Coelho TQs opening qualifier in Slovakia
Bruno Coelho has TQ’d the opening round of qualifying at the season finale of the Yokomo Euro Touring Series in Slovakia. The Xray driver topped the times at the Hudy Racing Arena from Serpent’s Viktor Wilck as a number of drivers suffered heavy damage following offs. Reigning champion Ronald Volker destroyed his Yokomo when it made contact with the barriers after flying off the track at the Arena main straight left hand kink. Alexander Hagberg would suffer similiar faith. The only driver who can deny Volker a fifth consecutive ETS title, Marc Rheinard would also crash out of the qualifying after a mistake over the curbing in the infield launched his Tamiya into a catch wall resulting in a broken wheel. With Rheinard a DNF, it was Akio Sobue who would be the top Tamiya with the Japanese star completing the Top 3.
Opening the qualifier with his fastest lap, being one of only 4 drivers to do a 17-second lap, Coelho said his T4 was super fast at the beginning of the race. Seeing both Volker and Rheinard crash out and then a mistake from practice pace setter Yannic Prumper, the Luxembourg winner said he switched to a ‘super smooth’ driving style so as to avoid any mistakes. In the end the approach paid dividends as he took the round by 3/10ths from Wilck. Very happy with how his car ran the 5-minutes he said for Q2, despite it taking place in much cooler conditions due to it being the closing run of the day, he would ‘just check it over’ and leave it unchanged. Asked about his crash, team-mate Hagberg said he was just driving his ‘normal line and the car spun out without warning’. The Swede, who was holding P2 at the time, said his ‘tyres were ok’ and the only thing he can think of for causing the off is that he caught some air under the car.
Wilck, while pleased to open with a P2 was also slightly frustrated by a loss of power towards the end of the run. The Swede said his Speed Passion motor had been a little hot in practice but going from 4 to 5-minute runs for qualifying the extra minute was enough to push it over the limit. Describing his S411 as very easy to drive in anticipation of cooler Q2 conditions he said he will make a small set-up change for the night time run.
Star of Round 4 of the ETS at Mattsee in Austria, Sobue was pleased with his TRF419 in Q1. Running in the second fastest heat the Japanese driver said while he had ‘a clean run’ there was time to come from the driver. Another driver contemplating a set-up change for the drop in track temperature for the second qualifier, he said in addition to the car changes he would drive the round more aggressively. Team-mate Christopher Krapp would post the 9th fastest time. The German said going up in the rear diff oil instead of curing his oversteer made it even worse. Set to go back on the diff setting he will also switch to the same shock towers and shock set-up as Sobue. Running 3.0mm thick towers on his TRF419, he will switch to the 3.5mm Sobue ran and reportedly make the car feel more direct to drive due to the extra stiffness.
With Volker’s sudden exit from the track, it was Meen Vejrak who would be the fastest Yokomo for the round finishing 4th ahead of team-mate Loic Jasmin. Describing it as a good start to qualifying, the Riccione podium finisher said his car was OK but pushed more than he would like. The 2012 nitro touring car World Champion also reported a lack of ‘punch’ from his electrics and the Thai driver will change the settings for the next one. ‘Suprised’ was Jasmin’s reaction to his P5 time. The multiple French National Champion and Luxembourg A-Finalist said his BD7 felt both slow and strange to drive, something he put down to the hot weather at the time of the qualifier. Admitting he didn’t drive the 5-minutes very well he said there is time to be gained there and he would also make a set-up change.
A driver who probably knows this track better than anyone else, Xray designer Martin Hudy completed the Top 6. With the office where he designed the T4 overlooking the track, he said the result was ‘better than expected’. With his ‘car very good’, he said after a ‘super good start’ his driving would cost him some time. Getting caught by Sobue, he started to overdrive allowing the Tamiya to pass him. Once following Sobue however he said his driving improved again. For Q2 he said he knows the car is good and he just needs to concentrate on his own driving rather than the other drivers on the track.
Top seed for qualifying, Yannic Prumper said ‘I messed it up on my own’. Setting the fastest lap of Q1 with a 17.816 lap time, the ETS Italy winner rolled over his BD7 on lap 6 costing himself over 2-seconds. The Yokomo driver would also run the last three laps without any turbo, overheating suspected to have caused this issue losing him another second in time. Giving his take on his off, team-mate Volker said he did nothing different to the lap before and he could only put the crash down to the car catching air. He said ‘I had the fastest car on the main straight but probably it’s too fast and this led it to lose down force’. The German said one positive of the crash was that it happened in the first 30-seconds of the run and not towards the end so the tyres are still good.
HB’s Freddy Sudhoff would lead the HB challenge in Q1 with Andy Moore going with him in the Top 10. Setting the 8th fastest time ahead of Krapp, the German said his PRO5 was surprisingly good and he could have managed a Top 4 if it was not for a mistake over the curbing which cost him over 2-seconds. He said the car was maybe too easy to drive and as a result he didn’t give it his full attention leading a lapse in focus and the mistake. He said a change in direction with the set-up after practice was a big step forward and he was happy he now had a good base set-up to work from. Moore would also fall fowl of the curbing. The British driver said his Hobbywing powered PRO5 ran well for the first minute but the set-up is burning up the front tyres and his pace then drops off so he has no choice but to make changes for the next one.
In the first round of qualifying for the Xray Pro Stock class title contenders Lars Hoppe and Marek Cerny both had issues. While Formula Champion Jan Ratheisky would top the times from Nico Catelani, championship points leader Hoppe would finish only 19th fastest while Cerny would break. Hoppe said his ARC was not as good as in practice with the only change being a new set of tyres for qualifying. Making a mistake on the opening lap he said after this his driving was also not very good. For Q2 he will switch from a Blitz LSF to a GSF in the hope of improving the car. Defending champion Cerny put his error down to his tyre prep. Planning to be more ‘careful’ preparing his tyres for Q2 the Czech driver said he will also start off with a safer opening lap after which he is confident he will be able to push.
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