Inaugural MIBO International is GO!
1 Race, 2 Tracks, almost 250 entries, and tons of action – the inaugural MIBO International Race is GO with drivers easing themselves into the busy weekend schedule with an evening of free practice in Hrotovice, Czech Republic. The central double sided drivers stand has had a constant flow of both onroad and offroad drivers since the 17:00 start, all eager to dial in their cars ahead of the five rounds of qualifying, four of which make up Saturday’s schedule. In touring car a lap is running at 13-seconds while over on the the buggy track quick laps are running in the late 17-seconds for 4WD and mid 18-seconds for 2WD.
Fresh from last week’s TITC in Thailand, Mugen’s Ronald Volker described the track as ‘different to normal’ adding ‘it’s not an easy track’. A regular of the pre Covid MIBO Cup Series, the German said it was great to back in an ‘old familiar facility’. Adding to the nostalgia of the weekend, Volker has made the trip from Germany with accomplished former Stock Touring Car and 1:10 Nitro Onroad star Eric Dankel who has returned for a weekend of racing fun at the Sport V Hotel. Volker added the track layout features ‘a lot of hairpins’ creating a ‘different flow to usual’ which most tracks have evolved to lately. Christopher Krapp, who is here with Dominic Vogl, summed up the track as ‘tight and technical’. Like Volker, he said, ‘it’s very different to recent tracks’ describing driving it as ‘shooting from corner to corner’. The Yokomo driver said his focus so far has been to get the right steering for the 180 corners.
For Coelho this weekend is all about being back with his Xray Offroad team-mates after a long break. Seated between Martin Bayer and Hupo Honigl in the pits here at the Sports V Hotel, Coelho said, ‘It’s great to be back with the team again and at fun race like MIBO’. Explaining it is more than 3 years since he last raced on carpet and while he did the Euros last year on Astro the two surfaces are very different. Travelling to the Hudy Arena after returning from his TITC victory last weekend so as to get used his buggies on carpet again, he said having so much traction felt so different for the first few runs but it’s all come back to him now. Asked his thoughts on the track he said, ‘It’s super fun’ adding ‘it’s not so difficult but it’s technical’. Making the trip from Sweden where she is involved in running his local indoor carpet offroad track and the Euro Buggy Masters, Jessica Pålsson said the track presented by the Mibosport team this weekend is a lot bigger and wider than her home track. The Schumacher driver said the key to the track is the mid section jump describing it as a spot where it is ‘easy to win or loose’. Asked if the track suited 2WD or 4WD better she said for her it felt better to drive with a 2WD buggy but added her preferred class has alway been 2WD.
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