Coelho pulls off ISTC World Champion Hat Trick
10-years and 1-month after his father took the gamble on bringing him to the 2014 IFMAR ISTC World Championships in Florida, Bruno Coelho has today become one of RC racing’s greatest drivers of all time after pulling off a hat trick of consecutive electric touring car World titles. Travelling to Finishline RC Raceway in Bakersfield, California, for the 12th running of the Championships two years after dominating the last World Championship in Italy, this time round the Xray driver faced a fierce competitor in Schumacher’s Michal Orlowski. With the duo the class of the field from the getgo, they would battle it out right through the week and into a title deciding A3 showdown. After they clashed in A1, handing touring car legend Marc Rheinard the win, A2 would see Top Qualifier Orlowski lead home the defending Champion and the stage was set for four days of action to come down to the very last 5-minutes of a very well executed Worlds. Leading away A3, Orlowski looked in control but after the first minute the Polish ace was struggling and making a small mistake on his 10th lap, Coelho didn’t need a second invitation to take advantage and go to the front. Still it was game on, the next lap however, Orlowski had another moment which dropped him back to 5th, Coelho now with a clear lead he was never going to relinquish. While Orlowski fought back, contact with Alexander Hagberg on the penultimate lap as they battled over second sealed the deal for Coelho as he also ran the fastest time of the three A-Mains meaning his 29th lap was a victory lap for his latest World title. Having both had an outside chance of the title going in the closing race former Champions Marc Rheinard and Ronald Volker would come together in A3 resulting in P7 and P8 finishes respectively. Overall however Rheinard would complete the podium ahead of his fellow countryman, itself an impressive result for a driver who won his first World title 20-years ago also on US soil.
Reacting to his record breaking World title, joining Offroad star Davide Ongaro as a back to back to back World Champion, Coelho said, ‘I think there is no better way than finishing the Worlds like this. We worked super hard, we struggled during the race, we were able to find out the road again, we were able to make the set-up work again and then the finals were just amazing. Removing that first final that of course I was unfortunate to touch Michal which is what it is when we fight and are nervous and so close together but then the other two finals were amazing we give it all there was no more drama, they were clean runs, we still respect each other like we did all the time and at the end the fastest won, I think I was the fastest at the finals.’ Asked his feelings on the achievement the now 31-year-old replied, ‘for sure it is impressive. You know it is a lot of hard work and people cannot really understand how much we put into it, how much these moments mean for all the team and all the people at home supporting. That we miss so many days at home working hard to make this happen, it is for sure a moment that is like nothing else.’ Reminded it is a decade since he turned up in Florida, him speaking almost no English at the time and his dad Cesar having to translate for our Red RC coverage of that WC, he said, ‘It is very special this Worlds that it is 10-years ago when I showed up to the world, showed my talents, and showed to the world what my father was investing in giving up his life in term of time and economics, and it’s paying off now. At the end of the day it is all about that, the people who believe in you and invest in you in many different ways, this is for all of them.’
Asked for his reaction on the finals, Orlowski replied, ‘I have mixed feelings right now. It was a good race and good result and my first time fighting for the Touring Car World Championship. It isn’t easy.’ A driver The finals start off really tough and I think after A1 it is pretty impressive how well we got back up with a good A2.’ The 23-year-old continued, ‘Going into A3 I had a good feeling but struggled a bit with the car over rotating mid corner. I made a small mistake and Bruno went by but my plan then was to just follow him around and try and put him under pressure and tie and take the tie break but in the next few corners I couldn’t keep it going straight and got pushed back behind Ronald Marc and Alex. After that I still had a chance and tried my best but it wasn’t enough this time. I’m sure there will be many more opportunities in the future.’
Turning 38 during these World Championships, Reinhard felt he was robbed of an opportunity to added a fourth ISTC World title. The German who came into on the back of a confidence boosting European Championship win, summed up his third place finished with, ‘I am clearly disappointed. I was pretty much in second which would have been enough to win the Worlds. I actually could have challenged Bruno but when I passed Ronald he tried to come back online which was not possible in this corner so he kind of took me out and this was it for me. For sure this was my problem that he just clearly cost me a realistic change of the Worlds.’
The last driver to hold the World title since Coelho began his reigning in 2018 in South Africa, Volker was also frustrated by how A3 went. He said, ‘I’m disappointed because there was a shot to win, even if it was a small chance. Four of us had a chance to win the Worlds. I got by Michal and was trying to chase down Bruno cause I know if I can will this run cause the track was fast I could have won but then Marc unintentionally tapped my rear on the front straight sending me to the dust. I tried to hang on for the couple of corners with dirty tyres and when I send it on the inside I just tried to recover cause my goal was to win but then I touched him, I didn’t check the replay but I cause it was too hard from my side but at the same time I was struggling to get back into the rhythm with dirty tyres. I really felt it was possible to chase Bruno as the car was fantastic in A2 & 3 thanks to Robert (Pietsch). Overall I can happy with our new car, but at the moment 4th feels like a disappointment.’
