Orlowski top seed at 2WD Worlds

Michal Orlowski is top seed at the 17th running of the 1:10 Offroad World Championships. Having set the fastest time in the first of the day’s two seeding rounds in Xiamen, the Schumacher driver would see that time beaten by fellow European David Ronnefalk, the HB Racing driver running two heats earlier than Orlowski’s group which completed the round.  With Free Practice pace setter Bruno Coelho topping the second last heat grouping but crashing on the last lap of the potential fastest 3-consecutive laps it was Ronnefalk’s time that was the target for Orlowski.  Run under floodlights, with most drivers struggling to to properly see where they were going, Orlowski somehow managed the fastest lap as he put together 3-laps that would leave him 2/10ths quicker than the HB Racing driver to wrap up a successful first day for the Polish driver. With the only other improver in the Top 10 being Coelho, that time good enough for 6th, it was Dakotah Phend who would complete the Top 3 ahead of fellow North American driver Ty Tessmann.  While the result determines the heats in which drivers will qualify and what number they will carry, a third controlled practice remains tomorrow morning that will determine the order in which drivers start Q1, making drivers question the logic of the IFMAR format, feeling that if you have topped seeding them you should lead out the top qualifying heat.

‘I couldn’t see anything on the track so I just decided to try and enjoy myself’, was Orlowski’s summary of CP2. He continued, ‘the grip was slightly lower because there were some drops of rain so I drove a bit smoother. I knew I had to get 3-laps and once I got them I could relax’. Having been happy with his car throughout practice, the 2015 double A-Main Finalist concluded, ‘All is looking good for tomorrow’.

Commenting on his improvement having been only 11th fastest on his first attempt, Ronnefalk said, ‘Watching other heats before ours nobody was getting a better time so I expected the vision to be worse. I didn’t get three laps in the first one but this time I could get 3 decent laps which was good enough for 2nd’. The 1:8 Offroad World Champion feels ‘there is more speed out there because the vision in some sections made it hard to see so I know the car is really good’. He continued, ‘Tomorrow is going to be about keeping the car on four wheels but it’s good to know I have a fast car if I need to push so I have a good feeling for qualifying’.

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Orlowski goes to the top in first controlled practice

Michal Orlowski has gone to the top of the time sheets in China, the Schumacher driver setting the fastest time in the first round of controlled practice.  Having ended up P2 in free practice behind Bruno Coelho, the Polish driver ran the fastest 3-consecutive laps from TLR’s Dakotah Phend and Xray’s Ty Tessmann as daylight faded at Xiamen ARC International Raceway.  While Bruno Coelho would set the fastest lap being the only driver to run a 24-second lap, he wasn’t able to put three laps together, his best effort leaving him 15th fastest to which he said, ‘the car is there I just drove like a monkey and had too many crashes’. The top American in free practice Ryan Maifield would post the fourth fastest time with reigning champion Spencer Rivkin finally finding pace to make it five different manufacturers in the Top 5.

‘It was pretty good although it did’t start well as I crashed at the first corner’, was how Orlowski summed up topping CP1 – the quickest time from CP1 and CP2 determining a driver’s heat order for qualifying while tomorrow morning’s third & final controlled practice will determine the starting order of that heat in Q1. The reigning EOS Champion, Orlowski continued, ‘the car felt really good, we have not really changed it since getting here. I’m just really glad everything is working for us’. Looking to CP2, which will be run under spot lights, he said, ‘we will driving the same car and keep working on making myself more comfortable for tomorrow’ – four of the five qualifiers making up Day 2’s schedule.

Commenting on his run, Phend said, ‘It went pretty well. The track changed a little when it cooled off’. Having been looking to get a better balance on his car in free practice, the American said, ‘we made small changes here and there and now it feels good out there. Now I just need to work on putting in clean laps with no mistakes’.

Tessmann said he was ‘really happy where the car was at’ adding, ‘I drove the whole run like a qualifier and only needed 1 marshal’. He continued, ‘I made the jump section every time which is quite an accomplishment’. Still planning to ‘try a few things’ with the set-up for CP2 he said, ‘overall I am happy how it all works’.

A slightly happier Maifield summed up CP1 with, ‘I have been changing everything on the car. I’m making at least 15 changes each run. It took a while but we are starting to get there now and I’ll make one more change for the next one’. Adding, ‘I have never been on a track as rough for 1:10’, he said, ‘I still can’t get the jump section. I am doing double, double, rolling the next one and then jumping onto the straight. Thats the only way I can do it’.

Finally breaking into the Top 10 for the first time with 5th in CP1, Rivkin said, ‘I came out with a really pace pace and was comfortable but then I got too greedy and wanted to go faster but ended up with a long marshal. This put me out of my rhythm but still it was a good overall (5-minute) run, which is what I am looking for, even with a couple more crashes at the end.’ Asked what was the biggest element to his improvement on his FP pace, the Associated driver replied, ‘it was more adapting to the track and learning a few things on the front. We will be taking it one run at a time’. For CP2, he will ‘try less motor in the next one’.

‘Ok’ was Joern Neumann’s reaction to completing the Top 6. The German and former lead Serpent driver continued, ‘I make a solid run it was maybe not super fast on lap times but its good over 5-minutes. Running a Gerg Strenge modified Associated in 2WD, having travelled to China as a privateer driver, he said, ‘we are not doing much to the car, it is almost the same as when I came here. Most of the work has been on my driving’. Behind Neumann, Tanner Denney took his TLR to the 6th fastest time followed by Ryan Cavalieri, Lee Martin and Karel Knovotny.

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