More new bodies from Team Titan with the Blitz TS030 1/8th onroad race body. Designed to give slower initial response and a lot steering in the middle and exit of the corner without losing rear stability. When drivers use softer or high grip front tires it will work very well with this new body as it provides easy and consistent handling. Tested and developed for high speed tracks with short tight corners, the TS030 is already FEMCA approved meaning it can be use at any IFMAR races. Available in 3 different thickness the clear body includes window mask for driver cockpit and side stiffeners.

Source: Team Titan [team-titan.com.tw]

The second Finnisher release of the week from JConcepts this time for the popular Tekno EB48. Almost identical to previously released versions in this body series there is an increased windshield angle that provides a steady force upfront during in-flight wind gusts on large jumps while a forward cab placement changes performance / visible bias which helps steering rotation in low traction corners. A slightly channeled roof-line helps stabilize the vehicle at high-speed while the side-pods have been simplified and JC chamfered to remove unwanted changes in height to neutralize the at-speed handling. The chassis to body fit has been tightened up which eliminates empty voids that contribute to mid-flight directional changes rear of the cab has a new step feature which allows the placement of a secondary side window and also a louver which can be trimmed to allow air to escape at the top of the body.

Source: JConcepts [jconcepts.net]

Team Magic have released their new E4RS II Evo 190mm TC chassis. The new evolution focuses on lowering the car’s centre of gravity with other changes also following the current trend of centrally mounting all the major elements to avoid uneven flex of the chassis such as the servo mount. The 2.3mm carbon main chassis is slightly narrower than its predecessor and looking at the car you can see it comes highly spec’d with aluminium and carbon throughout as well TiNi coated shock shafts, front double jointed drive shafts and a rear gear differential.

Features
New – Lowered and optimized centre of gravity
New – Centred and realigned masses
Perfectly symmetric Flex
Exclusive “Zero flex interference” concept
New – Central flex points
New – 3D flex system (optional)
New – Narrow High Grade 2.3mm woven graphite chassis
New – High Grade 2.0mm woven graphite upper deck
New – High Grade woven graphite shock towers
New – Mirror polished short dampers
New – Titanium coated shock shafts
Kfactory matched shock springs
New – Optimized anti-roll bar mounts
Aluminium 7075 lower bulkheads
New – Aluminium 7075 upper bulkhead with optimized roll center
New – Hard suspension arms and uprights
New – Hard plastic caster blocks
Fully adjustable arm mounts
ST steel hardened suspension axle
Fully adjustable arm positions and angles

New – Aluminium 7075 one-piece floating servo mount
Aluminium 7075 ball raced steering bellcrank
New – Aluminium 7075 laterally adjustable motor mount
New – Aluminium 7075 optimized center layshaft mounting blocks
Aluminium 7075 hard coated spur gear holder
CNC machined Delrin Spur Gear
Low Friction belts
Adjustable belt tension via eccentrics
New – Front spool axle with hard treated steel outdrives
New – Gear differential with 4 composite gears
New – Front double-jointed driveshafts
Rear hard treated steel CVD driveshafts
Aluminium 7075 wheel hex adapters
Quick release battery holder
High Grade graphite battery retainers (3 positions)
Low Friction ball bearings
Heavy duty body posts
High density foam bumper

Source: Team Magic [teammagicrc.net]

Team Titan have released their all new Blitz WRX 2.0, designed to fit 200mm Nitro Touring cars. This new body provides balanced handling together with quick steering on slow tight corners and lots of stability in big sweeping corners. The body includes an adjustable wing and light weight plastic screw set and comes with high quality window mask and decals. Available in standard 1.0mm version and lightweight 0.8mm version.

Source: Team Titan [team-titan.com.tw]

P1 Brand have released another awesome RC lifestyle shirt, called Monogram. ‘Solid as an organized labor union and united as an assembly line, this Tee is inspired by the mechanized landscape of industrial fabrication. Showcased by an interlocking, alphanumeric monogram, the P1 Brand motto, “Victory is Black and White”, is called out alongside their year of establishment, 2009, and hometown, Los Angeles, California.’ Designed and screen printed in the USA the fabric is constructed of 100% preshrunk, 5.5oz. ringspun cotton. The custom, P1 Brand tagless design ensures superior comfort around the collar, while a woven P1 Brand label on the outside, lower hem, completes the look. Available as a black tee with white imprint or white tee and black imprint in adult sizes small-2XLarge.

Source: P1 Brand [p1brand.com]

JConcepts have extended their pre-mounted truck line to include Black Jackets & Stackers. The Black Jackets, constructed from very small square pins, provide additional grip on loose conditions with a light amount of dust and debris across the surface. The tread spacing near the outside rows are slightly open allowing maximum flexibility to adhere to smooth and slick surfaces providing a reasonable flex contact patch. The Stackers reveal a heavy center lug design which are supported at the lower base with extra rib features and tiny fillets which provide a heavy forward gripping force. Directional slashes cut into the tread soften the lugs to absorb bumps and also increase the lug flexibility to accommodate loose conditions. Both are available in green compound on white or yellow Elevated wheels.

Source: JConcepts [jconcepts.net]

Developed in close collaboration with Italian company Fioroni for 2 years, RB have released a new innovative shock system which makes your shock absorber ultra progressive and with an automatic harder damping which has been the goal of racers for decades. Racers have tried pistons with balls, valves, conical holes, conical pistons, etc. but none ever seemed to work perfectly and also the construction into the small dimensions of an oil shock was also hard to make. So now there is the RB patented ADS (Automatic Damping System).

The special V design sleeve combined with a CNC piston without holes, allows the oil to go up and down with an ultra progressive oil flow. When the piston is at the bottom position the V shape is big and the damping is soft, when the piston goes up into the shock body, the V shape becomes smaller and the damping becomes harder. When the piston is at the upper position (small V size area) the damping is hard and when the piston goes down, the V shape becomes larger and the oil flow is increased which lets the piston return quicker to its bottom position which lets the wheels come in contact with the ground quicker.

Last, the actual big bore shock absorbers are better for damping but become less “reactive” because of the big diameter/big pistons with big oil flow. With ADS, the sleeve reduces the inside diameter and it makes the piston travel become more reactive too.

The Delrin piston is adjusted by hand with the hard coated 7075 T6 sleeve for a low friction to ensure a free movement. The 6 lower escape channels let the oil move when the piston is at the bottom position.

Source: RB [rbproducts.com]

New from Muran comes the RBM5 which was designed for today’s most demanding drivers who want exceptional power and fuel mileage together. The RBM5 delivers both and is a great engine to use for Buggy racing. The engine parts are all made in Italy, and are of the finest quality, while the engine is hand tuned by Murnan. The engine design allows for smooth controllable bottom end with a high top speed and has a very linear powerband, which is easy to drive. To top it off, the fuel mileage is exceptional.

Features
- 5 port sleeve with 2 by bypass ports and 3 Port Exhaust System
- CNC machined piston for super long life
- 14mm Lightened, Bi-turbo crankshaft
- Competition conrod
- Turbo combustion chamber
- 14mm main steel bearing
- Front dust protection double rubber sealed steel bearing
- Low Center of Gravity & lightweight cooling head
- Lightweight but strong crankcase
- Composite slide carburetor. 7mm insert
- Hand Tuned

Specifications: 3.49cc
Bore: 16.22mm Stroke: 16.80mm
Porting Intake: 5 intake + 2 bypass Porting
Exhaust: 3 port Exhaust System
Crankshaft: 14mm Lightened, Biturbo
Carburetor: Nylon 9mm
Weight: 348g
Plug: Turbo
R.P.M. (max power): 36,000
RPM Practical range: 6,000-40,000 R.P.M. Fuel 25%-30%

Source: Murnan [murnanmodified.com]

VP PowerMaster would like to welcome our new addition to the team, 2006 IFMAR Nitro Off-Road World Champion, Mark Pavidis. Mark is one of the most widely-known and accredited off-road racers in the R/C racing world. Mark’s name is also synonymous with AKA Products, the championship winning tires and accessory company he co-founded with two other R/C legends, Joel Johnson and Gil Losi Jr. Mark knows a thing or two about R/C and what it takes to win at the highest levels of R/C nitro racing. He chose VP PowerMaster to give him solid performance and incredible fuel economy. In Mark’s first race out on VP PowerMaster he brought home the TQ and win in the 1/8 Buggy Masters class at this year’s 2013 Nitro Challenge race in Arizona and then did it all again at the 2013 Silver State Off-road Challenge in Vegas.

Source: VP [powermasterfuels.com]

New for the 747, Serpent introduces lower front and rear carbon shock towers to be able to use the Serpent Super-Short shocks, which were originally made for the Eryx 411 TC car, and together help lower the car’s center of gravity. The strong 3mm thick front shock tower has 3 options for shock angle with the middle and top used mostly and also has the center holes to mount the center front body mount. The 3mm thick rear low carbon shock tower also has 3 holes for shock angle, and features extra holes to mount the extra body support system with fine tuning options. The Serpent RCM Super-short shocks have the key advantage that you can use the same springs you already have.

Source: Serpent [serpent.com]

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Viktor Wilck made it a Tamiya 1-2 at the fourth round of the Yokomo Euro Touring Series finishing second overall behind team-mate Marc Rheinard after taking the win in the closing race of the Dutch event.  Heading away the 9 car field, Top Qualifier Rheinard sitting out the 3rd A-Main having wrapped up the win in A2, the Swede took a tone to tone victory ahead of the Yokomo team-mates Yannic Prumper and Ronald Volker after HB’s Andy Moore spun out of a comfortable second 3-laps from the finish.

Despite setting the fastest lap of the race, Wilck said his TRF417 ‘did not feel super good’.  Once Volker rolled out of second just as they came around to complete lap 5, he said he was able to cruise, focusing on keeping a constant gap between him and Moore before the British ace had an unusual incident on the pit straight.  Dropping back to finish sixth, Moore had no explanation for why his TCXX spun saying he didn’t do anything different that lap and was just running his regular line when the car decided to spin out onto the grass.

Switching to his spare BD7 which featured a number of different parts and a totally different set-up, Volker said it was a big improvement on his previous car with the key point being that he had more steering.  Unfortunately getting too close to the curbs, the defending champion & current standings leader would roll, landing rubber side down, but his challenge for the leg win and 2nd overall was over.  Happy with third overall, maintaining his record as the only driver in the premiere Ride Modified class to finish all four rounds to date on the podium, the German said the change of car had highlighted a number of things and he is confident that they can use that knowlegde to good effect for the remaining two asphalt rounds of the championship. Despite being back to back ETS champion, Volker has never won an outdoor round of the ETS.

In the Xray Pro Stock class, former Apeldoorn event winner John Bruins won the third A-Main from new VBC signing Oliver Bultynck with Martin Hofer third.  Hofer and last year’s winner Vasco Christiaanse had been fighting for the win until the pair had a coming together on the main straight on lap three. Despite this Hofer’s second place finishes in Leg 1 & 2 behind overall winner Zdenko Kunak meant the Schumacher driver would finish runner-up with Kyosho’s Christiaanse just hanging on to claim the final step on the podium on tie break with Awesomatix driver Dominic Vogl.

In the Speed Passion Formula class Roman Pichler, like Rheinard and Kunak, took his first win of the 2012/13 season.  Starting from pole position the Swiss driver won all three legs with Dutch duo Michael Lepelaar and Alexander Roeleveld joining him on the podium.

Ride Modified A-Main Overall Result
1. Marc Rheinard (DE) – Tamiya – 2 pts
2. Viktor Wilck (SE) – Tamiya – 3
3. Ronald Volker (DE) – Yokomo – 5
4. Yannic Prumper (DE) – Yokomo – 7
5. Marc Fischer (DE) – Serpent – 7
6. Andy Moore (GB) – HB – 10
7. Christopher Krapp (DE) – Kyosho – 11
8. Eric Dankel (DE) – Yokomo – 12
9. Loic Jasmin (FR) – Yokomo – 13
10.Thomas Pumpler (DE) – Tamiya – 16

Ride Modified A-Main Leg 3 Result
1.(2) Viktor Wilck (SE) – Tamiya – 20/5:09.134
2.(5) Yannic Prumper (DE) – Yokomo – 20/5:10.646
3.(3) Ronald Volker (DE) – Yokomo – 20/5:10.845
4.(7) Marc Fischer (DE) – Serpent – 20/5:11.402
5.(10)Loic Jasmin (FR) – Yokomo – 20/5:12.722
6.(4) Andy Moore (GB) – HB – 20/5:14.275
7.(6) Christopher Krapp (DE) – Kyosho – 19/5:01.437
8.(8) Eric Dankel (DE) – Yokomo – 19/5:01.531
9.(9) Thomas Pumpler (DE) – Tamiya – 19/5:04.237
10.(1)Marc Rheinard (DE) – Tamiya – DNS

Xray Pro Stock A-Main Overall Result
1. Zdenko Kunak (SK) – Yokomo – 2 pts
2. Martin Hofer (DE) – Schumacher – 4
3. Vasco Christiaanse (NL) – Kyosho – 7
4. Dominic Vogl (AT) – Awesomatix – 7
5. John Bruins (NZ) – Kyosho – 8
6. Philip Tschupp (CH) – Top Racing – 9
7. Oliver Bultynck (BE) – VBC – 10
8. Tobias Vogel (DE) – Xray – 11
9. Alexander Stocker (DE) – Xray – 14
10.Valetin Hettrich (DE) – Xray – 14

Xray Pro Stock A-Main Leg 3 Result
1.(8) John Bruins (NZ) – Kyosho – 17/5:02.636
2.(9) Oliver Bultynck (BE) – VBC – 17/5:05.316
3.(2) Martin Hofer (DE) – Schumacher – 17/5:07.708
4.(3) Vasco Christiaanse (NL) – Kyosho – 17/5:07.841
5.(6) Philip Tschupp (CH) – Top Racing – 17/2:11.383
6.(10)Tobias Vogel (DE) – Xray – 17/5:11.407
7.(4) Dominic Vogl (AT) – Awesomatix – 17/5:11.811
8.(7) Valetin Hettrich (DE) – Xray – 17/5:13.117
9.(5) Alexander Stocker (DE) – Xray – 17/5:13.927
10.(1)Zdenko Kunak (SK) – Yokomo – DNS

View the full event results here.

View the complete event image gallery here.

Chassis Name – Yokomo BD7
Motor – Speed Passion (handout)
ESC – Speed Passion (handout)
Batteries - LRP
Tires – Ride (handout)
Radio/Servos – KO/Savox
Remarks – Reigning Pro Stock Champion Zdenko Kunak is running his new sponsor Yokomo’s standard BD7 chassis here in Apeldoorn and showed great pace to win from the pole position, wrapping up the overall victory with one leg left to run. Kunak was using the spool on the front of his car in Pro Stock while his modified class BD7 was better with the front gear diff. Compared to the previous round in Gran Canaria the only minor change was to the lower FR RR and RR FR toe blocks which are now the single piece versions instead of the two piece blocks, a change which is stronger in the event of an impact but which also has an effect on the cars’ flex making it stiffer.

Image Gallery

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Chassis Name – Schumacher Mi5
Motor – Speed Passion (handout)
ESC – Speed Passion (handout)
Batteries - GM Racing
Tires – Ride (handout)
Radio/Servos – Sanwa/GM Racing
Remarks – Martin Hofer is running the all new Mi5 here in the Netherlands having running the car in its pre release form at the previous round in Gran Canaria. While the car is ready for release to the public in the near future the former Pro Stock Champion, along with Chris Grainger, are working on finalizing the tuning parts to be included in the kit currently focusing on the carbon steering knuckle arms which on the German’s car is positioned to make the turnbuckle longer which seems to helping the car here in Apeldoorn.

Image Gallery

Marc Rheinard has claimed his first ETS victory for 12-months, the German taking his third consecutive Apeldoorn win which is where the 3-time former World Champion last stood on the top step of the podium.  Dominating the second leg of the A-Main ahead of team-mate Viktor Wilck, who didn’t mount the much anticipated challenge, the win maintains Tamiya’s 100% winning record at the Dutch track, which has now hosted the race 4-times.  Behind the Tamiya 1-2, Team Yokomo’s Ronald Volker completed the Top 3 with the defending champion and Wilck now set to battle it out for what could be a crucial second place in terms of the championship standings with two rounds still remaining.

With Rheinard handed an easy win in Leg 1 after Wilck spun out off the start line, a clean start second time of asking by the Swede set the stage for a good battle between the duo. Evenly matched on pace in qualifying and having a distinct performance this weekend over their rivals, Wilck would unfortunately be no match for the Top Qualifier who setting a new fastest lap of the event on just his second lap pulled clear to win a very uneventful race by 1.8 seconds from Wilck who in turn finished 2.1-seconds in front of Volker. In fact the Top 5 drivers started as they finished, Yokomo’s Eric Dankel the best placed mover in the race finishing 6th having started in 8th.

Commenting on the race, Wilck said he just didn’t have the pace to match his team-mate. Lacking the same level of steering and corner speed he said Rheinard had the better set-up, the German who will sit out leg 3 running a different top deck and front arm set-up on his TRF417.  Not willing to risk switching his car over to the same set-up as Rheinard for the third leg he said with his car as it is now he should be able to hold off Volker for the A3 win and second overall, the Tamiya team not having had a 1-2 since this time last year when they filled all three podium places.

Volker said changes to his LRP powered BD7 made his understeer issues even worse and his concern was not battling with Wilck but keeping HB’s Andy Moore at bay.  In the end he managed that but he said a lap or two more and the Brit would probably have taken third from him.  With a podium position pretty secure following his 2nd & 3rd place finishes in the opening two legs, the only driver to finish every race this season on the podium said its time to ‘Go big or go home’ for the final A-Main and he will switch cars.  Keen to secure second which would hurt Wilck’s championship aspirations, he will run his practice chassis in the hope he find the steering he is looking for.

In the Xray Pro Stock the overall winner of Round 4 of the Yokomo Euro Touring Series was also decided with defending champion Zdenko Kunak taking a tone to tone win to claim his first ETS win since taking over the reign of the series biggest class, 133 drivers competing in the class that features a controlled Speed Passion speedo and handout motor.  After the second leg race director Scotty Ernst had all the cars thoroughly inspected with ratios checked,  motor stripped and even the speedo disassembled to check for any tampering with the circuit boards.  We are glad to report that all cars passed the scrutiny muting rumors that cheating was going on in this hugely successful class.  Behind Kunak, who was clearly delighted to take his first win of the 2012/13 season and first major win with Yokomo, Martin Hofer again finished second despite a strong challenge from last year’s race winner Vasco Christiaanse.

Ride Modified A-Main Leg 2 Result
1.(1) Marc Rheinard (DE) – Tamiya – 20/5:06.456
2.(2) Viktor Wilck (SE) – Tamiya – 20/5:08.204
3.(3) Ronald Volker (DE) – Yokomo – 20/5:10.378
4.(4) Andy Moore (GB) – HB – 20/5:10.730
5.(5) Yannic Prumper (DE) – Yokomo – 20/5:11.619
6.(8) Eric Dankel (DE) – Yokomo – 20/5:12.670
7.(6) Christopher Krapp (DE) – Kyosho – 19/5:00.089
8.(10)Loic Jasmin (FR) – Yokomo – 19/5:03.536
9.(7) Marc Fischer (DE) – Serpent – 19/5:06.680
10.(9)Thomas Pumpler (DE) – Tamiya – 0/0:00.000

Xray Pro Stock A-Main Leg 2 Result
1.(1) Zdenko Kunak (SK) – Yokomo – 18/5:17.826
2.(2) Martin Hofer (DE) – Schumacher – 17/5:02.314
3.(3) Vasco Christiaanse (NL) – Kyosho – 17/5:02.946
4.(4) Dominic Vogl (AT) – Awesomatix – 17/5:02.958
5.(5) Alexander Stocker (DE) – Xray – 17/5:05.128
6.(7) Valetin Hettrich (DE) – Xray – 17/5:06.906
7.(10)Tobias Vogel (DE) – Xray – 17/5:07.459
8.(8) John Bruins (NZ) – Kyosho – 17/5:09.297
9.(9) Oliver Bultynck (BE) – VBC – 8/2:29.229
10.(6)Philip Tschupp (CH) – Top Racing – 7/2:11.756

View the full event results here.

View the complete event image gallery here.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Tamiya’s Marc Rheinard took an easy win in the opening A-Main at the fourth round of the Yokomo Euro Touring Series in the Netherlands, getting the race pretty much handed to him when team-mate Viktor Wilck spun out from his No.2 starting position on the sound of the start tone.  Setting the fastest lap of the race, in the end the German who has won the last the previous two ETS encounters at the Apeldoorn track eventually took a comfortable win by over two seconds from Ronald Volker with Serpent’s Marc Fischer completing the Top 3.

As Wilck’s car shot off to the right and dropped to the tail of the field, it was Volker’s No.3 starting Yokomo that lead the early challenge on Top Qualifier Rheinard.  For the first three laps it looked like Volker had found the pace he was missing in qualifying but quickly it became evident that the defending champions understeer problems still remained as he dropped back from his great rival.  Rheinard, who was expecting a strong challenge from Wilck, the Swede putting his spin down to a dirty track, said he was a little surprised at Volker’s early pace but said once the tyres came in he was able to cruise to pull clear for an ‘easy win’.

Volker, who based on team-mate Prumper’s performance in Q3, switched to a front gear diff on his BD7 for the first final and said it was a big improvement but it was not enough to close the gap to the Tamiyas.  Happy to be able to run with Rheinard for the first few laps he said his car is still developing understeer which gets worse as the race progresses and while very happy to get a second for the Leg he said they have no choice but to make further set-up changes for Leg 2.

The defending back to back champion Volker’s second place finish was made easier after his team-mate Yannic Prumper crashed into HB’s Andy Moore while the pair were battling over third.  ‘Peeled’ was how Moore summed up the lap 11 incident which Prumper afterwards took full responsibility for going over to the Brit to apologise.  Moore said his TCXX was ‘there or there abouts’ in terms of pace with Volker, a statement confirmed by the two setting an identical fastest lap time of 15.211 in the race, and he was just driving around until Prumper ruined the race for both of them.  In the end Moore who finished 8th while Prumper’s battered looking BD7 finished 5th.  The big benefactor of the incident would be Fischer who went from fifth to third finishing a lonely third 2.5-seconds behind Volker and 4.7-seconds ahead of Kyosho’s Christopher Krapp.

In the Xray Pro Stock class Team Yokomo’s Zdenko Kunak also took a convincing win ahead of the battling Schumacher of Martin Hofer and Awesomatix’s Dominic Vogl. The defending champion who has yet to win this season took the opening leg by over 4-seconds helped by Hofer and Vogl getting together on lap 11.  In the Speed Passion Formula class Top Qualifier Roman Pichler took a tone to tone victory ahead of Alexander Stocker and Sandro Kuriger who came through from starting 8th on the grid.

Ride Modified A-Main Leg 1 Result
1.(1) Marc Rheinard (DE) – Tamiya – 20/5:06.265
2.(3) Ronald Volker (DE) – Yokomo – 20/5:08.536
3.(7) Marc Fischer (DE) – Serpent – 20/5:11.089
4.(6) Christopher Krapp (DE) – Kyosho – 20/5/15.801
5.(5) Yannic Prumper (DE) – Yokomo – 19/5:01.790
6.(9) Thomas Pumpler (DE) – Tamiya – 19/5:02.405
7.(2) Viktor Wilck (SE) – Tamiya – 19/5:02.608
8.(4) Andy Moore (GB) – HB – 19/5:12.711
9.(8) Eric Dankel (DE) – Yokomo – 19/5:21.142
10.(10)Loic Jasmin (FR) – Yokomo – 7/1:49.998

Xray Pro Stock A-Main Leg 1 Result
1.(1) Zdenko Kunak (SK) – Yokomo – 18/5:15.168
2.(2) Martin Hofer (DE) – Schumacher – 17/5:02.345
3.(4) Dominic Vogl (AT) – Awesomatix – 17/5:03.396
4.(6) Philip Tschupp (CH) – Top Racing – 17/5:05.324
5.(10)Tobias Vogel (DE) – Xray – 17/5:05.624
6.(3) Vasco Christiaanse (NL) – Kyosho – 17/5:06.582
7.(8) John Bruins (NZ) – Kyosho – 17/5:11.348
8.(9) Oliver Bultynck (BE) – VBC – 17/5:12.243
9.(7) Valetin Hettrich (DE) – Xray – 17/5:14.384
10.(5)Alexander Stocker (DE) – Xray – 3/0:59.927

View the full event results here.

View the complete event image gallery here.

Equipped with a fresh set of tyres ETS Round 3 winner Viktor Wilck topped the third & final qualifier at Apeldoorn in the Netherlands to secure an all Tamiya front row for tomorrow’s finals, the Swede set to line up 2nd beside his team-mate Marc Rheinard who wrapped the overall TQ honours in Q2.  Also benefiting from a fresh set of the championship controlled Ride tyres, each driver allowed two sets for qualifying, French driver Loic Jasmin set the second fastest time to secure the last spot on the grid for the Main event.

Setting a time just 3/10ths shy of Rheinard’s fastest TQ run, set in Q2, Wilck said the run was simply down to him having new tyres but added it was very close between him & his team-mate and he was looking forward to a good race with him tomorrow.  Running the same Raceberry chassis as Rheinard on his TRF417, the Swede said his car is working well and other than fitting a fresh set of tyres he doesn’t plan on changing anything for the final.

The fastest driver on used tyres in Q3, Rheinard set the third fastest time 3.7-seconds off Wilck but said after the run that his car was ‘actually good’ on the old tyres.  Commenting on the final, last year’s event winner who is chasing a third ETS win at the Dutch track, said he expects to be pushed hard by his team-mate who is still riding high after his win at Round 3 in Gran Canaria.  Asked about defending champion Ronald Volker, who will start 3rd on the grid, Rheinard feels his fellow German will have to contend with drivers starting behind him who are faster and that should play to his and Wilck’s advantage.

Volker, who was only 8th fastest in Q3, said they tried a number of things but running on used tyres it was hard to compare the full effects of the changes.  Admitting to struggling today, he said he was happy to come away with third on the grid which means he still has a chance in the final. Admitting that they still had to find something in the set-up, the European Champion said changes made by his team-mate Yannic Prumper for Q3 improved his car a lot and so for tomorrow they will run something very similar. Prumper, who set the fourth fastest time on used tyres, said fitting a front geardiff to his BD7 made a ‘big difference’ and only 6/10th of his previous time set on new tyres he is very confident about tomorrow when he will start 5th on the grid.

Pulling up late in the third qualifier after a mistake meant he would not improve his grid position, HB’s Andy Moore will start fourth, his best grid position this season.  The 2006 World Champion said while the Tamiya team have a clear advantage this weekend, he feels he is very close on pace with Volker and is looking forward to a good race for a place on the podium.

Fifth fastest in the final qualifier, Christopher Krapp was disappointed by his pace saying he expected more from running on fresh tyres but added it was a relief after missing Q1 to make the A-Main.  Set to line up 6th on the grid behind Prumper, with whom he had a coming together in Gran Canaria, the factory Kyosho driver said his aim is to just go out and have three good races. With his TF6 sliding around a lot at the start of the run he plans to make a number of set-up changes but added with the weather set to be a lot warmer tomorrow than it has been so far this weekend he needs to account for how that will also effect the track conditions.

Setting the 7th fastest time in Q3, to secure that position on the grid, Marc Fischer’s Serpent means five manufacturers will be represented in final but not Xray.  It was a day to forget for the Slovak manufacturer whose best qualifier was Tim Wahl who ended up 12th overall.  Team leader Alexander Hagberg could only manage 23rd in Q3, meaning he will line up 4th on the grid for the B-Final, with the Swede saying afterwards it was the ‘fastest (he) could go’ adding that the team is ‘struggling for pace this weekend’.  Joining Hagberg in the B-final will be Elliott Harper and the all new Team Durango touring car. 13th fastest in Q1, retiring from Q2 and 19th in the final qualifier, the event was also going to be a tough challenge for a new car especially after the weather meant the driver got just two practice runs before going into qualifying.  There was cruel luck for TOP Racing’s Steven Weiss in the last heat as he suffered a spur gear failure while on a Top 3 run which would have put the former European Championship Top Qualifier into the A final.

In the Xray Pro Stock class, defending champion Zdenko Kunak claimed his first overall TQ honours in 8 races.  The Yokomo team driver said at the start of the weekend his BD7 was ‘Super Shit’ but every run they were able to get it better and better and now he is really happy with how the car is working.  Asked about the final the Slovak ace said with Pro Stock the final is always going to be very close especially on such a large track.  Starting behind Kunak will be Schumacher’s Martin Hofer, the driver whom he took over the title last year, with last year’s winner Vasco Christiaanse putting his Kyosho on the second row of the grid where he will be joined by the Awesomatix of Dominic Vogl. Making a very welcome return to the ETS after a long absence, 2 time Champion Alexander Stocker will start 5th on the grid and will be one to watch tomorrow.  Unfortunately for current championship leader Marek Cerny Q3 saw another DNF for the Xray driver and despite TQ’ing yesterday’s opening qualifier the Czech driver’s run of wins is over and he will not play a part in tomorrow’s main event.

In the Speed Passion Formula class Top Racing’s Roman Pichler completed a clean sweep topping all three qualifiers to secure pole position ahead of Dutchman Michael Lepelaar and class debutant Stocker.

Interested by the class yesterday which he saw for the first time yesterday the German got hold of a Yokomo kit which was build up last night and he was given an entry bringing the field to 37 cars.  Having missed the first qualifier, he duly set 4th fastest times in Q2 & 3 to qualify just in front of defending champion Herbert Weber who starts 4th.

Ride Modified Q3 times
1. Viktor Wilck – Tamiya – 20/5:05.569
2. Loic Jasmin – Yokomo – 20/5:08.347
3. Marc Rheinard – Tamiya – 20/5:09.242
4. Yannic Prumper – Yokomo – 20/5:10.525
5. Christopher Krapp – Kyosho – 20/5:10.853
6. Thomas Pumpler – Tamiya – 20/5:11.000
7. Marc Fischer – Serpent – 20/5:11.242
8. Ronald Volker – Yokomo – 20/5:12.243
9. David Ehrbar – Serpent – 20/5:12.408
10.Oliver Bultynck – VBC – 20/5:13.296

Ride Modified A-Main Grid
1. Marc Rheinard (DE) – Tamiya – 310 pts
2. Viktor Wilck (SE) – Tamiya – 308
3. Ronald Volker (DE) – Yokomo – 305
4. Andy Moore (GB) – HB – 303
5. Yannic Prumper (DE) – Yokomo – 302
6. Christopher Krapp (DE) – Kyosho – 300
7. Marc Fischer (DE) – Serpent – 297
8. Eric Dankel (DE) – Yokomo – 296
9. Thomas Pumpler (DE) – Tamiya – 294
10.Loic Jasmin (FR) – Yokomo – 292

Xray Pro Stock A-Main Grid
1. Zdenko Kunak (SK) – Yokomo – 310 pts
2. Martin Hofer (DE) – Schumacher – 306
3. Vasco Christiaanse (NL) – Kyosho – 304
4. Dominic Vogl (AT) – Awesomatix – 303
5. Alexander Stocker (DE) – Xray – 300
6. Philip Tschupp (CH) – Top Racing – 300
7. Valetin Hettrich (DE) – Xray – 298
8. John Bruins (NZ) – Kyosho – 297
9. Oliver Bultynck (BE) – VBC – 296
10.Tobias Vogel (DE) – Xray – 294

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With Joern Neumann wrapping up the overall win in 4WD Buggy in the second A-Main, the closing race at the season finale in Dortmund, Germany, was all about deciding who would join the champion on the podium with the steps either side of him going to his team-mate Hupo Honigl and Xray’s Martin Bayer, the same order they would finish in the overall championship standings.  Starting effectively from second on the grid as Neumann sat out the race, Honigl would take the win ahead of the star of 4WD qualifying Michal Orlowski after he got by the 11-year-old on lap 4.  While Bayer would finish fourth behind Associated’s Cavalieri leaving them tied on points, his second place finish ahead of the American in Leg 2 was enough to give the Czech driver the final step on the podium ahead of the World Champion.

4WD Buggy Overall Result
1. Joern Neumann (DE) – Team Durango – 2 pts
2. Hupo Hönigl (AT) – Team Durango – 3
3. Martin Bayer (CZ) – Xray – 6
4. Ryan Cavalieri (US) – Associated – 6
5. Michal Orlowski (PL) – Team Durango – 8
6. Christopher Krapp (DE) – Kyosho – 10
7. David Ronnefalk (SE) – Kyosho – 11
8. Renaud Savoya (FR) – Xray – 11
9. Oliver Speith (DE) – Team Durango – 14
10.Robert Batlle (ES) – Yokomo – 16

4WD Buggy A-Main Leg 3 Result
1.(3) Hupo Hönigl (AT) – Team Durango – 20/5:07.688
2.(2) Michal Orlowski (PL) – Team Durango – 20/5:08.335
3.(5) Ryan Cavalieri (US) – Associated – 20/5:10.442
4.(7) Martin Bayer (CZ) – Xray – 20/5:12.052
5.(6) Christopher Krapp (DE) – Kyosho – 19/5:01.275
6.(9) Renaud Savoya (FR) – Xray – 19/5:05.316
7.(8) Oliver Speith (DE) – Team Durango – 19/5:06.001
8.(4) David Ronnefalk (SE) – Kyosho – 19/5:06.484
9.(10)Robert Batlle (ES) – Yokomo – 17/5:00.886
10.(1)Joern Neumann (DE) – Team Durango – DNS

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Back to back Euro Offroad Series Champion Joern Neumann completed the perfect season at the closing race of the second season of the 1:10 Electric Offroad Championship as he maintained his 100% winning record in 4WD Buggy securing his 7th victory with a tone to tone win in Leg 2 of the A-main ahead of Xray’s Martin Bayer and reigning World Champion Ryan Cavalieri.  The second round of 4WD Mains at the Dortmund event also saw the German ace successfully defend his 4WD Short Course Truck title as he took his third win of the season in the class.  Neumann said he was delighted with how the season had gone adding he is already looking forward to next season’s EOS which as one of the first international drivers to sign up for the inaugural series he has seen it gain huge popularity. This weekend’s fourth & final round of the TLR/Spektrum sponsored championship attracting 239 entries.

While Neumann checked out from his TQ starting position to win by 5.8 seconds, behind him there would be a good battle between Bayer and EOS debutant Cavalieri.  Starting from 7th on the grid, Bayer, who was impressive in Leg 1, took his LRP powered XB4 up through the field and after a number of laps behind the four time World Champion he found a way through to second with three laps to go.  Holding off the American to take second by 3/10ths the Czech driver said afterwards ‘it was a very long race’ adding ‘it felt like a 30-minute race not 5-minutes’.  Happy with the performance of his buggy and with a second EOS podium finish now within his grasp, he said starting from so far down the grid made it difficult to stay in contact with the leaders as he was losing too much time getting passed the other drivers but he would give it his best shot.

Cavalieri said his Orion powered B44.2 was ‘a whole lot better’ second time round after he ran thicker sway bars.  Making the buggy more stable he could carry a lot more corner speed and for the final race he hoped to further improve on that by going up one more on the front sway bar.

Second in the opening Leg, Hupo Honigl had a tough second half to the race with two separate bad laps dropping the Austrian back to 5th with him able to recover one of those positions to finish 4th.  Unfortunately for Durango team-mate Michal Orlowski it was another disappointing race, the 11-year-old would retire from fourth with 5 laps to go.

Second in the opening A-Main, Kyosho’s David Ronnefalk was not able to repeat his ‘safe drive’ pushing ‘a little too hard’ and getting swallowed up by the pack in the opening laps eventually finishing 8th.  Retiring from Leg 1, team-mate Christopher Krapp took his ZX5 to 5th with multiple 1:8 Offroad European Champion Renaud Savoya completing the Top 6.

4WD Buggy A-Main Leg 2 Result
1.(1) Joern Neumann (DE) – Team Durango – 20/5:02.862
2.(7) Martin Bayer (CZ) – Xray – 20/5:08.667
3.(5) Ryan Cavalieri (US) – Associated – 20/5:08.997
4.(3) Hupo Hönigl (AT) – Team Durango – 20/5:10.990
5.(6) Christopher Krapp (DE) – Kyosho – 20/5:13.270
6.(9) Renaud Savoya (FR) – Xray – 19/5:01.302
7.(10)Robert Batlle (ES) – Yokomo – 19/5:04.927
8.(4) David Ronnefalk (SE) – Kyosho – 18/5:05.023
9.(8) Oliver Speith (DE) – Team Durango – 17/5:08.980
10.(2)Michal Orlowski (PL) – Team Durango – 15/3:49.788

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Joern Neumann’s domination of the TLR/Spektrum Euro Offroad Series season finale continues in Germany as the Team Durango driver took the win in the opening 4WD Buggy A-Main but it wasn’t the perfect race as a mistake let team-mate Hupo Honigl through to the lead for 2 laps before the Austrian handed it back with a mistake of his own.  In the end Neumann, who is chasing an unbeaten run of seven wins, took the leg by 4.4 seconds from Honigl with Kyosho’s David Ronnefalk seeing off a late challenge from fellow EOS Austria podium finisher Martin Bayer.

Making his mistake three laps into the race, Neumann said he got caught out by the switch from 2WD Buggy, in which he took the overall win earlier in the day, back to his 4WD.  Getting just three warm-up laps to re-adjust from his DEX210 to his DEX410 he said took the landing as he would with his 2WD and it rolled.  Able to steer his 2WD before landing on the flat surface after the jumps he said doing this with his 4WD caused the buggy to grip roll.  Having to get the buggy landed first and then feed in the steering he said once he made the mistake he was able to adapt the right driving style. Setting the fastest lap of the race, a 15.094, which was 4/10ths faster than the next best lap time which was set by Ronnefalk, he said his Speed Passion powered buggy worked perfectly in the race.

Honigl was also happy with his DualSky powered example of the DEX410 and the Austrian was very honest about his mistake saying it was simply down to him ‘focusing on what Joern was doing rather than concentrating on his driving’.  Starting from third on the grid, he was happy to finish second saying even without the mistake he knew he would never be able to hold off his recovering team-mate.  Unfortunately for the team’s 11-year-old star Michal Orlowski an early incident dropped the talented Polish driver to the back of the field from where he would recover to finish 6th.

Ronnefalk was pleased with third saying he drove a safe opening final.  Happy with how his Orion powered Lazer ZX5 worked over the 5-minute encounter he plans to push a little harder in Leg 2 with an overall podium finish his goal. Claiming his first 2WD EOS podium finish earlier in the day he is confident he can run closer to the front but added challenging Neumann would be a very tall order.  Unfortunately the race didn’t go well for team-mate Christopher Krapp.  A false start to the race saw his ZX5 get collected by the Durango of Oliver Speith resulting in a broken rear arm.  With the start delayed to allow the runner up in 2WD Buggy fix his buggy, the German would retire while running fifth with a broken front diff which he said may have been caused by the earlier heavy impact the buggy got.

Lining up 7th on the grid and dropping back to ninth at the start, Team Xray’s Bayer put in a very strong race to finish a competitive 4th ahead of team-mate Renaud Savoya who started the race from 9th. Savoya’s 1:8 Offroad rival Robert Batlle managed to work his way through from 10th on the grid to run 3rd but it was shorted lived, the Yokomo driver tumbling back down the order to finish 9th and the last buggy running.

4WD Buggy A-Main Leg 1 Result
1.(1) Joern Neumann (DE) – Team Durango – 20/5:05.609
2.(3) Hupo Hönigl (AT) – Team Durango – 20/5:10.039
3.(4) David Ronnefalk (SE) – Kyosho – 20/5:11.402
4.(7) Martin Bayer (CZ) – Xray – 20/5:12.022
5.(9) Renaud Savoya (FR) – Xray – 19/5:02.026
6.(2) Michal Orlowski (PL) – Team Durango – 19/5:02.224
7.(8) Oliver Speith (DE) – Team Durango – 19/5:04.950
8.(5) Ryan Cavalieri (US) – Associated – 19/5:08.317
9.(10)Robert Batlle (ES) – Yokomo – 19/5:11.115
10.(6)Christopher Krapp (DE) – Kyosho – 12/3:10.509

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Kyosho pairing Christopher Krapp and David Ronnefalk completed the 2WD podium at the fourth & final round of the 2012/13 Euro Offroad Series joining overall winner Joern Neumann after they claimed an Orion powered RB6 1-2 in the third A-main at the Dortmund event.  With Top Qualifier Neumann having wrapped up his third win of the season in Leg 2, the German was able to sit out the the closing final leaving the No.2 buggy of Krapp to lead from start to finish.

Running a geardiff for the first time in his mid motored C4.1, Team Associated’s Ryan Cavalieri was much happier with the handling and was able to lay down his best lap of the finals setting the fastest lap of the race.  Finding a way passed Ronnefalk on lap 10, the World Champion kept the Swede at bay for 6 laps before a mistake dropped him back to third where he would finish to claim 5th overall on his EOS debut.

Having had strong showings in the opening two legs when he came from 6th on the grid to finish third, podium contender Hupo Honigl had a fraught race. Eventually finishing the leg 8th, the Austrian would be classified 4th overall ahead of his young team-mate Michal Orlowski.  In terms of the championship the result was good enough to give Team Durango a 1-2-3  in the final 2WD Standings with Neumann the champion from Honigl and Orlowski.

2WD Buggy Overall Result
1. Joern Neumann (DE) – Team Durango – 2 pts
2. Christopher Krapp (DE) – Kyosho – 3
3. David Ronnefalk (DE) – Kyosho – 4
4. Hupo Honigl (AT) – Team Durango – 6
5. Michal Orlowski (PL) – Team Durango – 8
6. Ryan Cavalieri (US) – Associated – 9
7. Kody Numedahl (US) – Associated – 10
8. Tom Maquel (LU) – Team C – 11
9. Brent Thielke (US) – Associated – 15
10.Martin Bayer (CZ) – Xray – 15

2WD Buggy A-Main Leg 3 Result
1.(2) Christopher Krapp (DE) – Kyosho – 20/5:14.928
2.(3) David Ronnefalk (DE) – Kyosho – 20/5:15.753
3.(4) Ryan Cavalieri (US) – Associated – 19/5:01.344
4.(5) Michal Orlowski (PL) – Team Durango – 19/5:02.204
5.(7) Kody Numedahl (US) – Associated – 19/5:13.830
6.(9) Tom Maquel (LU) – Team C – 18/5:01.858
7.(10)Martin Bayer (CZ) – Xray – 18/5:02.740
8.(8) Brent Thielke (US) – Associated – 18/5:03.149
9.(6) Hupo Honigl (AT) – Team Durango – 18/5:08.879
10.(1)Joern Neumann (DE) – Team Durango – DNS

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Joern Neumann has capped off the successful defense of his Euro Offroad Series 2WD Buggy title by claiming overall victory at the season finale in German after he backed up his win in Leg 1 of the final with a second win although this time round the German didn’t have it all his own way with Christopher Krapp leading 7 laps of the 19 lap encounter before a mistake dropped him back to second.  Once again Hupo Honigl worked his way up from 6th on the grid to complete the Top 3.

His third win of the four round championship, his only defeat in 2WD happening at his home event in Langenfeld where Japan’s Naoto Matsukura took the win, Neumann again pulled clear of the pack early as he made the race look like it was just a formality to him putting the win beyond his rivals.  On lap 6 however the race would take on a bit of life as the German made a mistake that cost him almost 5-seconds and allowed Krapp, who has really impressed in 2WD this weekend, to the front.  Slowly Neumann closed in on his fellow countryman getting too close at one stage causing the RB6 to roll.  Waiting to allow the No.2 buggy to resume the lead, the incident unsettled Krapp and further into the lap he made a mistake allowing the Champion through where he would stay to take the win by just over 2-seconds.

‘Really happy’ with how his DEX210 has worked all weekend, Neumann described the moment that almost cost him the Leg 2 win as a ‘stupid mistake’.  Getting up on two wheels coming after the crossover he said he over corrected causing the buggy to roll and land out of his sight due to the large crowd at the edge of the track.  Thinking the buggy was on its roof he waited for the marshal to attend to it but said he didn’t seem to be any hurry and it wasn’t till he gestured him to drive on that he realised the buggy had actually landed on it wheels. Able to laugh about the incident afterwards, Neumann said it was great to end the season with a win and he hopes he can top off the perfect weekend by repeating the result in 4WD later today, a class in which he has never yet been beaten.

Krapp, said after an unfortunate early mid air bobble with team-mate David Ronnefalk which dropped the Swede to the back of the pack, he just set his sights on finishing second and he was as surprised as everyone else when he found himself in the lead after Neumann’s mistake.  Admitting he knew Neumann had the faster car, the Kyosho driver who is better known for his efforts in electric touring cars, said he was happy to take second and his aim for Leg 3 to try and make the podium along with Ronnefalk.  With Neumann sitting out the last final, Kyosho will start 1-2 on the grid and with a second place finish each Krapp is confident they can put both RB6s on the podium by working together.  The biggest threat to that result is Hupo Honigl who has a pair of third place finishes.

Having again run in the Top 3 early in the race World Champion Ryan Cavalieri said he is happy with his starts but unfortunately it goes down hill from there.  Finishing the second leg in 7th, Kody Numedahl the best placed Associated in 5th,  the American said his buggy doesn’t have the pace as he is losing too much time in the chicanes.  Having run in the second fastest of the qualifying groups he was unable to properly compare where he is losing time but that has become very clear in the finals and for the third leg he will run a geardiff in the C4.2 in an attempt to try and find more pace.

2WD Buggy A-Main Leg 2 Result
1.(1) Joern Neumann (DE) – Team Durango – 19/5:00.268
2.(2) Christopher Krapp (DE) – Kyosho – 19/5:02.445
3.(6) Hupo Honigl (AT) – Team Durango – 19/5:04.438
4.(5) Michal Orlowski (PL) – Team Durango – 19/5:07.805
5.(7) Kody Numedahl (US) – Associated – 19/5:09.779
6.(3) David Ronnefalk (DE) – Kyosho – 19/5:09.992
7.(4) Ryan Cavalieri (US) – Associated – 19/5:11.881
8.(8) Brent Thielke (US) – Associated – 19/5:15.324
9.(9) Tom Maquel (LU) – Team C – 18/5:00.196
10.(10)Martin Bayer (CZ) – Xray – 18/5:06.410

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