Ongaro & Ronnefalk win Semi Finals at SIGP

Reigning World Champion Davide Ongaro and the driver he took over that reign from, David Ronnefalk, are set to battle it out for the win at the SIGP in China after the two Europeans won their respective Semi Finals in Xiamen.  Having just secured the overall eBuggy win on the return of the annual Chinese race, Ronnefalk would lead away the first of the 25-minute Semis winning from the WIRC of Italian Gabriel Astorino but the Swede struggled throughout his time almost a lap slower than the winning time of Ongaro.  Ongaro would comfortably win his Semi by 28-seconds over the Xray of Bruno Coelho with Joseph Quagraine’s Mayako completing the Top 3.  Afterwards Team Associated star Ongaro said, ‘It was good but it’s tough for everyone.  I think now the Semi (conditions) was better than yesterday, the track is slower today so we have to take what comes but lapped cars and the bumps it is going to be a difficult final.  You don’t have to rush to overtake others, patience will be important.’

While for Ongaro the Semi was a just a formality to joining direct Top Qualifier Mattia Polito on the start line for the 45-minute main, for Ronnefalk it proved an exercise in survival.  The 2016 World Champion said afterwards, ‘It was probably one of the worst Semis I have ever experienced I think.’  He explained, ‘I felt like I had no grip at all what so ever, no steering, and I if I tried something it would just catch the bumps and be really really bad.  It is super tricky because the car is so close to what the eBuggy was like, yes it was not an amazing sensation driving the eBuggy but at least it was going straight, so I just tried to stay on the wheels and make it through to the Main.’  Wrenching on his Xray as he gave his run down on the Semi he said, ‘What I am doing now is taking the front and rear end off my eBuggy and putting it on my Nitro Buggy to see what’s up with the car.  My eBuggy feels more balanced on the track, so well see for the Main and hopefully we can improve a little bit.’

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