Video – 2wd A-main Leg 3
[youtube]https://youtu.be/ElothU6jRcI[/youtube]
Martin extends EOS lead with Slovakian win
Lee Martin has extended his points lead in the Euro Offroad Series, the reigning champion making it two from two with victory in Round 2 at the Hudy Arena in Slovakia. Top Qualifier for the 2WD A-Main, the bonus point making it the perfect result, the Yokomo driver would have to wait until the third A-Main to deliver his 7th EOS race win. Having won A1, a mistake in A2 would see Michal Orlowski take it from Bruno Coelho putting all three in contention for the overall win as they lined up for A3 which would deliver an entertaining conclusion. Getting passed by Orlowski, Martin would get back to the front to win the encounter ahead of Martin Bayer giving the overall win ahead of Orlowski with Coelho completing the podium at the Xray owned track.
‘For once I got lucky’ was Martin reaction to A3. Leading early on the British ace would run wide on lap 5 at the very same double which caught him out in A2. Allowing Orlowski to get down his inside to take the lead on the next lap the incident was reversed only this time the pair made contact as Orlowski tried to close the door. Commenting on both incidents Martin said, ‘I went a touch wide but decided not to close back in and Michal got by. On the next lap it was the other way round but he steered into me trying to close the door. I tried to brake but couldn’t prevent the contact.’ Able to continue without much delay he said ‘After that I got lucky’ referring to Coelho’s mistake which dropped both his challengers down the field. Summing up his second EOS win with the YZ-2, he said ‘the car was good and fast’ and having expected Xray to be crazy fast at their home track I couldn’t have asked for more really, adding the win puts them ‘in good stead to win the championship again’. Having not touched a car for over a month he said he performed ‘better than expected’ continuing he was feeling rejuvenated following the time off.
‘We showed the car is one of the best on this surface so I am very happy’ was how Orlowski summed second place adding the result means he can fight for the championship title having finished second also at the season opener. Asked about A3 he said the clash with Martin was ‘my fault’. ‘I went wide and tried to come back from that causing the crash with Lee. It was my fault’. After that he said he ‘pushed very hard’ to close back up but running right behind Coelho he had no time to move right and avoid the Xray when it caught the inside corner of the tabletop and his challenge for the win was ‘finito’.
Breaking a front arm on his XB2 in the warm-up, Coelho said the start of the race was ‘super stress’ following his error. Thanking his rivals for waiting while a new arm was fitted, he said his car was ‘super good’ and after Orlowski’s mistake he was following Martin but four laps later then just went too tight up into the table top causing the pile up that turn the order around. Ending up 5th as result, he said he was still pleased to secure his first 2WD podium.
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Video – 2wd A-main Leg 2
[youtube]https://youtu.be/KGwpjUFwTqQ[/youtube]
Orlowski wins A2 at EOS Slovakia
Michal Orlowski has won the second A-Main at EOS Slovakia, the Schumacher driver taking a convincing win over Bruno Coelho and A1 winner Lee Martin. Winner of the Hudy Arena event last season, Orlowski would take the lead after Top Qualifier Martin made a mistake on his third lap at the same spot as the Schumacher driver did in the opening final. The Yokomo driver’s short coming over the double would also disrupt Coelho’s race as his Xray would tag the reigning champions out of shape buggy. Able to build on the break given to him by the incident, Orlowski would win by over 3-seconds as Coelho managed to hold off the recovering Martin setting the stage for a 3-way shot out for the overall win of Round 2 of the championship.
‘Finally a mistake free race’ was Orlowski’s reaction to his clean race. The Pole said even though Martin’s mistake gave him a break by delaying Coelho, it wasn’t until he had stretched the gap over the Portuguese driver to over 2-seconds did he slow down and drive a controlled race. Looking to A3, he said his strategy for the deciding final would be the same as A2 – maintain his fast pace and wait for Martin to make the mistakes.
Again benefiting from the number 3 starting Yokomo of Marc Rheinard over-jumping the double on the opening lap, Coelho said he was running right with Orlowski until he got caught up with Martin’s car. Admitting he was lucky to not have needed to be marshalled, he was pleased with the fact he himself made no mistakes. With second place putting the Nurburgring Top Qualifier in the hunt for his first EOS win he said ‘for sure I will try to win’.
‘An inch too short and it kicked the rear end up’ was Martin’s explanation of his mistake. Having ran a faultless A1, he said after that he couldn’t get by Coelho. Seeing Michal was getting away he made a big push but ended up making another mistake. Winner of the season opener in Germany, he said ‘I’ve got the pace, I just made that one mistake’.
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Video – 2WD A-main Leg 1
[youtube]https://youtu.be/tnAtpXk9q2E[/youtube]
Martin sees off Orlowski in A1
Yokomo’s Lee Martin saw off two challenges from Michal Orlowski to win the opening A-Main at Round 2 of the Euro Offroad Series in Slovakia. The Top Qualifier would lead from start to finish but twice came under pressure from the Schumacher driver at opposite ends of the 5-minute encounter, a last lap roll by Orlowski leaving Martin to win by 2.5 seconds. Starting from fourth and getting past Marc Rheinard at the first double on the opening lap, Bruno Coelho, having been promoted to second by Orlowski’s early mistake would complete the Top 3 after an almost identical mistake ended his chances of mounting an attack on the leader.
‘Keep your nose clean’ that was Martin’s reaction to his win, the reigning champion adding ‘basically that was my race’. With ‘Michal super fast’, Orlowski’s fastest lap 2/10ths quicker than his own, he said ‘it was obvious he was pushing quite hard’ adding it was keeping his own race clean that got him the win. In terms of his YZ-2, he said towards the end of the run it felt like it was losing drive. Not sure why this is, he said they will not make any changes adding the problem maybe to do with his rear tyres getting too hot.
‘Again just one mistake too many’, was how Orlowski summed up his race. The 14-year-old, who like most drivers has been having difficulties with the lap’s first of two doubles that lead into a slow corner, said after the mistake on lap 5 he pushed hard to catch back up adding his KF2 was ‘really good’. In a final push through the last section of corners he would ride the dots sending his buggy onto its roof but said he was ‘still happy with second’. For A2, the World Championship finalist said the plan was to maintain the pace and try to make no mistake adding he would wait this time for Martin to make a mistake.
Coelho, said his touring car rival Rheinard made things a little easier at the start when he over jumped the double allowing him to get through to third on the inside. Also benefiting from Orlowski’s error he said he was ‘slowly catching Lee’ but then ‘did the same mistake’ as Rheinard and Orlowski. Describing his XB2 as ‘very impressive’ he said the pace is there but it’s a day on which the driver is just making too many mistakes. Behind Coelho former Champion Joern Neumann would work his way through from 9th on the grid to finish 4th followed by champions of the future Joona Haatanen and Kaito Kodera.
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