Volker heads first controlled practice

After the first of two controlled practice runs that will bring Day 1 of the IFMAR Touring Car World Championships to close it is Ronald Volker and the Yokomo team who continue to be the pace setters. Once again the German ace got the better of Tamiya’s Jilles Groskamp and Marc Rheinard abeit in a slightly slow time.  Volker only completed 10 laps, being one of six drivers to pull up early to save his set of controlled LRP tyres.  Having run for a second time a rear gear diff in his BD5 he again found it made the car difficult to drive in the opening laps.  After that the car felt really good but with new tyres at their best over the first three laps of the run the Yokomo team have now decided to revert back to a ball diff for the remainder of the event.

Groskamp who closed the gap between himself and Volker to just 6/100th in CP1 says his car ‘feels just perfect’ and he is really happy with his pace having not been as close to his rival here in pre-event testing.  Recording the fastest lap for the round the European Champion along with his three Tamiya team-mates were the only drivers to complete the 5-minutes and said this was helpful for building up information on how his Orion powered TRF416 is suited to the hot conditions over a full run.  The weather forecast for the next two days is giving even warmer conditions.  Team-mate Viktor Wilck was fifth fastest but said the run was not good.  Trying a new rear shock tower the Swede said it felt OK at the beginning of the run but quickly went off and so he will revert to back to the original tower.

Having changed his shock settings Shin Adachi posted the fourth fastest time and said while he is not quite as fast as his rivals in outright lap times his TF6 feels very consistent over the 5 minutes.  For the final run of the day he will make some camber adjustments.

Alexander Hagberg continues to be the lead Xray driver setting the sixth fastest 3 consecutive laps.  The Swede ran extra drag brake on his LRP powered T3 but said this made the car more difficult to drive. Reverting back to his FP4 speedo settings for his next outing he said overall the set-up he has now feels alright.

Atsushi Hara and Hot Bodies team-mate Andy Moore were 7th and 8th fastest respectively.  The current 1:8 Off Road World Champion, Hara tried a different set-up to that used in free practice but said it didn’t work.  With his Reedy powered TCX having too much roll he plans to stiffen up the front shocks for what he is calling ‘Happy Hour’ referring to the sixth and final run of the day which will have the benefit of much cooler conditions. Enjoying his best run so far Moore said adjusting his droop and a switch of additive had greatly improved his car.

Japanese Tamiya team driver Kouno Takayuki set the ninth fastest time followed by factory Associated driver Juho Levanen.

Top 10 after first Controlled Practice
1. Ronald Volker (Yokomo) – 36.940
2. Jilles Groskamp (Tamiya) – 37.001
3. Marc Rheinard (Tamiya) – 37.527
4. Shin Adachi (Kyosho) – 37.274
5. Viktor Wilck (Tamiya) – 37.294
6. Alexander Hagberg (Xray) – 37.348
7. Atsushi Hara (Hot Bodies) – 37.415
8. Andy Moore (Hot Bodies) – 37.466
9. Kouno Takayuki (Tamiya)- 37.506
10.Juho Levanen (Associated) – 37.516

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Volker tops free practice

Ronald Volker is the fastest man in Burgdorf with free practice now completed. The Yokomo star had a number of incidents during his FP4 run but still managed to lay down both the fastest outright lap and three consecutive laps.  Recording a 12.129 the Warm-Up race Top Qualifier topped the times sheets from Tamiya trio Jilles Groskamp, Marc Rheinard and Viktor Wilck.

Volker tried two cars, an old and a new one, in FP4. Although very loose over the opening two laps he said the older chassis felt the better of the two and this is the chassis he will now nominate as his race chassis, something which all drivers must do ahead of the two controlled practice runs which are up next.

Groskamp changed motor for the run, switching to an Orion with a thicker rotor.  The European Championship said this gave him more feeling which in return made the car smoother to drive. Having been the pace setter after P3, defending Champion Rheinard said they went the wrong way with set-up resulting in his TRF416 suffering a lot of understeer which got worse as the run went on.

Two drivers making big gains for the round where Xray’s Alexander Hagberg and Kyosho’s Christopher Krapp who set the 6th and 7th fastest time respectively. Hagberg, who was classified the winner of the Warm-up race, found his car was tweaked after round three and with the car straight again for FP4 is very happy with his LRP powered T3.  Over taking his team-mate shin Adachi on the time sheets, the Japanese driver failing to improve in P4, Krapp said his new speed came from simply reverting to the set-up he ran at the Warm-up.

Elsewhere Marc Fischer is fastest of the Corally team in 14th place while British National Champion Chris Grainger is best of the Schumacher drivers in 21st, two spots ahead of newly crowned back to back 1:12 World Champion Naoto Matsukara.  The star of last year’s European Championship at which he made the final, French driver Lucas Urbain is once again impressing at the control of his Losi setting the 20th fastest time of the 111 drivers present with the ageing JSX-R chassis.

Top 10 at end of Free Practice
(3 fastest consecutive laps)
1. Ronald Volker – 36.557
2. Jilles Groskamp – 36.804
3. Marc Rheinard – 36.902
4. Viktor Wick – 37.109
5. Atsushi Hara – 37.123
6. Alexabder Hagberg – 37.125
7. Christopher Krapp – 37.256
8. Steen Graversen – 37.343
9. Shin Adachi – 37.389
10.Juho Levanen – 37.391

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Rheinard quickest after 3 rounds of practice

Defending Champion Marc Rheinard is setting the pace here on the opening day of the IFMAR World Championship. The 23-year-old is fastest in all aspects recording the fastest lap time, the fastest five minute run and the quickest three consecutive laps which will be used to determine a reseed of the heats.  Tamiya are being very secretive about the 23-year-old’s Speed Passion powered car with the chassis being kept covered at all times.  Rheinard says the car feels OK but has the potential to be better but as a starting point he is happy with his current pace.

Setting the second fastest time over three laps is 2008 Vice World Champion Ronald Volker. The Yokomo team leader is 2/10th down on his fellow countryman but says his LRP powered BD5 feels difficult to drive.  Volker said while his pace so far is competitive he needs to find a way to get a little more steering on the car.  In terms of outright lap times Yokomo are also closest to Rheinard with Hayato Matsuzaki getting within 3/1000th of second.

Hot Bodies’ Atsushi Hara has been trying two cars each run but is having trouble with the faster of the two stripping spur gears after just 2 laps.  A more aggressive handling car, the 2000 World Champion said it is clearly faster but he needs to find a way to stop it from stripping gears.  The only driver in the Top 10 not to improve his time in P3, he is currently 3rd quickest with his time from the 2nd practice.

Shin Adachi is pleased with the start to his World Championship with the Kyosho team driver currently 4th fastest with the new TF6 chassis.  Responsible for the creation of the new car, the Japanese driver is really happy with the base set-up and will run it again focusing instead on tyre additive.  Interestingly Adachi is running a 2.5mm chassis while his young German team-mate Christopher Krapp has opted for a 2.0mm version.

Team Associated have had a decent morning with their new TC6 with Rick Hohwart setting the sixth fastest time.  The American says he is still learning the track each run but adapting Juho Levanen’s set-up for P3 he said it made for a big improvement.  Levanen took his example around the small technical track in the ninth fastest time.

Sandwiching Hohwart on the timesheets for now are Tamiya drivers Jilles Groskamp and Steen Graversen with the 5th and 7th fastest time.  Dane Graversen said his TRF416 has been getting better and better each run and when asked why replied with the quote of the day – ‘Old people just need more time to learn the track’.

Making his debut here for Team Yokomo, German teenager Yannic Prumper has got his new relationship with the Japanese company off to a good start recording the eight fastest time so far.  Tamiya’s Viktor Wilck rounds out the Top 10.

Top 10 after P3 (3 consecutive laps)
1. Marc Rheinard – 37.060
2. Ronald Volker – 37.222
3. Atsushi Hara – 37.239
4. Shin Adachi – 37.389
5. Jilles Groskamp – 37.478
6. Rick Hohwart – 37.562
7. Steen Graversen – 37.573
8. Yannic Pruemper – 37.582
9. Juho Levanen – 37.584
10.Viktor Wilck – 37.589

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