Orlowski bounces back with TQ run
After two below par qualifiers yesterday, reigning champion Michal Orlowski bounced back to open Day 2 of the DHI Cup presented by LRP with a TQ run. The Schumacher driver took control of Q3 once overnight TQ holder Joern Neumann had a mistake on the opening lap and building a gap over Marc Rheinard would post a new fastest time despite an error on his final lap, the run the only 17-lap run of the morning. Missing out on his first 17-lap run by 4/10th of a second Rheinard would claim another Top 2 run over 3.5 seconds clear of former champion David Ronnefalk. Having taken last night’s second qualifier, Neumann would set the fastest lap of Q3 but with two big mistakes that required him to be marshalled he would end up with a P4 ahead of Jesper Rasmussen and Wilhelm Skjöldebrand.
‘It is good to finally TQ and I feel a bit better now for Q4’, was Orlowski’s reaction to taking the penultimate qualifier, yesterday having only netted a P13 and P5. The EOS Championship leader continued, ‘I made two changes after Q2 and the car was much easier to drive’. Describing the 3 degrees of rear toe in and softer front spring as making the car ‘slightly slower’ he added it ‘still had very good pace’. Laughing off his last lap error which thanks to some swift catching by the marshal minimised the time lost he said, ‘at the end I was driving careful’. Considering raising the rear camber link on his LRP powered KF2, he said he needs to think about it more as it may make the car harder to drive again.
Rheinard described his latest qualifier as ‘not bad’. The Yokomo driver continued, ‘I had one mistake but for sure Michal was faster’. Feeling he may not have had the best set of tyres that run, the German said, ‘I hope with a fresh set of tyres it will be better’. With two of the four qualifiers to count and having a TQ from the opening round he said, ‘I will go for the TQ’ adding if ‘Michal TQ’s that would push me back to third on the grid’. With both Neumann and Orlowski having a 17 lap run from Q2, Rheinard needs a TQ to improve on his current second on the grid.
Ronnefalk was pleased with his first Top 3 qualifier having changed his tyre prep for the round. The HB Racing driver yesterday was cutting both the inside & outside row of pins from the controlled Schumacher Mini Pin tyre but with the ‘traction down on the carpet’ opted to only remove the outside row of pins for Q3. While he ‘almost traction rolled on the second lap’ he said once the new tyres scrubbed in the feeling of the car was an ‘improvement on yesterday’. With the P3 together with a P4 from Q2 locking the 1:8 World Champion into the A-Main, he said having not pushed to catch the leaders in Q3, for the final qualifier they will try to improve on the outright speed.
Summing up his qualifier Neumann said, ‘I made less caster to get more steering and ended up with a lot of steering, too much’. This was to catch out the Serpent driver on his opening lap resulting in a 22 second lap around the 18-second a lap track with another 21-second lap later in the run. Holding the provisional overall TQ going into the final qualifier, the German said he will change back to his previous set-up.
Rasmussen summed up his second P5 run, having opened qualifying also with fifth fastest time, with ‘it was quite good I think’. The Associated team driver, who is a former podium finisher at his home event, said a diff rebuild had improved his B6 adding ‘it was out of oil’. Asked about any changes for the final qualifier, the 18-year-old replied, ‘just new tyres’.
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