November 8, 2022

Chassis Focus – Shoki Takahata

Chassis – Mugen MTX-7
Motor – OS Speed T1204
Fuel (handout) – Maxima
Tires (handout) – HotRace
Radio/Servos – Sanwa/Sanwa
Body – Xtreme CZ1

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November 8, 2022

Greiner fastest in 3rd round of seeding

Dominic Greiner finally hit the top of the times sheets in seeding practice ending Tadahiko Sahashi’s run of fastest times in the first half of the day at the 1:10 Nitro World Championship.  Only P9 in the day’s opening round, the Capricorn driver improved to P4 in Round 2 before going fastest in Round 3.  Mister consistent in practice Jilles Groskamp was P2 for a third time with Sahashi, whose Round 1 time is still the fastest of the day, completing the Top 3.  Another of the leading contenders to struggle in the opening round, Shoki Takahata improved his Mugen to post the fourth fastest time.  For reigning World Champion Naoto Matsukura, the penultimate round was his best so far as he set the sixth fastest time behind team-mate Carmine Riola.  Top qualifier at the previous 1:10 and 1:8 World Championship, Dario Balestri has had a challenging day with the Italian having a best run of P8 in Round 2 leaving him currently sitting 11th which would see him seeded in the second fastest heat for qualifying.

‘For sure better’, was Greiner’s reaction to topping the third round. The 2016 Champion continued, ‘the 2nd run I definitely had a bad set of tyres but time it was good’.  Having changed his set after the opening run he said they went even further towards a set-up they ran yesterday but added they need to make one more change and that should give him a car that is ‘again drivable and fast’.  Needing to top the final practice and better Sahashi’s time to be the overall Top Seed for qualifying, he said, ‘the seeding is not important.  You only start first for Q1 so it does’t mean much. I have tried for years to change this so you start each qualifier in order of seeding but they don’t listen.  Anyway our focus is on getting the car right for qualifying’.

Groskamp said, ‘again second but it is still going ok’.  The former Electric Touring Car World Champion said he has just been making minor changes in anticipation for the track conditions and trying to get information together for tomorrow.  He continue ‘my car is fast and consistent so that is good’ but cautioned ‘Dominic found pace back again that one’.  Feeling he lost pace in the early part of his 3rd run he said ‘when I look at the lap times it was OK. I think there is variations in the shore of the tyres so this changes when the tyres work at their best but overall I can’t really complain with how it is going’.

Feeling he has improved his car in terms of getting a qualifying time from it as apposed to the fastest 3-consecutive laps Sahashi said trying to keep the car was flipping is his main focus.  The Japanese driver said track conditions are not high bit but the problem is caused when the rear of the car slides about and catches one the track many bumps and causing it to want to flip.  The former 1:8 World Champion plans to use the final practice to try another se-up change ahead of start of qualifying tomorrow.

Having started off the day with the same set-up as yesterday,  Takahata said he has had to make a number of changes to adapt his car to today’s track conditions.  Taking little steps in the changes he is making, he feels he is headed in the right direction.  Asked what his main issue is he replied he ‘needs more grip’.

Asked how his car is working, Matsukura replied, ‘it is too easy to drive so it is a little slow’.  While he feels this could help in putting in a good run over the 7-minute duration of the qualifiers he is hopeful he can make changes for the final seeding run that will make the car a little faster.  So far the Japanese driver has a P14 from Round 1 which he followed up with a P7 and P6.

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September 18, 2022

Coelho defies ‘the haters’ with successful World Title defence in Italy

Having waited 4-years, Bruno Coelho has successful defended his ISTC World Championship Title with yet another dominant drive in A-Main No.2 in Gubbio, Italy.  Topping the time sheets from the first time cars hit the track on Wednesday and right through the event, Coelho again won A2 from Christopher Krapp to become to retain the crown he won in South Africa in 2018.  A driver who has faced much allegations regarding his speed advantage on this track, the Portuguese driver took shot at his detractors saying, ‘It is a huge relief not only for the World Title but almost for all “the haters” who are not able to understand the hard work behind this result’.  Winning A3 from 9th place starter Marc Rheinard, Christopher Krapp would finally get his much deserved first World Championship podium finish with the Top 3 for the 11th running of the championship being completed by Akio Sobue.

Taking the Title as a result of his 4-second win over Christopher Krapp in A2, the Yokomo driver the only one to present any challenge to the Top Qualifier, Coelho said, ‘It’s a shame people don’t understand that I have talent as a driver.  They somehow don’t expect this and think it is not normal but we work very hard for it’.  He continued, ‘they say you haven’t made it until they call you a cheater and then you are on the right way’.  Wanting to put this negative aspect to bed and enjoy the victory for what it is, he said, ‘Really I have all of the team to thank for this, this was a team effort’.  Asked about his A2 drive, he replied, ‘it was very weird at the start again because the tyres were too cold but once they came in I was able to force a gap over Krapp’.

Living up to his form coming into the event, Krapp was both disappointed and equally pleased at making the World’s podium. After A2 the German said, ‘I had a chance on the first lap but at the second corner I messed it up. I was too excited at the first corner when Bruno went wide and then I went wide the next corner and that was my chance gone’.  A driver who has missed the World Championship podium, twice finishing 4th, on his A3 win he said,’My car was awesome in the last one.  I was in cruise mode like Bruno was in the previous ones’.  Summing up his feelings of finally making the podium, he said, ‘I need 1 or 2 days to get all the emotion of the result. It has been a really busy week but I am happy to end up with second place.  2nd is amazing and I am sure I will really appreciate that in the days to come’.

Also making his first ISTC World Championship podium, Sobue was especially happy for his new Axon team.  The Japanese driver said, ‘I am happy with the result but I think there could have been more.  Bruno was super fast and Krapp and Alex had good pace too so my focus was on the podium’.  He continued, ‘this is first time for Axon to come (to WC) so to get a podium together is good for the company. I am very happy for this’.

‘I’m a little bit disappointed’, was Hagberg’s reaction to missing out on the podium despite it being the Nitro Touring Car World Champion’s best ISTC finish.  The Swede, who qualified third after two impressive runs in Q1 & 2 despite seeding in the second fastest heat, continued, ‘missing the podium is disappointing but I’m happy I showed good pace and got my best result to-date. I’ll try again next time’.  Summing up his A3 performance, the change of a podium very much still on the cards as he took to the grid,  he said, ‘I spun out on the 1st lap and had another spin a few laps later so I couldn’t fight for the top spot’.  While his Xray improved mid run, ‘Akio was already gone’ and with it the hopes of a podium.  Behind Hagberg, multiple Champion Marc Rheinard would return to the World Championship after missing South Africa with 5th place overall in front of A-Main debutant Michal Orlowski who lined up 10th on the grid.

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September 18, 2022

Duchet is inaugural Spec World Champion

Alexandre Duchet is the inaugural ISTC Spec Touring Car World Champion.  Having taken the TQ in Gubbio, the Xray driver didn’t make the ideal start to the finals day as he handed arch-rival Simon Lauter an easy win when he made a mistake on lap 2 of A1.  This allowed the Awesomatix of second place qualifier Simon Lauter to take A1.  A2 was a better effort from the Frenchman as he stayed at the front and posted the fastest lap of the race to finish 7/10ths in front and set the stage for an expected A3 showdown.

It wasn’t to be a thrilling conclusion to IFMAR’s newest World Championship, Duchet got out of shape on lap 2 and trying to avoid him Lauter spun and got collected ending his chance at the title.  With Adam Izsay slipping through, Duchet would rejoin 2nd but with Lauter out, the title was already decided.  Izsay’s A3 win meant the Hungarian completed the podium in Italy.

Running for the second time as a ‘World Cup’ race, the Formula title would go to Andreas Stiebler, the Austrian having to leave before the title was actually decided.  The delaying of the finals by a day left the Austrian in a very difficult position of having to catch a flight and leave before A3 even if it could decide the title.  A1 would see Top Qualifier David Ehrbar take the win from 3rd place qualifier Stiebler.  The Schumacher driver would go one better in A2 to take the win.

With a win and a second each, Stiebler’s winning time being the faster, all he could do was hope that in his absence Ehrbar would be denied the win and that’s what happened.  Fourth place qualifier Lukas Hoch crossed the line first ahead of Ehrbar meaning Stiebler was Champion.  With Stebler en route home Schumacher’s designer Andy got to enjoy filling his place on the top step of the podium with Ehrbar and Luke Lee (3rd) each side of him.

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