Volker tops free practice

Ronald Volker is the fastest man in Burgdorf with free practice now completed. The Yokomo star had a number of incidents during his FP4 run but still managed to lay down both the fastest outright lap and three consecutive laps.  Recording a 12.129 the Warm-Up race Top Qualifier topped the times sheets from Tamiya trio Jilles Groskamp, Marc Rheinard and Viktor Wilck.

Volker tried two cars, an old and a new one, in FP4. Although very loose over the opening two laps he said the older chassis felt the better of the two and this is the chassis he will now nominate as his race chassis, something which all drivers must do ahead of the two controlled practice runs which are up next.

Groskamp changed motor for the run, switching to an Orion with a thicker rotor.  The European Championship said this gave him more feeling which in return made the car smoother to drive. Having been the pace setter after P3, defending Champion Rheinard said they went the wrong way with set-up resulting in his TRF416 suffering a lot of understeer which got worse as the run went on.

Two drivers making big gains for the round where Xray’s Alexander Hagberg and Kyosho’s Christopher Krapp who set the 6th and 7th fastest time respectively. Hagberg, who was classified the winner of the Warm-up race, found his car was tweaked after round three and with the car straight again for FP4 is very happy with his LRP powered T3.  Over taking his team-mate shin Adachi on the time sheets, the Japanese driver failing to improve in P4, Krapp said his new speed came from simply reverting to the set-up he ran at the Warm-up.

Elsewhere Marc Fischer is fastest of the Corally team in 14th place while British National Champion Chris Grainger is best of the Schumacher drivers in 21st, two spots ahead of newly crowned back to back 1:12 World Champion Naoto Matsukara.  The star of last year’s European Championship at which he made the final, French driver Lucas Urbain is once again impressing at the control of his Losi setting the 20th fastest time of the 111 drivers present with the ageing JSX-R chassis.

Top 10 at end of Free Practice
(3 fastest consecutive laps)
1. Ronald Volker – 36.557
2. Jilles Groskamp – 36.804
3. Marc Rheinard – 36.902
4. Viktor Wick – 37.109
5. Atsushi Hara – 37.123
6. Alexabder Hagberg – 37.125
7. Christopher Krapp – 37.256
8. Steen Graversen – 37.343
9. Shin Adachi – 37.389
10.Juho Levanen – 37.391

View our event image gallery here.

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

View our event image gallery here.