October 10, 2015

Top Qualifier Coelho puts in fastest run in Q5

Having sewn up the overall TQ at the World Championships yesterday in the fourth round of qualifying, Bruno Coehlo would lay down the gauntlet in the final qualifier this morning in Japan posting the fastest time of the event to claim his 4th TQ of the five rounds.  With the 1:10 Offroad World Championship’s Rookie already decalred Top Qualifier, Q5 was all about determining the starting order behind the Xray driver.  The driver most expected to challenge Coelho for the win, Naoto Matsukura went into the concluding qualifier needing a second or better to put his Kyosho second on the grid but it wasn’t to be.  A number of mistakes would leave him only 12th for the round, meaning Michal Orlowski would hold onto his overnight second overall with him ending his qualifying with a P2 run.  Having sat 12th at the end of yesterday, Jared Tebo would complete the Top 3 in Q5, his best qualifying run securing the former champion a spot in the final. Starting 7th, the Kyosho driver is the best American starter with Ryan Maifield the only other US driver to make the A-Main in 9th.  Having been the best represented manufacturer in the 2WD A-Main, a noticeable absence from the grid will be defending 4WD champions Team Associated, their biggest hope Ryan Cavalieri having a bad final qualifier.

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October 9, 2015

Coelho takes early overall TQ in Japan

It is turning out to be a World Championships at which the rookies are making their mark with Spencer Rivkin winning the 2WD World title earlier in the week and now Bruno Coelho securing the overall TQ in 4WD on his 1:10 Offroad Worlds debut.  Unlike 2WD qualifying when the Top Qualifier was decided in the fifth & final round on the morning of the finals, Coelho got the job done early in a dramatic fourth qualifier which brings Day 2 of the 4WD action to a close.  Running at the top of the timing monitors 3-seconds clear of his rivals, the Xray driver would find himself being instructed by referee Dallas Mathiesen to open to allow 2nd placed Naoto Matsukura through.  Having passed Matsukura following a mistake by the Japanese driver, Coelho eventually heeded the strange instruction, Matsukura would try to close the gap but with time running out a stripped spur gear in the last sequence of corners before the finishing straight denied a Q5 showdown.  Coasting his Kyosho across the loop, Matsuskura with still get second behind Coelho with Michal Orlowski completing the Top 3.  Two drivers that went head to head at last year’s Touring Car World Championship, Matsukura coming out on top, a good Q5 for the Japanese star would set the stage for a re-match.

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October 9, 2015

Matsukura comes good in Q3

Naoto Matsukura has finally come good at the World Championships in Japan, with the pre-event favourite TQ’ing the third round of qualifying from Q1 & 2 pace setter Bruno Coelho.  After a frustrating 2WD event, in which he finished 20th overall, the Kyosho driver had a close battle with Coelho to take the Q3 by 0.266 of a second with David Ronnefalk again completing the Top 3.  Overall it was a better performance from the host nation’s star drivers with qualifying top seed Yusuke Sugiura also putting in his best performance to take a fourth for the round.

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October 9, 2015

Coelho again in Q2

Bruno Coelho has backed up his impressive Q1 topping performance with another TQ run in the second round of qualifying at the IFMAR World Championships at the Yatabe Arena.  Despite a less perfect run, the Xray driver making one mistake when he rolled his XB4 in front of the drivers stand losing over 3-seconds, Coelho would still top the times. With the margin this time only half a second rather than the massive 5-seconds he had in Q1 second would be Michal Orlowski with David Ronnefalk third a further 1.5-seconds adrift.  It would turn out being an all European Top 6  with Tom Cockerill fourth followed by former European Champions Martin Bayer and Lee Martin with American Ryan Maifield posting a P7 run.

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October 9, 2015

Coelho TQs opening qualifier

Bruno Coelho has TQ’d the opening round of qualifying at the 1:10 4WD Offroad World Championships in Japan.  Having ended yesterday’s seeding practice second fastest, the Xray driver would go on top the first of the five qualifiers by a substantial margin of almost 5-seconds from Yokomo driver Tom Cockerill.  The start of qualifying would be very much a European affair with Michal Orlowski and David Ronnefalk next up, 2nd to 4th covered by just 0.024 of a second.  With top seed Yusuke Sugiura suffering ‘too many mistakes’, the Kyosho driver would end up tenth while reigning champion Steven Hartson would continue to struggling posting only the 24th fastest time.  One of the pre-event favourites, Naoto Matsukura was in contention for the TQ until his Kyosho steering locked left as a result of an electrics issue. The powerhouse nation of offroad, the best American for Q1 would be Carson Wernimont in 5th.

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October 8, 2015

Sugiura is top seed at WC

Yusuke Sugiura is the top seed for qualifying at the 1:10 4WD Offroad World Championships in Japan.  The Kyosho driver set a new fastest 3-consecutive laps time in the second of the controlled practices to secure the No.1 in the top heat for qualifying tomorrow at the Yatabe Arena.  Behind the Japanese driver European drivers Bruno Coelho and Michal Orlowski would also improve on their CP1 times to end 4WD Day 1 2nd and 3rd fastest respectively.  Fastest in the first round, Jared Tebo failed to improve second time of asking and will carry the No.4 for qualifying followed by Martin Bayer and Ryan Cavalieri.

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October 8, 2015

Tebo tops open controlled practice

Jared Tebo has topped the opening controlled practice at the IFMAR World Championships in Japan, the Kyosho driver setting the fastest 3-consecutive laps of the Yatabe Arena over the Xray of Martin Bayer. Having set the pace in free practice, Bayer’s team-mate Bruno Coelho would complete the Top 3 with just 4/10ths separating the Top 10 drivers.

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October 8, 2015

Coelho tops practice as Matsukura closes gap

At the end of practice at the 1:10 4WD Offroad World Championships at the Yatabe Arena its Xray’s Bruno Coelho who is proving to be quickest, the Xray drivers P3 time still standing at the top of the times sheets. With none of the Top 3 after P3 improving their times, the two big movers in the final practice would be Naoto Matsukura and Michal Orlowski. 6th & 7th after three rounds, they both improved their 3-consecutive lap times to move ahead of Yusuke Sugiura and Lee Martin with Mastukura’s Kyosho reducing Coelho’s advantage to 3/10ths.

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