Bayer reigns in wet Q4
Martin Bayer has TQ’d a rain effected fourth round of qualifying at the 1:8 Offroad World Championships in Sicily. Starting off the second day of qualifying with his best run securing Xray’s first Top 10 time, the Czech driver topped the second qualifier ahead of Ryan Cavalieri and David Ronnefalk. Starting out as a dry heat with 2-minutes to go the rain that the dark clouds threatened to bring finally arrived continuing for much of the remaining four title contender loaded heat groups. Running earlier in Heat 10, the round starting with Heat 6 of 14, Jeremy Kortz would be one of the big benefactors ending up fourth ahead of other Heat 1 runners Cody King, Dakotah Phend, Christopher Svensson and Darren Bloomfield. Fastest in the opening three qualifiers but having to run on a completely wet track Ty Tessmann, who is in Heat 3, would end up 37th.
While happy to take the TQ, Bayer said it was a lucky one and he would have preferred to have done it when the track ‘conditions are equal for everyone’. Finishing 1.3-seconds up on Cavalieri, losing time in a coming together with King halfway through the run, he said on the dry track his LRP powered XB8 ‘felt pretty good’ with it very consistent before the arrival of the rain. With the rain now passed but with more forecast for the morning, Bayer said while overall he is happy with how his equipment is running he would be waiting till the morning before deciding whether or not to make any changes.
‘Guess we finally got a bit of luck out of running in the first heat’, that was Cavalieri’s initial reaction to his second for the round. Adding one degree anti-squat to his prototype RC8, the Team Associated lead driver said with the change the car ‘didn’t jump right’ with it bouncing a little on the landings. Although ‘not 100% comfortable’ with the car he said he was still on for a better run before the rain adding he is ‘finally getting his driving right’ for the Naxos World track.
Ronnefalk said his drive didn’t deserve 3rd but continued ‘you need luck sometimes and it came at the right time I guess’. Going back up in the diffs oils in his Orion powered Kyosho as well as going for a softer compound of AKA’s Catapult tyre, the 18-year-old said he was able to push it harder. Feeling more comfortable with the car he said he was happy to get back into the 36-second lap times again, no one going faster than 37 in the first run of the day. The Swede said the run again wasn’t perfect from the drivers perspective with one big mistake at the double before the straight but even with this he said he would have still got a Top 10 for the round had it stayed dry.
A driver renowned for his bad boy image, Kortz gave a descript summary of his luck saying ‘the sun shines on a dog’s ass every once and a while’. Admitting he did get lucky, saying if the rain had come a minute earlier he would have got the TQ, the Agama driver said he still had to have put in a decent run to capitalise on the weather change. While the 4 time Worlds finalist doesn’t think he is going to qualify directly to the Semis he said his ‘car has been great’ but in a bad heat traffic issues has meant his times have just been too slow. Overall he said he is happy how things are going declaring his equipment race ready.
Having somewhat of a tough time so far in Italy, 2010 World Champion King said while it was a lucky 5th ‘that is the way it goes sometimes’. Admitting he ‘kind of needed it’, he said his Reds Racing powered Kyosho was better for the days second run. Having gone to heavier diffs for the day’s first qualifier, but not liking the change, he reverted to his Q2 set-up in which he ran the 14th fastest time. Describing the car as working he said the lighter oils suits his driving better.
Making the Top 16 for the first time, TLR Dakotah Phend was clearly relieved to end the day with a 6th which he said while a lucky one he would gladly take it. Copying team-mates Ryan Maifield and Adam Drake’s shock set-up for the round he said he was a lot more comfortable with his Orion powered 8ight. While still making ‘a couple of mistakes’ over the 10-minutes he said the run has given him a confidence boost going into the final day of qualifying.
Making a quick set-up change to his OS Speed powered D812 before hitting the wet track, Tessmann said while they didn’t have enough time to fully change the car to a wet set-up running on the wet track helped them learn quite a bit which could prove valuable should the rain return. Also switching to Pro-Line’s Holeshot tyre in X3 compound, when asked how the track was when wet he said the tile section is really difficult.
Maifield, who ended the round 63rd, said the run was ‘a totally complete waste of time that only left him with a car that needs to be totally rebuilt’. With a rain car built, he left it back at his hotel as he wasn’t expecting rain today, he said he only got to change to a softer JConcept tyre for the run. Setting the fastest lap of his heat, with a 39.813, he said the wet surface would be pretty cool to drive on with the right set-up.
With many complaining the start of Q4 was not moved forward rather than continue with the long lunch break when the rain could be seen coming defending champion Robert Batlle felt the round should have been cancelled. Running in Heat 2 the Mugen driver said they only had time to change to a softer tyre but even had they been able to change set-up the rain had effected the track too considerably for any kind of competitive time to be set.
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