Video – 4wd Buggy A-main Leg 1, 2 & 3

Fourth DHI Cup win for Neumann

Joern Neumann remains the unbeaten DHI Cup Champion in 4WD Buggy when for the second year running, the German again saw off the challenge of Martin Bayer in the third A-Main.  With a win a piece, Bayer winning A1, the pair went into A3 exactly as they did 12-months ago with a winner takes all situation.  Starting from the TQ position Neumann would only briefly relinquish the lead when Bayer attempted a move on lap 3 and had to wait on Neumann to retake position as David Ronnefalk drove past the recovering Durango to take a short lived lead. While Bayer had the pace to challenge his carpet track nemesis a series of mistakes from the Czech driver would drop him to fourth leaving him to again finish second overall.  Finishing A3 in second position Ronnefalk would complete the podium in Denmark on his HB debut.

Currently racing without a chassis sponsors, but still using the Durango DEX410 that has in some form or another helped him to all his DHI Cup victories, Neumann said it was nice to start the 2015 season with a fourth consecutive win of the event and keep his 100% winning record intact for another year.  Having found his Orion powered buggy edgy to drive in the opening two Mains, he said removing another row of pins from the controlled Schumacher tyres for A3 left him with no such problems and other than the early contact with Bayer the race went to plan.

Bayer said ‘I’m not disappointed with second’. Setting the fastest lap of both A2 & A3, the Czech ace said ‘I had the speed and I’m happy with the performance of the car but my own mistakes cost me the chance to fight with Joern’.

Disappointed with his driving in A1 & 2, Ronnefalk said A3 was an improvement, with him particularly pleased at not crashing on the final lap as he had done in the previous two encounters costing him a chance of being in the hunt for the overall win going into the closing race.  The Swede said while he was lucky to take the lead when Bayer made contact with Neumann he was also unlucky as his D413 got caught up on Neumann’s wheel without which he said he could have easily found himself with a 3-second lead instead just getting ahead.  Towards the end of the race he said he also played more cautious as he didnt want to risk his second as he wasn’t sure of A3 third place finisher Niclas Mansson’s result from the other finals.  Overall Mansson’s Associated would end up fourth. Pleased with his new car, Ronnefalk said the speed is there and he just needs more time to familiarise himself with it which should put him on a par with Bayer and Neumann when he will go up against them again at Round 2 of the EOS later this month.

View complete offroad event results here.

View the event image gallery here.

Neumann & Bayer to go head to head in A3

In a repeat of 2014, the 4WD Buggy title at the DHI Cup will be a two way battle between Joern Neumann and Martin Bayer with the winner to be decided in A3.  In A1 Bayer took his Xray to victory ahead of the Top Qualifier Neumann after contact between the pair saw the Durango end up on its roof as they came around to complete lap 3.  In the second A-Main Neumann lead until an error on lap 4 allowed Bayer to the front until he made a mistake 3 laps later.  Dropping to third behind David Ronnefalk it looks like A3 would be a three way battle for the win on this the fourth year of offroad being part of the famous Danish event.  However on the last lap a mistake from Ronnefalk would mean the new HB signing would not be kicking of his new sponsorship with a win.

The unbeaten in 4WD Champion, losing his 2WD reign last year to Tom Cockerill, Neumann was to the point about what happened in A1 saying ‘Martin took me out’.  Describing his Durango as a little edgy to drive he said A2 went better and while he can drive the car around on his own no problem its ‘not good for fighting’.  For A3 he will cut another row of pins from his set of controlled Schumacher tyres and is confident that will give him the car to get the job done.

Bayer said his XB4 is feels really good and in A1 he had no problem catching Neumann and when the German ‘went wide’ they were ‘side by side’ with him having the inside allowing him to take the lead from where he could control the race.  Again with a fast car in A2, the former European Champion said he had the chance to take the win but just made too many mistakes.  With second overall secured with his results from A1 & 2, his finishing position last year, he said he has nothing to lose and therefore would be going for it in the closing race.

‘Shit driver’ that was a frustrated Ronnefalk’s summary of his two Mains.  Having won 2WD earlier in the day, but using a Team C chassis as HB dont yet have a 2WD, he said he doesn’t know why he kept crashing on the last lap when he had 2nd secured. The crash in A2 proving costly as it put him out of contention to be part of the battle for the overall win on his debut with the D413.

View complete offroad event results here.

View the event image gallery here.

Video – 2wd Buggy A-main Leg 2 & 3

Ronnefalk wins 2WD at DHI Cup

David Ronnefalk is the new DHI Cup 2WD Buggy Champion.  The factory HB driver secured his first victory at the Danish event after seeing off a crowd entertaining challenge from A2 winner & former champion Joern Neumann.  Having taken an easy win in A1 with a near perfect drive, in A2 mistakes allowed Neumann to take the win setting the stage for a head to head between the two Pro drivers. Top Qualifier, A3 didn’t get off to a good start for Ronnefalk as he made a first lap mistake at the back double allowing the similar Team C chassis of Neumann to the front but the race was far from decided with the two shadowing each other with young Michal Orlowski in tow.  With a minute to go however a mistake from Neumann would give Ronnefalk the break he needed to kick off his 2015 season with a victory.

Having only previously contested the first ever running of offroad at the DHI Cup four years ago and struggling on the carpet surface, on that occasion with a rear motored car, Ronnefalk was pleased to open the 2015 season with a win adding he enjoyed his A3 battle with Neumann.  Dropping to fourth after his first lap error, the 18-year-old said that put the pressure on as did his decision to use a set of tyres that already had done two runs.  While he would get passed Neumann on lap three he said with the tyres making his Orion powered TM2 slide around it made it extra hard work having the German all over his rear end. After Neumann’s late error, the same incident also delaying a much faster paced Orlowski, Ronnefalk said he was able to control things to the finish.

Running the same chassis, electrics and tyres as Ronnefalk, Neumann was not pleased with his A3 performance.  He said his TM2 pushed too much for his driving style adding Ronnefalk’s example look to have the advantage of a little more steering.  Asked about his roll at the end of the straight, the European Champion said the car traction rolled and there was little he could do about.

Running with the two race contenders in A3, having played cautious in the opening two encounters, Orlowski was delighted with his performance. With 2nd in A1 and 3rd in A2 securing the 13-year a podium placing, a great way to kick off his new sponsorship with Schumacher, he said he was able to take more risks in A3 as there was always the chance he could take second overall from Neumann.  Also using the last A-Main to test a set of pre-glued Schumacher tyres which he will have to use at Round 2 of the Euro Offroad Series in Berlin at the end of the month, on his Cougar KF he said was very happy with both his car and his own driving this weekend giving him good confidence for the new season.

View complete offroad event results here.

View the event image gallery here.