Volker takes first Qualifier
Yokomo team driver Ronald Volker (17/5:17.928) has TQ’d the opening qualifier here in Luxembourg after an extremely close first round. The 2008 Top Qualifier took the round on the final lap after pace setter for most of the run Viktor Wilck dumped on his 17th lap. Volker said his LRP powered BD5 suffered with understeer at the beginning but got easier to driver as the run progressed.
Second fastest was Jilles Groskamp (17/5:18.193) who described Round 1 as ‘maximum close’. The Dutch ace admitted he was forced to push a lot harder than expected but declared he very happy to have had plenty of run time left. Finding his Tamiya got a little loose a number of times, the Euro Touring Series Champion was overall very happy with the run and said the battle for 2009 TQ honours was going to be a ‘Ronald versus Tamiya’ fight.
Finishing only a 1/10th of second behind Groskamp was defending Champion Marc Rheinard (17/5:18.300). The current World Champion felt he had a faster car than Volker at the beginning of the run but was struggling a little with traction near the end, something he put down to the warmer track conditions. Claiming fourth for the round despite failing to complete the full 5 minutes, Wilck said his car had a lot of understeer and he believes this is why he failed to make the distance. The Swede who switched to a Speed 6 body for the opening heat will revert back to the LTC-R as he searches for a set-up between the loose car he had this morning in practice and the understeer suffered in the opening qualifier.
2006 European Champion Andy Moore was very happy to take fifth for the round with his Team Orion powered Hot Bodies. The former World Champion said his Cyclone TC is working a lot better but he plans to make changes to the shocks for the second qualifier when conditions should be a lot cooler. Finishing behind the Englishman was up and coming German talent Yannic Pruemper despite his Speed Passion powered Tamiya dumping on the last lap. Pruemper’s mechanic Toni Rheinard said the car is very good but they must find a solution to the run time however is confident now that an A Main position is possible for his young protege.
Heading the Kyosho challenge was team driver Steen Graverson. The Dane was another driver to dump on the last lap but overall he was much happier with his Stallion chassis, something he put down to a fresh set of LRP control tyres. Regarding the run time shortfall, Graverson believes a fresh set of Team Orion batteries should do the trick. Next up was Xray factory driver Teemu Leino despite spinning his T2 009 360 degrees during the run. Setting the eight fastest time the former Champion, who has been more focused this year on 1:8 Off Road racing, said things are getting better with each outing as he starts to get back into the rhythm of electric touring car driving and with a few small changes to his set-up he is hoping for further improvements in his pace. Completing the Top 10 was French Tamiya driver Loic Jasmin and Corally team leader Marc Fisher.
View our event image gallery here.