Volker denies Coelho in Q4 to close in on overall TQ

Ronald Volker has moved a step closure to the overall TQ at the IFMAR World Championships in South Africa with his third TQ of the event.  The Yokomo driver denied Q1 winner Bruno Coelho a second TQ by 0.281 of a second, the latter having spent more than 3/4ths of the qualifier at the top of the time screens.  Behind the arch rivals, their normal second sparring partner Marc Rheinard a notable absentee from this the 10th running of the Touring Car Worlds, it was Viktor Wilck who once again completed the Top 3.  A much more competitive looking Alexander Hagberg brought his Xray home in the 4th fastest time ahead of Christopher Krapp with Loic Jasmin rounding out the Top 6.

Reacting to his run, the fastest qualifying time so far, Volker said, ‘I must say again I didn’t expect to TQ the run after a few laps’.  He added, ‘I went on the curbs in the infield and it set me bouncing off the barrier slightly. I lost a few tenths and never thought I would get the back. It was super close with Bruno. I am very happy to win all three qualifiers today but there is still a long way to go. After Q1 and having a bad first run I happy that worst case I will now start the finals from second on the grid’.  On his BD8 which features a number of new parts that are expected to be on the Japanese company’s next kit release, the reigning World Champion said, ‘we made some slight shock adjustments for this round and it felt like it had more traction’.

For Coelho it was another frustrating run as mistakes again cost him the TQ.  The ETS Champion said, ‘the car was much better for sure but I had some mistakes in the round and they cost me a lot of time.  I still finished just 2/10th from Volker. The mistakes cost me a very important TQ but we are still here to fight. There are two more to go and we will fight to win it (the overall TQ)’.   On his car, the Xray driver commented, ‘now it is much easier to drive and it has good traction from the rear. If we can get a little more steering we are right there (with the set-up).

Summing up his Q4, Wilck said, ‘It was pretty clean run again but I had a small error when Freddy had his mistake and I also had a mistake on the curbs on the 2nd or 3rd lap. In total they cost me about 4/10th, other than that the pace was pretty good’.  Leaving his car unchanged from the previous round but with Q5 to run on used tyres, the podium finisher from the previous Worlds in China said, ‘we need to think if we change the car or not or leave it the same, I’m not sure’.

Crowned 1:12 World Champion earlier in the week at the impressive Welkom RC Arena, Hagberg said, ‘I had a better car that time. It was more to my liking now. It started better than before so for the next one we will continue in that direction and go softer again’.

Krapp was disappointed with his run saying, ‘I don’t know. I had no mistakes but I was too slow. Two runs before I was on the pace now I’m off it. It was a silent run. I couldn’t do anything and we need to find something’.  Asked if he changed the car, the Yokomo driver replied, ‘I changed the bump steer but the effect was the opposite.  Hopefully I will have more steering in the next one’.

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Volker again in Q3

Ronald Volker added another TQ run to his tally at the Touring Car World Championships when he backed up the Day’s opening qualifier with another in the 3rd round.  After a disappointing start to qualifying last night, the Yokomo driver is having a much better run today with the reigning champion again having the edge over Bruno Coelho.  Interestingly despite Q3 being on used tyres both Volker and Coelho ran almost identical times to the Q2 which was on new tyres.  Behind the two pre-race favourites it was Viktor Wilck who completed the Top 3 at the Welkom RC Arena ahead of Freddy Sudhoff.  Together with Christopher Krapp who got a P6 for the round, all three drivers who were involved in the same pile up in Q2 reported their cars to have suffered no effects from the dramatic last lap incident.  Ahead of Krapp, Alexander Hagberg would cap off the first half of qualifying with a P5.

Commenting on his TQ run, Volker said, ‘to be honest I didn’t expect to TQ this round after the first few laps. I saw Bruno was pulling away’.  He continued, ‘I kept driving clean & safe and somehow I was able to come closer and take the lead and at the end I was just trying to save it (his lead)’.  On his car the German said, ‘today the big difference has come from changes to the flex after some good ideas of Hayato.  We tried different combinations of flex in the morning’s practice and again in Q2. We left it the same for Q3 and I now more confident with the car’.

‘Not so good’ was Coelho’s description of Q3.  The Warm-up Race winner said, ‘the start was very strong for the first 3 or 4 laps but then we lose traction and the car starts to slide a little bit’.  Asked if this was down to being on used tyres, he replied, ‘No we have the same problem with new’.  He concluded, ‘we will try to find the problem. At the start the car is strong but then it drops a lot, its actually not a lot, but at this level it is’.

Wilck summed up his Q3 as ‘pretty clean with almost no incidents’.  The Serpent driver continued, ‘I was pushing a little at the end but that is normal on used tyres’.  Asked how his car was on used tyres and after it’s Q2 crash he said, ‘it was still pretty ok. It was more stable, a little too safe, so I think we will try a different set-up for the next time we are on used tyres.  The car seems fine after the crash. I had to fix the body and some other stuff but it seems ok’.

Quick to thank his Awesomatix team-manager for getting his car out in time for Q3, Sudhoff said, ‘I have to say a big thanks to Max (Machler).  After the crash the car was completely broken but he was able to fix it in time for the qualifier and it felt exactly the same as before. He did a great job’.  On his P4 pace the German said, ‘I drove a little conservative especially in the chicane because I didn’t want to risk anything. I will keep the car as it for the next one. On new tyres the car is a little better so we will see how it works out’.

Hagberg struggled a little more than his rivals on the used tyres saying, ‘my car was a little different on used tyres and it took way too long for them to come in. I only had good traction for the last minute’.  The Xray driver added, ‘I can only fight in the final minute so I need to make the first half better so I am considering making the car softer to get the tyres working earlier’.

‘I messed it up’ was Krapp’s reaction after the round.  The Yokomo driver said, ‘I threw it away. I lost 2-second when I spun on the curbs at the end of the straight. The car was ok given we were on used tyres’. He continued, ‘ It is a little frustrating to know the car is good for Top 3 runs but things keep going wrong.  I hope I get it together for the next one’.

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Volker survives dramatic finish to take Q2 in South Africa

Ronald Volker has taken the second round of qualifying at the Electric Touring Car World Championships in South Africa.  The reigning champion kicked off Day 3 of the event by topping the first of the day’s 4 qualifier from last night Q1 winner Bruno Coelho with a dramatic finish to the heat eliminating three of the leading contenders.  P2 in the opening qualifier, Freddy Sudhoff was again in the hunt for a top result being right in contention for a TQ this time round but on his final run through the fast chicane he hit the board bouncing out into the path of Viktor Wilck who then got collected by Christopher Krapp. With all three cars instantly retiring and being attended to by a marshall, Volker would somehow run through the carnage unscathed to finish his final lap securing a TQ run 4/10ths up on Coelho.  Benefiting from the pile-up, Alexander Hagberg would complete the Top 3 nearly 3-seconds behind with Loic Jasmin inheriting a P4 ahead of Meen Vejrak and Nicholas Lee, the latter running in the second fastest heat group.

‘I got lucky not to end up as the fourth destroyed car in the sweeper.  Somehow I avoided the 3 cars and a marshal but I did have time to slow down’,  was Volker’s reaction after Q2.  Getting only a P5 for Q1 after a mistake, the Yokomo driver continued, ‘It was a crazy close qualifier with a crazy ending. I don’t know how many people where on point.  It was super close. I was just trying to focus on no mistakes at the end. I didn’t want to risk losing at least P2 but I’m very happy to TQ this round, the extra point is so important’.  On his car’s performance the Top Seed said, ‘It was better than Q1.  Practice this morning helped us a lot.  We changed the flex of the car and that gave a bit more traction’.

Coelho summed up his second attempt as ‘not a good qualifier from my point. I did a few mistakes which cost me a lot time’.   The Portuguese driver, who had a big off during the morning free practice which he said sounded worse than it actually was, continued, ‘the car is easier to drive today but it is not fast and we are still working on that point’.  He concluded, ‘the car could have been better but so too could my driving’.

Team-mate Hagberg reported a similar story saying, ‘It was not a good run. I had a small mistake in the middle and spun out. I as lucky to get third but it is important to get good points and I’ll take them’.  The Swede continued, ‘this pile up shows really how difficult the track is and mistakes can happy that cause a different result. Everyone is on the limit and you can see it is challenging for everyone with all the cars difficult to drive but we will try to improve our car for the next one’.

‘A lucky 4th for sure’, was Jasmin’s reaction afterwards.  The No.8 seed, each of the heats containing 8 cars, the Awesomatix driver added, ‘the car was little better but the problem for me is I start last and with the wait the tyres are really cold for the first lap.  After that it is OK but for sure there is room for improvement and we will try something different for the next one’.

In contention for the TQ before his error, Sudhoff explained, ‘I clipped the chicane and the transmission got stuck so I couldn’t move the car and for that I’m sorry to the other guys’.  He added, ‘Like in the first qualifier the car was amazing to drive but this time I messed it up myself’.  Wilck said, ‘First I hit Freddy and then Christopher hit me, he couldn’t avoid two cars’.  Krapp said, ‘that could have been a 1-2 with Ronald but I’m not that disappointed because the car was better today.  I also stayed with my own line because I tried to copy the others yesterday in Q1 and run on the curbs but with my car it didn’t work.  It was all going good til the last lap but I hope that is my bad luck now out of the way’.

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