Rheinard continues winning way at RROC

Marc Rheinard’s winning run continued at the Reedy Race of Champions as the Tamiya driver took a third consecutive victory despite starting his 3rd race of the event from last on the grid.  Giving the German a perfect score so far, the round would see Meen Vejrak become the only other multiple winner as the Thai driver held off the challenge of reigning champion Ronald Volker.  In a re-run of Heat 1, Japan’s Naoki Akiyama notched up a first win with a tone to tone victory over Andrew Hardman.  The same heat would see Round 2 winner Christopher Krapp suffer a huge off at end of the straight heavily damaging his Tamiya.  For World Champion Naoto Matsukura the day didn’t improve with Freddy Sudhoff making contact with the Tamiya driver in the sweeper on lap 12, the impact forcing the Japanese ace to retire 3-laps later.

‘Not so bad, not so bad’, was Rheinard’s reaction to his win which was impressive considering drivers complaints about the narrow line making it difficult to overtake and the fact that Rheinard started the race 10th.  The first race up after a break from racing, he said there was ‘no grip’ making his Much More powered TRF419 ‘not so easy to drive’.  With a ‘good start’, he ‘just waited to see how the battle out front worked out’ knowing that Matsukura was slower than Sudhoff.  After the pair crashed he said he was able to take it easy and save his tyres for the day’s final encounter.  Starting 6th in Round 4, the German said it would be great to do a clean sweep but with team-mate Akio Sobue retiring at the start he should have the advantage of almost new tyres.  He also said with JJ Wang and Sudhoff proving very fast it was going to be a competitive heat.

Taking the lead when Volker got out of shape through the track’s famous kink, Vejrak said his day was ‘going a lot better than last year’, when the Thai driver found himself last in the points ranking at the end of the first day of racing.  Making contact with Volker’s car when he got out of shape, the former 200mm World Champion said the impact popped in the front of his bodyshell causing his BD7 to understeer slightly. Driving it safe he said he just stuck to his lines and this was enough to see off Volker’s challenge to retake the lead.  Starting from 5th on the grid Volker said he ‘got a lucky start (and) came out of the sweeper in first’. With his car loose for the first 2-minutes he said he got out of shape at the kink for a couple of laps before he finally lost it. Although his car was ‘faster’ than Vejrak’s going off line to try and pass saw his tyres pick up dirt and he struggled for the next few corners. With Vejrak making no mistakes he said he had to settle for second.  Disappointed with the result considering arch rival Rheinard got a third win he said at least his Yokomo team managed 1-2 finish in 2 of the 3 races.

With the Reedy Race his first race in the US, 15-year-old Akiyama was delighted with his win.  The Yokomo supported up & coming Japanese driver said he was under a lot pressure from fellow teenager Hardman towards the end of the race but luckily he was able to control his nerves to the finish.

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Video – Invitational Round 2

2 from 2 for Rheinard

Marc Rheinard has got his Reedy Race of Champions off to the best possible start with the Tamiya driver making it two wins from the first two rounds of racing at Tamiya Raceway.  Starting up front in the same heat as the other two winners from the opening race of the event, Rheinard led from start to finish as Ronald Volker worked his way up to third with Meen Vejrak managing only 6th after a mistake while trying to avoid hitting his Yokomo team-mate.  In the other two races Xray’s Alexander Hagberg and Christopher Krapp capitalised on front row starts to clock up their first wins.

Commenting on his race, Rheinard said he pushed hard at the beginning to ensure he had a good gap over Volker in case his rival got through the pack early and after that ‘just kept it on the track’.  Set to start Round 3 of 12 from 10th on the grid, the 4-time Reedy Race champion said ‘let’s see what happens’ pointing out the track’s narrow racing line this year is greatly reducing the opportunities to pass.

Defending Champion Volker said from 7th to 3rd was not a bad result considering normally something happens on the first lap to help you gain a few places.  The ETS champion said because ‘you can’t do different lines like last year’ all he could do was wait for mistakes as he caught each driver ahead of him. Describing his LRP powered BD7 as ‘awesome’ he said by the time he got to third the gap was too much to catch second placed Akio Sobue. Winner of Heat 2 in the opening round, Meen V said his BD7 was good and his mistake was a result of braking too hard to try to avoid contact with the back of Volker’s car on lap 6 of 24.

In the second encounter it was Naoto Matsukura who would take up the early lead.  The World Champion would come under pressure from a recovering Krapp but on lap 5 a mistake by the Japanese driver would allow his team-mate to go to the front.  Commenting on his win, Krapp said ‘in the end it worked out pretty good’ highlighting his 360 spin at the start that dropped him to third.  Describing his TRF419 as ‘brilliant’ he said he expected to come under pressure from Matsukura once he recovered from his mistake but instead he was able to easily pull away for the win.

Matsukura said his Tamiya was ‘difficult to drive’ and this led him to catch the curbing.  With his TRF417 ‘too loose’, he said every run they have been forced to make big set-up changes and they will do it again for Round 3.

Hagberg said his win was helped by starting up front while ‘others got in trouble’.  Describing his Xray as ‘a little better’ he continued he is ‘still struggling with the feeling of the car’.  His first time to race at the Tamiya track, the Swede said with the ‘narrow racing line’ making it ‘so hard to overtake’ starting up front is a big advantage.

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Video – Invitational Round 1

Volker, Vejrak & Rheinard win opening RROC encounters

After a delayed start due to overnight rain,  the opening round of racing at this year’s Reedy Internatonal Touring Car Race of Champion resulted in pretty straight forward wins for defending champion Ronald Volker, Meen Vejrak and Marc Rheinard.  Starting from second on the grid alongside pole starter Ryan Cavalieri, Volker took a much expected convincing win in the opening race of the event followed by Serpent’s Viktor Wilck who started on the second row alongside another off road star, Ty Tessman.  In the second heat, it was 16-year-old Yokomo driver Andrew Hardman who led the way for the first five laps before being passed by team-mate Vejrak who had started from 10th on the grid.  Later in Hardman would lose 2nd to Tamiya’s Christopher Krapp as Vejrak cruised to victory up front. Concluding the first of the 12 rounds of heads up race, in Heat 3 four time Reedy Race champion Marc Rheinard, starting from 7th on the grid, took just three laps to get to the front to win ahead of team-mates Akio Sobue and Nicholas Lee.

Commenting on his winning start to the 18th running of the famous event, Volker was ‘glad to get a win from the front row’.  The German said he ‘got lucky at the start as Cavalieri ran wide’ allowing him to go through adding that his BD7 had a lack of grip for the first 3 to 4 laps.  As the tyres came in he was able to pull away and towards the end of the race was able to drive to save his tyres for Round 2, drivers having to run the same set of tyres twice in consecutive races to stop tyre strategy coming into play. With all three Round 1 winners grouped in the same heat for the second round, Volker said considering the line-up his aim from 7th on the grid is a Top 2 finish.

’10th to 1st is a good start’, that was how Vejrak summed up his race.  The former Nitro Touring Car World Champion said his BD7 was ‘perfect and easy to drive’.  Opening up a lead over Hardman he said he was able to slow down and save his tyres.  In Round 2 the Thai driver will start last of the Round 1 winners lining up 8th on the grid alongside Volker while Rheinard will be starting at the front.

In a race that saw early leader Charlie Phutiyotin suffering a questionable body tuck as Freddy Sudhoff passed him for the lead, the HB driver posting the fastest lap of the 3 heats, Rheinard said ‘after everyone had some issues in front it was easy after that’.  The 4-time world Champion said even though Volker is starting towards the back in the next one he expects that ‘Ronald is going to catch me’ and the race is going to take a little more effort the opening one.

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