January 7, 2018

Neumann wins opening 4WD encounter

Joern Neumann was a surprise winner of the opening A-Main of 4WD at the DHI Cup, the new Schumacher signing benefiting from mistakes from both his team-mate Michal Orlowski and young Swedish star Elias Johansson.  Starting from the TQ, freshly crown 2WD champion Orlowski would make a mistake allowing Johansson to go to the front.  Chasing down the Associated driver, the Pole would touch wheels with the 2WD runner up with sending his car flying off the track with it getting caught up in the sponsor banners of the drivers stand.  Losing around 4-seconds Orlowski would rejoin behind Neumann, with Johansson looking good for the win but with little over a minute to run he would make a mistake in the centre section of the track rolling onto the straight with both Schumacher’s getting through.  Neumann would see off Orlowski while a second mistake would prevent Johansson from trying to retake the lead with him crossing the line 3rd.

‘I was a little lucky the others crashed and I could keep it on four wheels’, was how Neumann viewed his win.  The former Champion said, ‘My car was a little edgy to drive but it was better than in qualifying’. Looking to A2, he said, ‘I will put more glue on the tyres to make it easier to drive’.

Orlowski said, ‘It started of well but I made a driver error at the table top.  After that I had to push quite hard and I guess I was quite impatient and touched Elias’ tyre and lost a lot of time under the drivers stand. Then I just tried to run the best laps I can and he had a mistake which let me and Joern through and I’m pretty happy to finish 1-2 with Joern’.  Setting the fastest lap of the race, asked about his car, the 16-year-old said, ‘we will make a small change for the next one to try make it less responsive’.

Describing his car as ‘a little aggressive’, Johansson said of the race, ‘It was really good for the first half but then I made a mistake and Michal & Joern got by me.  Then I had one more mistake so third was the best I could do’.  Looking to run a less aggressive car for A2 he will leave the car set-up unchanged but switch to his other set of tyres.

View the complete event results here.

View our event image gallery here.

January 7, 2018

Orlowski makes it 3 in a row at DHI Cup

Michal Orlowski has made it three 2WD titles in a row at the DHI Cup, the Schumacher driver successfully defending his title with the perfect performance.  Top Qualifier in Odense, taking all four qualifiers, the Polish driver secured the title when he backed up his A1 win with another in A2. Rather than sit out A3, he would use the track time to test, taking that also despite coming under pressure from star of the weekend Elias Johansson.  Johansson would finish second overall being the only driver to mount any challenge to Orlowski over the weekend.  With former champions David Ronnefalk and Joern Neumann not delivering the level of performances expected, Jesper Rasmussen enjoyed a strong race to complete the 2WD podium.

‘It is alway pretty good to start the new year with a win’, was Orlowski reaction to his win.  He continued, ‘we knew the KC is a good car but still it wasn’t easy here with Elias. He makes me feel quite old now but with a start like this I am looking forward to the rest of the season’.  Continuing on the 13-year-old he said , ‘He was quick all weekend. Even in practice I was surprised by his pace.  I had to show him full respect in the finals but luckily I was faster’.  Asked about his decision to run A3, he replied, ‘we tested something, we wanted to see how the car was with softer shock all round’.

‘I’m really happy with my finish. It was more than expected’, was how Johansson summed up his impressive podium finish.  The Associated driver added, ‘I didn’t do anything to the car, I just had to drive it’.  Having a good battle with Orlowski in A3, he said, ‘I was pretty tight in the middle but then he pulled a way a little, racing with Michal is good experience for me. I’m looking forward now to the 4WD finals’.

Summing up his third place, Team Associated driver Rasmussen said, ‘I am pretty happy to make the podium.  In A1 I was on new tyres and the car was terrible.  I changed back to my other tyres for A2 and the last one and also changed to harder oil and a stiffer roll bar and the car was much easier to drive and I could get on the podium’.  Behind the Dane, former Top Qualifier Oskar Levin would finish 4th overall ahead of Ronnefalk and Hampus Berg.

View the complete event results here.

View our event image gallery here.