Rheinard is World Champion
Marc Rheinard is the 2010 IFMAR Electric Touring Car World Champion successfully defending his title with another easy win in the second A-Main here in Burgdorf, Germany. The 2004 & 2008 Champion led from start to finish to wrap up his third title as the chasing pack once again took each other out.
The German said while the win had come easy on the day, a lot of hard work had gone to prepare for the event. Touring Cars most successful driver who has won all his three World titles driving for Tamiya said he wanted to thank all the Tamiya team in particular his team-mates and Speed Passion for their support. Rheinard said he felt really bad for Jilles Groskamp saying the Dutch ace never has any luck.
With his challenge in Leg 1 ending on the opening lap, things did not get any better for Groskamp in Leg 2. On Lap 4 his Orion powered Tamiya got tagged by the Xray of Alexander Hagberg leading to an incident that Elliot Harper, Christopher Krapp and Ronald Volker would get caught up in.
Coming from last on the grid to finish second in Leg 2 Hayato Matsuzaki believes he can repeat the performance again. The former 2WD buggy World Champion said his factory Yokomo is working really well after he changed from an LTC-R to a Speed 6 shell. The Japanese driver said his Nosram powered BD5 is now much easier to drive and Rheinard sitting out the last Leg of the final he feels he has a chance of winning, which would secure him 2nd on the podium.
Matsuzaki’s team-mate Yannic Pruemper is less confident he can repeat his third place finish saying he was very lucky. Starting 9th on the grid, the newest recruit to the Yokomo team said his Speed Passion powered BD5 had very bad understeer and unless we have another crazy race he doesn’t have the pace for a podium finish.
Setting the fastest lap of the Leg, American Champion Paul Lemieux managed to fight his way back to fourth after he had to serve a Stop & Go penalty for hitting TRF’s Viktor Wilck. The Xray driver said the penalty was deserved as he ran into the back of the Swede.
Second in the opening leg, Elliot Harper said he ‘almost made it through’ the carnage of the lap 4 incident. The young British Tamiya driver just got tagged by Groskamp’s airborne car but the contact bent the front drive shaft on his Speed Passion powered TRF416 into the shape of a banana causing the car to understeer. Holding on to finish fifth, Harper is confident he can still finish on the podium as he starts ahead of both Matsuzaki and Pruemper. Mathematically 8 drivers can still finish runner up here with the unlucky Groskamp the only driver who cant do it.
Result A-Main Leg 2
1. Marc Rheinard (Tamiya TRF416) – 23/5:00.664
2. Hayato Matsuzaki (Yokomo BD5) – 23/5:02.529
3. Yannic Pruemper (Yokomo BD5) – 23/5:03.912
4. Paul Lemieux (Xray T3) – 23/5:04.120
5. Elliott Harper (Tamiya TRF416) – 23/5:05.357
6. Ronald Völker (Yokomo BD5) – 23/5:05.580
7. Christopher Krapp (Kyosho TF6) – 23/5:05.638
8. Jilles Groskamp (Tamiya TRF416) – 23/5:06.148
9. Viktor Wilck (Tamiya TRF416) – 23/5:09.893
10.Alexander Hagberg (Xray T3) – 23/5:10.704
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