Pietsch Top Qualifier with new Mugen
Mugen designer Robert Pietsch gave his latest creation the MTX-5 its first accolade by securing Top Qualifier honours at the 200mm European Championships in Ettlingen, Germany. Top Qualifier at the World Championships using the MTX-5’s predecessor, the German ace claimed his first Euros TQ with his time from yesterday’s second round of qualifying as no one could take advantage of the dry Q4 conditions to better his time. The main improvements in the final qualifier were Xray pairing Dirk Wischnewski and Eric Dankel who set the 2nd & 3rd fastest overall times respectively to demote Q1 pace setter Patrick Schäfer to fourth in the final ranking.
Delighted to put the brand new MTX-5 top in qualifying on its race debut, Pietsch used the fourth & final qualifier to test ‘super big’ tyres in preparation for tomorrow’s finals. While the car was expectedly a little harder to drive on the larger diameter foam, the 1:8 Onroad World Champion said he could not get the car to traction roll, something that was a problem with the MTX-4. Very happy with the test and the amount of tyre wear over the 7-minutes of the heat, last year’s podium finisher added that the overall feeling of the car is really good for the Semi.
Top Qualifier at the Euros for the last two years, Wischnewski said he ran a little safe and was relieved to finally complete a full run having run out of fuel in both of yesterday’s qualifiers. The 2009 Champion said his chances of securing a third consecutive TQ were lost yesterday and while happy to be on pole for the Semi B Final he really wanted to be Top Qualifier. Getting to within less than a second of the TQ time, he described his Orcan powered NT1 as ‘OK’ saying there was a little less traction than yesterday but with the glorious weather that arrived on the final day of practice set to return tomorrow he is not concerned about his set-up. Backed by Matrix tyres, the 200mm specialist said his focus for now is on calculating tyre wear so he can work out his strategy for the finals.
Dankel, who made two small mistakes in Q4, said today’s cooler conditions suited his Novarossi powered NT1 much better. Switching from a solid front axle to a diff as a test for the finals, the German National Champion said the diff was a much better option for the finals in terms of tyre wear.
Having tried in Q2 to run 5-minutes between fuelling, and failed, Schäfer again tried for the magical distance. Switching to a different Novarossi engine he said it went the distance but got too lean loosing power and over a final the risk was too high. Planning to switch back to a 4 minute 30 second engine for the finals the Team Shepherd boss said he is hoping for hotter conditions tomorrow as they suit his driving better.
The quickest non-German with the fifth fastest time was 2007 Top Qualifier Teemu Leino. The Finn, who sat 3rd overnight, tried a different set-up on his LRP powered Xray in Q4 but said it wasn’t good and plans to revert back to the set-up he used on the opening day of qualifying. Making it four Xray’s in the Top 6 local talent Simon Balk was delighted with how his Euros debut is going.
One of the best electric touring car drivers in the World, Ronald Volker was one driver who pulled off a major turn around of fortunes in the final qualifier. A newcomer to nitro racing, having only signed with Team Shepherd at the start of this year, the former electric European Champion was sitting third from last heading into his final heat after two days of off track matters he would rather forget. Taking the approach of a safe run so as to try and make the Top 14, Volker actually managed the 3rd fastest time for Q4 which moved him up 111 places to 7th overall.
The best of the Italians, former back to back Champion Dario Balestri claimed the 8th fastest time thanks to his opening qualifying run. The KM Racing driver got a Stop & Go penalty in the final qualifier for bad refuelling but said a quick time was never on the cards as a change of diff oils in his Novarossi powered H-K1 was the wrong way to go. The star of the 2009 Euros in Gubbio, fellow Italian Biagio Spataro also failed to improve his Q2 time, which included a Stop & Go penalty, saying his Xray was better in the hotter conditions and he dropped from 7th to 10th.
In between the two Italians Norwegian National Champion Adrian Berntsen improved his time in Q4 by 1 second but still dropped two positions to ninth. Unlike previous years when the Top 4 qualifiers went directly in to the Main, everyone must now secure their spot in the title deciding race by coming through from the Semi finals. The drivers completing the magical Top 14 and securing a starting place in those Semis are Giuseppe D’Angelo, Giorgio De Felici, Manuel Huber and Rico Kröber. In terms of cars Xray have secured nine of the Top 14 places with two Shepherds and one car each from Mugen, KM Racing and Capricorn.
Inaugural champions of 200mm, Serpent just missed out on the Semis with multiple British Champion Mark Green bumped out of the Top 14 by 2009 podium finisher Huber in the very last heat. Green will start pole in 1/4 A Final while former World finalist Jilles Groskamp will start at the front of the 1/4 B grid.
Our coverage of the finals, which is supported by Team Shepherd, Matrix Racing Tyres and Mugen Seiki, will start in the morning with updates from the 1/4 finals through the main event when the 9th EFRA 200mm European Champion will be crowned.
Final Top 14 Qualifiers
1. Robert Pietsch – Mugen/Novarossi – 31/7:06.232 (Q2)
2. Dirk Wischnewski – Xray/Orcan – 31/7:07.487 (Q4)
3. Eric Dankel – Xray/Novarossi – 31/7:11.365 (Q4)
4. Patrick Schäfer – Shepherd/Novarossi – 31/7:11.444 (Q1)
5. Teemu Leino – Xray/LRP – 31/7:11.708 (Q2)
6. Simon Balk – Xray/Orcan – 31/7:12.029 (Q2)
7. Ronald Völker – Shepherd/LRP – 31/7:12.085 (Q4)
8. Dario Balestri – KM Racing/Novarossi – 31/7:12.297 (Q1)
9. Adrian Berntsen – Xray/Capricorn – 31/7:12.482 (Q4)
10.Biagio Spataro – Xray/Gi-Mar – 31/7:13.131 (Q2)
11.Giuseppe Dangelo – Xray/Max – 30/7:00.411 (Q1)
12.Giorgio De Felici – Capricorn/Novarossi – 30/7:00.610 (Q1)
13.Manuel Huber – Xray/Max – 30/7:00.734 (Q4)
14.Rico Kröber – Xray/Novarossi – 30/7:00.821 (Q2)
View the full event results here.
View our event image gallery here.