Rheinard tops 2nd Qualifier

Defending champion Marc Rheinard has TQ’d the second qualifier here at the Electric Touring Car Worlds bettering the pace set by his Tamiya team-mate Jilles Groskamp in the opening round.  The German took the round from Xray’s Paul Lemieux with Groskamp running the third fastest time.

Rheinard described his car as ‘way better’ after small set-up changes made it more consistent but their car is normally better suited to hot conditions anyway.  The German said the team’s main focus is the starting order of the heats to ensure the Tamiya drivers can get a clear track for the opening laps when the tyres are at their best.  The second qualifier felt more like a final as the drivers became bunched up and we witnessed a lot of jostling for track position.   Groskamp, who started the heat first, said he made a mistake trying to let Rheinard through as Lemieux was there also.  The Dutch ace was still however pleased with his top 3 run.

Lemieux, who got his Xray airborne on the last lap going as he came down the main straight, said his car is getting better with each run. The US Champion drove well for the first three minutes but said once he knew he was in with a chance of TQ’ing the round he started to get ragged at the controls of his Thunder Power RC backed T3.

Commenting on his run to the fourth fastest time Harper described his Speedpassion TRF416 as better but still lacking traction.  The British teenager, who was a Worlds Finalist last time round on his first attempt, said while fourth is good he needs more strong results but feels tyre tactics will come into play for the remaining four qualifiers.  Team-mate Viktor Wilck, Hot Bodies’ Atsushi Hara, Yokomo’s Ronald Volker and Associated’s Christer Andersson all ran 2nd run tyres but didn’t feature, Volker being the best of those running old rubber some 8 seconds off the pace.

Newly crowned back to back 1:12 World Champion Naoto Matsukara had his best run of the event setting the fifth fastest time from Yokomo team-mate Yannic Prumper.  The new found pace of the young Japanese talent came from a switchin to a gear diff in the rear of his Nosram powered BD5, something that allowed Prumper to run a top 3 time in the opening heat.  Prumper said his car didn’t feel good in the hotter conditions of the second run with understeer causing him problems.

Andy Moore was fastest of the Hot Bodies team with the seventh fastest time. The former World Champion described the run as steady despite his TCX having massive push.  The Englishman had a problem with his tyre warmers which reset to 100 degrees and said this over cooking was most like the cause of his handling issue.  Having pulled up after just 3 laps in round 1 Moore was able to use the same tyres and now still has two fresh set at his disposal.  Freddy Sudhoff made it two Hot Bodies in the Top 10, the German setting the 10th fastest time behind Austrian Tamiya driver Thomas Pumpler.

Japan’s Shin Adachi set the eight fastest time with the new TF6 while Team-mate Christopher Krapp, who was 6th fastest in the opening heat, was sidelined after stripping a spur gear.

Top 10 Qualifying times for Round 2
1. Marc Rheinard (Tamiya TRF416) – 24/5:04.712
2. Paul Lemieux (Xray T3) – 24/5:05.820
3. Jilles Groskamp (Tamiya TRF416) – 24/5:07.013
4. Elliot Harper (Tamiya TRF416) – 24/5:07.947
5. Naoto Matsukara (Yokomo BD5) – 24/5:08.963
6. Yannic Pruemper (Yokomo BD5) – 24/5:09.090
7. Andy Moore (Hot Bodies TCX) – 24/5:10.393
8. Shin Adachi (Kyosho TF6) – 24/5:11.232
9. Thomas Pumpler (Tamiya TRF416) – 24/5:12.125
10.Freddy Sudhoff (Hot Bodies TCX) – 24/5:12.603

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