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Matsukura from Balestri in opening Qualifier
Naoto Matsukura has taken the opening round of qualifying at the 1:8 Onroad World Championships at Steel City RC Speedway. After high winds forced the cancellation of the start of qualifying yesterday, the first of the now reduced to 4-minutes qualifiers saw an Infinity duel for top spot. Shadowing his Infinity team-mate & top seed Dario Balestri throughout the run, Balestri having about half a second advantage, Matsukura was handed the TQ run when the reigning Champion started to run out of fuel on the final lap. Running the second fastest heat, Jesse Davis would make it an Infinity Top 3 followed by fellow Australian Jeff Hamon who also ran in Group 11 of 12. While crossing the line third fastest in the top heat, Simon Kurzbuch had to contend with a P5 for the first of his 6 qualifying attempts with Mugen’s JJ Wang completing the Top 6.
‘Lucky’ was Matsukura’s reaction to his TQ saying, ‘he was empty so I could take him on the last lap but before this he was 0.5 in front’. The reigning 1:10 World Champion continued, ‘my car was pretty good but a little nervous. I think the traction will be higher the next one so we need to change the car for this and also for to make it easier to drive. My engine was very good.’ Happy to have run a very clean 4-minutes, the Japanese ace concluded, ‘I need two more TQs but I have to keep my driving clean and make sure I get more points’.
Explaining his Q1 drama, Balestri said, ‘the conditions changed to day. It is super cold this morning. We opened the carburettor and start too rich, too safe, and I need to push a lot to go fast. This finished the fuel and we lost everything on the last lap’. With the temperature now starting to rise, the Italian concluded that other than re-tuning his engine we will ‘leave all the same’ for Q2.
Summing up his strong start to qualifying, Davis said, ‘I just drove nice and smooth to get a good first result. I didn’t expect to be that high up’. He added, ‘I always felt the car was had a good consistent pace. I was not the fastest over 3-laps but I knew it would be good for 4-minutes’. Looking to Q2 he said, ‘I’m going to leave the car the same and with a safe one in the books I’m just going to drive a bit harder’.
Commenting on his impressive P4 time, Hamon said, ‘It was good. I made a mistake on the first lap but apart from that it was nice and easy. I was surprised when they were calling me in second’. A new signing for Serpent this season, the 2017 Semi Finalist added, ‘the car was awesome. I had a couple of moments in the warm-up on big tyres but after that it was really good. I ‘m really proud of myself on the body front. I’m running Protoform’s X15 and my set-up is working pretty well with this combo’. Asked if he planned any changes for Q2, he replied, ‘I’m in two minds but I might put in what I think is my good engine. The engine I just used wasn’t so good the last time I ran it but I changed the clutch and it is working good now’.
‘It was OK’, was how Team Shepherd’s Kurzbuch summed up Q1 adding, ‘the car was now a bit pushing so I just tried to get a clean run. One and a half seconds off Matsukura’s time, the former World Champion and 2017 runner-up said, ‘The car was too safe now which is OK for Quali as you need your points but we will look at what we can change to see if we can attack for the TQ’.
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Chassis Focus – Lamberto Collari
Chassis – Infinity IF18
Engine – Max
Fuel (handout) – VP Racing
Tires (handout) – Hotrace
Radio/Servo – Sanwa Exzes ZZ/Sanwa
Body – Xtreme Diablo
Remarks – Lamberto is running ‘a completely standard’ IF18 but his car does feature stiffeners and extra weights he would not normally use in an attempt to try and adapt it for Steel City RC Speedway’s super high traction levels. A drivers who has experienced more World Championships than most, the 22nd 1:8 Onroad World Championship’s ‘very unique’ grips levels has seen the 9-time Champion get creative and cut up an old radio plate to make stiffeners for the car.
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Chassis Focus – Robert Pietsch
Chassis – Mugen MRX6 Prototype
Engine – OS Speed R2104
Fuel (handout) – VP Racing
Tires (handout) – Hotrace
Radio/Servo – Sanwa
Body – Xtreme Super Diablo
Remarks – Robert is racing a prototype Mugen MRX-6X here at the World Championships. The car features different shocks, caster set-up and weight distribution. Key items on the car are the new front upper arms and uprights with eccentric aluminium inserts. With these new front parts the driver will have more solutions of steering angle as well as a different roll centre. At the rear there is a 0.8 gear and a solution to use a standard rod or upper arm. The car is also fitted with an optional topdeck carbon front brace.
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Chassis Focus – Patrick Schafer
Chassis – Shepherd Velox V8.2
Engine – Gimar Blue Demon
Fuel (handout) – VP Racing
Tires (handout) – Hotrace
Radio/Servo – KO Propo Eurus/Futaba
Body – Xtreme Super Diablo (not pictured)
Remarks – Shepherd’s owner and designer, Patrick is running the Velox V8.2 with the brand new advanced weight system which will be released to customers shortly. The new system allows fast balance (front-rear) changes in the pits – perfect for changing track conditions during race day just like drivers are having to deal with here at Steel City RC Speedway. Posting a Top 10 run in the final round of seeding practice, Patrick’s car also features eccentric inserts in front uprights, low friction pulleys, Shepherd low friction belts, Brilliant RC aluminium pivot balls and Brilliant RC ball bearings.
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Chassis Focus – Steven Jovanovic
Chassis – Capricorn 804 Prototype
Engine – Max 351R WC
Fuel (handout) – VP Pro
Tires (handout) – Hotrace
Radio/Servo – Sanwa M17/Sanwa
Body – Xtreme Diablo
Remarks – Making a return to World Championship action and putting in an impressive first seeding run with the third fastest time Steven is running Capricorn’s upcoming chassis release, the 804. While being called at ‘prototype’, Steven says the car is ‘good to go’ to customers and expected to be available shortly. Explaining the differences to the car over the 803, at the front the lower arms are 2mm longer with the chassis narrower to suit. He said through the chicane this keeps the car a lot flatter and so a lot smoother to drive. The upper arms are also mounted differently now being mounted to the new radio tray making the car more rigid. The front bulkheads are 2mm lower which is better for steering. At the rear of the car the bulkheads are narrower making the centre of gravity better. The arms are stiffer with less cut outs and are also longer but the rear roll centre remains the same. Steven is running Capricorn’s optional hubs both front and rear which he says makes the car roll a lot freer. As part of the new radio tray the radio box has been made smaller and is now in the middle of the car.
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