Sahashi title defence back on in Thailand
Tadahiko Sahashi’s 1:10 Nitro World Championship title defence is back on with the Infinity driver booking his place in final at Huge RC Circuit after finishing second to team-mate Dario Balestri in the second of the two Semi Finals. Having topped seeding, Sahashi then struggled throughout qualifying and found himself scrapping his way onto the back of a direct spot in the Semis. In the early stages of the final it looked like the Japanese driver’s quest to become the first back to back Champion of the class was over, however by the 10-minute he was up to third, helped in part by 2012 Champion Meen Vejrak and Takaaki Shimo both running out of fuel. Up front a flip by pole sitter Balestri allowed Chavit Saligupta to lead but shortly after third way distance his car came to a permanent stop ending his hopes of repeating his 2022 final appearance. Looking like he was safely into the final as he lapped in 3rd position there was a heartbreak for Australian Jessie Davis. With three minutes to go and having just exited pit lane his car came to a stop and with his engine refusing to restart his Worlds was done. Capricorn’s Thilo Diekman would finish 3rd to book the German’s first World Final start. In the other Semi, Naoto Matsukura looked like he was out for a Sunday drive, the 2018 World Champion lapping the entire field with a flawless drive that has the Infinity driver highly motivated for the final. Having started on pole, Capricorn’s Toni Gruber came home 2nd as he continues to challenge the might of Infinity here in Bangkok but the 1:8 GT World Champion admitted himself that his Semi performance was not a Title contending performance and they need to improve for the final. On the road it would be Viktor Wilck that would complete the Top 3 but his car would be deemed to be too wide in post race technical inspection and Charlee Phutiyothin was promoted to the final. The final two places on the grid would be decided on fastest times which went to Milan Holthuis and Sinnosuke Yokoyama.
Reacting to his Semi Final, finishing 2.6 seconds behind Balestri, Sahashi said, ‘I am happy. Qualifying was not good but now I am back.’ One of only two drivers to hold nitro onroad titles in both 1:8 and 1:10, asked about tyre wear he replied, ‘After 30-minute there was nothing left so the car had understeer and no traction in the rear so w must make one change in the final.’ On making changes to his car for the title decider, for which he will start P5, he plans to change the rear wing saying he feels a little less wing will give him a better car.
Summing up his race, reigning European Champion Balestri said, ‘It was super safe with the set-up, engine, carburetion set-up so we try to make something more for the final. It all went to planned, maybe a little too safe, but the point was to arrive at end and get into the final.’ A driver capable of becoming the first reigning 1:8 Onroad World Champion to also hold the 1:10 Title, the Italian said, ‘everything is on the limit here so we need to have an easy set-up on the car and engine set-up for a long final.’
‘I just drove around and did my own race. Today my car is very nice, I am so excited for the final’, was Matsukura’s reaction to his dominant Semi performance which as the fastest of the two encounters will see him line-up P3 behind Top Qualifier Teemu Leino and Super Pole winner Jilles Groskamp. Describing himself as ‘relaxed driving’ in the Semi, the only driver to be both a nitro and electric Touring Car World Champion said, ‘I hope I can do the same in the final and carry that momentum.’ Planning no changes for the final, on tyre wear he said, ‘I think the tyre is still OK (after 30-minutes) for me and my car was driving OK at the end but we need to check for the final.’ Impressed by his diver’s performance, master of World Championship winning pit crews Masayuki Miura described Matsukura as driving the Semi like it ‘was just a practice run.’
Asked about his Semi performance, Gruber said, ‘In the beginning we lacked a bit of steering because of the fresh tyres, in then in the middle of race the tyre was there but then it was critical to flip and I flipped one time. After that I took it a little easier to not flip again but overall the feeling of the car today is not so good, also the engine was a little too rich and that effected the shifting in the infield. Sometimes it change gear, sometimes it didn’t and that effected my driving and my confidence’. Asked about changes for the final, the German said, ‘We will change some very small things built not much, 1-hour is a completely new and different race.’
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