Coelho takes A1 as Orlowski rolls out of lead
We’ve seen a number of drivers do it over the week and in A1 of the IFMAR ISTC World Champion decider here in Thailand it was Top Qualifier Michal Orlowski who rolled his Schumacher onto the straight as came under pressure from defending World Champion Bruno Coelho, the Infinity driver taking the A1 win ahead of Marc Rheinard. In the opening stages of the first A-Main, it looked like Orlowski was in cruise mode after opening up an early lead over second place starter Coelho, the duo having quickly gapped the rest of the grid. The biggest moment of the first 2-minutes of the race a body tuck for Q1 winner Simon Lauter. As the race reached half way distance, Coelho started to close down the Pole having to check up at one point to avoid contact but then a trip over the curbing looked like the Portuguese driver might have thrown away the opportunity. Recovering from the moment and the race back on, Orlowski would run wide at the end of the straight which would leave him struggle to stay in control and then coming onto the main straight he hit the curbs sending his car into a roll with Coelho going through for the win. 3-seconds back Rheinard claimed second with Xray team-mate Jin Sawada completing the Top 3 ahead of David Ronnefalk.
It is very difficult to pass on this track so I just tried to make as much pressure as possible. At the beginning I was kind of afraid because he pulled away a little bit but then somehow I start to close up again and I try to take that opportunity to make some more pressure and in the end he did a mistake and I just tried to bring it safe home.’ On comparing their cars at stages of the race, the 3-time World Champion said, ‘for sure he had a better start than me. My car in the beginning was pushy a little bit and then through the run started to be more competitive I would say and he was the opposite to me so that why there was probably more advantage for myself.’ On track conditions, Coelho said, ‘I think it going to get more stick and more sticky. We will make a small set-up change for the next one.’
Asked for a run down on his A1, Orlowski said, ‘It felt very good until the lap before the crash, I went really wide on the straight and I think I picked up some dirt on the tyres and the car was really hard for the whole lap. And then it hooked onto the straight, hit the curb and that’s it.’ He concluded, ‘the car was really good, I felt good, I feel ok so there’s two more.’
Not even a spectator in the battle ahead of him on track given his lack of pace, Rheinard said, ‘I don’t know what happened but I could feel already before the start something was not right because when I make an accelerate to test on the car it immediately went to the right so all the run on power there was an issue pulling to the right so I had no chance to fit with them. I hope to find something for the next one because it was just not balanced.’