Matsukura tops Q3
It was very much a Japanese affair in the third round of qualifying at the Touring Car World Championship as newly crowned 3-time 1:12 World Champion Naoto Matsukura set the pace ahead of Yokomo team-mate Hayato Matsuzaki and Team HB’s Atsushi Hara. The top five times for the round were set using new tyres with Q1 & 2 pace setter Ronald Volker the best of the drivers using old tyres, the German setting the sixth fastest time.
The first driver to have held the Touring Car World title, Hara’s run suffered a bad last lap. Suffering from a magnetic problem in his motor which reduced his braking power he said Matsukura was very fast and that made him push a little to hard to try keep pace with him and he messed up when he tried to carry too much speed through the sweeper. Behind the Japanese ace and one place ahead of 2006 World Champion Andy Moore, Yannic Prumper was top European setting the fourth fastest time despite two mistakes. Having in fact used his second set of allocated tyres in Q2, the German used his 5-lap old Q1 tyres in the third round.
Putting on his remaining set of new tyres Viktor Wilck was on target to TQ the round but cut a corner too much in the infield which send his Thunder Power equipped Tamiya on to it roof and sliding into the grass. Needing to be marshaled the Swede lost 4.5 seconds and ended up a frustrated 7th one spot ahead of team-mate Jilles Groskamp. Groskamp, along with defending champion Marc Rheinard are the only two potential contenders for the 7th Touring Car World title who have new tyres left and so should feature strongly when they do opt to run them. Rheinard, who was only 17th for the round, said on the third run with the same tyres the car is just loose everywhere and while he still has the chance of a TQ run due to having new tyres he believes should the finals go to the third leg it is going to be very difficult to actually race.
Winner of the Pre Worlds race at the MACH, American Team Xray driver Paul Lemieux said he is happy with his pace despite sitting 11th currently in the ranking list. Due to the tyre games being played he said things look a little worse than they are, but still to use his second set of tyres he is confident he is in with a chance of making the main event but he added that he is out of it in terms of going for the win.
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