Lauter delivers opening TQ in Thailand

One of the most unassuming drivers in the Touring Car’s top flight category, Awesomatix’s Simon Lauter delivered an impressive TQ performance in the opening qualifier at the IFMAR ISTC World Championships in Bangkok this evening.  Having hinted at his potential with some competitive 5-minute form in practice, the German would top the first of the 5 scheduled qualifiers by 7/10ths of a second from an equally impressive Jin Sawada who came in under the radar after seeding into the second fastest heat.  Behind the Japanese driver, this his first Worlds with Xray, was another Worlds debutant with the Slovakian manufacturer Marc Rheinard.  No stranger to World Championships, Rheinard completed the Top 3 1.1-seconds off his former team-mate Lauter.  The driver to actually lead out the first round of qualifying, Michal Orlowski would end up 4th fastest, the Schumacher driver showing great respect to Lauter by opening up for German as his car wasn’t exactly as he planned for the qualifier.  Behind the Polish driver, Awesomatix’s Lucas Urbain posted the 5-fastest time ahead of Axon’s Akio Sobue.  It was to be a less than ideal start to the campaign of defending World Champion Bruno Coelho.  Having been the benchmark in practice over 3-laps and securing the Top Seed honours, he would suffer an early spin in Q1.  Chasing a fourth consecutive title here at Huge RC Circuit, explaining his mistake the he said, ‘the car in the beginning felt like it was wobbling on the long corners so I tried to avoid that by not steering too much but then on the end of the straight I went a bit wide and I probably picked up dirt and then I lost the rear of the car.’  Having become accustomed to Oliver Bultynck being at the top of the times in the Stock class, Q1 saw that change as his Awesomatix team-mate Lukas Ellerbrock took it from the Belgian.  Having seeded P6, the 2026 TITC Open Brushless Champion snatched the TQ run on the final lap from Bultynck by 0.169 of a second with Max Machler completing the Top 3.

A very popular TQ run from Lauter, putting it to the reigning Stock Class World Champion that he had hinted he had good qualifying pace, he said, ‘Actually the 5-minutes were not too good in CP2 and CP3 so we had to change something.’  With his mechanic Tim Wahl’s role in the rise of Lauter as one of the worlds leading driver widely acknowledge on him taking the result, the 31-year-old said, ‘I think obviously that we improved because usually the track is fastest in the evening but it seems to be similar to CP3 so probably the long break did something to the track I don’t know.’  He continued, ‘The first minute I tried to stay safe and I thought OK there is probably something in this and it paid out very well but shoutout to Michal as well for opening up because this not everyone would do, so thank you very much, super fair.’  Asked about tomorrow’s qualifying action, 3 rounds on the timetable, he responded with, ‘I try my best, that’s what I always do and then we will see where this leads me.’

Not surprised by his strong opening performance, the 27-year-old tipped by many as one to watch ahead of these Worlds, Sawada said his car has always been good on 5-minutes.  On his seeding in Heat 12 of 13, the former Infinity driver who made the B-Main in Bakersfield 2-years ago, explained, ‘on 3-laps it was not so fast but after the car is very consistent and easy to drive.’  Finishing 7/10ths off the TQ time, he said he should have been closer but a crash in the middle of the main straight ahead of him caused him to slow down as he didn’t know where the car had ended up and this cost him .4 or .5 of a second.  Set to make a change to his car for Q2, he is confident he can repeat the performance.

With these 13th running of the ISTC Worlds marking 22-years since he made his Worlds debut and won in Kissimmee, reacting to his opening effort Rheinard said, ‘A solid start let’s say points wise but I still struggle in the beginning a lot.’  He continued, ‘Ronald was catching, everyone was catching me.  It’s shit to see the front pulling away and the guys behind catching but I knew in the middle of the run I was going to find my pace and I did.’  He added, ‘I had some rough laps on to the straight going super wide, the car felt pretty light in the front so I could not go perfectly straight but to be on P3 is a good start.’  An issue that the German has reported all day, his car lacking pace in the opening laps of the run, asked if he was going to just work with this or try something different, he replied, ‘We are going to check.  We knew at the night time Awesomatix was going to be faster than they are in the day time so tomorrow is going to be different again until the last qualifying run.  We are going to do some more changes we’ll try tomorrow morning in the practice and hopeful find more in the beginning (of the run)’.

Summing up his P4 with ‘it was OK’, Orlowski explained, ‘I really wanted to change something on my car cause I was expecting my car to start to over rotate on corner exits towards the end of the run but I did not have the time because I was rebuilding the car for the last controlled practice.’  The 25-year-old continued, ‘and then I had issues to make the body shell fit the box (technical inspection) so I just ran out of time and said OK maybe it will be good enough but it wasn’t.’  He added, ‘but I am pretty sure I know exactly what the issue in the set-up for this grip tonight and we’ll probably try something small in the morning and I think it will be good for the rest of the race.’

Looking very pleased with his performance, Urbain said, ‘I always had the 5-minutes in me since the beginning, my 3-laps were never very strong but always there or thereabouts between Top 4, Top 5 on 5-minutes but right now I just feel ecstatic for what Simon just delivered.  Like the work those two put together not only is amazing but also played a crucial part into my program as well because I have been testing here for the last 2-weeks.  Started with a base set-up which Timmy (Tim Wahl) took over during the IPDs and whatever they implemented on the set-ups I gradually implemented on my program as well for the race and every time I did what they did I made a step forward so credit were it is due because I improved a lot due to them.’  The Frenchman added, ‘Simon is just on another level now mentally and skill wise so I am so happy.’  Asked about trying to repeat tomorrow, he replied, ‘oh no we go better.  Objective is minimum Top 5, if I can squeak myself into the Top 3 somehow, the car feels really good it’s down to me.  I had a couple of mistakes here & there so for sure I can do better.’