who was third quickest in Q4 would pull a front arm off his Durango.  The two time 2WD Champion said running on used tyre they were done and the car was difficult to drive leading him to connect with the track piping and braking a front left arm.

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Chassis Focus – Carson Wernimont

Chassis: Schumacher Cougar KF
Motor: Reedy
ESC: Reedy
Batteries: Reedy
Radio/Servo: Futaba
Remarks – Making the trip over to Europe, US driver Carson Wernimont is attending the season opener running a pretty stock Cougar KF buggy. His car sports some option parts, such as aluminum rear bulkhead and suspension mounts as well as a rear swaybar and he has also fit some aftermarket shocks springs from Core-RC. With his focus on aerodynamics he has made a front spoiler to increase the steering of his buggy.

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