The GOAT, Ongaro goes 3 in a row at 1:8 Offroad Worlds
It probably won’t be remembered as the most exciting final we’ve ever witness but RC-Redovan will be forever remembered as the place Davide Ongaro became the GOAT of the IFMAR 1:8 Offroad World Championships as he made it 3 World titles in a row today in Spain. Having been the first driver to successfully defend the title when he won at the very same location 2-years ago, the Team Associated driver would end up cruising to his fourth World title by a margin of 37-seconds over Sworkz’s Elliott Boots with Top Qualifier Juan Carlos Canas completing the podium in front of his crowd. Widely tipped as being the person who had the real potential to dethrone Ongaro, unfortunately Canas’ challenge ended with a flameout, however even if he hadn’t been caught short on his refueling in-lap, high tyre degradation left him to finish on a flailing front tyre allowing Boots to go by for second. The last World Champion prior to the start of Ongaro historic reign, that will now go on for another two years, 2016 Champion David Ronnefalk would finish fourth just ahead of Xray team-mate Bruno Coelho, the Q5 winner struggling to deliver the challenge many had tipped the Portuguese star for.
Reacting to second World title win in 12-months, a year ago in Arizona the Italian having added his first 1:10 Electric title, Ongaro said, ‘It was amazing. Maybe one of the best finals I had in my life’. Asked what made it so special, the 23-year-old said, ‘the way I drove, the way I managed to keep the tyre to survive and how to manage the fuel. We were a little bit tight at the end with the 7 (min) 30 (secs). On the 5-minutes to go we had a splash & go because I had a big margin so I could do it to be safe. I it was think the perfect final for us, the team worked amazing, I drove good, I had one mistake, I was a bit nervous on the first minute but when I saw his (Canas’) car was a little bit slower than mine I said OK now we have to drive and do well’. Asked if it was an anxious final few minutes to the 1-hour final, he said, ‘not really, I was a little nervous with the tyres because I heard some tyre explosion so I was a little scared but I said to my dad let’s keep this rhythm and go like this.’
12-years on from being the World Championship Top Qualifier in Argentina, Boots summed up his second place with, ‘That was the most I could do today with what I had. I tried hanging in for as long as I could. The three of us gapped the rest fairly early on, we just started pumping laps in and no mistakes to gap the field. From there I guess it was a tyre game, I had a few small errors which obviously cost us time. I was aiming for a Top 5 this weekend and to walk away with second in the World is OK.’ Asked about his strategy for the race the former European Champion, one of his titles coming here at the RC Redovan track, replied, ‘I think because of the tyre wear it was using more fuel and that one stop we came in the tank was quite low and when they refuelled it it bogged down but luckily they were quick getting it started back up. I did lose a position to Canas but I managed to get that back at the end.’ Asked if there was life in the old dog yet, Boots joked, ‘I guess we are just getting started’.
On what was a tough race outcome for him given the mounts of build up to his home event, a gracious in defeat Canas said, ‘The tyre wear was very high, we knew that, but I broke because I pushed very hard after the flame out to try catch Elliott. Yes maybe without flame out you never know but of course the race is how it is’. Suffering a costly mistake of his own doing, it was that flameout that cost him biggest. Asked about runtime, he said ‘For the final it was hotter (conditions) and maybe we didn’t make the bottom lean enough. I was planning to pit when it flamed out on the line so I lose maybe 5-seconds. With a huge crowd behind him, Canas placards spurring him on from the grandstand, a win would have been a kin to a French victory at the recent Olympic Games in Paris, but after his domination of qualifying it wasn’t to be. Summing up the week Canas that concludes months of building up to it including a successful European title defence, he said, ‘It was a good year in general but of course I want more but we need to wait now two more years.’
Ronnefalk summed up the race with, ‘That was a tough one’. He explained, ‘already the Semi was really difficult, the car wasn’t driving at all like it did in qualifying due to running on Clays (tyres). I knew track conditions were going to change for today, I just didn’t expect such a huge change. In the Semi I barely touched the steering wheel to make sure the car wouldn’t flip. Considering I crashed a few times in the Semi I was still pleased starting Top 5. I made changes to the car for the main and I was very confident about the race. It felt good in the warm-up and I had a great start, Berkan crashed on the first lap allowing me to bump up to fourth. I stayed pretty close to the Top 3 for 10-15 minutes and then after the second stint that was when the tyres started to get bald and I had a moment of three laps were I crashed 3-4 times and that dropped me back a lot, like 20-seconds’. On the podium here 2-years ago he continued, ‘I was disappointed with myself that I didn’t anticipate the fade in the tyres but the car really felt like something broke there. The guys behind me started to catch me so I put the head down. When Canas flamed I thought I was up to third but when I ask Max (Gotzl – his pitman) he told me no you are still in fourth. He passed the loop and I was like “God damn it”. I tried to chase Canas but had a few mistakes that brought Bruno back in the game’. Overall the Swede said, ‘Obviously it’s been a decent week being always in the fight for the Top 3 but fourth is not what we came here for. Like I said already I didn’t anticipate this kind of change in track condition. Also while it’s good being free to choose tyres it doesn’t make it easier because you have so many choices. I can tell you that the tyres Ongaro ran in the main I am 110% sure that he drove those tyres in Italy before coming into this race where as I put on tyres I have never tried yet so they had everything under control. Big props to them, it’s impressive 3 times in a row is well deserved after that drive he did in the Main. Big congratulations to him and his team. We just need to be even more prepared for the next one in terms of the tyre situation. Can’t wait to go back to the US and I hope the track will be blown out so I can shine again like in Vegas, no I hope it is going to be a good race there and I am looking forward to stopping him from getting four in row’.
Finishing one spot higher than 2-years-ago, Coelho said, ‘The race was tough, I start from the back fight with everybody. I had a couple of mistakes in the beginning but the car was feeling good and I knew the tyres would come in through the final and in the middle of the final I was one of the fastest and I was able to come back from last until 4th but in the last 5-minutes my tyres were gone. I struggled a little and I ended up 5th. When you start 11th and need to fight your way through I think it’s Ok but I am not happy about it, especially after all the qualifiers, the track changed a lot which we expected it to but not that much.’
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