Lower finals complete, 38 remain
The lower finals of the 2010 World Championships have been run today and the six drivers who will progress to the big day here in Houston, Texas, have been decided. Ending the day with the 1/8 Finals, two big names to see their event come to an end are 2006 World Champion Keisuke Fukuda and 2008 Finalist Teemu Leino. Winning the first of the 20 minute 1/8 finals was young Serpent driver Takumi Matsuda. The rapid 14-year-old Japanese kid won from Jerome Renaux who in yesterday’s final qualifier secured himself a direct placing in the final only to have his time disallowed when his Xray was found to be under weight. There was big drama in the final minute of the race when Leino hit a backmarker who had spun out at the end of the straight. With the Finn’s NT1 damaged and practically undriveable, the factory Xray driver made a valiant effort to get the broken car to the finish line but former World Champion Adrien Bertin found a way passed on the last to take the last bump up place to progress to tomorrow’s 1/4 final.
In the other 1/8 Final, Norwegian Adrian Bernsten was in a class of his own lapping the entire field taking his Xray through to tomorrow. Behind him Austrian Gerhard Kandlehart took second while Chinese youngster JJ Wang claimed 3rd despite massive pressure from Australia’s Steven Jovanovic who ran out of fuel 2 corners before the finish. This is Wang’s second bump up having progressed from the earlier 1/16 final in which he also finished 3rd. The winner of that final was Team Shepherd owner Patrick Schaefer but his 1/8 final lasted just three laps when his car was hit from the rear. Others to see their World Championship campaign end today was Xray’s Juraj Hudy, who went out in the 1/16, engine tuner Uriah Murnan who retired just after the half way distance of his 1/8 final and British Champion Kyle Branson whose his Serpent stripped 1st gear with just 2 and a half minutes to go.
The final day of the fourth running of the IFMAR 200mm Touring Car Worlds is almost upon us and 38 drivers remain in with a chance of glory. Our coverage, which is supported by Matrix tires, Team Titan and Red Racing engines, will continue in the morning with 1/4 finals getting the proceedings underway at 10:00.
View our event image gallery here.