Neumann crowned 4WD European Champion in Spain

0 Aug. 1, 2016, 8:59 a.m.

By Aaron Waldron
LiveRC.com

Serpent’s Jörn Neumann won the 4WD European Championship last weekend in Valladolid, Spain to give the new SDX-4 platform its first major title.

Reigning IFMAR 4WD World Champion Bruno started the finals from the front of the grid by virtue of earning the Top Qualifier honor, with newly crowned 2WD title-holder Neil Cragg’s Team Associated buggy second and Neumann third. Cragg was unable to make the start of the first of three A-Main legs due to a mechanical issue, while Neumann took the lead from Coelho at the beginning of the race and sped off to a seven-second gap at the finish line.

A disastrous start for Cragg in the second final knocked him down to tenth and dropped him from overall contention. Coelho led every lap, finishing nearly 11 seconds ahead of Neumann to force a title-deciding third leg.

Just three laps into the third A-Main, Coelho opened the door for Neumann to pass - and the German drove away for the title. Coelho never recovered, eventually finishing fourth behind Cragg and Yokomo’s Lee Martin from eighth on the grid.