Jörn Neumann is IFMAR Vice-Champion with DEX410
Team Durango and Jörn Neumann took second place at the 2011 IFMAR 1:10 Off-Road World Championships in the hard fought 4WD class with the DEX410 to become the IFMAR Vice-Champion. In its biggest ever test since release, the DEX410 proved it was capable of mixing with the very best in the world and after the dust settles on the race people will remember how close it was for the young German driver. In qualifying for the 4WD event, Jörn Neumann put in the fastest time of anyone at the meeting to take the final round of qualifying to take second on the grid for the finals as Hupo Hönigl drove his DEX410 to sixth on the grid. In total there were six Team Durango DEX410s in the top 20, more than any other manufacturer. One=eighth off-road specialist Elliott Boots had never driven an electric buggy on dirt before but showed his raw talent by putting in the fastest lap of the meeting and qualifying in the B final after some electrical gremlins really hurt his chances in the early rounds. Joseph Quagraine, Ari Heinonen and Billy Fischer also put their DEX410s into the B final with some very impressive performances in qualifying.
The A final was spread over three legs and the drama up front was breathtaking. Jörn took the lead in leg one and despite an error he kept it and built a five-second gap back to second place – everything looked good but it wasn’t to be however, as Jörn’s car came to a devastating halt with a blown motor. Leg two and Jörn again took the lead and looked just as quick and sure-footed as in leg one until he pushed too hard through the ripples however and a wheelie cost him both time and positions as he dropped down the order slightly. With only a little time left on the clock Jörn took third. In the final leg, Jörn had to prove his speed wasn’t a one-off and after leading both opening legs, he chased Ryan Maifield for the whole five minutes, Jörn being steady, waiting for his moment, but Maifield was just too clean. A mistake from Jörn in the closing stages allowed Maifield a little breathing room but Jörn pushed harder, setting fastest lap of the final. As Maifield squared up to the final corner before the line, Jörn jumped down the inside of Maifield and crossed the line just in front of his rival to win leg three.
Jörn’s performance was good enough for second overall and despite being so close to winning the world title it was a fantastic result for both Jörn and Team Durango as all the drivers once again proved the performance and strength of the car. Team Durango would like to thank all their team drivers for their effort to make this a hugely successful event and the organisers for a very well run professional meeting.
Source: Team Durango
