EOS10 R2 Worksop – 4wd Qualifying Round 1

After a sensational 2wd contest, it is now time for 4wd. The competition started with two rounds of open practice followed by two rounds of seeding practice. Many of the top drivers struggled with pace in the first session, but that was remedied as the sessions progressed. In the first seeded practice it was Ben Smith who set the tables alight over two consecutive laps – very fasts indeed.

In the second seeding session Smith was still fast, going fourth, but it was the Finnish visitor Joona Haatanen who really screwed down the times to top the round times and the overall table. Haatanen’s car looks like it has way more pace than the times would lead you to believe. Small mistakes and bobbles are a regular occurrence but his outright speed is super impressive. A driver for the pole position short list for sure.

4wd Qualifying Round 1

Round 1 of 4wd qualifying will be etched in my mind for some time. Several of the regular front running drivers were present at the sharp end, but one particular driver put in a round 1 perfect run which spontaniously led to a queue of congratulatory drivers meeting him as he came off the rostrum – that was Lee Martin in Heat 10. You could argue that faults from Michal Orlowski, Johnny Skidmore, Joona Haatanen and Ben Smith all contributed to Martin’s dominance, but you would lose that argument. It was Martin’s shear pace and consistency which saw him take round 1.

Chasing pack

Martin’s Yokomo teammate Burak Kilic from Germany came home second just over a second adrift. Joona Haatanen recovered from problems with a blistering run to come home third – an epic recovery. Johnny Skidmore was fourth which was a surprise as his car did not look as good as the others ahead of him.

EURO OFFROAD SERIES
10th edition – 2022/2023

Round 2 – WORKSOP [UK] – 07-09 OCTOBER 2022

We will pick things up again tomorrow for round 2, 3 and 4 and of course the finals which are shaping up to be epic.

4wd Qualifying Round 1 results: