January 10, 2010

Volker wins 10th Anniversary DHI Cup

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Ronald Volker is the 2010 DHI Cup Champion giving Team Yokomo their first ever win at the prestigious Danish race and also their first big win in Europe since Masami Hirosaka won the LRP Masters 10 years ago.  The German, who was champion of the event in 2007, took the win after he claimed his second win of the day in the third Leg.  Driving his BD5 the former European Champion looked to have thrown his chances of becoming only the third driver to win the DHI Cup twice when he rolled on the second lap.  Mad with himself for the mistake, Volker put in a superb recovery drive battling his way back past Steen Graversen for second from where he rapidly closed in on Top Qualifier and Leg 2 winner Christer Andersson.  Unfortunately the 18-year-old made a mistake under the pressure coming on to the main straight allowing the No.2 car through to take the lead, one which he would not relinquish.

Volker was delighted with his second title, joining touring car World Champions Atsushi Hara and Marc Rehinard as the only double winners of the blue ribbon event. He was also really pleased at being able to reward the huge effort made by his Yokomo team this weekend especially Yukijiro Umino who did much of the set-up work on his car.

Andersson, who has really found his form of late, was clearly disappointed that he didn’t convert his TQ honours into victory but the experience is sure to make him a stronger competitor for the future when his big day is sure to come. Afterwards he said that he was still satisfied with his weekend as finishing on the podium was more than he had been expecting coming into the event.

Last year’s Champion Marc Rheinard failed to finish the third Leg but his two third place finishes earlier in the day was enough to see him on the podium once again.  The current World Champion, who will defend that title later this year on home soil, said considering his lack of outright pace he was happy to come away with a podium. Teemu Leino, the only other driver along with Volker and Andersson in with a chance of taking the top spot on the podium, only managed 7th in the final Leg to finish the event as the top Xray in 4th overall.  Holding up local honours Steen Graversen had superb drive in A-Main no.3 which saw him snatch second from Andersson on the last lap. Overall the former DHI Cup podium finisher took 5th with Corally’s Marc Fisher completing the Top 6.

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In Pro Stock the third A Main saw the two contenders clash on the second lap.  Top Qualifier Alexander Stocker had a problem with his car running wide with defending Champion Tommy Bergfeldt taking the opportunity to run down the German’s inside but they touched and both fell back down the order.  This left Henry Salmen and Yukijiro Umino to battle it out up front with the Japanese driver’s Yokomo ending up with the victory.  Bergfeldt came from last to third while Stocker limped around to finish ninth but with both drivers having a win and a second each, the 2010 Champion had to be decided on race times. Stocker, for whom this was his first time to contest the DHI Cup, got it as his victory in the opening leg was 5-seconds fastest than that of his fellow Hot Bodies driver’s Leg 2 win.

So the 10th Anniversary of the DHI Cup didn’t disappoint with the A-Mains producing some thrilling racing.  We would like to thank our sponsors Yokomo and LRP for making our coverage of this year’s event possible and commend Kim Bendiksen for having the vision to create this great event 10 years ago.

Modified Overall results
1. Ronald Völker – 2pts (Yokomo/LRP)
2. Christer Andersson – 3pts (Associated/LRP)
3. Marc Rheinard – 6pts (Tamiya/Speedpassion)
4. Teemu Leino – 7pts (Xray/Team Orion)
5. Steen Graversen – 8pts (Tamiya/Team Orion)
6. Marc Fischer – 8pts (Corally/GM)
7. Martin Hudy – 13pts (Xray/LRP)
8. Yannic Pruemper – 13pts (Tamiya/Speedpassion)
9. Alexander Hagberg – 13pts (Xray/LRP)
10. Freddy Südhoff – 16pts (Xray/LRP)

Pro Stock Overall results
1. Alexander Stocker – 3pts (Hot Bodies)
2. Tommy Bergfeldt – 3pts (Hot Bodies)
3. Yukijiro Umino – 4pts (Yokomo)
4. Henry Salmén – 6pts (Tamiya)
5. Tony Streit – 9pts (Hot Bodies)
6. Ola Westholm – 9pts (TOP)
7. Thomas Larsen – 10pts (Tamiya)
8. Carsten Madsen – 13pts (Tamiya)
9. Daniel Horn – 13pts (Xray)
10.Bastian Hennig – 14pts (Xray)

View our event image gallery here.

January 10, 2010

Andersson gets job done in Leg 2

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Having thrown away an almost certain win in the opening A-Main, Christer Andersson got the job done leading from start to finish in Leg 2.  The Top Qualifier faced stronger pressure from the No.2 starter this time round with the two clashing a minute in a half into the race with Volker coming off the worse. Dropping to third the Yokomo driver got back up to second and closed again on the leading Associated but with 1:30 left on the clock he rolled coming on to the straight ending his challenge for the win. Driving his own race and sticking to his racing line Andersson then came under pressure from fellow Finn Teemu Leino but the Xray couldn’t find a way past.  Tamiya’s Marc Rheinard who finished the opening leg literally stuck to Andersson, again finished third but over 2 second adrift of the leader and as a result will not retain his DHI Cup title.

Having failed to finish the opening leg Corally’s Marc Fisher took fourth ahead of Leg 1 winner Volker with the fastest man on the track Yannic Pruemper completing the Top 6.  The  result of the second A-Main means just three drivers, Andersson, Leino, and Volker are left in with a chance to win the 10th Anniversary DHI Cup, the two Finns chasing their first win at the prestigious Danish race.

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In Pro Stock defending champion Tommy Bergfeldt ensured the title would be decided in the last Leg by taking the win ahead of Top Qualifier & Leg 1 winner Alexander Stocker.  Bergfeldt said his car had understeer this time round but his fellow Hot Bodies driver also had a less then perfect car.  A bad diff made the car difficult to drive for the German who challenged Bergfeldt a number of times only to be caught out his snappy handling car.  Having only last 2 laps in the opening final Yokomo’s Yukijiro Umino completed the Top 3.

Modified A-main Leg 2 results
1. Christer Andersson – 20 Laps in 5:06.499
2. Teemu Leino – 20 Laps in 5:06.908
3. Marc Rheinard – 20 Laps in 5:09.150
4. Marc Fischer – 20 Laps in 5:11.063
5. Ronald Völker – 20 Laps in 5:11.314
6. Steen Graversen – 20 Laps in 5:18.542
7. Alexander Hagberg – 19 Laps in 4:57.993
8. Yannic Pruemper – 19 Laps in 5:00.177
9. Martin Hudy – 7 Laps in 1:47.444
10.Freddy Südhoff – 3 Laps in 0:39.256

Pro Stock A-main Leg 2 results
1. Tommy Bergfeldt – 19 Laps in 5:09.539
2. Alexander Stocker – 19 Laps in 5:11.070
3. Yukijiro Umino – 18 Laps in 5:04.443
4. Ola Westholm – 18 Laps in 5:04.630
5. Henry Salmén – 18 Laps in 5:05.036
6. Tony Streit – 18 Laps in 5:08.809
7. Bastian Hennig – 18 Laps in 5:11.382
8. Carsten Madsen – 18 Laps in 5:16.843
9. Thomas Larsen – 17 Laps in 5:06.085
10.Daniel Horn – 17 Laps in 5:13.137

View our event image gallery here.

January 10, 2010

Volker takes first A-Main

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Team Yokomo’s Ronald Volker has taken victory in A-Main Leg 1 here at the 10th Anniversary DHI Cup after a thrilling climax to the opening race.  Initially it looked as though Top Qualifier Christer Andersson was checking out and that the big battle of the race would be for second but in the final minute the Associated driver caught a dot flipping his TC5.  This allowed Volker to take the lead as the No.1 car resumed in second spot just in front of defending champion Marc Rheinard.  Nothing separated the trio as Andersson challenged for the lead and defended from Rheinard at the same time.  In the end Volker held his nerve to take the win with the Top Qualifier taking second as he and Rheinard touched crossing the finish line. Coming from last on the grid Martin Hudy took fourth just ahead of Xray team-mate Leino.

Volker said the race was how he expected with the top four cars very closely matched on pace, Teemu Leino having also been part of the battle until he rolled his Xray. The German said the technical design of the track made it difficult to pass but he was very happy to open his account with a win. Andersson said he gave away the race but plans to look forward for the second leg.  Having pulled a comfortable gap the 18-year-old said he saw Volker was closing and reacted by pushing too hard resulting in his costly mistake.  Rheinard said the race was OK but thinks winning from 3rd is going to difficult unless someone in front crashes.

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In Pro Stock Alexander Stocker converted his pole position start in to a light to flag victory but he was made work very hard for it by defending champion Tommy Bergfeldt.  Having decided to start with a fresh set of LRP CPX tyres, Stocker said his Cyclone was loose for the opening few laps as the new rubber bedded in and only for an error by Bergfeldt he was struggling to hold the lead.  Dropping back almost 2 seconds after missing his apexes just before the main straight, the Swede stormed back with his Red Bull sponsored Hot Bodies closing the gap down to just 5/10th by the finish.  A great race from Tony Streit saw him come from starting last on the grid to finish third.

Modified A-main Leg 1 results
1. Ronald Völker – 20 Laps in 5:09.119
2. Christer Andersson – 20 Laps in 5:09.771
3. Marc Rheinard – 20 Laps in 5:09.802
4. Martin Hudy – 20 Laps in 5:13.308
5. Teemu Leino – 20 Laps in 5:13.720
6. Steen Graversen – 20 Laps in 5:14.173
7. Alexander Hagberg – 20 Laps in 5:14.429
8. Freddy Südhoff – 20 Laps in 5:15.654
9. Yannic Pruemper – 20 Laps in 5:16.376
10.Marc Fischer – 14 Laps in 3:43.580

>Pro Stock A-main Leg 1 results
1. Alexander Stocker – 19 Laps in 5:07.217
2. Tommy Bergfeldt – 19 Laps in 5:07.798
3. Tony Streit – 19 Laps in 5:14.543
4. Henry Salmén – 18 Laps in 5:02.393
5. Ola Westholm – 18 Laps in 5:03.099
6. Thomas Larsen – 18 Laps in 5:08.877
7. Daniel Horn – 18 Laps in 5:10.222
8. Bastian Hennig – 18 Laps in 5:10.625
9. Carsten Madsen – 18 Laps in 5:14.299
10.Yukijiro Umino – 2 Laps in 0:26.930

View our event image gallery here.

January 10, 2010

New in the Pits – Part 2

New in the Pits - Part 2

Seen for the first time in International competition, this pre-production version of the all new Kyosho Touring car is being raced at this year’s DHI Cup by European Championship finalist Christopher Krapp, who tells us that the new car is much better balanced for use with LiPos. Developed by Shin Adachi, it features bigger bore shocks, which are also longer, new shock towers front and rear, new rear hubs, new stabilizer points front and rear and a higher top deck for accommodating LiPo packs, such as the latest Team Orion version installed in his car. The motor mount is also new and brings the motor 1mm closer to the centre line for better weight distribution.

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A creative feature of this new car is the drive shaft system, which utilises a cluster of balls to connect the diff or spool to the CVD drive shaft. Due to grooves in the spool or diff drive cup, power delivery remains the same, however it’s when the suspension is under load that this system comes into its own. Conventional drive pin systems have a tendency to bind the suspension and so oil or grease is used, but it never provides truly smooth shaft travel. Thanks to the use of balls, this system glides in and out, even when under load, meaning no binding and better suspension operation.

Christopher tells us that the belt configuration of the new car is still being tested and that he uses the tradition belt layout, but that in Japan they are still doing back to back tests with the belts switched from left to right which allows the electrics to be mounted closer to the centre line of the car.

New in the Pits - Part 2

After extensive testing by former European Champion Jonas Kaerup, local company RGP have released a new diff grease here at the DHI Cup. The high quality silicone grease, which is extremely resistant to heat, is being used by a number of the top drivers here including Marc Rheinard, Viktor Wilck, Yannic Prumper and Steen Graversen because of it makes for a very smooth differential action. Available in 11 or 30 gram tubs.

View our event image gallery here.

January 9, 2010

Andersson on pole for 10th Anniversary DHI Cup

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Having just signed a new contract with Team Associated last week Finnish star Christer Andersson has opened his new term with the American company in the best way possible by claiming the Top Qualifier spot at the opening international touring car race of 2010, the 10th Anniversary DHI Cup.  The 18-year-old claimed his third consecutive international pole position start when he backed up his Q2 and Q4 TQ runs with second in the final qualifier behind Ronald Volker.  His third time to qualify for the A-Main of the prestigious Danish event, Andersson said he is really pleased with the result which he sees as just reward for the hours of development work he has put into the TC5 over the past 12 months.  Having achieved a best result of seventh here last year he says he is pretty confident about his prospects for tomorrow’s finals as his retires for the night knowing he is the fastest man around this technical track over five minutes thanks to his Q4 run.

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Having improved his pace with each outing today, Team Yokomo’s Ronald Volker ended the day on a high by topping the final round of qualifying.  The result will see the German line-up second on the grid and considering how the day started out he said he is very happy with the result and encouraged by the progress his team made today in getting a good set-up on his LRP powered BD5.  The 2007 Winner admitted that in the later stages of Q5 Andersson was faster but says he is still confident that he can challenge for Yokomo’s first DHI Cup win tomorrow.

Despite managing only 11th in the last qualifier defending champion Marc Rheinard will start third on the grid, but the German doesn’t appear overly confident about becoming the first driver to stand on the top step of the DHI Cup podium three times.  Making it four different manufacturers at the sharp end of the grid Teemu Leino, who TQ’d the opening round, will line up fourth for Team Xray followed by local hope Steen Graversen and Yannick Prumper.  One man to watch tomorrow is ‘Fast’ Freddy Südhoff who set another fastest lap in the last qualifier with a 15.702.  The German starts eight just behind last years Top Qualifier Alexander Hagberg. Completing the grid is factory Corally driver Marc Fisher and Xray’s Martin Hudy.

A number of big name drivers didn’t have a good day in the office and will find themselves unusually low down the field.  In contrast to their team-mates Associated’s Juho Levanen, a former winner of the event, will start sixth on the grid in the B Main two places ahead of another former winner Viktor Wilck.  Factory Hot Bodies driver and former World Champion Andy Moore finds himself in the C Main along with current 1:12 World Champion Naoto Matsukura.

Modified overall qualifying results
1. Christer Andersson – 4pts (Associated/LRP)
2. Ronald Völker – 5pts (Yokomo/LRP)
3. Marc Rheinard – 5pts (Tamiya/Speedpassion)
4. Teemu Leino – 7pts (Xray/Team Orion)
5. Steen Graversen – 12pts (Tamiya/Team Orion)
6. Yannic Pruemper – 15pts (Tamiya/Speedpassion)
7. Alexander Hagberg – 16pts (Xray/LRP)
8. Freddy Südhoff – 18pts (Xray/LRP)
9. Marc Fischer – 24pts (Corally/GM)
10.Martin Hudy – 27pts (Xray/LRP)

View the full Modified qualifying standings here.

Pro Stock overall qualifying results
1. Alexander Stocker – 3pts (Hot Bodies)
2. Tommy Bergfeldt – 5pts (Hot Bodies)
3. Henry Salmén – 9pts (Tamiya)
4. Thomas Larsen – 10pts (Tamiya)
5. Yukijiro Umino – 13pts (Yokomo)
6. Ola Westholm – 15pts (TOP)
7. Carsten Madsen – 15pts (Tamiya)
8. Daniel Horn – 19pts (Xray)
9. Bastian Hennig – 23pts (Xray)
10.Tony Streit – 24pts (Hot Bodies)

View the full Pro Stock qualifying standings here.

View our event image gallery here.

January 9, 2010

Another TQ run for Andersson

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Christer Andersson bounced back from a disappointing Q3 to TQ the penultimate round of qualifying here at the 10th Anniversary DHI Cup.  Ending up only seventh fastest in the third round due to a number of driver errors, the young Finnish talent came back with the perfect run to record 19 laps in 5:03.743 finishing 1.5 seconds ahead of Ronald Volker.  The Associated/LRP driver has run the same set-up for the last three outings and plans to stick with it for the final heat which will decide who is the 2010 Top Qualifier. Unfortunately for Alexander Hagberg he wont be repeating his 2009 feat after putting in his worst round which netted a lowly 11th.

Completing the Top 3 Marc Rheinard said he is still struggling for speed and needs to find around 3/10th of a second but things are a lot worse for his TRF team-mate Viktor Wilck.  The 2008 Champion is currently set to make the C final and even revert to a new car for Q4 but he spent most of the run on his roof.  Yannic Pruemper enjoyed his best placing with fourth followed by Steen Graversen while factory Corally team driver Marc Fischer, whose weekend got off to a bad start when his race equipment was lost by his airline, finally claimed a Top 6 run.

The big surprise of the round was German’s Freddy Sudhoff who looked on target to set the pace until he rolled his Xray on the very last lap. ‘I am an idiot, it was a stupid mistake’, was how he summed up the costly error.  The reigning  European 200mm B Champion said his sudden rise to the front end of the time sheets was a result of reducing the timing of his tyre additive.  This gave more steering on his T3 allowing him to post a new fastest lap of 15.690 around the technical track here in the Odense Congress Center.

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In Pro Stock defending champion Tommy Bergfeldt gave his all to try and force the battle for the 2010 Top Qualifier honours to go to the fifth & final round but Alexander Stocker just had the edge to top the time sheets and claim pole for tomorrow’s finals.  The German, used to having Pro Stock all his own way normally, said he expects to have to work very hard tomorrow to keep Bergfeldt behind.  Once again Henry Salmen was third at the controls of his Tamiya with TOP driver Ola Westholm enjoying his best run of the day setting the fourth fastest time.

View our event image gallery here.