Vejrak fastest in FP4
While Jilles Groskamp’s time set in the morning’s second practice remains the fastest time, it was KM Racing’s Meen Vejrak who topped Day 2’s fourth round of free practice at the 1:8 World Championships in Japan. The 200mm World Champion set the fastest 3-consecutive laps in a time of 49.687 with FP3 pace setter Tadahiko Sahashi (49.759) second fastest. Posting identical times (49.897) Team Shepherd’s Oliver Mack and Mugen’s Takaahi Shimo posted the third fastest time followed by KM Racing’s Adrien Bertin. Transponder problems meant Groskamp failed to register a time in both FP3 & 4 but the Dutch ace was still happy with his Shepherd and in particular in FP4 during which the sun finally broke cover over the Keitune Racing Speedway.
Running AMB’s RC2 transponders in his OS based Maxima engined Velox V8, in FP3 Groskamp thought a faulty transponder was the reason for his lack of times. Changing to a second RC2 personal transponder he said he couldn’t believe it when his time again failed to register but on taking up the issue with race control he was informed the latest decoder software from MyLaps (where he used to work when the company was known as AMB) no longer supports the RC2 transponder. Feeling the hotter conditions of the latest run have made the track around 1/10th of a second a lap slower he said he could feel the rear end getting a little loose as a result but looking forward he said this was a good test for later in the event. All round the European Champion said apart from his transponder issues eveything was still going well.
Team-mate Oliver Mack said a harder set-up on his Sonic powered Velox V8 had made it a lot more consistent adding the set-up was ‘nearly perfect’. The German said his focus for the remaining two practice runs today is his engines. Not a full time racer, a baker by profession, he said a lack of time prior to the event meant he had to bench run in his engines and this is causing him some problems. While the engines run fine he said compared with track run in engines they are loosing their edge much faster. Having got an engine from Eduardo Picco, who is here to support the Shepherd team for whom they make the Sonic engine line, and which was track run in by Alberto Picco, Mack will run this for his next practice after which they will work on maximising its run time in preparation for qualifying.
Posting the fifth fastest time Bertin said ‘its not perfect but getting pretty close’. The only former 1:8 World Champion contesting this year’s event, the French ace said his K8 is working good with parts KM produced for the KM Cup race here which he was unable to attend making the car a lot better than when he raced it the European Championships. Head of Orion’s engine programme, he said his engine set-up is now the area he needs to work on. Having too much bottom end power he made it less aggressive for FP4 which made a big difference and the plan is to further smoothen out the power delivery for the next run adding the he also needs to get a better tune on the engine as it was not cleaning out properly.
While Xray have no official presence at these World Championship, Paul Lemiuex having put one of their RX8s in the final in Miami on the cars Worlds debut, FP4 did see a good run from Raiola Carmine. Setting the 8th fastest time, the current Italian National Champion said he is happy with his car. Finishing second to Shimo at the KM Cup which was held here last month the 22-year-old is using the same set-up today but it is his engine that is causing him some problems. While happy with the power he said the tune is not stable, with it keeping going rich, and so for the next practice run he will change to another one of his Max engines.
Elsewhere Michael Salven, having struggled to get any feeling from his Serpent, copied the set-up of the Sahashi brother for FP4. The 1:8 onroad veteran and Serpent designer said it was a lot better adding that he expected it to be really loose but it wasn’t. A good base set-up to work from he said for him it lacked a little steering but the German said he had lots of options to cure that and he is now much more confident for the remaining practice runs.
A finalist at the last world Championship Motonica team driver Robin D’hondt is not having a good event so far. 7th in Miami, the Belgian said he is struggling for a set-up with the car both unstable and lacking steering. This being his first visit to the track he said a lack of practice is hindering him but he hope running a narrower front end will improve the car. In yesterday’s practice the 24-year-old broke the radio plate and a receiver in a heavy impact crash captured by the Red RC video camera.
From the host Nation of the last World Championship, there are five US drivers in attendance here in Japan. Serpent’s Paolo Morganti said things are getting better the more he learns the track. This being his first time to the Japanese track he said the left side and right side have to be driven totally different. Having to avoid the paint on the right side of the track he said on the left you have to go on it and that takes getting used to. Having run a carbon chassis plate on his Novarossi powered 977 in the morning he has switched to the more tradition aluminium chassis saying the carbon chassis is not good for this track and is something that is better suited for use back in the US.
Fellow US driver JJ Wang declared himself happy with how things are going so far. The 15-year-old Mugen driver, who just missed the main at the Pre World’s when drivers where permitted to use additive, said he is working on trying to get his Novarossi powered MRX-5 to turn in better while keeping rear traction, in particular in the left side of the track.
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