Volker sets early pace at RROC

Ronald Volker set the early pace on the opening day of the 18th running of the Reedy International Touring Car Race of Champions.  Winner of the event on its return to the famous Tamiya Raceway last year, the Yokomo driver posted the fastest three consecutive laps of the opening two of the four scheduled rounds of practice.  A 27-car invitational field, the most competitive the race has seen since it was previously ran at the Californian track, it was Serpent’s Viktor Wilck who was closest to Volker’s pace albeit over half a second off.  An impressive run from Team Associated’s Rick Hohwart would see the touring car veteran completing the Top 3.

While the track proved to be considerably slower than last year, the German said he was very happy with his pace when compared to his rivals.  With the track improving a lot from the first to the second run, the sun only breaking through the clouds late in the morning, Volker would post a fastest lap of 12.365 him having managed 11-second laps last year.  Running two cars in each of the runs, he said overall both worked well adding that having to change car during last year due to a ‘massive crash’ on the straight it was good to know he had two good cars at his disposal.  With one car the same as that with which he took the win last year and the other ‘tuned differently’, the ETS champion said he liked the second car slightly more describing it as being ‘more responsive’.  Highlighting that this is the most competitive field for years, he said being fast was ‘not the only thing you have to have’ for the Reedy Race but it was a positive starting point.

Wilck was ‘happy enough’ with his early pace saying his S411 ‘felt pretty good’.  Describing the track as ‘very tricky’ and ‘need(ing) the perfect line’, for his next practice having run the standard kit shocks he will use the track time to test pre-productions version of an upcoming new shock release from Serpent.

‘Really good so far’, that was how Hohwart summed up his opening runs.  Happy with his TC6.2 the American said his main problem was with his braking.  Changing to an Airtronics M12 for the race he said the ‘brakes feel quite a bit different’.  Although he has set the same end points as his previous M11X radio the braking is ‘not enough’.  Knowing of an M11X at the Associated/Reedy head office, he has made a call to tell them to bring it to the track ‘just in case’.

Fourth fastest, Marc Rheinard described his early pace as ‘pretty ok’.  Testing two variations of his TRF419, he said he preferred the car with the softer chassis and now he will focus on fine tuning that car over the day’s final two practices.  Also back to back testing new versus used tyres, drivers having to race the same set of handout Sweep tyres for 2 races before getting a new set, he said while the new was a little faster the used was not that much different.

Star of the last round of the Euro Touring Series in Austria which was also a small track Japanese driver Akio Sobue would post the 5th fastest time.  The Tamiya Racing Factory driver, who is a fan of small tracks as they are similar to his home track of RC Paradise in Nagoya, said having run two different TRF419 he preferred the ‘softer car’. Fitted with a chassis that gives more flex and also running lighter diff oil, the 20-year-old said it gave more steering and traction. Planning to focus on that car for the remaining two practice runs, he said he will try to future tweak the set-up.

Sixth fastest Alexander Hagberg said his main focus was getting used to the track.  The first time the Xray driver has raced the track the Swede said ‘it’s more difficult to drive than it looks’.  Changing his T4 ‘a lot’ after the first round he said it was much better for the second run but his driving still had a lot of room for improvement.  Describing the corners as ‘easy to overshoot’, he believes in hot conditions overheating the tyres is going to be a problem and so conservative driving could have its benefits.

Setting the 7th fastest 3-consecutive laps and making his first trip to Tamiya Raceway, Christopher Krapp said the track fits his driving style with the low traction requiring it to be driven smooth.  Describing his Tamiya as ‘solid’, the German feels the biggest improvement is going to come from his driving. ‘Overshooting the corners a lot’, he said his plan for the rest of practice was to ‘work on that’. Fellow Tamiya driver Nicolas Lee would sit 8th after the first two rounds of practice.  The Singaporean driver said his TRF419 was ‘not so bad’ but seeking more overall traction he would try a different shock set-up for the third run.

Canadian Andrew Hardman would post the 9th fastest time just ahead of fellow countryman Keven Hebert.  The 16-year-old Yokomo driver described his BD7 as having ‘great balance’ and it was the driver who needed to get more dialled in. Having raced here for the first time last year he said most of that event was spent learning the track which he said ‘appears so simple but is the toughest track he has driven’.  Hebert said his Associated was ‘ok’ but 5-laps into the second run a shock blew out.

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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 – 7

Combine what the World’s best touring drivers continually describe as their favourite track with their favourite race format and you have the Reedy International Race of Champions at the famous Tamiya Raceway in California.  Built next to the then American headquarters of Tamiya, the track opened in 1994 and hosted its first Reedy Race in 2002.  After a run of 6-years however a restructuring within Tamiya USA saw the entire site put up for sale with 2007 marking what was then thought to be the end of the road for the track and the hosting of the Reedy Race.  Luckily for racers, however, the new owners of the large former Tamiya building where Tamiya warehoused all its products had no interest in the track and it remained in the ownership of Tamiya USA whose offices are now 8-miles away in Irvine.

Following the building’s sale parking would become a new issue for the track and it wasn’t until last year with the clearing of an adjacent field that the Reedy Race’s return was possible. With the return to Tamiya Raceway combined with Scotty Ernst taking over the running of the event, 2014 saw a big revival of interest in the race that now remembers one of the sport’s great pioneers Mike Reedy.  Following on from last year’s successful return to its spiritual home, the event which this year celebrates its 18th continuous running has attracted its best quality of invite entry since its heydays.

Built in an area 170 ft wide by 70 ft deep, the first thing that hits you on seeing the track for the first time is how small it is but ask any of the drivers about this and it turns out to be irrelevant. They love it because of the opportunities it offers for overtaking, making it perfect for the 12 rounds of heads up racing that make up the Reedy Race schedule.  Having only raced on the Tamiya track once before the race had to find a new home but winning it on its return last year, Ronald Volker said the track is ‘perfect for heads up racing’, adding the ‘size and layout of the corners make for a few chances each lap to pass your rivals’.  The four time Euro Touring series Champion said having the straight in front of the drivers stand also adds an interesting element to the racing.   Commenting that the high curbing needed to be avoided, the German said the middle kink is the track’s key feature as risks through it can either help you gain time or send the car flying.  A four time winner of the event sharing the title of most crowned champion with Barry Baker, Marc Rheinard called the track ‘One of the best’. The Tamiya driver added ‘it’s small but nice’ and ‘even if it does have a few bumps, the layout is perfect for great racing’.

For the 12-months between Reedy Races, Tamiya use the track for marketing activities including the running of their Tamiya Championship Series. On a weekly basis every Saturday the track is opened to Tamiya customers to come and run their cars.  Every six weeks the track also runs a one day race event open to all brands of cars and later this year it will play host to the US National Championships.