Rheinard quickest after 3 rounds of practice

Defending Champion Marc Rheinard is setting the pace here on the opening day of the IFMAR World Championship. The 23-year-old is fastest in all aspects recording the fastest lap time, the fastest five minute run and the quickest three consecutive laps which will be used to determine a reseed of the heats.  Tamiya are being very secretive about the 23-year-old’s Speed Passion powered car with the chassis being kept covered at all times.  Rheinard says the car feels OK but has the potential to be better but as a starting point he is happy with his current pace.

Setting the second fastest time over three laps is 2008 Vice World Champion Ronald Volker. The Yokomo team leader is 2/10th down on his fellow countryman but says his LRP powered BD5 feels difficult to drive.  Volker said while his pace so far is competitive he needs to find a way to get a little more steering on the car.  In terms of outright lap times Yokomo are also closest to Rheinard with Hayato Matsuzaki getting within 3/1000th of second.

Hot Bodies’ Atsushi Hara has been trying two cars each run but is having trouble with the faster of the two stripping spur gears after just 2 laps.  A more aggressive handling car, the 2000 World Champion said it is clearly faster but he needs to find a way to stop it from stripping gears.  The only driver in the Top 10 not to improve his time in P3, he is currently 3rd quickest with his time from the 2nd practice.

Shin Adachi is pleased with the start to his World Championship with the Kyosho team driver currently 4th fastest with the new TF6 chassis.  Responsible for the creation of the new car, the Japanese driver is really happy with the base set-up and will run it again focusing instead on tyre additive.  Interestingly Adachi is running a 2.5mm chassis while his young German team-mate Christopher Krapp has opted for a 2.0mm version.

Team Associated have had a decent morning with their new TC6 with Rick Hohwart setting the sixth fastest time.  The American says he is still learning the track each run but adapting Juho Levanen’s set-up for P3 he said it made for a big improvement.  Levanen took his example around the small technical track in the ninth fastest time.

Sandwiching Hohwart on the timesheets for now are Tamiya drivers Jilles Groskamp and Steen Graversen with the 5th and 7th fastest time.  Dane Graversen said his TRF416 has been getting better and better each run and when asked why replied with the quote of the day – ‘Old people just need more time to learn the track’.

Making his debut here for Team Yokomo, German teenager Yannic Prumper has got his new relationship with the Japanese company off to a good start recording the eight fastest time so far.  Tamiya’s Viktor Wilck rounds out the Top 10.

Top 10 after P3 (3 consecutive laps)
1. Marc Rheinard – 37.060
2. Ronald Volker – 37.222
3. Atsushi Hara – 37.239
4. Shin Adachi – 37.389
5. Jilles Groskamp – 37.478
6. Rick Hohwart – 37.562
7. Steen Graversen – 37.573
8. Yannic Pruemper – 37.582
9. Juho Levanen – 37.584
10.Viktor Wilck – 37.589

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2010 Touring Car Worlds is GO

Day one of the 2010 IFMAR Touring Car World Championships is underway with 6 rounds of practice on the schedule here in Burgdorf, Germany.  The first thing that stands out is how small the track is but all the top drivers have given the layout a big thumbs up.  9 of the 10 Finalists from Thailand are here but only 8 are competing with r/c legend and 2008 podium finisher Masami Hirosaka here only in a supporting role for Team Yokomo.

Marc Rheinard is the defending champion and appears pretty relaxed as he looks to claim his third World title for Tamiya.  Although its his home country, the German said he has little racing experience at this track his last race here being back in 2004.  With IFMAR rules stating the track layout must be 60% changed for the actual running of the World Championships today is the first time the drivers have driven the track in the correct anti-clockwise direction. Having missed the Warm-up race to compete in the Reedy Race in the US, Rheinard completed a week of testing here in preparation for the event albeit driving it clockwise.  Tamiya have a strong line-up here which includes no less than four of the 2008 Finalists with Viktor Wilck, Jilles Groskamp and Elliot Harper joining the World Champion.  Harper burst on to the Touring Car scene in Bangkok making the final on his Worlds debut and finishing a very impressive 5th overall.  Driving with Xray on that occasion, the young English driver switched to Tamiya this year and has just started to find form with his new team taking his first win for them in his home National championship three weeks ago. Groskamp, who differs slightly from his TRF team-mates in that he runs Team Orion rather than Speed Passion electrics, had a good start to his week here finishing Runner-Up in the 1:12 Worlds and the European TC Champion is positive about the three days ahead.

Runner-up in Bangkok Ronald Volker heads Team Yokomo and has already shown good form here taking TQ honours at the Warm-up race back in May. Another 2008 finalist in the Yokomo line-up is Hayato Matsuzaki who was closest to Volker in qualifying for the Warm-up.  The 2007 IFMAR 1:10 2WD Off Road World Champion said he really likes the track and additional testing since the Warm-up went really well.  As seen at the 1:12 Worlds, which saw Naoto Matsukura successfully defend his World title using Yokomo’s new R12 chassis, the Japanese manufacturers preparations for this event are very professional with each driver having there own dedicated mechanic with team manager Robert Itoh keeping a watchful eye over the whole operation.

Once again all four previous Touring Car World Champions are here.  Hot Bodies are armed with two of those in Atsushi Hara and Andy Moore. Last time round Hara was Top Qualifier but ended up with a less than deserved fourth place finish and he is determined to put that huge disappointment behind him.  Running the new TCX chassis, the Japanese ace feels the competition here will be stronger than in Thailand where Rheinard was the only driver who could match him in actually race pace. Hara, who has been running a number of different speedos, is running LRP here put pointed out that he has no deal with the German company.  In the battery department he has a new one race deal with Reedy.

Xray were classified as the winners of the Warm-up after Alexander Hagberg was the only driver to run the final due to the wet conditions but the Slovak company have a very strong contender in Paul Lemieux.  The American has done all his pre-Worlds preparations for the event at NorCal Hobbies Raceway and after getting his first taste of the Burgdorf track in the opening practice run this morning said the tracks feel very similar.  Lemieux missed the Warm-up race winning instead the Reedy Race held at the San Francisco track on the same weekend finishing ahead of none other than Juho Levanen and World Champion Rheinard.  Joining him at Xray this year is 2002 World Champion Surikan C.

There is a big buzz in the Team Associated pits as they debut their new TC6 here.  Five of the new chassis have been prepared by chief designer Bob Stellflue and will be used by Levanen, Christer Andersson, Keven Hebert, Rick Hohwart and Olly Jefferies.  Levanen has only run a few batteries with the new car back home but said it was immediately quicker.  Running a lot of the same suspension parts as the TC5 the experienced Finnish driver said set-up adjustments have carried across from the older car.  22-year-old Canadian Hebert, who made the 1:12 Final at his first World’s attempt on Tuesday, has run four batteries with the TC6 and backs up Levanen’s confidence of a good performance here for the team.

Kyosho will be hopeful of a good showing with their new TF6 touring car and have a new LiPo chassis for the event.  Shin Adachi, who is responsible for the development of the car, is joined by fast young German Christopher Krapp who is being tipped by many to show really strongly here on a track he knows very well.

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