Grid Set for 11th ISTC World Championship
The grid for the 11th running of the IFMAR ISTC World Championship is set with Christopher Krapp securing the No.2 spot on the grid behind defending Champion Bruno Coelho. Despite the heavy rains that played havoc with the timetable, the organisers managed to get all six rounds of qualifying completed just before the arrival of yet more downpours this evening. A grid comprising of seven different manufacturers and 4 World Champions, the big question on everyone’s mind for the finals is what conditions they will face. Currently it is looking like a wet finals day here in Gubbio, Italy, something many of the drivers have never experienced before.
Completing a clean sweep of all six qualifiers, Coelho would revert back to the all white Xtreme Twister bodyshell for the final qualifier. Also reverting back to the set-up on his Xray he used yesterday, he again had a commanding advantage over his rivals who had felt they had closed the gap in the previous two rounds of heats. On Q6 he said, ‘the car worked much better after we went back to the set-up from the previous day’. Looking to tomorrow’s finals, the current European Champion said, ‘It looks super bad so all the work we have done to this point can change’. Asked about racing in the wet, he replied, ‘I have never raced touring car in the wet before. It will be something new for me and a few others’.
‘I’m pumped to get P2’, was the reaction of a very motivated Krapp. Coming into the event on the back of a recent ETS win with high hopes, the Yokomo driver said, ‘I knew I was fast the last one (Q4 re-run) but I had a mechanical failure. The car was amazing so it’s great to secure second on the grid’. The German continued, ‘The Portuguese is 5-6 second away. In Q4 & 5 it was close but in Q6 he was again away and I don’t know how. Anyway I will focus on my own final and give everything’.
Starting P3 on the grid, Xray’s Alexander Hagberg said, ‘I am pretty disappointed today to be honest. In the re-run of Q4 I had no pace after 2 laps for some unknown reason’. Running in the second fastest heat, the former Nitro Touring Car World Champion said, ‘Q6 was a really good run but I was surprised how poorly my time held up against the top heat. I think it was cooler for the fastest heat. I have to settle for 3rd on the grid but anything is possible in the finals.’
‘It was higher than I expected. I am happy with P4’, was Akio Sobue’s take on qualifying. Moving from the large Infinity team to the much smaller Axon team, the Japanese driver said, ‘We are the smallest team here. There is just two of us and we are starting 4th and 6th’. From his starting position the reigning TITC Champion is targeting a podium finish. With Japanese races not running in the wet, he said tomorrow is going to be a new experience for him. Qualifying sixth, team-mate Hayato Ishioka, a former 1:12 World Finalist, makes his first ISTC World’s A-Main start.
Completing the top half of the grid, Jilles Groskamp is delighted with his performance admitting he had pre race doubts he might not make the A-Main. Having already secured a mid grid starting position, the 2012 Champion used the final qualifier to try difference springs which he said ‘didn’t feel so good’. The Infinity driver continued, ‘I didn’t have anything to lose so I let Akio by because he was in the fight for grid places. I tried to stay with him for a few laps but pushed too hard and rolled my car. He concluded, ‘Anyway I am super happy with 5th, it is nice to be in the final again, and I am ready for the wet’.
The rest of the grid is made up of Yokomo’s Yannic Prumper in P7 ahead of 2016 Champion Ronald Volker who flies the flag for Mugen in P8. Marc Rheinard’s return to the ISTC having missed South Africa hasn’t gone as expected, the multiple Champion lining up ninth for Awesomatix. Another A-Main debutant Michal Orlowski takes the final spot for Schumacher with 2016 and 2018 podium finisher Viktor Wilck taking the dreaded BQ honours ahead of 2014 Champion Naoto Matsukura.
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