Sahashi on pole for World Championship Final

Team Serpent’s Tadahiko Sahashi will start the 1:8 Onroad World Championship final at KeiTune Racing Speedway in Japan from pole position after the Top Qualifier took a faster win in the second Semi-Final than Takaaki Shimo managed in opening 30-minute encounter.  Starting from the front Sahasi lead from start to finish, the only blotch in the near perfect run being the loss of a rear wheel off his Picco powered 977 when he was released from his tyre stop.  Such was the Japanese drivers lead however once the rest of the field completed their tyre stops he was back in front eventually taking the win by over a lap from Atsushi Hara and HB’s Teemu Leino.  The story of the race however was the recovery drive from European Champion Jilles Groskamp.

At the start Groskamp found himself boxed out dropping him down the order as the Team Shepherd/Maxima driver tried to stay out of trouble but contact with HB’s Michihiro Takayasu would knock a shock off the Velox V8.  Driving one lap with the left rear shock off the car, he had to pit where crew chief Jarb Ratanarat fitted a new one.  Losing three laps in the pits and sitting in last position, the recovery drive by the Electric Touring Car World Champion was noting but spectacular.  Having suffered a similar incident in one of his qualifiers, Groskamp luckily decided to take a shock off his spare car and put it in his pitbox for the Semi, a decision he said after ‘saved the day’.  Totally fired up by the incident, having originally planned to drive a well calculated race, the Dutch ace drove the race of his life.  Setting the fastest lap, only him and Sahashi managing to break in to the 16-second lap times, he would work his way back up to fifth passing those ahead of him as though he was lapping them rather than unlapping himself.  With the Top 4 bumping up from each race, the last direct position in the Semi A going to Shinnosuke Yokoyama, Groskamp would claim his place in the Main with the fastest non-top 4 time with KM Racing’s Charlee Phutiyotin who was in the same race securing the final spot on the grid.

One big name casualty of the race was Miami runner-up Keisuke Fukuda.  Starting 5th, the KM Racing driver would lose the INS Box off his Picco engine on his first fuel stop.  Returning to the pits to have it fitted back on, it would come off again after he rejoined the track ending any chance of him progressing to the final.  With the Japanese driver out it means the podium in Chiba this evening will be completely different with Shimo & Hara the only 2011 finalists set to start the race.  The race also saw the end of the road for Miami finalist Takehiro Terauchi, the Mugen Novarossi driver running out of fuel just as the first round of fuel stops started. Former Worlds Finalist Oliver Mack would fail to finish, the Team Shepherd driver having a front shock come off which he believes was the result of a crash earlier in the race.

Grid for Final
1. Tadahiko Sahashi (JPN) – Serpent/Picco
2. Takaaki Shimo (JPN) – Mugen/OS Speed
3. Meen Vejrak (THA) – KM Racing/OS Speed
4. Carmie Raiola (ITA) – Xray/Max
5. Atsushi Hara (JPN) – Mugen/OS Speed
6. Teemu Leino (FIN) – HB/OS Speed
7. Shinnosuke Yokoyama (JPN) – Mugen/OS Speed
8. Silvio Hachler (CH) – Mugen/Novarossi
9. Jilles Groskamp (NL) – Shepherd/Maxima
10.Charlee Phutiyotin (THA) – KM Racing/OS Speed

View the event results here.

View our event image gallery here.

Semi-A Final Result

1.(1) Tadahiko Sahashi (JPN) – Serpent/Picco – 100/30:02.217
2.(10)Atsushi Hara (JPN) – Mugen/OS Speed – 99/30:08.696
3.(8) Teemu Leino (FIN) – HB/OS Speed – 99/30:16.601
4.(4) Shinnosuke Yokoyama (JPN) – Mugen/OS Speed – 98/29:49.759
5.(2) Jilles Groskamp (NL) – Shepherd/Maxima – 98/30:02.764
6.(7) Charlee Phutiyotin (THA) – KM Racing/OS Speed – 98/30:15.563
7.(3) Takehiro Terauchi (JPN) – Mugen/Novarossi – 97/30:10.519
8.(6) Michihiro Takayasu (JPN) – HB/OS Speed – 97/30:17.478
9.(9) Oliver Mack (DE) – Shepherd/Sonic – 71/22:22.462
10(5)Keisuke Fukuda (JPN) – KM Racing/Picco – 21/6:57.375

1:8 Onroad to crown all new World Champion

The sport’s oldest and founding class is to crown an all new World Champion this evening in Japan as the only former World Champion Adrien Bertin exited from the event in the first of the Semi Finals.  Starting from 5th on the grid the KM Racing driver lasted just 2 and a half minutes of the half hour final when he was forced out with a broke steering servo saver.  Up front and booking his place in the race that will decide the 19th World Champion, Mugen/OS driver Takaaki Shimo controlled the race from start to finish only dropping from the top of the timing screens when he made a full tyre change.

Behind the Pre Worlds Race winner Yuya Sahashi looked to be comfortable in second but just as he crossed the timing loop to come in for his final fuel stop he ran dry.  Luckily the position in which his Serpent 977 stopped meant he didn’t lose too much time but it dropped him back to fourth. In the dying moments of the race a hard charging Silvio Hachler found a way passed the Japanese driver for the final guaranteed bump spot.  In an exciting finish the paired battled it out but contact on the final lap which allowed Sahashi to cross the line in fourth resulted in a 1-lap penalty leaving him 7th and out of the Main.  Making his World Championship debut and having bumped up twice yesterday to start the Semi from 9th, 21-year-old Hachler was delighted to secure his place in the Main event.

Starting from second on the grid Meen Vejrak, who like Hachler only changed the outside tyres during the race, finished second having to fend off a strong challenge from Raiola Carmine.  The reigning 200mm World Champion, booking his place in the Main keeps the Thai driver on target to become the first ever driver to hold both Onroad nitro racing World titles at the same time.  Going for a similar strategy to Shimo and changing all four tyres, Italian National Champion Carmine finished 3rd to book his place in the final.

Finishing fifth & sixth and now having the nervous wait to see if Semi A’s fifth & sixth place finishers can run a faster time where Kazuya Yuruki and Miami Finalist Simon Kurzbuch.  Unfortunately for the Swiss Team Shepherd driver he ran out of full just before crossing the finish line costing him a lap. A flame out at the 6-minute mark ended top US driver Paolo Morganti’s, winner of the 1/4 B final, chances of progressing with the Serpent driver finishing 8th.

View the event results here.

View our event image gallery here.

Semi-B Final Result

1.(1) Takaaki Shimo (JPN) – Mugen/OS Speed – 100/30:12.631
2.(2) Meen Vejrak (THA) – KM Racing/OS Speed – 99/30:00.771
3.(4) Raiola Carmine (ITA) – Xray/Max – 99/30:01.406
4.(9) Silvio Hachler (CH) – Mugen/Novarossi – 98/30:03.350
5.(7) Kazuya Yuruki (JPN) – Mugen/OS Speed – 98/30:17.804
6.(10)Simon Kurzbuch (CH) – Shepherd/Max – 97/29:59.138
7.(3) Yuya Sahashi (JPN) – Serpent/Picco – 97/30:03.046
8.(8) Paolo Morganti (USA) – Serpent/Novarossi – 96/30:12.341
9.(6) Syoki Takahata (JPN) – Kyosho/OS Speed – 62/30:06.857
10.(5)Adrien Bertin (FR) – KM Racing/Orion – 8/2:30.649

‘Race Control’ – Day 7, the Final Day

The big day has arrived at the 1:8 Onroad World Championships with the event just three races away from crowning the 19th World Champion of the sport’s oldest class.  Day 7 of the event, its a beautiful sunny morning at the KeiTune Racing Speedway and the first race of the day will be the Semi B Final which will see Mugen driver Takaaki Shimo start from pole position.  One hour later its the turn of the Semi A drivers which will be led away by the Serpent of Top Qualifier Tadahiko Sahashi.  For the first time this year’s Main final will be completely determined by the results of the Semi Finals, the traditional format of Top 4 qualifiers going direct to the 1-hour race having been dropped, and now it will be the Top 4 from each Semi along with the drivers with the next two fastest times that progress.  The driver with the fastest Semi Final winning time will secure the pole position.

Timetable (local Japanese times)
10:00 – Semi B Final (30 minutes)
11:00 – Semi A Final (30 minutes)
14:00 – Driver Presentation/Warm-up
14:30 – Final (1 hour)
14:30 – Prizegiving

View the event results here.

View our event image gallery here.

Semi final line up complete

The line up for tomorrow’s Semi-Finals at the 1:8 Onroad World Championship is complete as Day 6 in Japan ended with a dramatic 1/4A Final that saw Atsushi Hara claim the final bump up spot to progress to the big day at the misfortune of Serpent’s Michael Salven.  A controlled race from the pole position starting HB of Teemu Leino saw the 200mm World Championship Top Qualifier take a very comfortable 12 second win over the Shepherd of former finalist Oliver Mack. Running second having just passed Mack, Hara’s Mugen would go crashing off the track with 5-minutes to go.  Allowing both Mack and Salven through into second & third respectively, it looked like the r/c legend had thrown away his place in the Semi finals.  With Teemu running behind Hara, the Finn saying afterwards he didn’t want to pass his former team-mate as he knew he was in contention for a bump up spot, it looked like the former 1:8 Offroad and Electric Touring Car would champion didn’t have have the pace to catch Salven despite the fact he recorded the fastest lap of the race earlier on.  With less than 30 seconds to go there was heartbreak for Salven as the onroad nitro racing veteran’s 977 flamed out, handing Hara the final bump-up.

In the earlier 1/4 final, Salven’s Serpent team-mate Paolo Morganti booked his place into the Semi Finals after taking a narrow 2.2 second win over Swiss pairing Silvio Hachler and Simon Kurzbuch.  Starting from 6th on the grid the US driver said afterwards that he drove his own controlled race looking after the tyres on his Novarossi powered 977 and it all worked out perfectly.  Making his World Championship debut, 21-year-old Hachler was understandably delighted to secure a place in the Semi Final.  Having won his 1/8 final to bump up, the Mugen/Novarossi driver started the 20-minute encounter from 8th on the grid.  A finalist in Miami 2-years-ago,  Team Shepherd driver Kurzbuch couldn’t let up as he was within striking distance of team-mate Daniele Sieber who just missed the cut finishing 1.626 seconds behind.  For top Brazilian racer Elias Flavio, who bumped up twice today, a glow plug failure ended his quest to make his first World’s final.  Stopping on Lap 30 and losing over a minute as they fitted a new plug, the Mugen driver posted the fastest lap of the race but it would count for nothing as his event came to an end.  The race also ended the quest of Motonica driver Robin D’hondt to make a third World’s final in a row, the Belgian struggling with tyre wear leaving him to finish 5th.

Semi-A Final Grid
1. Tadahiko Sahashi (JPN) – Serpent/Picco
2. Jilles Groskamp (NL) – Shepherd/Maxima
3. Takehiro Terauchi (JPN) – Mugen/Novarossi
4. Shinnosuke Yokoyama (JPN) – Mugen/OS Speed
5. Keisuke Fukuda (JPN) – KM Racing/Picco
6. Michihiro Takayasu (JPN) – HB/OS Speed
7. Charlee Phutiyotin (THA) – KM Racing/OS Speed
8. Teemu Leino (FIN) – HB/OS Speed
9. Oliver Mack (DE) – Shepherd/Sonic
10.Atsushi Hara (JPN) – Mugen/OS Speed

Semi-B Final Grid
1. Takaaki Shimo (JPN) – Mugen/OS Speed
2. Meen Vejrak (THA) – KM Racing/OS Speed
3. Yuya Sahashi (JPN) – Serpent/Picco
4. Raiola Carmine (ITA) – Xray/Max
5. Adrien Bertin (FR) – KM Racing/Orion
6. Syoki Takahata (JPN) – Kyosho/OS Speed
7. Kazuya Yuruki (JPN) – Mugen/OS Speed
8. Paolo Morganti (USA) – Serpent/Novarossi
9. Silvio Hachler (CH) – Mugen/Novarossi
10.Simon Kurzbuch (CH) – Shepherd/Max

View the event results here.

View our event image gallery here.