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Chassis Focus – Michal Orlowski

Posted: 21 Oct 2017 07:27 AM PDT

Chassis: Schumacher Cougar KC
Motor: LRP 6.5T
ESC: LRP FlowX
Batteries: LRP 3000mAh LCG
Radio/Servo: Sanwa
Tires: Schumacher (handout)
Body: Aerox Performance
Remarks – Reigning EOS 2WD Champion Michal Orlowski has been running a LRP powered Schumacher Cougar KF2 equipped with a number of option parts, such as aluminium uprights and hubs, a carbon chassis, rear roll bar and titanium turnbuckles. Michal is also using a brand new Aerox bodyshell, which sits lower on the car and is slightly lighter than the standard version.

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Chassis Focus – Bruno Coelho

Posted: 21 Oct 2017 07:03 AM PDT

Chassis: Xray XB2 ’18
Motor: Hobbywing 6.5T
ESC: Hobbywing Xerun XR10 Pro
Batteries: EZ 3500mAh Graphene
Radio/Servo: Sanwa/Savox
Tires: Schumacher (handout)
Body: Lightweight Xray body
Remarks – Winner of the opening round of the EOS 17/18 here in Warsaw, Xray factory driver Bruno Coelho has been running the latest ’18 edition of the Slovakian made XB2. His car is equipped with aluminium uprights, a 26 gram front brass bulkhead and a 50 gram under LiPo weight. The Portuguese driver is also using a new front wing mount, due to be released in the next weeks.

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Video – 2wd A-Main Leg 3

Posted: 21 Oct 2017 07:00 AM PDT

Coelho wins EOS season opener as Xray fill 2WD podium in Poland

Posted: 21 Oct 2017 06:41 AM PDT

Bruno Coelho will leave Poland as a somewhat surprise leader of the Euro Offroad Series 2WD standings after taking the overall win at the Season #7 opener. With 2WD Buggy far from being RC racing’s versatile super star’s favourite category, the Xray driver took victory in A3 to wrap up his third consecutive overall 2WD win of the championship. Also Top Qualifier in Warsaw, the reigning 4WD champion has registered the maximum points possible. Behind, Martin Bayer and first time EOS visitor Ty Tessmann would make it an all Xray podium denying Michal Orlowski a repeat of his home double victory he took last season. With the Schumacher driver finishing 4th, his title predecessor Lee Martin would finish 5th with the result highlighting the progress Xray have made with their 2WD.

Continue reading this report here or view our full event coverage here.

Coelho wins EOS season opener as Xray fill 2WD podium in Poland

Posted: 21 Oct 2017 06:40 AM PDT

Bruno Coelho will leave Poland as a somewhat surprise leader of the Euro Offroad Series 2WD standings after taking the overall win at the Season #7 opener. With 2WD Buggy far from being RC racing’s versatile super star’s favourite category, the Xray driver took victory in A3 to wrap up his third consecutive overall 2WD win of the championship. Also Top Qualifier in Warsaw, the reigning 4WD champion has registered the maximum points possible. Behind, Martin Bayer and first time EOS visitor Ty Tessmann would make it an all Xray podium denying Michal Orlowski a repeat of his home double victory he took last season. With the Schumacher driver finishing 4th, his title predecessor Lee Martin would finish 5th with the result highlighting the progress Xray have made with their 2WD.

Reacting after his A3 win, having thrown away the lead in A2, Coelho said, ‘that was a very nice final’. He added, ‘I just had a small mistake at the beginning when I didn’t jump the double but I was able to build up a lead and then just controlled the race ahead of Lee to the end’. He continued, ‘this is not my class and it was very difficult for me last year to stay in the Top 5 but now we have all cars in the Top 3. The car improved really a lot. Last year Lee and Orlowski were on the top but now it is not just me but also Martin and Ty on the podium and I think this means something about the progress we have made with the 2018 car’. He concluded, ‘the car is faster and more consistent and really comfortable to drive. I hope it is like this the next race but we are on a good way’.

‘Extremely happy’ was how Bayer summed up his team’s result. In charge of Xray’s Offroad programme, he added, ‘It’s an amazing result. The first round and the first time we fill the podium’. On his own personal performance he said, ‘I’m super happy. All weekend I have been sick so to bring home second is great. It a great way to start my season and now its time to have fun in 4WD’. That remark coming off the fact that Xray was the dominant force in the class with him winning the closing race of the season in Austria.

Summing up his first EOS experience, Tessmann said, ‘I’m pretty happy with the result’. The 2014 1:8 Offroad World Champion continued, ‘For the third (A-main) I ran the same tyres again so I knew it would not be quite as good (as A2) so I tried not to crash because from previous experience I knew there would be a lot of crashes’. Getting a fourth for the round, which together with his P2 from A2 was enough to secure the podium, he added, ‘I rotated the tyre side to side and they felt fresher and I think the differences between runs I was feeling before was just between new and used tyres’. Asked if he felt 4WD would be his stronger class, the event now switching over to 4WD, he replied, ‘everyone is telling me the track is going to be very difficult in 4WD so we will see. I have no expectations as I don’t have much experience (of racing on carpet)’.

‘It is really frustrating how it went’, was Orlowski’s view of A3. The Warsaw teenager said, ‘Bayer was really slow and I found a place to pass him but then he tipped my rear wheel and my run ended there’. Crashing on the 3rd double as a result of the contact, on the overall result he said, For sure it was not what I wanted. Xray had good pace this weekend but I think I could have challenged them for the win but they played team work in the finals so Bruno was more out in front’. He concluded, ‘At least one positive from today is that we know we have good pace for the next race’.

View complete event results here.

View the event image gallery here.

Video – 2wd A-Main Leg 2

Posted: 21 Oct 2017 04:02 AM PDT

Bayer wins exciting A2 from Tessmann

Posted: 21 Oct 2017 03:41 AM PDT

While A1 didn’t provide much entertainment with Bruno Coelho taking an easy win from pole position, the second encounter at Euro Offroad Series would be a much more heated affair with Martin Bayer come out the victor ahead of EOS debutant Ty Tessmann. While Coelho looked to wrap up a third straight overall EOS victory having opened a gap over his rivals once again, the Xray driver would get things wrong at the double in front of the drivers stand with some questionable marshalling seeing him rejoining in the middle of the 2nd place battle between Bayer, Michal Orlowski and Tessmann. That battle was reduced to three when Orlowski crashed on landing at the same double Coelho lost his lead, a further mistake then putting Coelho out of the picture. Showing some restraint, while Tessmann had the quicker car but he couldn’t find a way passed Bayer despite getting alongside him on occasions. Going an extra lap over the rest of the field, in the end Bayer would take the win by 2/10ths with Coelho third and Orlowski fourth, over 1.5-seconds further back.

Continue reading this report here or view our full event coverage here.

Bayer wins exciting A2 from Tessmann

Posted: 21 Oct 2017 03:39 AM PDT

While A1 didn’t provide much entertainment with Bruno Coelho taking an easy win from pole position, the second encounter at Euro Offroad Series would be a much more heated affair with Martin Bayer come out the victor ahead of EOS debutant Ty Tessmann. While Coelho looked to wrap up a third straight overall EOS victory having opened a gap over his rivals once again, the Xray driver would get things wrong at the double in front of the drivers stand with some questionable marshalling seeing him rejoining in the middle of the 2nd place battle between Bayer, Michal Orlowski and Tessmann. That battle was reduced to three when Orlowski crashed on landing at the same double Coelho lost his lead, a further mistake then putting Coelho out of the picture. Showing some restraint, while Tessmann had the quicker car but he couldn’t find a way passed Bayer despite getting alongside him on occasions. Going an extra lap over the rest of the field, in the end Bayer would take the win by 2/10ths with Coelho third and Orlowski fourth, over 1.5-seconds further back.

Raising his hands in a rattling gesture to highlight he was under pressure from Tessmann, Bayer reacted to his win by saying, ‘I drove without mistakes. I was not the fastest. It was a very good race’. Having dropped from his P2 starting position to fourth in A1 due to driver errors, the head of Xray’s Offroad programme said, ‘I still need one more. Bruno has a win and a third so the last one will be a very hard final but I hope I can still be on the podium’.

Looking to have clicked with the carpet track conditions in A2, Tessmann said, ‘we ran new tyres that time and my car seems to be best on new tyres’. The former 1:8 Offroad World Champion continued, ‘we made a few changes to the car also because it felt weird and we changed the receiver too to be sure so I don’t know if that helped too but hopefully it is the same for the third one’. Asked about the difficulty of passing on the carpet surface, the Canadian said, ‘I knew I was faster in the top corner than Martin but the car is light there so I didn’t what to risk a pass and take out my team-mate. I also had a bad first finish but Martin is in contention still’.

A not too pleased Coelho said, ‘I made a mistake at the double in front of the driver stand. It was my mistake but the marshal was waiting for something. If he had put me back immediately I would have still been leading because I was a lot of time in front. Instead he waited for the others to arrive. It was very bad. I don’t want to know who this marshal was. This marshalling was embarrassing’.

Summing up his race, Orlowski said, ‘This time the start was normal and we stayed 3rd. Then Bruno had a mistake and then the pack was running really close’. He continued, ‘I don’t know how or what to say but I felt Bruno touched me in the back wing and I went sideways in the air. I’m not sure on this but nothing was called and I got fourth’. Looking to A3 with a chance of the overall victory at his home race still possible he said, ‘I have got a second (from A1) so I have a chance still to win. I have a good set of tyres and a good car so I hope we can make something happen’.

View complete event results here.

View the event image gallery here.

Video – 2wd A-Main Leg 1

Posted: 21 Oct 2017 02:13 AM PDT

Coelho wins A1 with faultless drive

Posted: 21 Oct 2017 02:05 AM PDT

Bruno Coelho has won the opening A-Main at the season opener of the Euro Offroad Series in Warsaw, Poland. Having secured the TQ yesterday, the Xray driver drove a faultless race to win easily ahead of reigning champion Michal Orlowski. Starting from third on the grid, Orlowski would have a great first lap getting by Martin Bayer to put Coelho in his sights. While he would close down the 4WD Champion, having just set the fastest lap of the race he would make a mistake next time round and with just three laps to go Coelho could back off his pace and cruise to the win. Behind the two title favourites, Team Associated’s Joona Haatanen came through from fifth on the grid to complete the Top 3 benefiting from mistakes by Bayer who would finish 4th and Martin who dropped back to 6th by the finish.

Continue reading this report here or view our full event coverage here.

Coelho wins A1 with faultless drive

Posted: 21 Oct 2017 02:04 AM PDT

Bruno Coelho has won the opening A-Main at the season opener of the Euro Offroad Series in Warsaw, Poland. Having secured the TQ yesterday, the Xray driver drove a faultless race to win easily ahead of reigning champion Michal Orlowski. Starting from third on the grid, Orlowski would have a great first lap getting by Martin Bayer to put Coelho in his sights. While he would close down the 4WD Champion, having just set the fastest lap of the race he would make a mistake next time round and with just three laps to go Coelho could back off his pace and cruise to the win. Behind the two title favourites, Team Associated’s Joona Haatanen came through from fifth on the grid to complete the Top 3 benefiting from mistakes by Bayer who would finish 4th and Martin who dropped back to 6th by the finish.

‘I didn’t make any mistakes. It was a very good final’, was Coelho’s reaction to his A1 win. The Portuguese driver, who is chasing his third consecutive 2WD EOS win in a class he is openly not a fan of, said, ‘Even when I saw Orlowski was closing in the middle of the race I was still able to drive clean. There was no sense to force things because there was 2-more finals to go. Then he flipped and that gave me more breathing space so I could control it to the end’.

Summing up his race, Orlowski said, ‘It started well. My plan was to pass Bayer in the first few corners and then try my best to catch Bruno but I had too many small mistakes’. The only driver to run a 21-second lap of the difficult and challenging track, he added, ‘I had good pace’. Suffering a crash at the end when a marshal put a car out in front of him on the last lap which he would hit he said, ‘I was lucky Joona was already finished otherwise I would have finished 3rd’. Looking to the second of the three encounters, last year’s EOS Poland double winner replied, ‘I will go with the same plan again for A2’.

‘I’m happy’ said Haatanen’s after the race. The young Finnish talent, added, ‘I tried to drive clean and wait for others to make mistakes and I think that was a good plan. I just stayed behind Lee and Bayer. Bayer crashed in front and then Lee also crashed and I got passed. I almost got second from Michal but just missed making the last lap so I could benefit from his crash’. Asked his approach for A2, he replied, ‘I think I am going to stick with the same plan’.

View complete event results here.

View the event image gallery here.

Coelho Top Qualifier at EOS Poland heading Xray 1-2

Posted: 20 Oct 2017 01:04 PM PDT

Bruno Coelho has racked up the first championship point of Season #7 of the Euro Offroad Series by taking the overall TQ at the season opener in Warsaw, Poland. Having TQ’d Q2 & 3, the Xray driver went into the fourth & final qualifier with only home star Michal Orlowski able to deny him pole for tomorrow’s finals but last year’s double winner couldn’t rise to the challenge with his run, having too many mistakes. Coelho looked on target for a third TQ of the day but late in the run had a mistake that allowed team-mate Martin Bayer to go to the top and TQ to compound Orlowski bad run as he demoted the reigning champion to third on the grid. Having been closest to the Xrays in the previous two qualifiers Lee Martin wouldn’t have a good finish to the day with Q4 proving his worst run and so the Yokomo driver lines up fourth. Completing the top half of the A-Main grid Joona Haatanen will start ahead of HB Racing’s David Ronnefalk while a P5 in the final round to go with his P3 from Q1 ensures EOS debutant Ty Tessmann lines up on the A-Main grid tomorrow carrying the number 7.

Continue reading this report here or view our full event coverage here.

Coelho Top Qualifier at EOS Poland heading Xray 1-2

Posted: 20 Oct 2017 01:01 PM PDT

Bruno Coelho has racked up the first championship point of Season #7 of the Euro Offroad Series by taking the overall TQ at the season opener in Warsaw, Poland. Having TQ’d Q2 & 3, the Xray driver went into the fourth & final qualifier with only home star Michal Orlowski able to deny him pole for tomorrow’s finals but last year’s double winner couldn’t rise to the challenge with his run, having too many mistakes. Coelho looked on target for a third TQ of the day but late in the run had a mistake that allowed team-mate Martin Bayer to go to the top and TQ to compound Orlowski bad run as he demoted the reigning champion to third on the grid. Having been closest to the Xrays in the previous two qualifiers Lee Martin wouldn’t have a good finish to the day with Q4 proving his worst run and so the Yokomo driver lines up fourth. Completing the top half of the A-Main grid Joona Haatanen will start ahead of HB Racing’s David Ronnefalk while a P5 in the final round to go with his P3 from Q1 ensures EOS debutant Ty Tessmann lines up on the A-Main grid tomorrow carrying the number 7.

‘It is a surprise for me as well, it’s not normal’, was Coelho’s reaction to becoming the Top Qualifier. Joking that 2WD is ‘still not my favourite class’, he put his competitiveness in the original 1:10 EP Offroad class down to the new 2018 chassis. He added, the car has improved a lot from last year. Before I fight to be second but now I am first even with many mistakes’. Asked on his approach for tomorrow’s triple finals on what all drivers agree is a difficult and challenging track, he said, ‘I will try to not make any mistakes and drive careful. Everything thing is on my side with the car and the electrics so we will see tomorrow what happens’.

Bayer summed up qualifying 2nd on the grid as ‘an amazing start to the EOS’ adding, ‘I just hope tomorrow for no bad luck’. With a best result of a 4th in 2WD last season, the Czech driver said, ‘everything is good for a podium tomorrow, the car is working amazing so I really hop nothing bad will happen tomorrow. He added, ‘It’s hard to push on this track so just one touch and your race is finished. It is going to be a hard final’.

‘That was not so good, too many mistakes’ was how Orlowski summed up his final qualifying attempt. Ending up with a P6, the Schumacher driver continued, ‘the strategy in the last qualifier means I now start third but the car felt good so it should be ok for the final as I had two sets of tyres ready’. Ask about the track layout in terms of being able to race for position tomorrow the 3 time 2WD EOS race winner replied, ‘I not sure I will be able to challenge Bruno but we will see. It will be difficult to race but anything is possible I guess’.

Opting for a radical set-up change for the final qualifier, Lee Martin said, ‘It didn’t really help. It made the landings worse which is where I was struggling so unfortunately we are back to where we were before’. Qualifying and finishing second behind Orlowski last time in Warsaw, Martin said, ‘on this track anything can happen. We will see what happens up front and hopefully I can make up a place or two or 3 if I am super lucky’.

Have to run on new tyres for the final qualifier having got the last out of his first set in Q3, Haatanen said his Associated felt more nervous on the landings as a result but added, ‘I knew going into the qualifier I would be able to improve on my starting position. Top Qualifier at Arena 33 last year, the young Finn said, ‘everyone is making mistakes so I will try to drive smooth without mistakes and hopefully I can pick up places’. Haatanen’s AE team-mate Neil Cragg will complete the 10 car A-Main line up behind Hupo Hönigl (9th) and Kája Novotný (8th) after scraping in with a P9 from the final qualifier.

View complete event results here.

View the event image gallery here.