Neumann fastest in Q3

Team Durango’s Joern Neumann has TQ’d the third round of qualifying at the World Championships in Finland denying Team Associated’s Ryan Maifield from becoming an early Top Qualifier of the event.  The German ran a new fastest time of 13 lap in 5:11.213 to take the round from Q1 & 2 winner Maifield by 4.3 seconds with Jared Tebo third a further 4.3 seconds behind his fellow American.

A finalist at the Worlds in Japan in 2007, Neumann said he made no mistakes describing it as the ‘perfect’ run.  Starting the qualifying off with non-start due to a radio binding problem, the former European Champion has made no changes to the set-up on his Speed Passion powered DEX410 and after running a TQ round he said he is really comfortable with the buggy.

Expecting Neumann to be a contender having seen him in action at the Warm-up race back in May, Maifield said himself and the German were really evenly matched in Q3 but a mistake on lap 10 ended his chances of locking up overall TQ honours. One of the biggest names in offroad despite not yet having a World title to his credit, Maifield said he is confident he can get the job done this evening in the penultimate qualifier.  Feeling the rear diff was slipping a little in the run he will rebuild it for his final run of the day.

Fourth fastest just a second off Tebo’s time, Neil Cragg said he is driving his ‘balls off’ but feels he is not fast enough.  The Top Qualifier in 2WD, the British driver said his B44.1 is dialled but 2WD was always going to be his stronger class here this week in Vaasa.  After a non finish in Q1, Cragg is conscious of the fact he still needs another good run to get himself inside the all important Top 10 of the qualification ranking.

Setting the fifth fastest time Hupo Honigl is looking good to make his first ever Buggy World Championship A-Main.  The former European Champion has only made very slight changes to his LRP powered version of the DEX410 saying his team-mate Neumann had just shown how good the buggy is.  With three Top 10 finishes in the books, the Austrian said he can now afford to drive with a little more aggression in the final two qualifiers.  Team-mate Billy Fischer managed his first Top 10 time of the week as he set the 10th fastest time for Q3.  The American said the pace came mainly from the driver but it was ‘too bad its come 3/4 the way through the week’.

Completing the Top 6 Britian’s Lee Martin said he is ‘driving it as fast as it will go’.  The Tamiya driver said the TRF511 is too easy to drive and they cant get it aggressive enough for the track. Having changed rollbars he is still struggling with direction change through the fast sections, something he says is key to being fast around the track here.

Elsewhere Kohta Akimoto ran the seventh fastest time at the controls of his Kyosho ahead of fellow Japanese racer Naoto Matsukura who managed his first Top 10 time.  Two poor opening laps for newly crowned 2WD World Champion Ryan Cavalieri saw him record his slowest run of the day ending up 9th for Q3.  After strong performances in Q1 & 2 Team Losi Racing had a tough third round.  Third fastest in Q2, Dakotah Phend struggled with a loose slipper to finish best placed TLR driver in 14th, one position ahead of Dustin Evans.

Full results can be found here.

View our event image gallery here.

Another TQ run from Maifield

Ryan Maifield backed up his TQ run in the opening round of qualifying for the IFMAR World Championship with a new fastest time in Q2.  The factory Associated driver ran 13 laps in 5:13.830 which was over 4 seconds faster than team-mate and 2WD Top Qualifier Neil Cragg who after breaking in Q1 ran the second fastest time.  The star of these championships, making the A-main in 2WD, American teenager Dakotah Phend put in a superb second qualifier taking his Losi to third.

Former Champions Ryan Cavalieri and Jared Tebo both had less than perfect runs. Cavalieri took his B44.1 to 4th almost 6 second off AE team-mate Maifield while Tebo ended the round only 8th fastest.  Former Japanese Champion Kohta Akimoto took the honour of being top Kyosho in Q2, the 21-year-old setting the 5th fastest time.

Fourth fastest in Q1 Lee Martin ran a slower round with his Tamiya going sixth fastest ahead of the Team Durango of Joern Neumann who failed to make the first qualifier this morning.  The fastest Durango in Q1 Hupo Honigl claimed his second Top 10 run with 9th ahead of Associated team manager Brent Thielke.

The fastest Finn this morning Joseph Quagraine retired from Q2 when he pulled a rear camber link from the ball joint. This left Ari Heinonen the best local in 12th behind Naoto Matsukura who despite a stripped rear centre shaft gear managed to completed the run in the 11th fastest time.

Full results can be found here.

View our event image gallery here.

Opening Qualifier goes to Maifield

Ryan Maifield has TQ’d the opening round of qualifying for the 4WD EP Buggy World Championship, the Associated driver running 13 laps in 5:18.743 to take Q1 by one second from Jared Tebo with Ryan Cavalieri third.

Despite a mistake on the opening and closing laps of the run, Maifield was relieved to notch up his first TQ run of these championships having failed to do so in 2WD when he ran a Top 3 pace in all five qualifiers.  Happy with the handling of his B44.1, the American said they still don’t have the power settings of his LRP speedo right with the electrics running a little hot. Going from too slow, how it was in final practice, to too fast Maifield said they have got to find the right power balance and once they do he feels he has the package to get the job done today.

Taking second, 2007 Top Qualifier & Champion Tebo said the track had a lot more grip for the opening qualifier and the slipper in his Lazer ZX-5 FS2 was a little to loose for the conditions with it starting to slip near the end of the run.  Describing his set-up as ‘awesome’ he will just fit new pads and tighten up his slipper for Q2.

A 2-time World champion of 4WD Buggy, Cavalieri said third was a pretty good start to qualifying.  Crashing a few times he said he knows he has got the speed to TQ but just needs to tidy up his driving.

The fastest non American, European champion Lee Martin described his run to fourth as a ‘safe run’.  The Tamiya Racing Factory driver said he is not the fastest out there and he just managed to drive a clean round.  Not happy with the speed at which his TRF511 changes direction the Englishman will try different rollbars in Q2.  Behind Martin, fast Japanese driver Kohta Akimoto took his Kyosho to fifth.

Sixth fastest Dustin Evans said he was really happy with where they are at with the car especially after having really struggled with the XXX-4 at the warm-up race.  Having a big moment over the woops, the TLR driver described the run as ‘conservative’ saying he didn’t drive super hard.  Aiming for another solid run in Q2 he will then look at pushing a little harder.  Also making the Top 10 for Losi, 14-year-old team-mate Dakotah Phend claimed 9th.

Seventh fastest Hupo Honigl said it was an ‘OK start’.  Putting in a safe run, the Austrian who has never made the A-Main at an EP Buggy Worlds was very happy with his LRP powered Durango and is confident better is to come.  Making it three DEX410s in the Top 10 Joseph Quagraine was the again the fastest Finn setting the 8th fastest time with fellow countryman Ari Heinonen 10th.  Unfortunately for Honigl’s factory team-mates Joern Neumann and Elliott Boots qualifying did not start well.  German Champion Neumann failed to make the start after a binding problem with his radio while Boots, who set the fastest lap of Q1, suffered an electrical shut down half way through his run.

Elsewhere 2WD Top Qualifier Neil Cragg broke his Associated after 8 laps as did final practice front runner Steven Hartson who only got in 2 laps.  Team Yokomo’s Naoto Matsukura broke at the end of the opening lap popping a rear drive shaft on the B-Max 4 II.

Full results can be found here.

View our event image gallery here.

Cavalieri fastest in final practice

A beautiful sunny morning greeted competitors on the second day of the 4WD Electric Buggy World Championship in Finland with Ryan Cavalieri setting the pace in the final practice.  The first full five minute run for competitors, the newly crowned 2WD World Champion ran 13 laps in 5:17.980 some 5 seconds clear of Kyosho’s Jared Tebo who was second fastest with Cavalieri’s AE team-mate Steven Hartson third.

With yesterday’s timing based on each driver’s fastest lap time from their 8 rounds of 4-minute practice, this morning’s final practice before qualifying was the first opportunity to see each drivers true pace.  Setting the fourth fastest time was Dustin Evans, the factory Losi ace being the only other driver  to make 13 laps.

One of the surprises yesterday Joseph Quagraine continued to show well as he took his Durango to the fifth fastest time just ahead of factory driver Joern Neumann.  Topping the time sheets yesterday, Durango’s Elliot Boots again set the pace this morning in terms of lap times, running a 23.928, but the Englishman managed to complete only 5 laps after a problem with a ball joint on his DEX410 ended his run.

Putting his B44.1 on its roof first time over the quad, Associated’s Ryan Maifield was only 7th but the American is expected to be in the hunt for the top spot when the times count for something.  The final practice was good for Team Kyosho as Tebo was joined in the Top 10 by Japanese team drivers Kohta Akimoto and Shin Adachi who set the 8th and 10th fastest times. Warm-up race winner Lee Martin posted the 9th fastest time with his Tamiya.

Full results can be found here.

View our event image gallery here.

Video – 4wd Day 1 Roundup