Mazzeo progresses to Semi Finals

1:10 200mm Vice-World Champion Alessio Mazzeo’s hopes of going one better this time around are still alive after the Italian won his 1/4 final to progress to the Semi Finals in Miami.  Starting on pole for the 20-minute encounter, the Xray driver took victory over another Gubbio finalist Kyle Branson, the Capricorn finishing 4-seconds back.  Setting the fastest lap of the race, 2010 Texas World Championship Finalist Shinnosuke Yokoyama completed the Top 3 to progress to the all important Semi’s which will determine who will join Top Qualifier Dario Balestri and Super Pole winner Robert Pietsch in the final.  Significant names to end their quest in the first of the 1/4 Finals were 2010 World Champion Ralph Birch and 1:8 legend Lamberto Collari.  Having bumped up from the 1/8 final Birch finished 6th after early contact with Yokoyama while Collari, having impressed by topping seeding on his 200mm World debut, had a crash that damaged a front arm leaving him to struggle to the finish in last position.

In the second of the 1/4 finals a delighted Eduardo Escandon took his Shepherd to the win from 3rd on the grid.  The Spaniard and ENS front runner, had a 1.6-second advantage over multiple World’s finalist Takaaki Shimo.  Australia’s Jeff Hamon secured the final bump up position to the Semi’s, his Mugen finishing almost 1/2 a lap in front of 2014 Vice Champion Yuya Sahashi.  Unfortunately for Xray’s top driver in qualifying Leo Arnold, his race ended in retirement while holding a comfortable lead. Starting from pole and leading the race early on from team-mate Mustafa Alp, until he also retired, during the French driver’s first fuel stop the fuel tank lid stuck open leading to the end of his World Championships.  

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Big day finally arrives in Miami

After over a week of practice and qualifying, the day that counts in crowning the 1:10 200mm World Champion has arrived in Miami.  With some very threatening clouds in the skies, proceedings at Homestead RC Raceway opened with the 1/8 Finals with the first win of the day going to Ralph Burch.  One of only 2 former champions taking part in the 8th running of the nitro touring car World championships, the other being Meen Vejrak who lines up in the Semis, Burch’s Serpent started on pole from where winner of the last Worlds held on US soil took a 3-second victory over Masaya Ida.  Behind there was a great battle between Paolo Morganti and Mark Green for the final bump up position but contact between the pair gave Morganti enough breathing space to take the all important Top 3 and progress to the 1/4 Finals.  In the second of the 1/8 Finals unfortunately for promising young Dutch driver Milan Holthuis would not get the chance to capitalise on his pole position start as he had his brake pad come off and his race ended prematurely.  At the end it was to be an all American Top 3 with Joaquin Desoto Jr. taking the win ahead of Dj Apolaro and Paul Lemieux who got passed Xray team-mate Martin Hudy, the former podium finisher bumping up from yesterday’s 1/16 Final, on the final lap.

UPDATE – Following the second of the 1/8 finals, Paul Lemieux was handed a 5-second penalty by Race Director Masami Hirosaka for his pass on Martin Hudy on the final lap.  While the US team protested the decision, video evidence showed Lemieux did not give Hudy room.  As a result of the penalty it was Hudy who took the final bump up position in the 1/4 final.

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Pietsch wins Super Pole in Florida

Robert Pietsch has won Super Pole at the 200mm World Championship in Florida booking himself a direct spot on the grid for Saturday title deciding 1-hour final alongside Top Qualifier Dario Balestri.  Qualifying 5th overall, the Mugen driver was first to go and his 17.762 lap was the final lap of 6 was to start.  First to challenge the German was reigning Champion Dominic Greiner but suffering a mistake in the middle of his attempt his best lap was 0.122 slower.  Andy Moore then stood up to the mark but the Q3 Top Qualifier couldn’t break 18-seconds leave him last of the three to run so far.  Taking two rounds of qualifying including the last round, Naoto Matsukura was the final challenger to run but having won Super Pole on his 1:8 Worlds debut last year he it wasn’t going to be another direct A-Main debut for the 200mm rookie.  Completing the 3-minute warm-up, the Japanese driver immediately complained of being unable to see as light faded at the Homestead RC Raceway but continuing to put in his 6-laps his best time came on lap 4 but it was 28/1000ths off Pietsch’s.  Unfortunately for Pietsch after a short live celebration, an official protest by Matsukura to have Super Pole re-run meant official confirmation of the result was delayed by more than an 1-hour,  IFMAR’s international jury unanimous in deciding the result would stand.

Commenting immediately after taking the Super Pole, Pietsch said, ‘Its incredible.  I can’t believe it.  It’s unbelievable’.  Having earlier said he felt not being the youngest of the drivers in Super Pole might go against him, he continued, ‘I knew from before that the track would be worse than the last qualifier for Super Pole because of the break.  In Gubbio I also was the first to run and the conditions were super bad but I was hoping not many people had been walking on the track so it would be good.  In my Warm-up it all felt good and then once I got some 17-second laps I knew I had a chance and for the last lap I kept on the throttle at the loop.  I’m so happy’.

Speaking prior to his protest, a very frustrated Matsukura said, ‘It is not fair.  I can’t see.  It was too dark I can’t see especially at the sweeper’.  Repeatedly shouting from the driver’s stand that he could not see during his timed laps, the Infinity driver concluded, ‘I’m not happy, this is not fair’, before setting about protesting the conditions most drivers and onlookers agreeing the timing of Super Pole was not ideal given how quickly the sun sets in Florida.

Greiner summed up his effort by saying, ‘It was difficult.  I don’t know why but the balance was different again from the last qualifier’.  Only managing two 17-second laps and making a mistake on his 4th attempt, the Serpent driver continued, ‘I was also nervous so my fastest lap was not perfect’. Missing the Super Pole in Gubbio but going on to win from P3 on the grid, he said, ‘maybe this is a repeat and sometimes it is not a bad to to run the Semi Final’.  He will start 2nd on the grid for his Semi behind Matsukura.

After an impressive qualifying performance, on Super Pole Moore said, ‘It was just too dark and the track changed too much’.  The Infinity driver added, ‘the track cooled down too much and my car was way too stable plus it was difficult to see at the end of the straight especially the sweeper’.  The British driver will now vie for his second 200mm Main start from pole in the Even Semi final.

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