Volker on target for perfect Italian job
Ronald Volker is on target to pull off the perfect Italian job at Round 2 of the Yokomo Euro Touring Series after securing yet another TQ run in the third round of qualifying to secure pole position for tomorrow’s A-Main finals. On target to repeat his domination of the opening event of the 2011/12 season in Germany, the Yokomo ace has ruled proceedings since arriving in Italy with no one able to mount any serious challenge to the reigning ETS Champion.
While it was business as usual for Volker at the top of the time sheets, the third round of qualifying saw Team Xray’s Alexander Hagberg make huge progress as he took his LRP powered T3 2012 to second for the round with what is so far the second fastest overall qualifying run. The Swede who was struggling to get a good feeling with his car switched to heavier shock oil for Q3 resulting in a car that he could now drive hard and with confidence. Having found a ‘good base set-up’ Hagberg said he plans a few minor adjustments for last qualification round but says its now game on for a Top 3 starting position on the grid.
Setting the third fastest time Yannic Prumper was on target for second but as he passed the slower car of Team Xray’s Martin Hudy the pair touched costing the former ETS race winner over 1.5 seconds. While the ultra calm teenager didn’t appear too bothered by the incident his mechanic Toni Rheinard made his thoughts clear to the Slovak driver following the run.
Marc Rheinard, who after having a moment early in the run had to let Prumper through, set the fourth fastest time but the World Champion said his Tamiya just was not fast enough due to a lack of corner speed. Behind him Kyosho’s Christopher Krapp set the fifth fastest time ahead of the Yokomo’s of Eric Dankel and France’s Loic Jasmin.
In Pro Stock we saw our first change at the top of the time sheets as Russian driver Ivan Laptev finally got his Awesomatix to work. Struggling to get the A700 to work on the bumpy track the winner of last season’s final round ran a super soft set-up on the car’s unique suspension design. With such soft suspension Laptev had to fit swaybars to his car something he normally doesn’t need to use but the desperate measure was to pay off and he was able to TQ the round ahead of championship leader Zdenko Kunák.
For defending ETS Pro Stock champion Martin Hofer his late arrival to the event due to a University exam on Friday morning looks like costing him dearly. Managing only the 7th fastest time in Q3, which for the German is best run yet, the Schumacher driver needs to pull out something special in the final qualifier if he is to make the grid for tomorrow’s A-Main.
View the complete results here.
View the event image gallery here.
