Day 2 of Qualifying cancelled at Nitro Touring Worlds

With racers waking up to heavy rain in Gubbio, Italy, this morning, following a meeting of the International Jury it has been officially announced that today’s track action at the IFMAR 1:10 Nitro Touring Car has been cancelled.  This means qualifying is now officially complete with the results of the four round of qualifying run yesterday the final official ranking with 2 from 4 rounds counting.  This confirms Balestri as the Top Qualifier with Filippo Domanin, Naoto Matsukura and Kyle Branson joining him directly in Saturday’s Main final.  In an official communication to team managers, IFMAR said they had ‘Unanimously’ decided to cancel race program of today before giving detail of the new schedule for Friday’s Lower Finals that will start with a 30-minute free practice before a round of grouped practice for drivers from the 1/256B finalist to 1/16A finalist.  Saturday’s Main final day will start the same practice schedule.  Thankfully after today’s rain, the weather for the rest of event looks more promising and most importantly dry.

RECAP MEETING OF INTERNATIONAL JURY

– RACE PROGRAM OF THURSDAY: Unanimously decision to cancel race program of today, Qualification is done with 4 rounds made yesterday. 2 to count.

– ⁠RACE PROGRAM OF FRIDAY: Unanimously decision to open the track at 8.30am for free practice until 9.00am. Free practice means free tires, free fuel and no groups and no marshals. From 9.00am till 10.40am will have free practice by groups starting from 1/256 finalist B till 1/16A finalist. Free tires, free fuel and no marshals. From 11.00am will start 1/256B final until 1/16A final, following race program. Practice by groups will be 7 minutes + 3 minutes to swap drivers.

– ⁠RACE & PRACTICE ON SATURDAY: Unanimously agreed to open the track at 8.30am for free practice by groups from 1/8A finalist to main finalist in same conditions as agreed on Friday. Then after practice, we will start with 1/8B final. Timetable of Saturday will be publish tomorrow.

– ⁠EXHIBITION FINAL: We still planning to race exhibition +40 final if track conditions and timetable allow to do it.

Source: IFMAR

Dominant day sees Balestri secure TQ honours in Gubbio, again!

A decade after he claimed his first World Championship pole position, Dario Balestri will once again line-up as the Top Qualifier at the IFMAR 1:10 Nitro Touring Car World Championship after a dominant display of driving on the opening day of qualifying in Gubbio, Italy.  Opening the day with a very convincing Q1 performance ahead of defending World Champion Jilles Groskamp, the Infinity driver would go on top all four qualifiers each time ahead of different driver.  With expected rain tomorrow seeing the schedule revised from 3 rounds to running a 4th round, a rain shower would delay proceedings just before the half way mark of Q4 with 5pm in the evening looking more like night time as some very threaten rain clouds hovered over the track, but they would get the round completed just as the sunset.  While the outcome tomorrow, even if they do get to run the final two rounds, is irrelevant to Balestri’s status as he is locked in as  the Top Qualifier, their could be some movement in the magic Top 4, all directly qualifying into the 1-hour title decider.  Counting a P2 from Q3 with a P3 from Q4, Xray’s Filippo Domanin holds P2 ahead of Naoto Matsukura and Kyle Branson, the British driver jumping ahead of Groskamp as he took 2nd in the final qualifier after a mistake from Matsukura.  Having started out Day 1 of qualifying strongly with a P2, unfortunately that would be the highlight of Groskamp’s day and counting a P5 from Q2, he lies fifth in the overnight rankings.

On his impressive performance today, a very happy looking Balestri said, ‘I would say that was a perfect day’.  He continued, ‘The last round was fast but not as fast as this morning but I already knew I had a lot of points so I just tried to manage the pace to the end because at the end of the straight the sun was strange and it was difficult to see and find the right line.  I didn’t want to make any crash cause I don’t want to work this evening.  So I just bring it to the end.’  His time would be 1.6-seconds off his fastest run set in Q1.  Looking to the final two qualifiers, the 2017 and 2o23 1:8 Onroad World Champion said, ‘We don’t know what will happen but I think it will be raining tomorrow.  Even if not raining I am already locked in for the TQ.’  Reminded of his 2016 TQ at this track, he said, ‘yes but I hope the final will be different’, his race on that occasion lasting just 9-laps before a mechanical failure.

‘I am not super happy for the last quali bit I am happy to be P2’, was Domanin thoughts on Day 1 of qualifying.  Enjoying a very strong Q3 despite a heavy impact with pit lane wall on exiting after his fuel stop, the car unaffected by the loud bang, he said in the last round his car was not to his liking due to a lack of steering.  Asked if that was down to the track conditions changing for what was ‘happy hour’ conditions, he replied, ‘I don’t know because there are many things.  I put on used tyres, many things on the track, so I don’t know.’  Not happy with how the day end, he said for tomorrow, if we get to run, he plans to run a new set of the race’s official handout Hotrace tyres in the first one and then decide what to do for the final qualifier.

Asked about his issues in the day’s final qualifier, Matsukura said, ‘It was a spin but I don’t know why I spin.’  He added, ‘when the sun came down it was a little bit hard to see but I only had the problem for two laps then it was ok.’  he explained, ‘The first time it was a little half spin, then the next lap it was a spin to the inside, then after I drive nothing, it was good.’  On his car he said, ‘I changed the set-up a little for more front steering which was good work but we just missed it with the spin.  I am happy to be direct to the final, if tomorrow rains.  If we do get to qualify I will try to improve my position.  Our pace is not bad but we still need something more.’

A driver who is really impressing on his return to nitro racing here at the World Championships, Branson ended the day strongly with a P2 feeling he made good progress with his Capricorn’s set-up in Q4.  Stiffening up the car’s flex but softening the shock set-up this gave the 2018 Worlds Podium finisher a better car but it was also more tricky to drive.  He had a couple of moments, luckily nothing too costly, earlier in the run as he adapted to the changes as well as reducing his steering on his radio settings going down the main straight.

Asked to sum up his day, Groskamp said, ‘the first run was good of course with a second position.  The 2nd one was quite nice as well with a 5th and then I started to try somethings and I spun in Q3 but I was not fast in this one.’  He continued, ‘In Q4 then the weather changed a lot so I had to take a gamble on set-up and I went a little bit softer in everything and I think it didn’t really work out for me.’  The Dutchman added, ‘I tried to push but some guys really improved, you see Kyle improved, Alex improved, of course Naoto made a mistake and that is why Kyle got the second and I am fifth overall.  It’s still not bad but of course I would like to hope for fourth overall because maybe tomorrow is rain.  But if it happens Kyle goes directly into the final I mean he has shown he is fast.’  On his car, he said, ‘I need to improve the car for Saturday for the finals because it’s simple a bit too slow.  It’s not bad but I need to find a little bit more pace.’

2 from 2 for Balestri as Matsukura closest challenger

Dario Balestri made it 2 from 2 in qualifying at the IFMAR 1:10 Nitro Touring Car World Championship in Italy, the Infinity driver again leading a 1-2 for the reigning World Champion manufacturer, this time however the gap much smaller to second fastest Naoto Matsukura.  With an overcast Q1, the sun broke through the clouds for Q2, making for a slower track but learning from his mistakes in the first one Matsukura put in a error free run to get to within a second of Balestri who again was the only driver to manage 27-laps.  Taking the same approach as Matsukura after he had two mistakes in the morning, Xray’s Filippo Domanin completed the Top 3, the finish order the same as how they seeded after practice after a missed lap for the Italian was picked up on the backup timing computer. With their star driver Toni Gruber struggling so far this week, an improved Q2 netting him a P6 for the round, it was returning 2018 podium finisher Kyle Branson who lead the Capricorn challenge.  He would post the fourth fastest time ahead of defending Champion Jilles Groskamp while Alex Thurston who took his Mugen Seiki to P3 in the opening round set the 7th fastest time.

‘Good points’ was how Balestri summed up his second TQ run.  The reigning back to back European Champion continued, ‘the track was much slower, much slower.  The traction became low front and rear because of the high temperature.  Of course I made no change in the set-up but the balance was still good just a little bit understeering.’  Asked what changes he might make for Q3, he confidently replied, ‘absolutely nothing and just keep it like this. It is working how it is so no need to change anything.’

Asked about his second effort having thrown away a potential strong Q1 when he took too much curb and spun out, Matsukura replied, ‘No mistake that time but that time the temperature was much higher and the traction was a little bit low.’  He continued, ‘Still the car was OK for me.  We didn’t change anything because I needed the points after my mistakes in Q1.  I just did a safety drive.’  Looking to Q3, the multi classes World Champion plans a change to his IF15 saying, ‘I think we will make a little change cause it is more hot and my car is pushing a little.  We talked and agreed to do a small change for a little more steering.’  Asked about his pace in comparison to Balestri, the general feeling here being that only he and Domanin are any match for Balestri on outright pace, he said, ‘My first lap was not perfect and .4 slow but once the engine came up our times were almost the same so the pace is good so it is just the little things but we try to next one.’

‘That was better and I could make P3 now’, was Domanin’s reaction after Q2.  The 18-year-old continued, ‘It was a clean run.  I drove more safely and more calm and it made for a good run.’  On the slower track conditions, the son of 2006 European 1:8 Onroad Champion Fabio Domanin, this year’s 1:8 European Championship podium finisher said, ‘my car was still good, we didn’t change anything from Q1.  I want to make another good run with this pace so we will not change anything for Q3.  I want to get another P3’.

Having made a comeback to nitro racing, the ENS in Germany in May the total sum of his preparations for his Worlds return, Branson said this week has been about learning.  Racing an Xray in Germany, here is running Capricorn, a brand he represented previously for many years before switching to Electric Touring.  He explained, ‘Obviously I ran Capricorn for years but I am still learning the car again.  It’s actually going well but practice went better than how qualifying started so hopefully we can find something to get us back there.  A 4th and a 7th is not bad and I think there is only going to be four rounds cause it is going to rain tomorrow.’  Asked about the comeback having switched to EP as well as taking a year out after the birth of his first child, the 32-year-old said, ‘I missed it a bit I guess and it’s more fun (than electric).  On his car set-up he said, ‘now the car is just loose and unpredictable were as at the beginning of the week I could just throw it around and it was super good everywhere.  Today is the only day it has felt this bad to be honest.’  Asked then if the P4 was a lucky run, the British driver replied, ‘No I think that was genuine.  The first run I lost a bag of time because I came out of the pits and then Dario came behind me and Filippo made a mistake and rejoined so I lost a lot of time and got a 7th.’  He concluded, ‘it is frustrating when last night ended really well and the car this morning just doesn’t work.  It’s pretty annoying but that the track, the track is a living thing.’