Meen V tops Q4, Leino still holds TQ

KM Racing’s Meen Vejrak set the pace in the fourth round of qualifying at the 1:10 Nitro Touring Car World Championships just ahead of HB driver Atsushi Hara but the time was 1.5 seconds off the that set in Q2 by Teemu Leino who for the second day will leave the RC Addict track In Bangkok holding the TQ honours ahead of Jilles Groskamp.

Having set the third fastest time in Q3 to move up to 10th overall, Vejrak said switching to a harder tyre along with running a softer front anti-roll bar had improved the steering on his Novarossi powered H-K1.  Also running a shorter wheel base, the Thai driver knocked over 7.5 seconds off his previous best to move into third overall and into the magical Top 4.  Despite this Vejrak said he is still not 100% comfortable with his car and he plans to make a number of small adjustments for tomorrow’s final two qualifiers.

Having had issues with run time in Q2 & 3, which it was discovered was due to a broken fuel tank lid, Hara was pleased with his Q4 run as he too improved his time and moved into a Top 4 direct qualifier position. Just under 7/10ths off Vejak’s pace, the Japanese driver said he expected the second of the days qualifiers to be slower due to it taking place in the middle of the day and he sauced his front tyres differently.  Having only applied additive to 25% of the front tyres in his previous run he went to 40% for Q4 and this combined with freshly rebuilt shocks gave him a really good car over the 10 minutes.  With just two of the 6 rounds of qualifying remaining Hara believes he still has a chance at taking the TQ at what is his home track.  With Q5 starting with Group 4 and running in reverse order Hara, who is in the Top heat number 13, said the conditions should still be cool enough for a potential 40 lap run.

Hara’s HB team-mates Leino and Andy Moore had troubled runs.  Confident that the track would be slower than this morning Leino changed LRP engines to save his good unit for tomorrow morning’s Q5.  The tuning of the second engine was not very good and so the Finn had no choice but to pit and have his mechanic adjust the carb settings.  Moore said he just didn’t have a good feeling with his R10.  Starting out a little edgy to drive, the 2006 EP Touring Car World Champion said it quickly lost tyre traction, something he is not sure is being caused by his set-up or the way in which he is preparing his tyres. Despite this the British ace, for whom this is only his second ever nitro race, set the fifth fastest time for the round.

Third fastest but unable to improve on his best time which was set in Q2,  Groskamp said he struggled a little with rear traction.  Able to run with Hara in the first half of the run the Capricorn driver said in the second half he lost pace compared with his great electric touring car rival.  Believing he now knows what to do in terms of his set-up for hotter conditions, Groskamp is looking forward to Q5 as like all the cars the performance is better but in the case of his Maxima powered LAB-C02 he feels the advantage for him is greater than that of his rivals.

Team Xray’s Alexander Hagberg set the fourth fastest time of Q4 improving his time by over 4 seconds to move up to 8th in the qualification standings making him the Slovakian manufacturer’s best placed driver.  Also entering the Top 10 for the first time was Thailand’s only IFMAR World title winner Surikarn C who took his NT1 to the seventh fastest time promoting himself to 9th overall.  The only other driver in the Top 15 to improve their time was Mugen driver JJ Wang who moves up to 11th maintaining his position as the top US driver with Paul Lemieux and Paolo Morganti failing to improve in Q4 leaving them 20th and 45th respectively.

Top 15 after Round 4 of Qualifying
1. Teemu Leino – HB/LRP – 39/10:01.512 (3)
2. Jilles Groskamp – Capricorn/Maxima – 39/10.02.182 (2)
3. Meen Vejrak – KM Racing/Novarossi – 39/10:04.019 (4)
4. Atsushi Hara – HB/OS Speed – 39/10:04.710 (4)
5. Andy Moore – HB/Maxima – 39/10:06.779 (2)
6. Dario Balestri – KM Racing/Novarossi – 39/10:07.158 (3)
7. Keisuke Fukuda – Mugen/Picco – 39/10:07.537 (2)
8. Alexander Hagberg – Xray/Orcan – 39/10:08.265 (4)
9. Surikarn C – Xray/Max – 39/10:09.556 (4)
10.Biagio Spataro – Xray/G-Mar – 39/10:10.845 (2)
11.JJ Wang – Mugen/Novarossi – 39/10:11.166 (4)
12.Takaaki Shimo – Kyosho/OS Speed – 39/10:11.229 (2)
13.Mongkolplan Lomrose – Mugen/Maxima – 39/10:612 (2)
14.Robert Pietsch – Mugen/Novarossi – 39/10:12.177 (2)
15.Dirk Wischnewski – Xray/Orcan – 39/10:12.649 (3)

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Leino improves by a fraction in Q3

Teemu Leino continues to lead the way in qualifying at the 1:10 Nitro Touring Car World Championships with the Finn improving his previous TQ time from yesterday’s second qualifier by .143 of a second in Q3 this morning with Dario Balestri, who improves to 4th fastest overall, the closest to the HB driver some 5.6 seconds off his pace.  The second day of qualifying proved a tough run for a number of drivers with Jilles Groskamp and Andy Moore both getting spun out as they lapped slower cars while Atsushi Hara again ran out of fuel.

Having refreshed the shocks on his LRP powered R10, staying with the same weight oil, Leino said this gave him the extra traction he was looking for and that overall the balance of the car felt better. His team-mates Moore and Hara also said their cars where improved over yesterday but for the former who is running in the second highest heat a potential 40 lap run was abruptly ended when he made a pass on Suruth Vataniyapramote.  Having got passed, the Thai driver ran into the rear of the Maxima powered R10 pushing the British driver onto the astro turf and causing the body to tuck.  Hara said his OS Speed powered example of the new HB felt the best it has since the start of the event but 4-minutes into Q3 it ran out of fuel.  Having fitted an engine which in testing at both RC Addict and another track gave very good economy, the Japanese ace, who also ran out of fuel yesterday just before the 10-minutes were up, said they obviously have a problem with the tank and he will change to a new one for the second of today’s scheduled qualifiers.

Balestri said having experienced traction roll in Q2 yesterday he ran Q3 on a smaller diameter tyre. While this gave him a very fast car for the first five minutes he said after his fuel stop his Novarossi powered H-K1 was very loose as the tyres were too small.  Very happy with the feeling of the car the Italian said he is confident that with a slight larger tyre for Q4 he should be in good shape.  Setting the third fastest time for the round, team-mate Meen V moved into the Top 10 just ahead of fellow Thai driver Surikarn C who despite taking his Xray to a faster time and moving ahead of Robert Pietsch and JJ Wang remains 11th fastest.

Still sitting 2nd overall Jilles Groskamp was critical of the driving standards as he once again came undone by traffic. Having lost out on a TQ run in Q2 yesterday, this morning the Capricorn driver was in the mix for a quick run until he got spun out in front of the driver’s rostrum by 2010 Worlds Top Qualifier Robert Pietsch.  Pietsch, who got a Stop & Go penalty for the incident, said he opened up for Groskamp but with another slower car coming up behind the electric touring car World Champion he tried to get back in behind him but didn’t judge it well and ended up tagging the Maxima powered LAB-CO2.  With any chance of bettering his Q2 time Groskamp done he used the rest of the heat to test coming in for a tyre change to try a different compund of tyre as well as a different front wheel rim.

Elsewhere Alexander Hagberg was the fastest Xray for the round setting the sixth fastest time to move up to 14th overall.  The Swede said it was not a super fast run but it was clean and his Orcan powered NT1 ‘felt OK’.  Team-mate Paul Lemieux, who drops to 18th overall, ran out of fuel just before his fuel stop but the American said his Max powered NT1 was not on the pace.  Sitting just behind the US Champion in 19th position, based on his non-finish Q2 time, is three time electric Touring Car World Champion Marc Rheinard who lost a rear wheel off his Capricorn in Q3.

Top 15 after Round 3 of Qualifying
1. Teemu Leino – HB/LRP – 39/10:01.512 (3)
2. Jilles Groskamp – Capricorn/Maxima – 39/10.02.182 (2)
3. Andy Moore – HB/Maxima – 39/10:06.779 (2)
4. Dario Balestri – KM Racing/Novarossi – 39/10:07.158 (3)
5. Keisuke Fukuda – Mugen/Picco – 39/10:07.537 (2)
6. Atsushi Hara – HB/OS Speed – 39/10:09.303 (1)
7. Biagio Spataro – Xray/G-Mar – 39/10:10.845 (2)
8. Takaaki Shimo – Kyosho/OS Speed – 39/10:11.229 (2)
9. Mongkolplan Lomrose – Mugen/Maxima – 39/10:612 (2)
10.Meen Vejrak – KM Racing/Novarossi – 39/10:11.751 (3)
11.Surikarn C – Xray/Max – 39/10:12.124 (3)
12.Robert Pietsch – Mugen/Novarossi – 39/10:12.177 (2)
13.JJ Wang – Mugen/Novarossi – 39/10:12.349 (1)
14.Alexander Hagberg – Xray/Orcan – 39/10:12.593 (3)
15.Dirk Wischnewski – Xray/Orcan – 39/10:12.649 (3)

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Teemu holds TQ in Thailand

At the end of the first day of qualifying for the 1:10 Nitro Touring Car World Championships it is Team HB driver Teemu Leino who holds the provisional TQ honours in Bangkok after the Finnish ace ran a time of 39/10:01.655 outpacing Q1 pace setter Jilles Groskamp by half a second. Andy Moore completed the Top 3 ahead of former World Champion Keisuke Fukuda with a time thats somewhat off the pace of the Top 2.

Leino said after his TQ run that while the result was good his car was still very loose.  Again lacking rear traction he said the overall base set-up of his LRP powered R10 is quite good but when he pushes it to the limit it can be a bit of a handful. Known for his aggressive driving style he said he is still thinking about what to try tomorrow to give him that extra 2% grip he needs.

Groskamp said he was happy with his Q2 time as it was a personal best for him, the now Thai based Dutch driver having done a lot of pre-event testing here, but the result could have been even better had he not had an incident just before his pit stop.  Planning to stop a lap later than everyone else so as to avoid any dramas in the pit lane, as he started his in lap he came undone.  Driving down the inside of Surikarn and Balestri, who had just exited the pit lane following his fuel stop, Groskamp’s Capricorn was touched by Surikarn’s Xray sending it into a spin costing the 2008 Worlds Top Qualifier 2 seconds and a potential second TQ run.  Afterwards Surikarn apologised to Groskamp for the incident.  Groskamp said his engine tuning was a little rich at the start of the run but after the fuel stop it was fine something he thinks has to do with the fuel tank which has been in the car for some time.  For tomorrow he will fit a new tank along with all new fuel tubing.

Moore said his R10 was decent but his driving was not up to scratch.  Having improved his car from Q1 by changing to a softer tyre compound he said he still needs to find more steering. While currently 3rd fastest the nitro novice said he doesn’t believe his time will be quick enough to keep him inside the magical Top 4.  Planning to run a softer front shock set-up he said he will also try a different preparation of his front tyres.

Fukuda, who prior to Q2 hasn’t really featured at this event, said a change to softer tyres on his Picco powered Mugen improved the car a lot.  Still looking for more steering the Japanese driver will make a small set-up change for Q3 but said he must be careful that he does not end up with a car that wants to traction roll.

Atsushi Hara failed to finish the second qualifier but with his Q1 time sits fifth.  The HB driver said he ran his best set-up from the practice on his OS Speed powered R10 but the conditions where not the same and it was edgy to drive.  In the end he would run out of fuel just before the end of the 10-minute run.  Having had good economy from his OS engine he said they had a problem during the stop which while his pitman put down the car caused fuel to spill onto the exhaust.  Cooling the pipe it caused the engine to run rich for a few laps and this combined with the spilled fuel left him short.  Summing up the performance he said his set-up is about 80% and he needs to find the other 20% in tyre choice and the timing of his additive.

With KM Racing’s Dario Balestri loosing time when his car traction rolled early in the run after he went the wrong way with his set-up, it was Biagio Spataro who is now the top Italian.  The 18-year-old ran too small a diameter tyre in Q1 which while it gave him a fast car early in the heat left him struggling at the end. Increasing the diameter by 2mm for Q2 it gave him a much more consistent car and he was able to post the 5th fastest time for the round to leave him sixth overall and the top Xray.  Happy with the set-up on his G-Mar powered NT1 he plans to continue with the same set-up for tomorrow when the top groups will run both Q3 & 4 in the morning.

Although he improved his time Takaaki Shimo’s factory Kyosho dropped from 6th to 7th with a great run from young local kid Mongkolplan Lomrose securing him 8th spot ahead of fellow Mugen driver & 1:8 Onroad World Champion Robert Pietsch.  Having had a flame out in Q1 Pietsch had another less than perfect run.  Starting with his engine too rich his MTX-5 was not changing gear on the infield which cost him some time and when he came in for his fuel stop he overshot his pit box resulting in a ‘Horrible’ pit stop.  Top Qualifier at the last Worlds he said as the engine leaned out over the qualifier the gearbox was fine as was the handling of the car and German believes he has the pace but just needs the luck to go with it.

The surprise of Q1, JJ Wang didn’t better his time in Q2 but the Mugen driver will be very pleased to leave the track this evening as the tenth fastest and top American driver.

Top 15 after Round 2 of Qualifying
1. Teem Leino – HB/LRP – 39/10:01.655 (2)
2. Jilles Groskamp – Capricorn/Maxima – 39/10.02.182 (2)
3. Andy Moore – HB/Maxima – 39/10:06.779 (2)
4. Keisuke Fukuda – Mugen/Picco – 39/10:07.537 (2)
5. Atsushi Hara – HB/OS Speed – 39/10:09.303 (1)
6. Biagio Spataro – Xray/G-Mar – 39/10:10.845 (2)
7. Takaaki Shimo – Kyosho/OS Speed – 39/10:11.229 (2)
8. Mongkolplan Lomrose – Mugen/Maxima – 39/10:612 (2)
9. Robert Pietsch – Mugen/Novarossi – 39/10:12.177 (2)
10.JJ Wang – Mugen/Novarossi – 39/10:12.349 (1)
11.Surikarn C – Xray/Max – 39/10:13.616 (2)
12.Sinnosuke Yokoyama – 39/10:13.696 (2)
13.Paul Lemieux – Xray/Max – 39/10:14.861 (2)
14.Marc Rheinard – Capricorn/Capricorn – 38/9:59.920 (2)
15.Dario Balestri – KM Racing/Novarossi – 38/10:00.116 (1)

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