Matsukura takes 3rd consecutive World title

Team Yokomo’s Naoto Matsukura has joined a very elite group of drivers after the 18-year-old secured his third consecutive 1:12 World Championship title in the Netherlands ahead of CRC’s Andy Moore, the result going to a tie break that was decided by Matsukura’s faster Leg 1 winning race time.  Winning the third & final A-Main ahead of the defending champion, Ronald Volker completed the podium at the 16th running of the IFMAR event.

Delighted to retain the title he first won at just 15-years of age in 2008 in Thailand, Matsukura said he felt ‘maximum pressure’ going in to the deciding 8-minute encounter after the Japanese ace had a troubled Leg 2 the result of which meant both Moore and Marc Rheinard had a chance at denying him the title. Leading most of the opening lap he said his nerves got the better of him causing him to make a mistake just coming up to the loop for the first time which handed Volker the lead and also allowed both Moore and Rheinard ahead of him. Recovering to re-pass Moore, with a forceful move that spun the former European Champion out, and then 2-minutes in Rheinard to move back up to second, he said he knew the position would be enough for the title and so revert to driving safe.  Joining legends of the sport Masami Hirosaka and Lamberto Collari as the only drivers to claim three consecutive World titles, Matsukura said he now wants to go for win number four.

Saying he came into these championship with no real expectations, the Touring Car World Championships which starts tomorrow his main focus, Moore said he was a little disappointed with second after having come so close to taking the win.  Having momentarily got ahead of Matsukura following his early mistake, the 2006 Touring Car World Champion felt he was hard done by when the Yokomo driver turned him around at the very next corner, an incident he expected the race referee would hand down a stop & Go penalty for but nothing was called.  Setting the track lap record in the final race, with a 12.060, Moore was pleased to claim a podium for CRC having only signed a late deal with the US manufacturer to contest the Worlds.  CRC were the best represented car in the final with their four drivers making the grid.

Winning the third Main, with the only 39 lap run of the finals, to secure the final step on the podium Volker said his speed just came too late. Mixed feeling about the result he said at least he ended the event with a win and the fastest time and this is a positive for the rest of the week when he contests the Touring Car World Championship up the road in Heemstede at the outdoor MACH track.  Not a regular 1:12 racer, the Euro Touring Series Champion said he needed to give a special thank you to Associated’s Sean Cochran for his support over the three days as together with his regular Yokomo mechanic Umino Yukijiro and LRP’s Reto Konig they did all the work on his car which he said in the final race was so easy to drive.

Having made the podium on his last 1:12 outing, the 2010 World Championships, Rheinard said a clash with the barriers ended his chances of a win or holding second in A3 which would have helped his CRC team-mate to lift the title.  With his prototype CRC tweaked following the mistake he struggled with the car and was not quick enough to feature in the race eventually finishing fifth behind team-mates Elliot Harper and Simo Ahoniemi.

So with Matsukura pulling off a successful title defense, the attention now turns to Touring Cars with Marc Rheinard looking also to join the special group of three in a row World Champions.  Action for the 1:10 cars gets underway tomorrow evening with two rounds of free practice.  Our coverage, which is supported by LRP, Speed Passion and JG Racing, will continue then.

Final Overall Result
1. Naoto Matsukura (JP) – Yokomo – 19 pts
2. Andy Moore (GB) – CRC – 19
3. Ronald Völker (DE) – Associated – 17
4. Marc Rheinard (DE) – CRC – 15
5. Rick Hohwart (US) – Associated – 13
6. Simo Ahoniemi (FI) – CRC – 13
7. Alexander Hagberg (SE) – Xray – 11
8. Jilles Groskamp (NL) – Onpoint – 11
9. Elliot Harper (GB) – CRC – 10
10.Hideo Kitazawa (JP) – Corally – 6

A-Main Leg 3 Result
1. Ronald Völker (DE) – Associated – 39/8:10.810
2. Naoto Matsukura (JP) – Yokomo – 38/8:01.430
3. Elliot Harper (GB) – CRC – 38/8:02.404
4. Simo Ahoniemi (FI) – CRC – 38/8:02.594
5. Marc Rheinard (DE) – CRC – 38/8:04.058
6. Rick Hohwart (US) – Associated – 38/8:08.204
7. Andy Moore (GB) – CRC – 38/8:11.478
8. Alexander Hagberg (SE) – Xray – 38/8:13.056
9. Hideo Kitazawa (JP) – Corally – 37/8:03.104
10.Jilles Groskamp (NL) – Onpoint – 26/5:40.390

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Leg 2 injects life into 1:12 Worlds

The 1:12 World Championships, which so far has been a rather dull affair, was given a much needed injection of excitement in the second A-Main after Andy Moore won the second A-Main ahead of CRC team-mate Marc Rheinard while Leg 1 winner Naoto Matsukura finished back in 7th.  The result means that now all three drivers have a chance of being crowned the 16th World Champion of the 2WD pan car class.

Starting from pole position once again Matsukura’s Yokomo ran wide at the first corner but this time Ronald Volker took the opportunity to go down the inside however the pair touched. Sending the back to back defending Champion off the track before rejoining mid pack, the contact also slowed Volker allowing Rheinard to take the lead.  A podium finisher on his last 1:12 outing, which was two years ago at the Worlds, Rheinard held the position but coming under intense pressure from Moore was eventually passed by the British ace just before the 5-minute mark as he was out dragged down the main straight.  Once in front Moore pulled clear to take the win by over a second.

Moore was happy with his win but said afterwards that he maybe should have pushed harder as should the final result come down to a tie break Matsukura has the faster race time by 2.5 seconds.  Showing great patience behind Rheinard, Moore said once he got passed his team-mate his focus was on driving safely to the finish as he knew his CRC team-mate would provide good cover from behind.

Rheinard, who said he can’t believe he is going into the final leg with a chance of the World title, described his CRC as ‘the pace car’.  The two time European 1:12 Champion, who was clearly lacking straight line speed, said a suspected bad battery was the cause of the problem and hopes with a new one fitted for Leg 3 he might actually be able to race for a win.

Matsukura, who made his frustrations with Volker very clear after the race on the drivers rostrum, set the fastest lap of the race as he worked his way back to the front but in the end further incidents and a 2 second time penalty for jumping the last corner left him 7th behind Jilles Groskamp who had been running third for a time in the race.

A-Main Leg 2 Result
1. Andy Moore (GB) – CRC – 38/8:04.268
2. Marc Rheinard (DE) – CRC – 38/8:05.559
3. Alexander Hagberg (SE) – Xray – 38/8:06.486
4. Ronald Völker (DE) – Associated – 38/8:06.741
5. Simo Ahoniemi (FI) – CRC – 38/8:09.427
6. Jilles Groskamp (NL) – Onpoint – 38/8:10.560
7. Naoto Matsukura (JP) – Yokomo – 38/8:11.708
8. Hideo Kitazawa (JP) – Corally – 38/8:12.125
9. Elliot Harper (GB) – CRC – 38/8:14.949
10.Rick Hohwart (US) – Associated – 37/8:02.102

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Matsukura dominates Leg 1

There was no real surprise in the opening leg of the A-Main at the 1:12 World Championships as defending champion & Top Qualifier Naoto Matsukura dominated the race to take the win comfortably ahead of Andy Moore and Rick Hohwart despite the young Japanese star’s prototype Yokomo getting knocked around as he was lapping the mid pack three laps from the finish.  Running wide at the first corner, an opportunity that the No.2 starting Associated of Ronald Volker failed to exploit, the 18-year quickly got into his rhythm to break clear of the pack. As if he needed it, that gap was further extended as the chasing pack tripped one another up on more than one occasion.

Having passed Marc Rheinard after the Touring Car World Champion got out of shape on lap 2, Moore closed down on Volker but on lap 10 the former European Champion hit the side of the German after his Associated ran wide sending the car airborne.  Slowing to let Volker rejoin, this set off a series of crashes involving the pursuing cars with Elliot Harper coming off the best to move into second ahead of Jilles Groskamp.  A mistake then by the 19-year-old British driver allowed Groskamp up to second, but setting the fastest lap of the race it was Moore who was on the real charge.

Taking second with a nice inside pass on Groskamp through the sweeper at the end of the main straight, Moore eventually finished 3.5 secs behind but was slightly frustrated at not being able to get through to second earlier in the 8-minute race as he said his Hobby Wing powered CRC has the pace to challenge Matsukura.

After an early incident, Rick Hohwart said he just stayed out of trouble for the rest of the race and result came to him.  A veteran of the sport and having last been a 1:12 Worlds finalist 2 years before Matsukura was even born, the American said coming here he never expected to be in with a chance of a podium finish but after seeing what can happen in Leg 1 and with his R5 now working really well its not beyond possibility.

A-Main Leg 1 Result
1. Naoto Matsukura (JP) – Yokomo – 38/8:01.796
2. Andy Moore (GB) – CRC – 38/8:05.340
3. Rick Hohwart (US) – Associated – 38/8:06.593
4. Ronald Völker (DE) – Associated – 38/8:07.022
5. Jilles Groskamp (NL) – Onpoint – 38/8:11.944
6. Marc Rheinard (DE) – CRC – 38/8:12.891
7. Simo Ahoniemi (FI) – CRC – 37/8:00.828
8. Hideo Kitazawa (JP) – Corally – 37/8:02.278
9. Elliot Harper (GB) – CRC – 37/8:02.992
10.Alexander Hagberg (SE) – Xray – 37/8:04.142

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Moore takes final ‘Rocket Round’ qualifier

Team CRC driver Andy Moore set a new outright fastest run time in this morning’s final qualifier for the 1:12 World Championships in the Netherlands, the sixth round turning out to be the ‘rocket’ round. Knocking 2-seconds off the previous fastest time held by defending World Champion Naoto Matsukura, the former European Champion ran 39 laps in 8:06.635 to top Q6 by just 6/10th ahead of Ronald Volker as 5 drivers finally broke past 38 laps runs something only Matsukura had achieved yesterday to secure him honour of being Top Qualifier for a third consecutive Worlds.

Moore said he knew after last night’s penultimate round of qualifying, in which he set a new lap record, he had the pace & car to TQ the round and it was down to him just keeping the 8-minute run free of mistakes which is exactly what he did.  Sitting 7th at the end of Day 1 of qualifying, the British driver’s Q6 run moves him to fourth on the grid for the Main event but he said the layout of the track is going to make passing very difficult.  Moore said he hopes he can pick up the bits & pieces if those starting ahead of him make mistakes which as Matsukura showed in the final qualifier can happen very easily.  Really comfortable with his Hobby Wing powered CRC he said he wont be changing anything for the first of the three legs of the final.

After a tough day in yesterday’s qualifying, having been the closest to Matsukura on the opening day of the event, Volker was very happy to secure second on the grid.  The German said he made a slow start to the final qualifier but was able to recover and run at the lead pace.  Having done his calculations prior to the run he said his main focus was on trying to run at least one second faster than Marc Rheinard as he knew if all the drivers ran 39 laps it would be enough to secure him a top 3 grid position.  In the end he outpaced his touring car rival by just over the second to take the No.2 spot on the grid by .5 sec from the Touring Car World Champion who will start third.  The biggest loser of the final qualifier was Onpoint Racing’s Jilles Groskamp who failed to make 39 laps and dropped from holding P2 last night to lining up 7th on the final grid.

Although the round was not going to change anything in terms of his grid position, Matsukura didn’t let up on his pace but maybe the Team Yokomo driver found his limit.  Crashing a number of times he still produced his fastest time of the weekend also setting a new lap record of 12.083 in the process.  Afterwards Matsukura said he changed his tyre set-up for the final qualifier which felt very good and that the mistakes where just ‘stupid’ mistakes by him.  Admitting that his rivals have closed the gap in terms of pace he said with no mistakes the win should still be easy.

The biggest surprise of the final round of qualifying came from factory Team Associated driver Rick Hohwart.  Running in the second highest of the heats, the American looked set to line-up in the B Final but pulling off a 39 lap run, despite his battery dumping on his last lap, he shot up the ranking list to secure 6th on the grid.  Having last made the A-Main at the 1:12 World Championships 20-years-ago Hohwart said copying the set-up team-mate Keven Hebert tried in the mornings 3-minute practice, his car was the best it has been since the event started with it being real easy to drive.  Asked about his battery problem, which resulted in a 22-second last lap, he said he had no issues previously and is confident that with a little more charge he should be fine for the finals.

A-Main Grid
1. Naoto Matsukura (JP) – Yokomo – 78/16:16.396
2. Ronald Völker (DE) – Associated – 77/16:09.122
3. Marc Rheinard (DE) – CRC – 77/16:09.656
4. Andy Moore (GB) – CRC – 77/16:10.829
5. Elliot Harper (GB) – CRC – 77/16:16.357
6. Rick Hohwart (US) – Associated – 77/16:33.857
7. Jilles Groskamp (NL) – Onpoint – 76/16:02.125
8. Alexander Hagberg (SE) – Xray – 76/16:02.707
9. Simo Ahoniemi (FI) – CRC – 76/16:04.752
10.Hideo Kitazawa (JP) – Corally – 76/16:12.860

Round 6 Qualification – Top 10 times
1. Andy Moore (GB) – CRC – 39/8:06.635
2. Ronald Völker (DE) – Associated – 39/8:07.236
3. Naoto Matsukura (JP) – Yokomo – 39/8:07.702
4. Marc Rheinard (DE) – CRC – 39/8:08.798
5. Elliot Harper (GB) – CRC – 39/8:12.049
6. Rick Hohwart (US) – Associated – 39/8:22.134
7. Alexander Hagberg (SE) – Xray – 38/8:00.478
8. Jilles Groskamp (NL) – Onpoint – 38/8:00.571
9. Simo Ahoniemi (FI) – CRC – 38/8:00.755
10.Jan Asmer (DE) – Serpent – 38/8:05.203

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