Matsukura goes to the top

Team Yokomo ace Naoto Matsukura has gone to the top of the time sheets here in Finland after setting a new fastest lap of 24.279 in the sixth round of practice.  Driving an Associated B4.1, Yokomo being the Japanese distributors for AE, the 17-year-old changed the rear camber link position which gave the buggy very good forward traction allowing the Japanese Champion to be over 2/10th of second faster than the field.

Behind Matsukura, German National Champion Joern Neumann admitted he surprised himself a little with the second fastest time.  Running a DEX210 which features a carbon chassis and shock towers, he had found the chassis to be cracked after P5 which he believes may have happened during a heavy crash in an earlier run.  Fitting a new chassis for P6 and moving the battery mounting point from the rear to the middle it transformed the buggy, which is around 100grams lighter than the standard car.

Making his electric Worlds debut 14-year-old Dakotah Phend set the 3rd fastest lap.  One of Team Losi Racing’s future stars the American said a change to the camber link on his TLR22 had made a big difference with the buggy having much more corner speed.  Enjoying the Vaasa track, which he described as ‘really fast flowing’, Phend will try a few more changes in the penultimate practice round as he looks to get a little more traction and reduce the turn in which he said was a little hard.

Setting the fourth fastest time and now the leading factory Associated driver Ryan Cavalieri said he has been doing various tweaks to his set-up and has feels hes got it pretty good now.  Happy with the consistency of his long chassis B4.1, he plans to try one more set-up change for P7 which he hopes will leave him with a strong package for tomorrow’s opening qualifier.

Fastest after the first five practices Jared Tebo improved his time in P6 but the Kyosho/Orion star drops to fifth on the time sheets. Behind him Associated’s Ryan Maifield completes the Top 6 having just produced his best lap of the day.

Elsewhere Touring Car World Champion Marc Rheinard is currently 24th fastest with a time from P5 with 1:8 Buggy World Champion Cody King just four places behind him having improved his time in P6.  Reigning 2WD World Champion Martin Achter lies 74th 2.1 seconds adrift of current pace setter Matsukura.

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