Groskamp top seed for qualifying in Japan
Jilles Groskamp is the top seed for qualifying at the 1:8 Onroad World Championships, the Dutch ace again putting his Shepherd top of the time sheets in Japan in the second controlled practice. Groskamp managed 3-laps in a time of 50.330 on the slower track his CP1 time some 8/10ths faster. Continuing to impress, Italy’s Raiola Carmine set the second fastest time in CP2, his Xray just 9/1000th off the European Championship pace. Japanese National Champion Takaaki Shimo, the widely tipped event favourite, posted the third fastest time having struggled in CP1 with a lack of steering.
Describing the track as ‘a lot slower’, Groskamp said his Velox V8 still felt good adding he is looking forward to getting qualifying underway. During the 10-minute run, the Electric Touring Car World Champion tried two different bodyshells to ascertain which is better for the hotter conditions. Starting the run with Protoform’s 909, which he ran in the morning’s opening practice, he switched to their R18. Describing the R18 as better for the current track conditions, it making the car more stable & easy to drive, he plans to run it for the first of today’s two qualifiers adding that while it is slightly slower it should be safer over the 10-minutes.
Having his most competitive run yet, Atsushi Hara set the fourth fastest time of CP2 posting an identical time of 50.707 to the similar Mugen of Takehiro Terauchi. Having run soft springs on his MRX-5 throughout yesterday he ran Mugen’s hard white spring for the final practice which while faster made the car harder to drive. Still to decide which spring to use for the opening qualifier he said he will probably go back to the grey spring as the white option is risky when the full 10-minutes are counted. A former Electric Touring Car World Champion and this being only his second time to race 1:8, his last being the previous Worlds in Miami, he said he is still trying to get a good feeling with his clutch. Hara made a point that he cant just ask his Mugen team-mates for their clutch set-up as they have a style of driving for 1:8 that is totally different to his. Describing his OS Speed as having ‘probably too much power’ he has tried 5 different clutch set-ups and now that hopes he can figure out the best option for Q1 adding he needs to also combine this with his gearing selection. Despite his CP2 time it is the CP1 time that counted for the majority of drivers meaning Hara will run in the B qualifying group.
Former team-mate Andy Moore is another former Electric Touring Car World Champion who laid down his best run in the final practice, posting the 6th fastest time. HB is a very welcomed new entry into the 1:8 Onroad market and the Japanese company has four of the brand new R8’s running here this week. Having an off early on in CP1 which unknown to the team at the time had bent the stinger on his exhaust causing them to think they had an engine problem, Moore said CP2 was much better. Making a mistake on the third of his counting 3-consecutive laps he said without this he would have run a Top 3 time. In terms of his set-up, the British driver said a switch to softer springs in the final practice improved the car but it still feels like it has an overall lack of grip, something he said is more to do with the track conditions rather than the car.
Behind Moore, Meen Vejrak was again the fastest KM Racing driver setting the 7th fastest time of CP2 followed by Japanese driver Syoki Takahata and the Sahashi brothers, Tadahiko 9th fastest and Yuya 10th.
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