Volker sets practice pace ahead of 20th Reedy Race

Ronald Volker set the pace in practice today ahead of the 20th running of the Reedy Race of Champions.  The defending champion set the fastest 3-consecutive laps of the Tamiya Raceway track ahead of 2015 Champion Marc Rheinard with Reedy Race first timer Bruno Coelho completing the Top 3.  While the heads up racing format means today’s time count for little, probably the biggest news from the four practice run was the low traction.  This has left drivers slightly unsure of what to expect going into the first of the 12 rounds of racing tomorrow morning.  With a newly laid top surface to contend with, clouds prevented the California sun from bringing up track temperatures with the cool conditions leaving drivers unsure of what to expect tomorrow.

Summing up how he felt practice had went, Volker said, ‘they were not easy conditions today because it was quite cool.  I hope it is better weather tomorrow so there is more grip but my package was very good’.  Chasing his fourth Reedy Race title, the Yokomo driver continued, ‘if it stays cold everyone will struggle in the opening laps before the tyres warm-up and that will cause problems for racing’. A contender for the win on his RROC debut in 2015 and runner-up last year, Volker’s team-mate Christopher Krapp would end up fourth fastest with the German declaring himself ‘kind of happy’ although he would have a ‘rough 4th round’.  Echoing his rivals he said, ‘the traction is down on last year for sure’.  Happy with his BD8 set-up when on used tyres he said on new tyres it was ‘more slidey’ something he hopes will be reduced by warmer temperatures.

Leading Infinity’s first appearance in the iconic & unique race format event, Rheinard was pleased with his 3rd run which he topped ahead of Volker only for the World Champion to go fastest in the final practice.  Running two cars in the penultimate practice and switching to the car he used at ETS Italy to set the fastest lap of the day with a 12.029, he said it was ‘fast and felt good’.  With no sugar watering of the track this year due to the advise of the contractors who resurfaced the track, the Reedy Race’s most celebrated driver, with 5 wins to his credit, isn’t a fan of the move.  ‘Personally I think they should have sugared it, I think its not the right decision because there is just one line.  There is no grip off it so it will effect the level of racing but maybe some sun would help but I don’t know if we are going to get sun this weekend’ he said.  Team-mate Akio Sobue would complete the Top 6 times for practice behind fellow Japanese driver Naoki Akiyama. Fourth last year he declared his car was ‘ok’ but believes the low traction is going to be the biggest thing to contend with predicting it is going to be ‘more difficult to overtake’ compared with last year.

Reflecting on his first day to run on the historic Tamiya Raceway track, Coelho said, ‘It is not perfect yet and we are still working on the car’.  With the Portuguese drivers confirmation for the 20th running of the Reedy Race creating great anticipation for this year’s event,  the Xray driver continued, ‘the surface is quite different here and we are struggling a little bit’. Asked what the main problem is he replied, ‘it is missing a little bit of steering’.  With Race Director Scotty Ernst using the fourth & final practice start do a practice race start ahead of the morning and giving Coelho an indication for what to expect for the next three days he said, ‘It was OK but my focus was more on getting a feel for the car than the racing’. Asked how he is adapting to the track layout, having had only a total of 20-minutes to learn it he replied, ‘we completely changed the car set-up each run but I was getting more used each time so we’ll see how tomorrow goes’.

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Track Focus – Tamiya Raceway

Track Name – Tamiya Raceway
Country – USA
Location – Aliso Viejo, California
Surface – Asphalt
Direction – Anti-Clockwise
Previous Reedy Races hosted – 9

Tamiya Raceway plays host to the legendary Reedy Race of Champions for a 10th time with 2017 marking the 20th anniversary of Mike Reedy’s famed race format event.  Built in 1994 as part of Tamiya’s then US headquarters, the track covers an area 170 ft wide by 70 ft deep and while small in size it is hugely popular with drivers for being a great track on which to race and overtake.  While the track surface over the past two editions of the race meant a more exact racing line than previous events, reducing the amount of overtaking, the track owners have this year had the surface refreshed much closer to the event date.  Explaining the work done this year, Tamiya USA’s Fred Medel said, ‘they scrapped off the old surface and then power washed it.  After that a silicone base was laid on the track to seal it before they added the new slurry coat’.  Talking to the contractor during the work, the same company’s other work including resurfacing airport runways, it came to light that the spraying of sugar water was one of the reason for the track surface’s short life which normally had to be done every 18 to 24 months.  The problem with the spraying of the track is the combination of the sugar and the strong California sunshine was attacking the slurry coating.  As a result the track will no longer spray sugar water.

Asked how he found the new surface, reigning Champion Ronald Volker replied, ‘It’s difficult to say as I’ve only had a few runs but a few people who have run on it before say it is supposed to be better.  More overall grip will make for better racing but the important thing is there is a wider racing line to allow more chances for overtaking.  So far I am not sure but we will see tomorrow’. With Thursday made up of four practice rounds before the event goes straight into its first of 12 rounds of heads up racing tomorrow morning, this year sees one of the most competitive entries the Reedy Race has gathered in a decade.  One of the first timers is Bruno Coelho.  On the crest of an impressive run of wins over various classes, the Xray driver summed up his first impressions of Tamiya Raceway by saying, ‘It is completely different to European tracks. I had seen photos and watched videos before I came here and it looked a lot bigger but its a historic track so I’m happy to be here’. Asked about his first run on the track, the ETS Champion said, ‘It is a little bumpy and has very specific curbs but that’s what makes it what it is. When you look at it it looks like there is no places to overtake but I was driving with a few guys and there are many places to overtake.  I think starting from the back it will be super easy to overtake but starting from the front it will be super hard to keep the door closed.’

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