Volker tops free practice at ETS Season opener
Reigning Yokomo Euro Touring Series Champion Ronald Volker has kicked off the defense of his 3rd consecutive title by putting his Yokomo top the times sheets in free practice. Drivers had two rounds of free practice this morning for the Czech Republic event, with the German fastest from team-mate Yannic Prumper. Volker’s main title rival for the past three seasons, Marc Rheinard was third fastest around the track which is proving popular with the drivers with Marc Fischer, Andy Moore and Viljami Kutvonen completing the Top 6.
Winner of this event on the last two occasions the ETS traveled to Hrotovice, Volker said after a poor opening practice run changes for FP2 gave him a much more consistent car although he would like to find a little more steering. The first ETS race to feature handout additive and tyre cleaner, the additive set to be a different colour for each round of the series, the 8-time ETS race winner welcomed the move describing it as ‘a good thing’. Hinting that he isn’t a big fan of tyre additive testing, he said for the two controlled practice rounds he will work on his tyre strategy to determine whether to run new or used, scrubbed or unscrubbed tyres in qualifying. Asked about going for a fourth consecutive title, Volker said his approach this season is no different to before and as always his aim will be to try and go as fast as possible. Rating Prumper as being his biggest title rival, he said it is great to have Naoto Matsukura here for the opening race as he is ‘always fast on carpet’. Unable to gauge the true pace of Tamiya’s Rheinard and Vicktor Wilck with the new TRF418 on carpet, he said in addition to his own team-mates he feels Serpent’s Marc Fischer will be strong this weekend as he was last year here.
Prumper declared himself happy with his free practice. Liking the track in the second practice he ran two cars, preferring his own to the car of his long time mentor/mechanic Toni Rheinard. Setting the seventh fastest time 1:12 World Champion Naoto Matsukura described the track as difficult due to the high traction. The Japanese ace, who depending on the outcome of this weekend could contest the full season of ETS, said his BD7 feels pretty good but he plans to make some small changes to try and get it a little easier to drive for the high bite conditions.
Having spent the days leading up to the season opener testing at the Hudy Racing Arena, Rheinard said so far things were going ‘OK’. Cautious about how his Much More powered TRF418 will cope should the traction get any higher, he said he probably could have ran a faster time in FP2. Trying two cars in the 4-minute run he said for him the controlled Ride tyre was only really starting to come in when he stopped to change car. Back to back testing two set-ups the former World Champion said the first car he ran felt better and he will run this for the first controlled practice.
Despite setting the fourth fastest time, Fischer said he has work to do. The runner-up here last season, he said his S411 is hard to drive and feels like it is on the limit of traction rolling. While his pace over 3-laps is competitive he said over 5-minutes with the current set-up he is not very confident. Setting himself a target of a Top 5 result this weekend, the German hopes a shock position & spring change for controlled practice will result in his car being a little easier to drive.
Running Awesomatix’ new A700L EVO for the first time on carpet, Kutvonen said the car is much easier to drive. Putting in a very competitive performance here last year with the old car, the Finn said that with a few more small set-up changes he thinks they are on a for a good result again this year. Team-mate Freddy Sudhoff, who was on the podium here last time, declared himself really happy with the performance of the new car. Although he failed to register a competitive time, the German said the new parts have improved the car. For the first controlled practice, Sudhoff will run a new design of differential in his car which was only delivered to he hotel just before lunch time. He said the diff is ‘typical Oleg (Babich) design’ and just in his hand already feels a lot smoother than the previous design.
Setting the 8th fastest time Alexander Hagberg was the fastest Xray. The Swede, described his ORCA powered T4 as ‘very easy to drive’. Having also spent the earlier part of the week testing at the Hudy Arena adding that it was good having other manufacturers there to better gauge their pace, he said while over 3-laps he’s ‘not super fast’ with his car very consistent to drive he should be good over the 5-minutes of the qualifiers. Team-mate Adrian Berntsen said he is struggling a little with his car something that was not helped by his throttle not being properly matched between his speedo and radio.
Running a pre-production version of the soon to be released Associated T6.2, former ETS race winner Juho Levanen is very upbeat about his chances this weekend. Having raced the same car at the recent IIC in Las Vegas, the Finn said he hopes he can build on that performance declaring himself very happy with how free practice went. Featuring ‘almost all new parts’, he said the overall result is that the car now has more steering and more corner speed.
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