2010 Touring Car Worlds is GO
Day one of the 2010 IFMAR Touring Car World Championships is underway with 6 rounds of practice on the schedule here in Burgdorf, Germany. The first thing that stands out is how small the track is but all the top drivers have given the layout a big thumbs up. 9 of the 10 Finalists from Thailand are here but only 8 are competing with r/c legend and 2008 podium finisher Masami Hirosaka here only in a supporting role for Team Yokomo.
Marc Rheinard is the defending champion and appears pretty relaxed as he looks to claim his third World title for Tamiya. Although its his home country, the German said he has little racing experience at this track his last race here being back in 2004. With IFMAR rules stating the track layout must be 60% changed for the actual running of the World Championships today is the first time the drivers have driven the track in the correct anti-clockwise direction. Having missed the Warm-up race to compete in the Reedy Race in the US, Rheinard completed a week of testing here in preparation for the event albeit driving it clockwise. Tamiya have a strong line-up here which includes no less than four of the 2008 Finalists with Viktor Wilck, Jilles Groskamp and Elliot Harper joining the World Champion. Harper burst on to the Touring Car scene in Bangkok making the final on his Worlds debut and finishing a very impressive 5th overall. Driving with Xray on that occasion, the young English driver switched to Tamiya this year and has just started to find form with his new team taking his first win for them in his home National championship three weeks ago. Groskamp, who differs slightly from his TRF team-mates in that he runs Team Orion rather than Speed Passion electrics, had a good start to his week here finishing Runner-Up in the 1:12 Worlds and the European TC Champion is positive about the three days ahead.
Runner-up in Bangkok Ronald Volker heads Team Yokomo and has already shown good form here taking TQ honours at the Warm-up race back in May. Another 2008 finalist in the Yokomo line-up is Hayato Matsuzaki who was closest to Volker in qualifying for the Warm-up. The 2007 IFMAR 1:10 2WD Off Road World Champion said he really likes the track and additional testing since the Warm-up went really well. As seen at the 1:12 Worlds, which saw Naoto Matsukura successfully defend his World title using Yokomo’s new R12 chassis, the Japanese manufacturers preparations for this event are very professional with each driver having there own dedicated mechanic with team manager Robert Itoh keeping a watchful eye over the whole operation.
Once again all four previous Touring Car World Champions are here. Hot Bodies are armed with two of those in Atsushi Hara and Andy Moore. Last time round Hara was Top Qualifier but ended up with a less than deserved fourth place finish and he is determined to put that huge disappointment behind him. Running the new TCX chassis, the Japanese ace feels the competition here will be stronger than in Thailand where Rheinard was the only driver who could match him in actually race pace. Hara, who has been running a number of different speedos, is running LRP here put pointed out that he has no deal with the German company. In the battery department he has a new one race deal with Reedy.
Xray were classified as the winners of the Warm-up after Alexander Hagberg was the only driver to run the final due to the wet conditions but the Slovak company have a very strong contender in Paul Lemieux. The American has done all his pre-Worlds preparations for the event at NorCal Hobbies Raceway and after getting his first taste of the Burgdorf track in the opening practice run this morning said the tracks feel very similar. Lemieux missed the Warm-up race winning instead the Reedy Race held at the San Francisco track on the same weekend finishing ahead of none other than Juho Levanen and World Champion Rheinard. Joining him at Xray this year is 2002 World Champion Surikan C.
There is a big buzz in the Team Associated pits as they debut their new TC6 here. Five of the new chassis have been prepared by chief designer Bob Stellflue and will be used by Levanen, Christer Andersson, Keven Hebert, Rick Hohwart and Olly Jefferies. Levanen has only run a few batteries with the new car back home but said it was immediately quicker. Running a lot of the same suspension parts as the TC5 the experienced Finnish driver said set-up adjustments have carried across from the older car. 22-year-old Canadian Hebert, who made the 1:12 Final at his first World’s attempt on Tuesday, has run four batteries with the TC6 and backs up Levanen’s confidence of a good performance here for the team.
Kyosho will be hopeful of a good showing with their new TF6 touring car and have a new LiPo chassis for the event. Shin Adachi, who is responsible for the development of the car, is joined by fast young German Christopher Krapp who is being tipped by many to show really strongly here on a track he knows very well.
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