Matsukura tops first Qualifier

Naoto Matsukura has made his intentions clear here in Thailand by topping the time sheets when it counted most, as qualifying for the 1:12 IFMAR World Championships got underway at the RCS in Bangkok.  The 14-year-old Yokomo star driver is running an Associated, due to Yokomo’s Japanese distribution links with AE, and put in a 39 lap run in a time 08:02.244 which was some 8 seconds faster than second placed Juho Levanen who made it a 1-2 for the RC12R5.  In the final practice Matsukura had run a 40 lapper but believes increased wind at the track made for a slower run time in the first heat.

Levanen was very pleased with his run.  The Finn said it will be hard to improve the car but in an attempt to match the pace of his fellow Associated driver he will try using the same additive as the young Japanese star.

Hupo Honigl was really surprised with his run to third which could very easily have been second if he had not got caught up with another car while lapping.  Yesterday the Austrian Team CRC driver couldn’t get his car to work but a simple change to the application of tyre additive has transformed the LRP powered Gen X Black Art Edition car, allowing him to run 39 laps in 08:10.716.  Unfortunately for his team-mate Jilles Groskamp today has seen his car the opposite way – great yesterday and a handful today.

Shin Adachi was fastest of the world class Hot Bodies team line-up in the opening qualifier as he gets better and better with each outing.  The Japanese driver, who is driving 1:12 for the first time in six years, said his Cyclone 12X is working better today but hopes that more is still to come.  Behind him was another Hot Bodies with fellow countryman Hideo Kitazawa setting the fifth fastest time.  Their Hot Bodies team mates didn’t have such a good run. Atsushi Hara, who is the pre-event favourite, chunked a tyre during his run and Andy Moore is still not happy with the feel of his car making a number of mistakes on his way to 9th fastest for Round 1.

Team Corally lead driver Simo Ahoneimi was pleased with how is car was working but was not so happy with the final result for the heat as his car started to dump in the last minute of the run.  The two times European Champion said that track conditions are much better today which is really suiting his car and that sixth is not a true indication of his pace.  Daisuke Yoshioka was the final driver to record 39 laps with the seventh fastest time.

Xray made a big impression yesterday with their prototype XII with Teemu Leino surprising his rivals with very fast runs.  Leino couldn’t repeat the performance this morning saying the car doesn’t feel as good which he is putting down to tyres which on asphalt are key to a good car.  This left his team-mate Alex Hagberg to head the Xray challenge in eight position.  The Swede was really pleased with his run and the car but will try a different compound for Heat 2 in an attempt to close the gap to the pace setters.  Elliot Harper, who is making his asphalt 1:12 scale debut, appears to be getting to grips with the new surface as he completes the Top 10 for round 1.

View our event image gallery here.

Leino surprises rivals in Thailand

Teemu Leino has surprised his rivals in Thailand by recording the fastest time in controlled practice as day one of the 1:12 scale World Championships comes to a close.  The flying Finn is debuting Xray’s new XII and was the only driver to record 39 laps over 8 minutes with his closest rival being Speed Passion driver Jilles Groskamp who just missed out on 39 laps recording 38 in a time of 8:00.644.

Commenting on his day’s performance Leino, who took 1:12 victory at this year’s Snowbirds, said he was really surprised himself at how the day had gone.  Asked what changes he had made to the car the Xray factory driver said other than changing the bodyshell earlier in the day, he had done little to the car saying the track conditions were coming to the car.  He feels it is not super fast but is very consistent over the entire run.  In terms of lap times Leino managed a best time of 12.227 which was the third fastest lap time of day so the package is proving itself to be a force to be reckoned with here in Bangkok.

Marc Rheinard ends the day with the third fastest run despite breaking the rear motor pod on his Hot Bodies after jumping the chicane.  Behind the German ace are two more Hot Bodies with Shin Adachi pulling off a great final run for the day to go 4th fastest.  Adachi, who last raced a 1:12th scale six years ago, said both himself and the car were improving as the day progressed and he was happy with his Day 1 performance.  For Andy Moore the last run was a little better than earlier but the Englishman says the car is still not right. Very nervous to drive he unable to get in a good rythm.  Hupo Honigl rounded out the Top 6 with his LRP powered CRC Gen X Black Art edition.

Atsushi Hara made radical changes to his Cyclone 12X for the second controlled practice to try and make the car smoother to drive but it had the opposite effect.  Although the 1:8 Off Road World Champion managed a new fastest lap for the event, setting a time of 12.136, for the final controllled practice tomorrow morning he will revert to his old set up.  One of the pre-event favourite for 1:12 honours, Hara admitted to being surprised by Leino’s strong pace in 1:12 but believes tomorrow his Hot Bodies team mates, who have not enjoyed as much testing as him with the 1:12 scale will be a stronger force.  Sandwiched between Hara and Leino in terms of lap times is Yokomo hot property Naoto Matsukura, the 14-year-old clocking a 12:216 but the Japanese driver failed to finish the final practice.  Another driver to put in a quick lap time to make it four different manufacturers in the Top 4 of the official ranking issued by race officials, which is based on fastest lap times, is Team Associated’s Juho Levanen.  Although the Finn suffered a problem with run time after trying a different motor set-up he was happier with the consistency of car and feels tomorrow will be better.

So Day 1 of the 2008 IFMAR Onroad World Championships has been completed here at the RCS in Bangkok and we have seen a number of surprise but its tomorrow when all the times really start to count as we have the first four of six qualifiers that will decide the starting positions for Tuesday’s finals.  Our live coverage, which is supported by Speed Passion and LRP, continues tomorrow morning.

View our event image gallery here.

Hara heads first controlled practice

The first controlled practice has been completed and heading the times over 8 minutes is Atsushi Hara.  The Japanese driver turned in 38 laps in a time of 8:02.962 which was over 5 seconds clear of second placed Jilles Groskamp. Hideo Kitazawa completed the Top 3 as the only other driver to record 38 laps. In terms of lap times we saw the fastest lap yet of the championships with young Japanese ace Naoto Matsukura stoping the clocks with a blistering 12.246 at the controls of his Associated.

Daisuke Yoshioka was fastest of those on 37 laps with an 8:02.868 followed by IIC Champion Hupo Honigl and Touring Car Pre Worlds winner Viktor Wilck who completed the Top 6.  Marc Rheinard had his time disallowed after being disqualified for running unmarked batteries but reported his Cyclone as working better.  Teemu Leino also ran practice batteries resulting in him too loosing his time. Free Practice pace setter Juho Levanen was unable to improve his time after suffering a suspected diff failure on his Associated RC12R5.

View our event image gallery here.

Levanen pulls off big surprise

Juho Levanen pulled off a big surprise in the final free practice for the 1:12 Worlds here in Thailand when he recorded a blistering fastest lap time of 12.347 at the controls of his Associated RC12R5. The Finn has been running in the Top 10 all morning in terms of lap times and seemed to surprise himself in the third as he became the first driver to top title favourite Hara who produced a 12.470 lap.

Asked where he had found his extra pace from, the Associated factory driver wasn’t sure but admitted the car was only good for four minutes, after which grip became a big problem. The Finn will play around with tire additives for the first of the two controlled practice runs later today.

Completing the Top 3 for free practice was Naoto Matsukura. The young Japanese star, who Hara yesterday told us he rated very highly, has his car dialled in now and is starting to show why he is back to back Japanese Champion. Jilles Groskamp is fourth fastest on lap times and is much happier with his CRC now having tried specially produced CRC tyres in the third run. The Dutch driver is confident that over 8 minutes he is really in good shape.  Hideo Kitazawa and Teemu Leino, who failed to improve his lap time in FP3, completed the top 6.

There were some concerns raised about bodyshells and the use of trim strips but after checking the rules race officials here in Bangkok have clarified that they may be used, even if not supplied with body, once they do not exceed the maximum permitted height. Elsewhere emerging young British talent Elliot Harper, who currently leads the BRCA 1:12 National Championship, is finding driving on asphalt a very different experience to carpet. The Xray driver says tyres are critical but he doesn’t have the right one hence he finds himself 25th fastest in terms of lap times, a full second off the pace.

View our event image gallery here.

Team Orion Vortex Race Special ESC

Oscar Jansen from Team Orion showed us some new products coming out from the Swiss company including the new metal geared servo, which we profiled a few weeks ago. Also on display for the first time is the company’s new electronic speed controller, made in close collaboration between Team Orion and Japanese company KO Propo. Suitable for use with 4 turn motors without the heatsink, it can be used with the most powerful types of motors when the heat sink and cooling fan is mounted. Available very soon.

View our event image gallery for more photos.