Wet start to Finals day
The sun was out when we arrived at the Andernach track this morning but it didn’t last long as the heavens open up just as practice was about to get underway. Delaying the start of the final qualifying round to allow the rain to pass and the track to dry, with the help of plenty of sweeping brushes, things finally got underway at 10:00.
First up was Pro Stock and it was ETS points leader Daniel Wohlgemuth who topped the round. The first of the Pro Stock heats started on a damp and very slippery track but the rain returned. Using his wet car, a Hot Bodies Cyclone S, Wohlgemuth said the car was very easy to drive and racing in the wet conditions was good fun. Running 12 laps compared with yesterday’s 17 lap runs, second fastest was Dutch ETS winner Rob Janssen. The Corally team driver, who doesn’t have a wet car, said his Phi ’09 felt really good in the conditions but that the straight was very tricky as the car was aquaplaning on the standing water. Polish ETS winner Miek Niemann completed the Top 3. Top Qualifier Matthias Lang started his heat on a drying track but pulled up early once the rain returned.
In Modified only a handful of the top drivers took to the track. Jilles Groskamp took the round from Czech driver Zdenek Hamak with Martin Hofer third fastest. The Dutch ace said he ran on the wet track as it was a good opportunity to check his new waterproofing ahead of the European Championships in Luxembourg in 2 weeks time, where there is a strong possibility of rain. The factory Tamiya/Speedpassion driver said his TRF416 felt good in the conditions and that this car, the same one as he as been running all weekend, will become his rain car for Luxembourg.
Needing a good third score having had two bad heats yesterday, Ronald Volker didn’t want to run in the wet but had no choice if he wanted to be in the line up for the A Final. Running his Yokomo it almost didn’t happen as his car started to get radio glitches during the wet run. Working out how many laps he needed to complete to secure enough points for A Main placing the former European Champion continued cautiously, pulling up once his target was reached. The only one who could challenge Viktor Wilck for the overall TQ honours, Volker’s 17th placing for the round handed the Swede pole for A Main and sees the German line up 8th.
Pro Stock A-Main Grid
1. Matthias Lang – Xray – 0 pts
2. Daniel Wohlgemuth – Xray – 5
3. Alexander Stocker – Xray – 9
4. Rob Janssen – Corally – 10
5. Michael Kiesewetter – Xray – 10
6. Thomas Musial – Hot Bodies – 10
7. Martin Schmidt – Serpent – 11
8. Meik Niemann – Xray – 17
9. Balint Rajki – Hot Bodies – 18
10.Steffen Still – Xray – 19
Modified A-Main Grid
1. Viktor Wilck – Tamiya – 2 pts
2. Jilles Groskamp – Tamiya – 5
3. Marc Rheinard – Tamiya – 6
4. Steven Weiss – Xray – 14
5. Christopher Krapp – Kyosho – 14
6. Freddy Südhoff – Xray – 17
7. Martin Hofer – Yokomo – 17
8. Ronald Völker – Yokomo – 19
9. Patrick Gassauer – Kyosho – 22
10.Mario Sowka – Xray – 23
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