Sparbier gives new Mugen TITC Open Brushless title
Mugen Seiki can ship its upcoming new MTC-3 electric touring car as a Championship winning car after Soren Sparbier claimed the win of the Open Brushless class at the famed TITC. Experiencing his first ever time on a plane in order to make the journey to Bangkok, the German returns home with extra luggage in the form of his winning & TQ trophies having wrapped up the title in A2, a race that would prove somewhat controversial. Having secured pole position by topping two of the four qualifier at the challenging Infinity RC Addict Circuit, the 18-year-old took a very straight forward A1 win on Saturday evening. In Sunday morning’s A2 however, what was shaping up to be a great battle ended with a body tuck, yet again a great race destroyed by the modern day flimsy lightweight body shells. After leading away, setting the fastest lap in the process, Sparbier was soon under pressure from Lukas Ellerbrock, the German carrying Awesomatix’s hopes of a fifth consecutive TITC win. Ellerbrock would find a way passed to take up the lead but Sparbier wasn’t quite done and made a re-pass but contact resulted in Ellerbrock suffering a body tuck. While Sparbier initially waited, as Ellerbrock pulled off to a marshal for attention, he then resumed the lead. Taking the A2 win ahead of Fong King he would claim the victory. In A3, the lively crowd having lot of reasons to ooh & aah, the race eventually going to last year’s Open Brushless podium finisher Adam Izsay ahead of Ellerbrock, the later getting the overall runner-up spot with Izsay’s Xray completing the podium.
A driver new to the international stage asking Sparbier how it felt to be his first time here and now be Champion, he replied, ‘Very good’. Asked to sum up his races he said, ‘The first final was really good, the car was good, the end was good.’ On A2, he said, ‘the car was not so good but I was in front and Lukas was behind me. Then Lukas caught and pass me and then next lap I catch Lukas but I caught his car, I waited but the body was tucked.’ With the MTC-3 designer Robert Pietsch here supporting Sparbier and Ronald Volker in Modified, asking the former Nitro Onroad World Champion about the win he said, ‘I think the second final we probably lost some speed compare to the previous race. I don’t know if the motor is overheating, I don’t know the cause but I felt he had less power than Lukas so Lukas could catch him and then they had the little incident which was unfortunate.’ Asked when we can expected the release of the MTC, Volker giving the car a ver convincing win over new TITC Champion Michal Orlowski at the recent MIBO International race, Pietsch said, ‘I hope April’. With huge interest in the new car he added, ‘I am scared we have not enough kits for everyone.’
Summing up his TITC debut, Ellerbrock said, ‘Overall of course second place is not bad but I came here to win it so right now still a little bit frustrating but not a bad result.’ Asked about his take on incident with Sparbier the 27-year-old said, ‘I think it is pretty clear. I made a very good overtake in my opinion but got take out afterwards and then got taken out a second time so my A2 was the worst scenario’. ‘A3 was a rough race, something on my car was still not right after A2, it didn’t feel great, I had a really loose rear on the right handers so I just tried to save the podium cause I had not result in A2.’ His time attending the TITC asked if the fact he missed the win does it mean he’ll be back next year to go one better he replied, ‘I hope so yes, that’s the plan. I really enjoyed this week so would be great to come back again.’
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