Kaerup takes Q2 in Portugal
Team Associated’s Marcus Kaerup has taken the second qualifier at the 1:8 eBuggy World Championship, the Dane redeeming himself following a disappointing first effort to top the times from Top Seed Elliott Boots. Ending up with a 41 for Q1, Kaerup would take Q2 in a new fastest time bettering David Ronnefalk’s opening TQ time by over 1-second. Ronnefalk would back up his TQ run with a P3 for the round with Boots just getting the better of him by 0.049 of a second after the British driver produced a better final lap. Schumacher’s Michal Orlowski posted the 4th fastest time ahead of young French talent Noha Ben Mohamed who steered his Sparko into the Top 5. It was a frustrating run for a number of leading title contenders. Davide Ongaro lost almost 3-seconds with a mistake on lap 7 of 9 but still salvaged a 6th such was his pace, Juan Carlos Canas had a final lap mistake that cost him 4-seconds, and Dakotah Phend lost any chance of a strong Q2 with a mistake on his second lap.
Describing his TQ run as ‘really good’, Kaerup said, ‘I found my ryhthm right from the first lap and just keep it on and made it work.’ Asked about Q1 the 17-year-old replied, ‘the less said about that the better’ before continuing, ‘I got off to a really good start but overshot a jump and then I just lost my head.’ Overall, the 1:8 Nitro Buggy and 1:10 Electric Offroad World Championship finalist said he has the car and package to get the job done and it is just a matter of him putting it together with the goal for Q3 to repeat what he did in Q2.
Commenting on his run to the second fastest time for the round, Boots said, ‘That was a bit better, super close, just a little time off him (Orlowski), less than half a second but I had a little traffic I had to get through so I lost a few tenths there.’ The Sworkz driver continued, ‘Its still a second which is a good counting round and well just go again and hopefully have better luck with traffic, it would be nice.’
‘Not a good run I though the car was a little looser that time but overall a pretty consistent run. He added. ‘I had Canas behind me starting the clock and we were pretty much dead even, I think I was a little faster the first 2-3 laps and then I caught traffic so he gained on me and probably ahead and then he caught the traffic I had to go through and he kind of slowed down the last couple of laps. Unfortunately this traffic cost me a possible TQ, I didn’t feel I had any clean laps out there. It’s the same for everyone but its what happens when you divide 36 people in the three top heats.’ The subject of the heat make-up following seeding has been a point raise by a number of drivers, the current process effecting both fast drivers as they caught traffic and slower drivers as the have to open to let drivers through. Looking to the day’s final qualifier, 3 more on the schedule for tomorrow, Ronnefalk said, ‘I am going to adjust a little bit to see if I can get a bit more grip. I don’t know if it as a bit more dusty but I felt my car being a little bit loser so I need a little bit more traction for the next one and it will be all good.’
‘OK, small mistake’, that was how Orlowski summed up his second qualifying effort. The Pole continued, ‘Now I need to try and find more comfortability and speed from the car because I need to fight for the first win. We’ll test something now for Q3 as I have driven two good scores and I know I have the pace to be there but we need to find something to drive and be there in the Top 3.
Asked about his impressive Q2 run, Ben Mohamed responded with ‘zero mistakes’. Having had a less competitive Q1 due to driver errors, he himself describing that run as ‘bad’. The 17-year-old is pleased with how his buggy is working and having changed nothing between Q1 and Q2 he said that is the plan again for today’s third & final qualifier. Pleased with his Top 5 run he hinted he believes he has more to come.
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