Volker bags another Round TQ
He is the defending champion and he is proving he is still at top of his game taking yet another round TQ here at the 2008 Euros. Ronald Volker and his Hot Bodies have just notched up their third qualifier victory and one can only presume the German would be holding four wins from the four heats run so far if it were not for a stripped belt in Heat 2 yesterday.
Volker once again complained of his car being very loose at the start of the heat. The problem was bad enough that he had to let his only overall TQ challenger Viktor Wilck through early on in the run. Once the opening minute was completed the LRP team driver’s Cyclone TC improved but it would appear that the early handling problems aren’t effecting his overall performance too much.
Again finishing second to Volker, Marc Rheinard has made further progress with his Tamiya. Running harder oil in his shocks he said the car is better in the middle part of the race but now they need to find an in between setting so as to improve the TRF416 for the beginning and the end of the run. Rheinard had been in a very close fight for the heat win for much of the heat with Andy Moore but both fell off the pace in the last few laps.
Viktor Wilck, the only driver left who can deny Volker the TQ, was also on for a possible fastest time but believes he overheated his tyres. While he says it will be difficult to beat Volker’s fastest TQ run due to the warmer track conditions he will definitely try. The Swede hopes less time in the tyre warmers will mean his tyres last the distance in the final qualifier.
Andy Moore, who again recorded the fastest lap for the round, continues to be at a loose end as to why his Hot Bodies is dropping off the pace by 3/10th a lap over the last four laps. The British ace said he has no corner speed over the last minute and has no idea why. Still thinking of what he can do to cure the problem, the World Champion looks set to try big changes for the final heat and the morning’s Final practice in his quest to get what is a very fast car for four minutes to work right through the full 5 minutes.
Corally’s main man Marc Fisher was fifth for the round with Hupo Honigl making it four Tamiya’s in the Top 6 after recording the sixth fastest time. In the overall ranking with one round of qualifying remaining Volker holds the pole from Wilck, with Rheinard, Moore, Groskamp, Fisher, Hagberg, Leino, Weiss and Honigl holding A Main positions. Unfortunately for Euro Warm Up race winner Elliot Harper he is in probably the most dreaded position, P11.
Top 10 after Round 4 (2 of 5 counting)
1. Ronald Volker (DE) [Hot Bodies] – 2pts
2. Vikor Wilck (SE) [Tamiya] – 3pts
3. Marc Rheinard (DE) [Tamiya] – 4pts
4. Andy Moore (GB) [Hot Bodies] – 6pts
5. Jilles Groskamp (NL) [Tamiya] – 7pts
6. Marc Fischer (DE) [Corally] – 8pts
7. Alexander Hagberg (SE) [Xray] – 11pts
8. Teemo Leino (FI) [Xray] – 11pts
9. Steven Weiss (DE) [Xray] – 13pts
10. Hupo Honigl (AT) [Tamiya] – 15pts
Complete results can be found here.
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