Orlowski is finally a World Champion

He has been a heavy weight in electric onroad and offroad for the last decade but today was the day he finally took the sport’s biggest prize, Michal Orlowski is the 2023 IFMAR 1:12 World Champion.  Having secured the overall TQ at the previous edition of the sports oldest World Championship category but missing out on the win to Marc Rheinard, today the Schumacher switched the 2020 order taking victory at Beachline Raceway ahead of Rheinard and 2018 World Champion Alexander Hagberg.  With Top Qualifier Kemp Anderson winning A1, ahead of Rheinard and Orlowski, a win in A2 by the Polish ace set the stage for an A3 title showdown.  With a highly anticipating crowd looking on having experienced some mental defying display of racing skills in the first two A-Mains, A3 was to start with a bang literally.  On the tone Anderson’s car didn’t leave the line and starting directly behind Rheinard a huge impact in the rear of the stricken car.  The race effectively decided on the spot as No.2 starter Orlowski was able to break clear followed by Hagberg who did have the pace to mount a challenge for the lead.  While Rheinard tried to continue his car was badly tweaked and he eventually pulled up.  Unfortunately for Anderson, despite showing his massive talents in qualifying and A1, the A3 DNF together with his A2 DNF meant he goes into the IFMAR history books as the 6th place finisher.

Reacting to finally achieving the greatest prize on offer in the sport, Orlowski said, ‘I don’t know what to say. I am lost for words.  All my life I came back from Worlds and said to my dad ‘It never clicks and comes together for me’.  I have been on World podiums 3 times, I have always been close, like the last time in 1:12, but there are always problems.  I though it was going to continue today when I was passing Kemp in A1 and my car shoot off into the boards but I kept my head down’.  On A3, the 22-year-old said, ‘I was feeling good before the run.  We made a small change after A2 and in the warm-up it felt perfect.  Then at the start my Christmas came early.  It was tough luck for Marc and Kemp on their side but I have had the same luck before.  I was so relieved to get to the finish, winning a World title is a huge weight off my shoulders’.  After making a call home to his father, who was an instrumental figure in nurturing Michal into a world class racer, Michal wanted to thank Schumacher designer Andy Murray and his team-mate Ollie Payne for their input into the event.  ‘I had other commitments in other classes so they came to US 2-weeks early when I couldn’t.  Ollie built me a completely new car and prepared 8 bodies of which I destroyed all but one’.  With this event marking his 34th racing weekend of the year, he said it’s a nice way to wrap up the season and he’s looking forward to a break for Christmas and the New Year.

‘I didn’t even see him, I just drove straight’, was how Rheinard described the start line chaos.  The outgoing Champion continued, ‘the car was completely tweaked but I feel more sorry for Kemp.  He was right there all week and he doesn’t even get a podium’.  Having watched Orlowski come up the ranks from seeing him for the first time racing a plastics chassis Tamiya in the early days of the ETS when he himself was leading the all conquering Tamiya TRF team, Rheinard said, ‘I’d still have preferred to beat him or at least have made him work for it in A3 but he’s a deserving World Champion.  I look forward to beating him next time’.

Pleased to turn around the event and get on the podium Hagberg said, ‘we didn’t quite have the speed to challenge for the win today but I did the best I could with what I had’.  Having struggled at the beginning of the week, finding himself seeded in the fastest heat for Day 1 of qualifying before getting promoted to the top heat for Day 2, the Xray driver added, ‘with the humidity today we couldn’t get the speed I had yesterday.  Half way through qualifying I thought we had a chance but with the changing conditions it was hard to cope.  Like I said before, in 1:12 things can change very quickly so I’m happy I could finish on the podium’.

‘I pulled the trigger and nothing happened.  I’m not sure what happened’, was Anderson’s response when asked about the start.  The 21-year-old continued, ‘After the race in tech it was still powered on and the ESC was on’.  Making his mark on the class with his performance throughout the week, he said, ‘I know I had bad luck and there was bad driving from me in A2 but overall I am still proud of myself.  There is always the next time’.

While Modified decided its 21st World title, for 1:12 Spec it was only the second time the title was awarded with the ultra popular character ‘Mad Max’ Machler the new World Champion.  The Awesomatix driver went into A3 up against team-mate Mark Stiles and with each having a win it was a winner takes all encounter.  Starting from the TQ, both drivers each having topped 3 of the 6 rounds of qualifying, Machler led away gapping Stiles only for the British driver to make a big push and close on the German.  Machler responded however and pulled clear once again to take the win by over 2-seconds and with it the World title.  The two European’s were joined on the podium by US Xray driver  Robbie Dodge.

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Orlowski gets elbows out for A2 win

It is all going to come down to A3 at the 1:12 World Championship in Florida, with Michal Orlowski taking the win ahead of defending Champion Marc Rheinard.  Having won A1 with a flawless race, Kemp Anderson came crashing back to earth in A2 when he ran wide on the opening lap resulting in contact with Orlowski.  With Anderson coming off worst, finding himself at the back of the field, the contact delayed Orlowski enough for Rheinard to go to the front.  Quickly gapping the rest of the field, the European pairing held station until the race reached mid distance and Orlowski got his elbows forcing an impressive pass on his great track rival but good friend off track.  Then with a minute to go, Rheinard mounted a challenge to take back the lead but looking to set-up a last lap pass he would get to much kerb causing the back of his Awesomatix to step out and allow Orlowski to breath again and take the win with a faster time than that set in A1.  With Anderson eventually retiring from the race having buried his car under the track boards as he tried to make a comeback, 2018 World Champion Alexander Hagberg completed the Top 3 over 8-seconds back with Donny Lia fourth.

Reacting to his A2 win, Orlowski said, ‘I’m not sure what happened at the start.  Kemp was pretty wide and I tried to avoid him but it all happened so fast.  I saw Kemp’s car flying off so I was lucky to come out second behind Marc’.   The Schumacher driver continued, ‘Again the car was loose at the beginning but at 4-minute mark it was really good.  I caught Marc and then he went wide one corner and we know what happened after that.  I pulled away a bit but because the car was sliding around at the beginning I started to lose traction at the end.  It was very stressful to keep Marc behind but I got it done.  The race time was good which is crucial.  It’s all in for A3’.

Explaining his race, Rheinard said, ‘I had built up a good gap but then made a shitty lap which allowed Michal to close.  I tried to protect my line but he pushed his way through’.  Winning the first of his two 1:12 World titles the last time it was held in Florida, he continued, ‘I was quicker in the end but it wasn’t easy to make a pass without touching.  On the last lap I got too much kerb and spun out.’  Looking to A3, the German ace sad, ‘It’s all open but Orlowski won that with a good time so that could be a factor’.

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Kemp sees off late Rheinard attack to win A1

Kemp Anderson held off an intense late attack from Marc Rheinard to win the opening A-Main of the IFMAR 1:12 World Championship in Florida.  Starting from the pole, Andersson would initially gap the field as second place starter Michal Orlowski was occupied with trying to keep a hard charging Rheinard at bay, the pair swapping paint but holding order.  Approaching the mid point of the 8-minute Orlowski would find his rhythm, the Schumacher driver closing Anderson’s over 1-second gap down to nothing.  Coming on to the straight, the Polish ace would make a pass for the lead on the inside of the Awesomatix driver but his car shot to the outside and he hit the boards.  With a tweaked car he was then passed by Rheinard.  Having survived the Orlowski challenge, now Anderson was ready for a second attack on his lead this time from the reigning World Champion.  The German was all over and even got in under his team-mates car but in a display of why he is a 5-time World Champion was able to back out of it quick enough that they both continued with minimal disruption.  While Rheinard would make a second attempt at taking the lead, Anderson kept his nerve to take a popular win, while 5-seconds back Orlowski completed the Top 3 some 7-seconds ahead of Alexander Hagberg in P4.

Summing up his A1 performance a very modest reaction Anderson said ‘It was pretty good’.  The 21-year-old continued, ‘I just tried to drive consistent and get into a good groove but the car was pushing a little at the end and that allowed Marc to catch up.  It was a good race’.  Asked about Orlowski attempted pass, he said, ‘I don’t really know what happened.  He tried a move on the straight away but it ended with him hitting the boards.  I came out lucky on that one I guess.  It was a far and clean pass.  It was good racing.’  Looking to A2, he said ‘I will probably run the car the same and just try again to drive a clean 8-minutes’.

‘Close’ was Rheinard’s reaction after the opening encounter.  He continued, ‘It took too long to get by Michal.  My car was pretty fast.  I got on his inside but he blocked it and we both lost time but for sure I have a car that is good enough car for the win’.  Chasing his third 1:12 World title here at Beachline Raceway he concluded, ‘there are still two finals so you never know what happens’.

Asked about his race Orlowski replied, ‘the car was pretty loose and hard to drive but I was somehow able to hold on to it’.  On his attempted pass on Anderson, the former European Champion said, ‘I was very unlucky.  I got on the inside of Kemp but then I have no idea what happened.  After I hit the boards the car was tweaked’.  Looking to A2, he said, ‘We’ll regroup and we’ll make the car a little stable and start again’.

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