Kunák on target for back to back Pro Stock success
Having claimed his first ever ETS win at the 2011/12 season opener, Team Xray’s Zdenko Kunák is on target to make it back to back victories after he secured overall TQ honours for Pro Stock in Italy this evening. Taking the opening two qualifiers, Kunák could only be denied from carrying the No.1 race number on his car in tomorrow’s triple A-Main by Awesomatix’s team driver Ivan Laptev who earlier in the day topped Q3. Proving a difficult run for Kunák after himself and reigning champion Martin Hofer had a coming together, Laptev could not repeat his earlier performance finishing the fourth & final qualifier with the third fastest time ensuring the Slovak driver his second pole position of this the fifth season of the ETS. Unfortunately for Hofer posting only the ninth fastest time right behind Kunák means the Schumacher driver ends up 11th overall and pole in the B-Main which is a big set back to the German’s title defence.
Asked about tomorrow’s final Kunák said he will change the set-up on his T3 so as to make it less aggressive but his game plan is to just drive with a cool head and make no mistakes. Topping Q4 to secure 2nd on the grid, Steffen Leinburger said the finals will be all about who doesn’t make a mistake rather than who can pass who. Topping yesterday’s practice ahead of Kunák, the German has the speed and is confident with his Hot Bodies which he said is working well on this track and easy to drive. Having made quite a few mistakes today he said he hopes thats them all out of his system.
Laptev described his 3rd spot on the grid as a ‘miracle’. Qualifying in the C-Main in Modified he plans to use his first run in the premiere class to try a set-up idea for his Pro stock car. As for the opening Pro stock A-Main he said his plan is to just be patient behind Kunák and Leinburger and see if they trip each other up and as a previous race winner he said he has to be cautious of those starting behind him, in particular another former race winner Oliver Franke who starts 5th behind the Yokomo of youngster Felix Wiessmann who has looked strong here this weekend.
While Ronald Volker secure TQ honours in the Ride Modified class after the third round of qualifying he completed the clean sweep by topping Q4 from Yokomo team-mate Yannic Prumper who will start second on the grid. Yokomo have enjoyed a strong performance here in Scandiano getting four cars in the final. Eric Dankel will line up 7th on the grid while French Champion Loic Jasmin gets to make his first ever ETS A-Main start from 9th on the grid.
The man most expected to challenge Volker this weekend Marc Rheinard starts the final 3rd on the grid just in front of Team Xray’s Alexander Hagberg. Rheinard has struggled to be a match for the defending champion and is sure to be conscious of Hagberg starting behind him as there is no love lost between the German and the Swede following their incidents at the recent DHI Cup.
Also making the main event tomorrow are Tamiya’s Viktor Wilck and Kyosho’s Christopher Krapp who start 5th & 6th respectively. Krapp started from the same spot at Round 1 of the ETS and went on to claim his first podium finish so the German will be one to watch. Completing the grid & both representing Hot Bodies are former World Champion Andy Moore who will carry No.8 on his TCX and Dominik Fleischmann starts 10th. Putting in a very competitive final qualifier to post the 6th fastest time it was a performance that came too late for Team Serpent’s Marc Fisher and the German National Champion ends up in the unenviable BQ position.
Ride Modified A-Main Grid
1. Ronald Völker (DE) – Yokomo/LRP – 310
2. Yannic Prümper (DE) – Yokomo/Speed Passion – 306
3. Marc Rheinard (DE) – Tamiya/Speed Passion – 305
4. Alexander Hagberg (SE) – Xray/LRP – 304
5. Viktor Wilck (SE) – Tamiya/Thunder Power – 303
6. Christopher Krapp (DE) – Kyosho/Orion – 302
7. Eric Dankel (DE) – Yokomo/LRP – 300
8. Andy Moore (GB) – Hot Bodies/HPI Flux – 297
9. Loic Jasmin (FR) – Yokomo/LRP – 297
10.Dominik Fleischmann (DE) – Hot Bodies/LRP – 296
Xray Pro-Stock A-Main Grid
1. Zdenko Kunák (SK) – Xray – 310
2. Steffen Leinburger (DE) – Hot Bodies – 308
3. Ivan Laptev (RU) – Awesomatix – 307
4. Felix Wiessmann (DE) – Yokomo – 304
5. Oliver Franke (DE) – Hot Bodies – 303
6. Alessio Menicucci (IT) – Xray – 302
7. Philip Tschupp (CH) – TOP – 300
8. Michal Orlowski (PL) – Tamiya – 299
9. Fabian Bucher (DE) – Xray – 298
10.Francesco Martini (IT) – Xray – 296
View the complete results here.
View the event image gallery here.
