Volker sets practice pace in France

France is the venue for 12th running of the Electric Touring Car European Championships with the small town of Aniche in the northern tip of the country.  The third time that France has hosted the EFRA organised championship, only 106 drivers have made the trip but among those are 8 of last years Euro finalists and 7 of the finalists from last month’s World Championships in Burgdorf, Germany.

For defending Champion Jilles Groskamp yesterday’s practice was his first time to sample the track as his participation on the Nitro Touring Car World Championships in Texas meant he was unable to fit in any pre-event testing.  The Dutch ace, who is suffering with a head cold since returning from the US, said considering his lack of mileage on the very technical track he is pretty happy with his practice pace, which is based on each drivers best five consecutive laps, ending up fourth fastest.

Setting the pace over the 6 rounds of controlled practice is the last man to win a European title on French soil Ronald Volker.  The 2007 Champion, who did 2 days testing here last week, said while the track layout is quite difficult he actually likes it. With Team Yokomo’s R&D man Yukijiro Umino engineering his LRP powered BD5, the German ace said he is very happy with how his Yokomo is working saying it is easy to drive and still capable of fast lap times.  Although he struggled with the gear diff Yokomo introduced for the World Championship he is back running it here having got to terms with the change of feeling it gives.  The Top Qualifier from at the 2008 Euros in Spain he will be hoping to carry his practice form into the first of today’s two qualifiers.

Volker’s team-mate and defending European Junior Champion Yannic Prumper also likes the track layout but the 16-year-old said the curbing gives little room for error saying ‘if you make a mistake your car is going to end up in the next country’.  The 16-year-old German struggled yesterday but in the final controlled practice managed to set the 6th fastest time and he is now more confident that he can repeat his 2009 result when he finished 6th in the Main final.  Yokomo also have the Top Qualifier from the last French Euros in Steven Weiss but the German said while his BD5 feels really good his lap times are well off the pace.

For World Champion Marc Rheinard yesterday was his first time on the narrow track due to his busy race program which saw him finish on the podium in Texas last weekend. The German was far from complimentary about the track and ends practice with the 7th fastest time.  His team-mate Viktor Wilck, who tested here last week along with Elliot Harper, was best of the Tamiya team with the second fastest time.  The Swede said its going to be a though event as mistakes are very costly around the track due to the curbing and lack of run off area.  The Speed Passion driver said Yokomo have found something that is giving them a big advantage and believes they must also make a big discovery if they want to be able to mount any sort of challenge to Volker.  Still on a high from his podium finish at the World Championships, 17-year-old Harper is happy with his car despite the big gap to Volker.  The TRF driver said the number of corners make the track hard but unlike his team-mates he doesn’t find it too bad, getting more and more used to it with each outing. Another of last year’s finalists running Tamiya, Steen Graversen has taken time out from r/c since the Worlds and while the Dane says he feels really fresh he is struggling for pace at the moment.

Heading the Hot Bodies challenge is 2006 European Champion Andy Moore.  Fifth fastest in practice the British ace was happy with how his new TCX chassis, which went on general sale last week, has been working.  The former World Champion is debuting his own LiPo battery here in Agile which is the first in a range of products he will launch under the Moorespeed brand which he has taken full control of himself.  Pitting alongside Moore is new team-mate Freddy Südhoff.  The German, who outpaced both Moore and Atsushi Hara on his Hot Bodies debut at the Worlds, said due to the bumps on the track you have to be very careful with choosing your lines but he is enjoying working alongside Moore.

Not the freshest looking team in the paddock having just claimed their first ever World title in Texas last week, Xray will be counting on Alexander Hagberg and Teemu Leino for success this weekend.  The Slovak team didn’t get to test here due to their busy summer racing schedule and their drivers are having to re-adjust their driving from nitro to electric.  A finalist last year, Hagberg said practice has been difficult due to his lack of track knowledge but if it rains tomorrow, as is being forecast, things could be a lot more interesting.  Former European Champion Leino said he could have done with a Satnav fitted to his Team Orion powered T3 for the opening practice.

In the Associated camp former two time European Champion Juho Levanen said he is getting faster with each run on the track having not tested here prior to the event.  The Finn, who travelled to England last week to join team-mate Olly Jefferies for testing at the Cotswold track as part of the development program for the new TC6, said he has focused on driving yesterday rather than car set-up.  One concern for the Associated team is that running a prototype car on a track that gives little room for error they have to be careful as spare parts are limited. Jefferies said he thinks they still have to find the right additive and plans to try Xenon’s offering once the owner of the Japanese company, Terutaka Hanaumi, arrives at the track.

Having made the final last year with his ageing Losi, Lucas Urbain will be hoping to bring local success come Sunday evening.  The star of Luxembourg, he has good knowledge of the track having raced in the French National Championship rounds that have been held here for the past two years.  Urbain said in yesterday’s practice the traction levels were already higher than at the end of a French National.  Happy with his car he said his driving has so far been far from perfect.  One noticeable absentee from the event is factory Kyosho driver and fourth place finisher at the Worlds Christopher Krapp who due to starting a new job was unable to get time off to attend.

Currently the opening ceremony is underway which will be followed by the first of the six scheduled rounds of qualifying.  Four of those rounds are scheduled for tomorrow when the weather is giving rain so in the pits drivers are busy preparing their wet cars.

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