2 from 2 for Neumann in opening 4WD qualifiers
Defending Champion Joern Neumann got 4WD Buggy qualifying at the DHI Cup underway in the best way possible by posting two TQ runs in the opening two rounds at the Danish event. Chasing a fourth consecutive win of the title, offroad being introduced at the famous touring car event in 2012, Neumann would headed an unchanged Top 3 on both occasions with HB’s David Ronnefalk claiming a pair of 2nd places ahead of Xray’s Martin Bayer.
Pleased with his performance, having struggled a little in 2WD qualifying, Neumann said in the opening qualifier he found his now privately run standard kit Durango to be a little edgy. Putting this down to running on new tyres and adjusting his driving back from having run the four rounds of 2WD qualifying he said leaving the car unchanged for Q2 it was ‘good’ second time round. Happy with how the car with which he took the overall TQ at the 2013 World Championship is performing he said he had no plans to make any changes. However having received some new double jointed driveshafts which Arrowmax have made for the DEX410 the German said he might use them in Q3 to alleviate issues he is having with the standard shafts on full steering.
Making no changes to his new D413 between qualifiers mistakes were the biggest problem for new HB signing Ronnefalk. The 18-year-old said after early mistakes in Q1 he managed to keep it clean for the rest of the heat to salvage good qual points getting second on the last lap after Bayer crashed. Overall a better Q2, setting the fastest lap, he said on hearing it was very close between himself and Neumann he ‘went for it on the last lap’ but ‘got a bit too excited’ leading to a crash that cost him over 3-seconds. Looking to make his Orion powered buggy a little easier to drive for Q3 he plans to go up in the oil in the rear diff.
‘Speed OK, car feels good, just doing stupid stupid mistakes’, that was Martin Bayer’s straight up summary of where he was at. The former European Champion who was Neumann’s main challenger for the win here in Odense last year said he has the equipment to again challenge and its simply bad driving that is letting him down. Making just a gear ratio change between heats he said his focus is now just on improving his driving.
Behind the three race contenders it was former European Touring Car Champion Jonas Kaerup who was best of the rest in Q1 while Team Associated team-mate Niclas Mansson who was fourth in Q2 ahead of Dane’s Frederik Hovgaard and last year podium finish Jesper Rasmussen.
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