Rheinard makes history after controversial conclusion to ISTC Worlds in Bangkok

Xray’s Marc Rheinard has today made Electric Touring Car history in Bangkok, the German securing a record fourth IFMAR World Championship title 22-years after he won on his ISTC debut in Kissimmee, USA, however the 13th running of the championships may unfortunately be better remembered as controversial rather than history making.  With World Championship wins meant to be a time to celebrate the best performances in our sport and the hard work of drivers & their teams, those celebrations today at Huge RC Circuit were certainly muted after contact decided the title just seconds into A3.  While Rheinard would serve a Stop & Go penalty for his contact with the defending Champion Bruno Coelho on the opening lap, the Infinity driver’s race was over on the spot, up front Orlowski went on to take the win.  At the end of the race however there was no trophy presented to the German on the drivers stand as has become tradition at World Championships.  Instead, with a definite air of tension in the pits as money was put down to make official protests and officials were called over the PA to meetings, we waited on the result to be made official, the energy of this once every two year moment draining away with every passing minute.  While everyone gave their opinion, more in a better position than others to do so, there was a general overall feeling of disappointment at how the race had just played out, many having predicted it was never going to be a clean race after the A2 incident.  On declaring the race official, update results produced an Xray 1-2 as World’s Final debutant Jin Sawada, who put in an impressive performance all week, was promoted to second.  Having originally been handed a 5-second penalty for his A2 contact with Top Qualifier Michal Orlowski, Coelho was issued with a 1-lap penalty as per the official rules when contact happens within the final 2-laps of the race.  The original decision made causing friction within IFMAR.  Dropping the Infinity driver from 2nd to 9th overall, Orlowski would claim the final step on the podium just ahead of Awesomatix’s Lucas Urbain and Buggy World Champion David Ronnefalk.  With Rheinard’s victory reinstating him as the category’s GOAT, while this should be a massive cause for celebration and the great event put on by one of the categories own former Champions Surikarn Chaidajsuriya who owns Huge RC Circuit, today’s racing puts Electric Touring Car in the limelight but not in a positive way with even Rheinard advocating rule changes are needed for fairer racing.  Yes we have had controversy in the past and it is how hard fought World Championships are that make them so coveted & special but no matter what your views on how today played out nothing beats a good clean battle in deciding who gets to call themselves Champion of the World for the next two years.

Reacting to an impressive fourth World title, the just turned 40-year-old always bringing out his ‘Worlds A-Game’ every 2-years, asked how it feels to be the World No.1 again, Rheinard responded, ‘Yeah it feels great, I mean after what was 2010 the last Touring Car one and ’20 was 1:12 scale, it’s just amazing.’  He continued, ‘I knew I had the pace, in qualifying even if I never TQ’d a round I was always there so I knew P3 was always a good place to be with these guys up front who already had their moments two years ago and it happened again.  So I had to be there in the right moment and yeah it worked out and I am just super happy.’  His Worlds debut with Xray, whom he only joined this year, he said,’ the team worked great together, we had like really good team work here with David (Ronnefalk), Alex (Hagberg), me, Jin (Sawada), and all the people and Martin (Hudy) helping out.  Big shout out to my mechanic Stefan who made the car perfect every run.  I can’t be happier.’  On his A3 contact with Coelho he explained, ‘my goal was to pass him or try to make a move at the beginning because I was already in front of him in the first corner, then I think I hit the curb a little bit on the first left and then I tried to be as close as possible to him but we touched but I think he got in contact with Michal in front of me so it was just like a pile up and his body got tucked unfortunately but I don’t know.  Normally we have really good body stiffeners for the rear and normally this never happens because it was not hard (hit) that his body should body tuck.  Yeah then the race was kind of done.’  Putting to him about still having the hunger for Worlds success after 2-decades of winning titles he replied, ‘Definitely.  I was always there and you know when I made the move to Xray I expected to be right there, everyone expected me to be right there, and then I had some tough races and you know it goes to your head.  You know people talk blah, blah, blah, but here I was like come on we have to do something and I was right there.  It is not like I was slower than the others.  I picked up the pace and I showed I am still there that’s a good thing for me, also for my head now to show I am still here.’

I mean I wanted to win of course and I felt I drove really good in the second and the beginning of the first final as well.  I made a very small mistake in A1 which cost me the result in that final.  For A2 I felt good, my head was clear and I knew it would be hard but I knew I had the chance and I felt I drove very well.  Yes my car was getting loose towards the end, I was losing grip, but all the drivers know how the cars behalf on this track and I was taken out.  Of course my car was loose but its not, how do you say, it doesn’t allow Bruno to drive through my car and he took me out again like last time in California which took the chances of the win away from me.  My body shell was tucked in, I tried my best to continue, I thought it was the final lap, but I also could not stay in front of Marc and Jin without causing more chaos with them cause I was really struggling to keep the car going forward because my body was tucked in and my car was broken in the front.  So that was the best I could do in A2 after getting taken out by Bruno and then A3 I knew I don’t have a chance to win the overall and I wanted to do the best I could for me and I am super happy for Marc to take the overall after I was not able to, I am super happy Bruno is off the podium and we try again.’  The 25-year-old continued, ‘I know I was two times TQ and I remember Hara was 2008 TQ and 2012 he was TQ so it happens and we of course know Bruno’s racing is not fair but we need to work harder to get the car better for the finals because in California in the last final my car was loose, now the car was loose again towards the end of A2 so of course if the car was perfect and I drove perfect I would have one probably and we would not be talking about Bruno taking me out but that’s racing and he will always race like that and we just need to do better next time to not be in that situation.’   He concluded, ‘At the end of the day super happy that Marc is the Champion and at 40th years old.  Being on the podium doesn’t mean too much to me after these finals but we move on.’

Asking Coelho for his thoughts on the day, he replied with, ‘I mean I think there is not much to say.’  He continued, ‘I think people see what they want to see you know and even though I think if you make a donut in front of me and I crash you it will be intentional.  He make the donut you know, and I think this is probably what people meant that I make him (Orlowski) lose the Worlds because he flipped in the first final so it was me making so much pressure that next time I cannot make and the second one again when he spun in front of me it was my fault to crash him out and it is entirely my fault that he lost he Worlds because I make so much pressure I make him lose the first final like in American when he crashed alone it was also my fault because I make too much pressure, I am really sorry about that.  And now the Jury is super funny and is like 2 of his sponsors, or 3 of his main sponsors, is the ones that decide now I how the outcome is and now the outcome that the penalty of 5-seconds from one car the spins in front and the other one crashed into it becomes 1-lap so instead of second I finish 9th.’  He concluded, ‘I think people can take the conclusions they want and then the A3 everyone watched what happened and I don’t have to say any word about it, but yeah that’s it.’