Dominant day sees Balestri secure TQ honours in Gubbio, again!
A decade after he claimed his first World Championship pole position, Dario Balestri will once again line-up as the Top Qualifier at the IFMAR 1:10 Nitro Touring Car World Championship after a dominant display of driving on the opening day of qualifying in Gubbio, Italy. Opening the day with a very convincing Q1 performance ahead of defending World Champion Jilles Groskamp, the Infinity driver would go on top all four qualifiers each time ahead of different driver. With expected rain tomorrow seeing the schedule revised from 3 rounds to running a 4th round, a rain shower would delay proceedings just before the half way mark of Q4 with 5pm in the evening looking more like night time as some very threaten rain clouds hovered over the track, but they would get the round completed just as the sunset. While the outcome tomorrow, even if they do get to run the final two rounds, is irrelevant to Balestri’s status as he is locked in as the Top Qualifier, their could be some movement in the magic Top 4, all directly qualifying into the 1-hour title decider. Counting a P2 from Q3 with a P3 from Q4, Xray’s Filippo Domanin holds P2 ahead of Naoto Matsukura and Kyle Branson, the British driver jumping ahead of Groskamp as he took 2nd in the final qualifier after a mistake from Matsukura. Having started out Day 1 of qualifying strongly with a P2, unfortunately that would be the highlight of Groskamp’s day and counting a P5 from Q2, he lies fifth in the overnight rankings.
On his impressive performance today, a very happy looking Balestri said, ‘I would say that was a perfect day’. He continued, ‘The last round was fast but not as fast as this morning but I already knew I had a lot of points so I just tried to manage the pace to the end because at the end of the straight the sun was strange and it was difficult to see and find the right line. I didn’t want to make any crash cause I don’t want to work this evening. So I just bring it to the end.’ His time would be 1.6-seconds off his fastest run set in Q1. Looking to the final two qualifiers, the 2017 and 2o23 1:8 Onroad World Champion said, ‘We don’t know what will happen but I think it will be raining tomorrow. Even if not raining I am already locked in for the TQ.’ Reminded of his 2016 TQ at this track, he said, ‘yes but I hope the final will be different’, his race on that occasion lasting just 9-laps before a mechanical failure.
‘I am not super happy for the last quali bit I am happy to be P2’, was Domanin thoughts on Day 1 of qualifying. Enjoying a very strong Q3 despite a heavy impact with pit lane wall on exiting after his fuel stop, the car unaffected by the loud bang, he said in the last round his car was not to his liking due to a lack of steering. Asked if that was down to the track conditions changing for what was ‘happy hour’ conditions, he replied, ‘I don’t know because there are many things. I put on used tyres, many things on the track, so I don’t know.’ Not happy with how the day end, he said for tomorrow, if we get to run, he plans to run a new set of the race’s official handout Hotrace tyres in the first one and then decide what to do for the final qualifier.
Asked about his issues in the day’s final qualifier, Matsukura said, ‘It was a spin but I don’t know why I spin.’ He added, ‘when the sun came down it was a little bit hard to see but I only had the problem for two laps then it was ok.’ he explained, ‘The first time it was a little half spin, then the next lap it was a spin to the inside, then after I drive nothing, it was good.’ On his car he said, ‘I changed the set-up a little for more front steering which was good work but we just missed it with the spin. I am happy to be direct to the final, if tomorrow rains. If we do get to qualify I will try to improve my position. Our pace is not bad but we still need something more.’
A driver who is really impressing on his return to nitro racing here at the World Championships, Branson ended the day strongly with a P2 feeling he made good progress with his Capricorn’s set-up in Q4. Stiffening up the car’s flex but softening the shock set-up this gave the 2018 Worlds Podium finisher a better car but it was also more tricky to drive. He had a couple of moments, luckily nothing too costly, earlier in the run as he adapted to the changes as well as reducing his steering on his radio settings going down the main straight.
Asked to sum up his day, Groskamp said, ‘the first run was good of course with a second position. The 2nd one was quite nice as well with a 5th and then I started to try somethings and I spun in Q3 but I was not fast in this one.’ He continued, ‘In Q4 then the weather changed a lot so I had to take a gamble on set-up and I went a little bit softer in everything and I think it didn’t really work out for me.’ The Dutchman added, ‘I tried to push but some guys really improved, you see Kyle improved, Alex improved, of course Naoto made a mistake and that is why Kyle got the second and I am fifth overall. It’s still not bad but of course I would like to hope for fourth overall because maybe tomorrow is rain. But if it happens Kyle goes directly into the final I mean he has shown he is fast.’ On his car, he said, ‘I need to improve the car for Saturday for the finals because it’s simple a bit too slow. It’s not bad but I need to find a little bit more pace.’