Lower finals provide thrilling action
Day 6 of the 2010 IFMAR 1/8th off road World Championships saw the running of the lower finals, but with 8 lucrative places in the big day tomorrow still up for grabs there was plenty of thrilling hard fought action.
Starting with the 2048th final and ending with the running of the 16th finals the day saw the end of the event for one of the five Buggy World Champions competing here in Pattaya. After a torrid qualifying 2002 Champion Greg Degani ended up qualifying in 106th, leaving him to start out the day in the 128th final. Driving his Z-Car, the American was on a roll bumping up 4 times and into the 16th B final where he would join 2004 Champion Guillaume Vray. While the battle up front saw American teenager Levi Jackson win over veteran Associated driver Richard Saxton and South African Dean Steenmans, the battle for fourth was the focus of attention, with commentator Scotty Ernst really putting on a show as the two former World Champions battled it out for the last bump position. With two laps to go in the 20-minute encounter Degani moved to fourth briefly, but a mistake allowed Vray to regain the spot. Despite intense pressure, with Chad Philips also getting involved, the French Mugen driver held on to progress to tomorrow morning’s 1/8th B final.
The last race of the day also saw the battle for the final bump up spot go right down to the line – literally. Having been a reserve for the event, former Touring Car World Champion Surikan C, who bumped up from the 1/32nd final, would get the win with his Xray but only just from Jammin team driver Chad Bradley. Two corners from finish Korea’s Dani Choi, who started off in the 1/128th final went on his roof. Getting going just ahead of fourth placed Richi Gomez they touched slowing the latter slightly, which allowed France’s Jerome Sartel to dive down the inside of the Spaniard at the final corner. Gomez’s Mugen rolled just before the loop and Sartel took the last bump up position of the day.
Also racing in the last final of the day was 2008 World Finalist Taylor James, but the American went out just after the half way stage of the race ending his 2010 World Championship campaign. One driver deserving a mention for his efforts today is Hong Kong’s Wei Ping Hu who raced five finals having started out in the 1/1024th and worked his way up to the 1/64th. 56 drivers remain in the event and our coverage, which has been possible thanks to the support of Team Durango, LRP, Reds Racing and Team C, will continue in the morning with updates after each of the finals.
View the official event results here.
View the event photo gallery here.