Batlle tops Q3, Boots holds overnight TQ

The first day of qualifying at the 1:8 Offroad European Championships produced TQ runs from three different drivers with Robert Batlle the latest driver to top the time sheets around the Ongaroring.  Running the fastest 5-minute time of the day, the Mugen driver topped Q3 from Elliott Boots and defending champion David Ronnefalk both having topped the earlier rounds.  Fastest in the opening qualifier it is Boots who leaves the track holding the provisional overnight TQ with the remaining two rounds of qualifying scheduled for tomorrow.

Having crashed in both of the earlier qualifiers, claiming a 7th & a 5th, Batlle said no mistakes was the key to his TQ run.  Having run the same set-up on his Mugen in all three rounds, the 2-time Champion said it was ‘super nice’ to drive and in Q3 he did not have to push a lot to achieve the time.  Describing it as having ‘good speed and consistency’, the Spaniard said thre track is starting to get more bumpy now making it difficult adding these are the type of conditions he prefers.  Sitting third in the provisional qualification ranking, he said with three good runs he can tomorrow use the remaining two rounds to work on a set-up for the finals.

Close to backing up his Q1 performance in the second round until late mistakes, Boots described his third qualifier as ‘better’. With ‘no mistakes as such’, the Kyosho driver said he was ‘not quite as quick on a few laps’ and had to roll over one jump due to a backmarker.  1.3-seconds off Batlle’s pace, the British driver was ‘pleased there was not much in it because (he) was very comfortable with the car’.  Another driver who hasn’t changed his car’s set-up over the day, he plans to ‘keep going with it the same’ for tomorrow.  Making a big impression in practice and the opening two qualifier Boots’ Kyosho team-mate Riccardo Berton didn’t have a good third qualifier, after just one lap he crashed in the chicane and broke a steering arm.

‘Once again I guess’, that was Ronnefalk’s reaction to again tangling with a backmarker.  Happening halfway through the run and costing him around 2.5 seconds, said with Boots and Batlle running before him he knew he needed a good run and that the incident had cost him the TQ.  Like in the previous round which he TQ’d despite getting spun round by a backmarker, he would finished the run off with a last lap that was a new fastest time for the track, posting a 37.345.  With a 3, 1, 3 for the three qualifiers he said this already gives him a good starting position for the Semis allowing him to run a second Orion engine tomorrow and test tyre options in preparation for Saturday’s finals. In terms of his D815 set-up he said the buggy is really good and he doesn’t need to change anything for the finals.

Backing up his Q2 Top 3 pace with fourth, Martin Bayer said the run was ‘pretty good’.  Making a small set-up adjustment to his FX powered Xray, he didn’t like the change and will revert back for the morning.  Running Pro-Line Surburb X2 tyres, he said while they felt ok they were sliding a little on the growing number of exposed rocks and so he will try something different for Q4.  Only 14th in Q1, the two time podium finisher said he just needs one more good run to book himself directly into the Semis.

Behind Bayer, it was his Xray team-mate Yannick Aigoin who posted the fifth fastest time. Making a ‘bad tyre choice in Q1’ and then suffering from a combination of poor driving and his XB8 not having a good balance in Q2, the former Champion said he ‘went back to basics’.  Running his standard set-up and switching to Pro-line’s X2 compound Bow Tie tyre he said things were much improved.  While he had ‘no big crashes’ he said for Q4 he would try to further improve his driving and with the car now having a good base set-up he would just make some small adjustments.

Finishing ahead of 2012 Champion Darren Bloomfield, Joern Neumann was happy to complete the Top 6.  Having been 8th in Q1, the Serpent driver would crash in the second qualifier leaving him 14th fastest.  Describing his Maxima powered Cobra 2.2 as feeling alright, the German is looking for a little more steering in the bricks sections.  To try improve on this he will further reduce the car’s rear toe-in. Getting out of shape half way through Q3 losing over 2-seconds, the multiple electric offroad European Champion said his lap times are ‘OK’ and he feels with a clean run he has got Top 5 pace.

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Ronnefalk sets pace in Q2

Despite getting spun around by a backmarker, David Ronnefalk set the pace in the second round of qualifying at the European Championships in Italy.  Such was the defending champions pace, even with losing 3-seconds as a consequence of the contact the HB driver still topped the round by over a second from newly crowned Euro B Champion Riccardo Berton.  After struggling in Q1,  a better set-up would help Xray’s Martin Bayer to complete the Top 3 just ahead of Davide Ongaro.  Having topped the opening qualifier, late mistakes while on a potential TQ run would leave Elliott Boots sixth fastest just behind Robert Batlle who also made mistakes.

Commenting on the incident, Ronnefalk said ‘luckily I still had enough in hand to take the TQ’.  Setting the fastest lap of the round on his last lap with a 37.506, his forced spin happened on the penultimate lap. After two driver errors in Q1, the Swede said he ‘just tried to stay out of mistakes’ and his Q2 approach was going well until when expecting the backmarker to let him through he didn’t before then blocking and spinning him out at the next corner.  Running his Orion powered D815 the same as in Q1, the 19-year-old said while the track was faster than in the morning he was still very comfortable with his car.  With a first and a third, he said for the days final round he would go safe and if that works out he might then try different things in tomorrow’s remaining two heats.

Suffering a little with his front left tyre becoming partly unglued, Berton said it wasn’t a huge problem adding he was actually lucky it didn’t completely part company with the rim.  Staying with everything the same as Q1, the Italian said the extra temperature meant the Pro-Line Blockade X2 tyres ran better this time round.  ‘A clean round’, the teenager said for Q3 he will switch to Diamond Back tyres and feels there is more time to come from both the car and the driver.

‘Solid run and I needed it after my 14th in Round 1’, that was Bayer’s summary of his strong Q2 performance. Changing the set-up on his buggy ‘a lot’ for the second qualifier, the factory Xray driver said his XB8 was ‘good now’.  Changing the chassis flex, pivot balls and diff oils, he said it was now generating more traction and was easier to drive.  While happy with his car he said now the track is becoming ‘very sketchy’ to drive and in some corners where the stones are starting to appear its very difficult to drive.  Pleased he has found a good basic set-up he said for Q3 he now just needed to adjust small details.

Ongaro was ‘very happy with fourth’.  The up & coming talent said his Mugen is ‘working really well’ and there s no need to change anything and his focus for Q3 needs to be to cut out mistakes.  Catching the piping which flipped his MBX-7R requiring it to be marshalled he said without this everything is working ‘very good’.

Batlle said his Mugen was good but two mistakes of his own doing would cost him up to 6-seconds and leave him 5th for the round.  Fitting a new Ultimate engine to his MBX-7R, he said the new unit had more power and as he adjusted to it it caught him out when he over jumped causing him to hit the next jump.  On the second mistake he said he couldn’t really explain what caused it which was over a jump.  Taking account of the time lost from the mistakes he said he knows he has the pace to match Ronnefalk and he will continue with everything the same for the day’s final run.

Completing the Top 6, Boots said his run was ‘going alright but then (he) had a few mistakes at the end’.  Pretty much matching Ronnefalk’s outright pace posting a best lap of 37.566, the Kyosho driver said his package is working really well and its all about cutting out the mistakes.  Set to again leave his Reds Racing powered MP9 unchanged for the third round he said ‘no one is ballistic fast that they can make two mistakes and still TQ and his aim was for ‘no mistakes hopefully in the next one’.

Setting the seventh fastest time was former champion Darren Bloomfield.  The Agama driver said he came off the track disappointed with his performance but it turned it to have been ‘better than he thought’.  With his car a ‘little twitchy’ he said he was disappointed he didn’t adapt his driving more and drive smoother.  Moving the front shocks to the outside hole on the front arms for Q3, the British driver said this should make the car easier to drive and help with forward momentum.  Planning to ‘chill out’ a little in terms of his driving he said the reason for this is that the track is getting ‘rutty’ and you can’t throw the car into corners as its a big risk.

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