Balestri top seed for qualifying at WC

Dario Balestri is the top seed for qualifying at the Nitro Touring Car World Championships in Italy.  The Capricorn driver topped today’s controlled practice ranking thanks to setting the fastest times in both the third & fourth rounds with a drivers best two of four rounds determining the qualifying heat order. Topping the final qualifying in a faster time than CP3, most drivers pleased to see an end to practice, Balestri was quickest from Mugen driver Robert Pietsch but in the overall ranking it was the Mugen of CP2 pace setter Takaaki Shimo who would finish up second.   Although the final practice would be his worst round as he got a P6, Balestri’s team-mate Luca Redaelli completed the Top 3 ahead of quickest man of the day Dominic Greiner.

‘I’m happy’ was Balestri’s reaction to securing the top seeding for qualifying.  Running out of fuel in the final practice, he said, ‘in the cold the difference is less so it is normal’, a reference to his strong performance over the hotter second half of the controlled practice. Winner of the Warm-up Race held in much hotter conditions in June, he continued, ‘our car is consistent with the temperature changes and I am happy with this but as we have a bigger advantage in the hot we hope for those conditions tomorrow’.

Running in the second fastest heat and feeling the top heat had a slight advantage as the track temperature continued to drop as Day 3 of the event came to a close, Shimo described his OS powered MTX5 as ‘OK’.  Happy to split the Capricorns in the ranking, he said with his car ‘consistent’ he will leave it unchanged for Q1 as ‘it should be good for a 5-minute time’.  Admitting Balestri has a distinct advantage in the heat he said with tomorrow’s forecast giving much cooler conditions it should be better for him.

Crashing his Capricorn in the final practice, Redaelli said, ‘the car was good, only my mistake’.  Annoyed by his crash, he continued, ‘in the end its ok as I’m still third’.  Making his World Championship debut, the Italian said ‘for qualifying it looks good’ and he is feeling confident he can carry his practice form through to tomorrow when three of the six scheduled qualifiers will run.

Again a little off the pace with a P8 for the final round, Greiner’s CP1 time was enough to rank him as the top Serpent driver with fourth overall ahead of team-mate Alessio Mazzeo.  Summing up a day which started out perfectly, he said ‘the car feels the same as yesterday but others improved a lot in the hot conditions’.  He continued, ‘I think the weather tomorrow should be to our advantage’ but added the competition is still going to be ‘super, super close’.  With all the focus so far having been on 3-consecutive laps he feels when the 5-minute time starting counting it is going to bring about quite a few changes in the ranking. Widely recognised as one of the fastest outright nitro touring car drivers in the world, the 2014 Top Qualifier believes also that ‘not everyone is safe for 5-minutes’ in terms of run time.

After putting in his best round in the final practice finishing 0.076 off Balestri, Pietsch said, ‘that is the best the car has been which is the best moment to have it’.  Looking to qualifying the Mugen designer said with his Picco powered MTX6 as good as it is now it is ‘just down to the driver now’. Confident he has a car to challenge for the TQ, the Top Qualifier of the 2010 Worlds in America said if it turns out tomorrow is cooler his car ‘may be even better’.

Giving his impression of where he is at ahead of qualifying, Mazzeo said, ‘my car is very good in every condition so it looks good’.  He continued, ‘I expect qualifying will be very hard as everyone is so close but the last practice we tested 5-minutes and I’m happy’.  With Serpent the best represented brand in the Top 10 at the end of practice, he added this was down to the ‘important work done this year by the team’.  Former 1:8 World Champion Tadahiko Sahashi will line up in the top heat carrying the No.9 on his 748 while Mark Green is car No.10.

‘Time to start, enough practice’ was how reigning 1:8 World Champion Simon Kurzbuch summed up the end of what is the fourth day of practice for the Team Shepherd driver.  Also reigning 1:8 champion of the Euro Nitro Series, the Swiss ace said ‘I think we are ready and I am confident for qualifying’.  Ending practice with a P5 run, he said while over 3-laps his Novarossi powered Velox V10 was a little slower, better rear stability had made it more consistent and a better car for qualifying. A driver who won his European Championship title here in 2009, Shepherd team-mate and current 1:10 ENS championship leader Dirk Wischnewski hasn’t been fairing as well with the German 1:10 nitro specialist ending practice ranked only 19th.

Bruno Coelho is the only Xray in the top heat ending up 8th overall thanks to a good P3 finish to practice.  Having crashed on his first attempt at a three quick laps in the previous practice and broke a wheel, the reigning European Champion said ‘Like I said before the pace is there I just made a stupid mistake’.  Asked about qualifying he replied, ‘I think all is ok for tomorrow’.  While Coelho has kept his NT1 at the sharp end of the times, for reigning World Champion Alexander Hagberg he ends practice ranked 52nd.  The Swede said, ‘At times I have a good feeling with the car but its still slow’.  He continued, ‘I am hoping for a big turn around in qualifying’.

View complete event results here.

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