Volker leads Reedy Race at the end of Day 1
Ronald Volker is the leader at the end of the first day of racing at the Reedy Race of Champions, the Yokomo driver holding a single point lead thanks to an important victory in an exciting final race of the day ahead of reigning champion Marc Rheinard. Starting on pole for what was a heavily stacked race, Volker would get beaten into the first corner by the Xray of Jan Rathiesky who stayed out front for the first half of the race. All the time the pack was bunching up behind the German with Volker, Rheinard, Akio Sobue and Jilles Groskamp in the five car train. Volker would be the first to get by with a great move in the left side chicane. It would take 2-laps more for Rheinard to find a way through by but with the two main title contenders evenly matched Volker could maintain the gap joining Rheinard as the only multi winner of the day. In Race 2 of the fourth round, hotly tipped Christopher Krapp got his first win which together with his Top 3 finishes in his previous three races leaves the Yokomo driver 3rd in the points. Starting on pole in Race 1, Nicholas Lee would hold off a challenge from Viktor Wilck, the Serpent driver holding 4th in the standings going to the Day 2 racing action ahead of Sobue and Groskamp.
‘It was a must win race because I was starting first and it was important for stealing points off some tough competition starting behind me’, was how Volker summed up his second win of the day. The World Champion continued, ‘my diff went soft over the day so we went for a harder diff for Race 4 and maybe this was what caused the bad start. I lost my inside position on the start to Jan and then at the third corner lost more positions. I wasn’t happy with that’. He continued, ‘there was a 5-car train I was was in the middle of it so I tried to avoid any contact. I was able to go directly behind Jan and put a lot of pressure on him and made a good pass in him in the chicane. Marc and myself had the same pace so I could keep the gap’. A 3-time Reedy Race Champion, he concluded, ‘It has been a very satisfying first day. My goal was to make Top 2 runs every round and it worked out well’.
Commenting on what was the most entertaining race of the day’s 12 races, Rheinard said, ‘2nd is not bad, it was a really good race to watch I guess’. The Infinity driver continued, ‘there was a problem in the hairpin and I got hit and I got loose so 2nd from this heat is for sure good’. Summing up the day he said, ‘I messed up my second race myself but it was a decent first day given the high level here.’
A former podium finisher at the legendary race at the iconic Tamiya Raceway, Krapp was happy to end his day with a win. The personable Team Yokomo driver said, ‘The race started out well, I got the holeshot and then controlled the race. The day was pretty decent with all Top 3 runs in my races’. He continued, ‘I struggled a little in the hot conditions but the car was handling better in the last one so I am happy for the next days.’
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