Matsukura tops Asia Nitro Party free practice
Infinity’s Naoto Matsukura set the pace in Free Practice today ahead of the first running of the new ‘Asia Nitro Party’ onroad race at Hongyu GDC in China. A driver who just a month ago TQ’d a round of qualifying around the same track during the FEMCA Asia Electric Touring Car Championship, he would top the times from fellow Japanese compatriot Sinnosuke Yokoyama. Returning to nitro racing to support the hosting of what track boss Gavin Kwok will become a major race fixture on the international nitro racing calendar, Chinese racer JJ Wang made it two Mugen Seiki’s in the Top 3 behind Yokoyama’s MRX-7. Expected to be the pace setter in the 1:8 Onroad Class, 37 drivers making up the entry, Serpent’s World Championship Top Qualifier Andrea Catanzani would have a difficult day struggling to find a good balance but once we down to times counting tomorrow in qualifying he is sure to be right in the mix.
Summing up his day as he came back from cleaning his car after the final run of the day which took place under the track’s lights, Matsukura said, ‘The car is pretty good. The traction is pretty high, for me it’s like 1:12, I like this feeling.’ While able to set the fastest 3-consecutive laps the Infinity driver added,’It is going to be very difficult to drive like this and make 4-minute run time.’ With four 4-minute qualifiers tomorrow, with the best 2 to count, asked about changes to his IF18-3, he said, ‘I only changed the front camber, I just made it less, that’s it’. Asked about his new mechanic for the weekend, team-mate Kouki Kato standing in for his legendary pitman Masayuki Muira, he replied with a smile, ‘he’s pretty good. He is doing very nicely.’ He explained, ‘this time Muira San cannot come so Kouki come to help me fuel. We practiced fuel stops yesterday and sometimes he missed and we went oops but I am excited for the new style’. Having raced at Hongyu GDC just before Christmas at the Asia Touring Car Championships and set to stay on after the Asia Nitro Party along with Kato for final track testing ahead of the ISTC Worlds, on adapting to driving 1:8 Onroad he said it was no problem as he raced at the Japanese National back in November and finishing on the podium the feeling for 1:8 ‘is still fresh.’
With today marking his first time at the Hongy GDC track, asking Yokoyama how he is finding the track layout the O.S. Speed factory driver replied with, ‘very difficult.’ Asked why this was, the World Championship finalist said, ‘the grip is very high’. With the weekend set to mark his first race with the recently released World Championship winning MRX7, the 33-year-old said he made small changes to the car over the day and while these were OK, for qualifying tomorrow they still have a bit more work to do with the set-up. He said he would like to have more steering to be full happy with the car.
Asked how he’s day went, Catanzani replied, ‘Today was not really an easy day for us because we don’t find the right balance but now in the last practice we have it was good but we will have to wait til tomorrow to see how it is with the big tyres.’ He continued, ‘For me I don’t really like much this type of track with the curb so high. Also there is a lot of grip and if you make a little mistake you pay. The layout is really good and facility is amazing, it’s just the curbs.’ On the high grip level’s the 20-year-old said, ‘I think this is because they have many 1:10 EP drivers using the track and they use additive, and there was also an electric race last weekend.’ Dealing with high grip and having to stay away from the curbs, in relation to his car he is running the same one as he raced at the World’s in Chile last month which used to good effect to securing the overall TQ honours.
Son of former European & Italian National Champion Fabio Domanin, making his first trip to China 17-year-old Filippo was content with his practice performance adding he likes the track. The Xray driver said, ‘We don’t make too much changes, the car was always good and I think we are ready for qualifying.’ He added, ‘The track is difficult because you go fast and when you touch the curbs the car is so difficult to drive, they are very big curbs. The facility is beautiful but the racing is going to be difficult.’
View our event image gallery here.