November 9, 2022

Greiner from Matsukura in Q2

It was a battle of the Champions in the second round of qualifying at the 1:10 Nitro Touring Car World Championship with 2016 winner Dominic Greiner posting the TQ run ahead of reigning Champion Naoto Matsukura. Leading out the cars for Q2, Q1 pace setter Jilles Groskamp was on for another strong run until he rolled and needing to be marshalled quickly putting him out of contention. Having done the same thing himself in Q1 ending up with a P7, Greiner’s run to the fastest time was not without its moments. The Top Seed used up a lot of his luck reserves as he did a 360 at the end of the straight somehow without hitting anything and also being avoided by the two cars following behind his Capricorn. Despite this Greiner would come back to take the TQ for the round by 1.6-seconds from Matsukura with Infinity team-mate Dario Balerstri completing the Top 3.

‘Almost good’, was how Greiner summed up the second of the six qualifying rounds. He continued, ‘I made a 360 at the end of the straight. I ran wide and drove on the white line and the car spun. I was lucky the other cars didn’t hit me’. A driver always striving for better he was pleased with how his reunion with pit man Thomas Gunsel, saying ‘I had a perfect pit stop’. Having flipped early in Q1, something he admitted after the second qualifier ‘was maybe a driver issue’, the German said, ‘I drove very calm and tried to be smooth on the sections the car can flip and then built up my speed over the qualifier’. Looking to Q3, which will bring the first day of qualifying to a close, he plans to ‘stay same with car’ as ‘hopefully for this one there will be less grip’.

Asked about his performance, Matsukura said, ‘it was not too bad. I had a little mistake, just a small driving error. The track was slower but still edgy so I tried to be smooth with my driving’. Happy with his car’s performance the World Champion over three different RC disciplines said, ‘my focus is to get the points today and then tomorrow I can push more’.

Balestri joked, ‘I just tried to survive on the track’.  Top Qualifier at the previous 1:10 World Championship encounter in Miami, he added, ‘I was super slow but had no flip’.  A driver chasing the double of 1:8 and 1:10 World Champion, he continued, ‘You really can’t push so I just try to get the points from each heat’.

Posting the fourth fastest time, Tadahiko Sahashi said he improved his car for Q2 having ‘flipped many times’ in the opening round.  Another driver who could potentially achieve the double here at RC Addict, the 2013 1:8 World Champion is finding today’s track conditions more tricky compared to yesterday when he topped the opening two rounds of seeding practice. The No.2 seed plans to make further set-up changes for Q3 as he continues to ‘chase the perfect set-up’.

P3 in the first round Jesse Davis took 5th on the second time of asking. Asked how his run was he replied, ‘It was a safe run, not really’. He explained, ‘I crashed one time when I touched the curb and flipped which damaged the rear shock tower so after that I just drove around safe after that’. Continuing he said, ‘I probably could have been 4th or 3rd for the round without the mistake but we’ll fit a new shock tower, and a new rear wing as I broke that too, and we’ll go again’.

Completing the Top 6, Takaaki Shimo said ‘the car is not bad today, yesterday it was super difficult’. Suffering one flip over the 7-minutes he said otherwise the run was OK. Asked if he planned further changes to his Infinity he said, ‘Maybe I will keep it the same and work instead on the driver’.

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November 9, 2022

Groskamp takes Q1 in Bangkok

Jilles Goskamp has taken the opening round of qualifying at 2022 IFMAR 1:10 Nitro Touring Car World Championship in Bangkok, Thailand.  As we finally got down to the serious business of qualifying following 5 days of practice, the Infinity driver was fastest in the first of the six scheduled rounds. Behind Mugen’s Shoki Takahata was closest, followed by Jesse Davis, the latter making a big improvement on the form he produced in practice.  Reigning Champion Naoto Matsukura would open his title defence with a P4 despite an engine cut during his fuel stop with team-mates Dario Balestri and Takaaki Shimo completing.  Having topped seeding and leading the fastest heat out of pit lane for the first qualifier, Dominic Greiner would traction roll early on, damaging his car, resulting in him flipping twice more.  In the end the 2016 Champion come out of Q1 with a P7.

‘I’m really happy to take the first round, it lifts the pressure for the rest of qualifying’,  was Groskamp’s reaction to his TQ run.  The veteran Dutch driver continued, ‘I just thought I would put a safe run in cause I could see Dominic pull away at the beginning.  Then he flipped but I could see Dario was coming but then he flipped. I thought I could go a little quicker if I push harder but then maybe I flip too.’  He concluded, ‘It’s a good start’.

Asked about his run and if he had any issues, the question sent the Mugen pit area into laughter.  Speaking through an interpreter, Takahata explained that he started the warm-up having forgotten to tighten his engine screws.  Loosing warm-up track time as the school boy error was rectified, he said he had to be a little more cautious at the start of the qualifier as his tyres weren’t fully broken in.  Despite his issue, the reigning 1:8 World Champion was pretty pleased to come away with P2.  A clean 7-minute run, he is confident he has more to come for the next one.

Running in the second fastest heat having ended up 15th in seeding, asked about his new found form Davis replied ‘the car his completely different today’.  He explained, ‘the first day of practice was good but then the sun came and I struggled to get steering.  Last night I spoke to Jilles (Groskamp) and we figured things out. The car feels comfortable now’.  In terms of the run, he chunked a tyre in the warm-up and then during his fuel stop he touch the wall and also got over fuelled with the fuel getting on the gearbox and leaving him with out second gear for a lap. Despite this, the Australian was happy to show good pace and said the aim is a Top 6 for Q2.

Matsukura said his ‘car was very good’ and ‘easy to drive’ and he feels without his fuel stop issue he could have been very close to team-mate Groskamp.  ‘I lost 2-seconds with the engine cut and I think without this I could fight for the top spot.  It was a very good start’.  Asked about his engine, he said it was his own error in timing with the throttle during the refuelling.

Having described the unique conditions of the RC Addict track yesterday as ‘the most difficult conditions’ he has experienced, Balestri said it is ‘super hard to manage the car in the shade’.  With the front part of the track shaded while the hot sun is on the rest of the track, the change in traction caught out the Italian as he flipped during the run.  For Q2 he is hoping for more even sun coverage of the track.

On his P7 result, Greiner explained, ‘I hit the steel barrier when I flipped and it damaged the car’.  With the rear aluminium bulk head missing a chuck out of it, he said the car was really difficult after that, leading to him putting it on its roof two more times.  Like Balestri, he said in the shaded parts of the track it is ‘super tricky’ as the car just has ‘too much steering’.  Having checked the chassis plate he is confident it is still ok and a rebuilt of the back end should fix things for Q2.

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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

Image Gallery

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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