Volker is TITC Top Qualifier

Having found himself lining up for the B-Main 12-months ago, Mugen Seiki’s Ronald Volker has bounced in style to become the Top Qualifier at the 20th edition of the legendary TITC in Thailand.  Opening Day 2 of qualifying in Bangkok with a TQ run after a mistake from defending Champion Bruno Coelho, Volker added a second TQ in the slower than expected fourth & final ‘Rocket Round’ on Saturday evening.  With the huge entry of drivers from around the world watching on in anticipation of a thrilling conclusion to qualifying from the top heat, the showdown between Coelho and Volker would all be over in a matter of seconds.  As Volker led out Q4, Coelho would make a false start going off at the same time as team-mate Alexander Hagberg.  Backing off the throttle after realising his error, getting back on the power he traction rolled his Xray in the first corner.  With the Portuguese driver who took both of yesterday’s qualifiers now out of contention for Q4, the pressure was still on Volker to TQ the round in order to deny his rival pole for tomorrow.  With Infinity driver Kouki Kato putting in an impressive run in the fourth fastest of the five Modified heat group, Volker couldn’t let up and in the end delivered a second TQ run followed by Kato with Hagberg third from the Awesomatix pairing of Marc Rheinard and Lucas Urbain.  That finishing order his how they line up on the grid behind Volker and Bruno with Kato, a C finalist on his TITC debut last year, completing the Top 6.

‘It is almost surreal to TQ after last year at this event’ was Volker reaction to giving Mugen their first TITC TQ.  He continued, ‘the conditions were very tricky as we could see from Bruno early on.  After he went out it still wasn’t any easier as my car was on two wheels a few times.  It was a difficult 5-minutes but I am delighted with the TQ.  Credit to Mugen and especially Robert (Pietsch) for the insane work they have done to get us to where we are now.’  Knowing how difficult an event the TITC is, an example being Coelho taking the TQ in 2018 but ending up P8 in the finals, Volker added, ‘nothing is done yet.  I’m on pole, but with Bruno behind me, so it won’t be a walk in the park.  It is the best possible position to be in so I’ll try to make the most of it.’

Asked about his start to Q4, Coelho said, ‘I had a false start.  And went the same time as Alex so I had to let him go.  I then knew the corner was going to be difficult and I flipped.  The run was done.’   The back to back World Champion continued, ‘we tried a car set-up change for the last one and while my run was done I just did some laps to get a feeling for the changes.  We tried something not to flip.  It was very fast but (the car) still wants to flip so we need to find a better solution for that’.  Asked if the track layout offers any overtaking opportunities, he said, ‘racing on asphalt is easier than carpet but the bumps here could cause problems if you try to overtake.  We have 3 finals so 3 chances and if the opportunity is there I will go for it.’

‘I thought it was a pretty good run’, was Hagberg’s reaction to his final qualifying attempt.  A two time winner of the race, he added, ‘I used my tyres from controlled practice which only had 4-laps on them and the balance was good’.  Preparing a brand new bodyshell after the run for his X4 saying, ‘It’s a back up just incase of a crash’, on his starting position for tomorrow’s finals the Swede said, ‘I start 3rd so anything is possible.  I will try my best to fight for the win.’

Rheinard was more upbeat about his finish to qualifying saying, ‘the car for the last one was fast, I just made too many mistakes.  I think I was leading at the beginning’.  The multiple World Champion said, ‘with the humidity today it’s difficult. I don’t have a feeling for the track but the car is not bad.  We made good progress that last round which is good for tomorrow.’  18-years since his one & only TITC win, the German feels ‘the race is wide open’ and he is confident he can run with the drivers lining up ahead of him in the A-Main.

‘It’s done.  I’m happy with that’, was Urbain’s thoughts on Q4.  He continued, ‘Q4 was horrible.  I am not sure if I overdid it with glue on the tyres.  Sometimes I had grip, sometimes I had understeer.  I couldn’t tell what the front end was doing.  I was just trying to stay on the black stuff.  It was super close and I lost out to Marc at the end but I think I prefer Marc in front of me than behind me.  More could have been possible but we reached our goal of making the A-Main.’  On tomorrow’s finals, this his first A-Main having made the B-Main on his TITC debut 8-years ago, he said, ‘It is already a challenge to keep the car on track for 5-minutes on your own so racing in a group is going to be something else.’

One of the stars of last year’s 1:8 Onroad World Championships in Japan, making the final on his category debut, Kato said the conditions for Q4 suited his IF14-2 and with a very stable car and he was able to push hard.  The Japanese Offroad Champion is confident for the finals with the 17-year-old feeling their is ‘more to come’ and he plans to move forward in the finals.

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Lauter takes TITC TQ for Awesomatix

Simon Lauter is the Top Qualifier in the Open Brushless class at the TITC, the European Pro Stock Champion putting his Awesomatix team in strong contention for four wins in a row of the Bangkok race’s biggest class.  With Lauter and Xray’s Adam Izsay taking one TQ a piece yesterday, it was Lauter who opened Day 2 with a TQ run in the 3rd round going 9/10ths of a second quicker than Izsay over the 5-minutes.  Still all to play for in the fourth & final round, with the conditions ideal for the fastest run of the weekend, Lauter was even stronger in Q4.  Setting the fastest lap of qualifying en-route to a third TQ run again ahead of his Hungarian rival, his advantage this time over 1.2-seconds.  With the two rival manufacturers battling out for the coveted class TQ honours behind an impressive performance from Awesomatix driver Thomas Bemmerl will see him start third tomorrow with Louis Kretschmer making it an all European Top 4.  Best of the rest Thailand’s Mongkolphan Lomrose will carry the hopes of a home win, the Open Brushless class having a tradition that the Champion can no longer contest the category.

‘I’m super happy.  The first step is done’,  was Lauter’s reaction to taking the TQ.  He added, ‘I am happy also as a team with how qualifying went.  Thomas (Bemmerl) was sensational getting Top 3 and Louis (Kretschmer) was also super good in the last one after bad luck in the previous two qualifiers’.  Pointing out tyres and tyre strategy was the main thing in qualifying, he is looking forward to the finals saying, ‘I think it will be quite a good race tomorrow.  It will be less about tyres strategy and more who can keep calm.  Adam is in super form so I think it will be quite a good showdown.’

Asked about his second day of qualifying Izsay replied, ‘Q3 & 4 were clean rounds and I was able to lead in both but small mistakes meant I was not close enough at the end for the TQ.’  The Snowbirds Champion continued, ‘I start second tomorrow and I will try to overtake Simon.’  Asked about overtaking on the tricky RC Addict track he said, ‘the challenge will be not to flip if you push.  In the finals thing are going to be harder because you are not going to be running on your own like in qualifier.’

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Video – Qualifying Round 3

Volker takes Q3, TQ to be decided in ‘Rocket Round’

Ronald Volker has taken the third round of qualifying at the TITC, meaning the final ‘Rocket Round’ of qualifying in Bangkok will decide the Top Qualifier for the 20th running of the famed race.  Top Seed for the event, the Mugen driver would take his first TQ run as Bruno Coelho traction rolled his Xray with 1-minute to go while on TQ pace.  This promoted Volker to the top of the timing screens followed by Alexander Hagberg as Coelho ended up with a P3.  Behind the leading trio Awesomatix’s Lucas Urbain finally posted a strong run after a difficult first day of qualifying at RC Addict yesterday.  Behind the Frenchman was team-mate Marc Rheinard with Axon’s Hayato Ishioka completing the Top 6 in today very humid afternoon conditions.

‘This time Bruno handed it to me like I did to him in Q2 yesterday’, was Volker’s reaction after taking the penultimate qualifier.  The former World Champion adding, ‘Q3 was his run but he rolled it.’   He continued, ‘My car felt safe but in the middle of the run I was struggling which was unlike the other two qualifiers.  Still I had a comfortable P2 but then he rolled.  I’m happy because now I get a shot at the overall TQ in the last one.’  Asked about the deciding round, the German said, ‘Q4 will be the fastest run and that is the only reason I have a shot at the TQ.  We will make a small set-up change and go for it.’

Commenting on his effort in Q3, Coelho said, ‘that was a hard one’.  He explained, ‘It started well and by the middle I had pulled away from Ronald but then the car started to generate too much traction.  The first time I got on two wheels I saved, then I got on two wheels in the first part of the chicane and again saved but the third time I couldn’t and I rolled and needed to be marshalled.’  He added, ‘the track was cooler and had a lot more traction and we need to work on the car for the last one as this should be the rocket round.’

‘A steady run to 2nd’ was Hagberg’s summary of his latest qualifying effort.  Last time a winner of the TITC in 2019, the Xray driver said, ‘we changed the car from yesterday which felt pretty good for the first 2-minutes and then it got difficult to drive at the end and I had to be cautious to stay safe’.  For the decider the Swede plans to put yesterday’s set-up back on the car and ‘hopefully fight for the win.’

A relieved Urbain replied ‘I need one more’ when asked how his run went.  He added, ‘It was relief to sort things out and finish one.  Man the nerves.’  Only his second TITC appearance, his first being in 2016, he said, ‘I am currently BQ so I need one more.  P2 in that round for Alex means I can’t now catch him even with a TQ run so I won’t chase him which is a good thing.’  His debut race as a full time professional driver with Awesomatix, he said, ‘my car has been really good in the evening on the other days and I will just work on the tyre gluing and adjust the amount on the sidewalls for the conditions.’

‘I just want to get some points’, was how Rheinard summed up Q3, after finishing over 5-seconds off the pace of Volker.  He continued, ‘the car wasn’t great so I was just trying to keep it on its wheels.  I am not so confident in the car but I have a 4 & 5 so I am safe in the final.  For the last one we will change everything on the set-up and hopefully that will help get the car sorted for tomorrow.’

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