Volker pulls off perfect Italian job
Ronald Volker has pulled off yet another perfect weekend on the Euro Touring Series’ first ever visit to Italy with a win in the second A-Main of the Ride Modified class securing the defending champion his second overall win of the 2011/12 season. Having held off the close attentions of his factory Yokomo team-mate Yannic Prümper in the opening final, the German this time had to hold off the attention of Tamiya’s Marc Rheinard who looked far more like the threat we were expecting from the World Champion this weekend.
Volker said after the race his LRP powered BD5 was more difficult to drive this time round with the traction feeling different to Leg 1 and admitted if the race ran a few more laps he may have struggled to hold off Rheinard. Delighted to have maximum points from the opening two rounds of this the 5th season of the ETS, the former European Champion is already focused on Round 3 in March which travels to Gran Canaria which is an asphalt event. Having struggled to match Tamiya outdoors last season, Volker believes it is going to be a tough challenge on the Spanish Island and his team will have to work extra hard to continue their winning run.
Rheinard said his TRF417 was better this time round but having tested his spare car in the warm-up for the 2nd leg believes if had he decided to run it he would possibly have able to mount an earlier challenge on Volker. Using instead the same car he has ran all weekend which has a 2.5mm chassis he made a late challenge for the win until he went off line and across the dots on the final lap. With second overall still to play for Rheinard will use the spare car in Leg 3 as its 2.25mm chassis appeared to give more steering in the brief run he tried it.
Finishing third after he traction rolled while chasing down Volker, Prümper said his BD5 was really difficult to drive following the extension of the timing of his front tyre prep. The roll which saw his car require marshalling cost the 18-year-old 5-seconds and dropped him to fourth. Again setting the fastest lap and the only driver to run a 12-sec lap he recovered to take third after getting passed the Tamiya of Viktor Wilck. With Volker sitting out the next final, Prumper will essentially have pole position and will be looking for the win as this would allow Yokomo to claim their first ever ETS 1-2 podium finish.
In the Xray Pro-Stock class Steffen Leinburger backed up his Leg 1 win with another victory to secure his first overall ETS success. The German is enjoying a great start to 2012 having also won Pro Stock at the recent DHI Cup. Leinburger had to over come an action pack race which saw him and Zdenko Kunák come together dropping them down the order and handing the race lead to the No.3 Awesomatix of Ivan Laptev. Setting the fastest lap of the race Hot Bodies driver worked his way back to the front but almost undone all his good work when he rolled on the final lap. Landing rubber side down he stayed at the front to win from fellow Hot Bodies driver Oliver Franke by just over a second with Kunák third.
Ride Modified Leg 2 Result
1.(1) Ronald Völker (DE) – Yokomo/LRP – 24/5:10.903
2.(3) Marc Rheinard (DE) – Tamiya/Speed Passion – 24/5:11.450
3.(2) Yannic Prümper (DE) – Yokomo/Speed Passion – 23/5:02.006
4.(5) Viktor Wilck (SE) – Tamiya/Thunder Power – 23/5:05.101
5.(6) Christopher Krapp (DE) – Kyosho/Orion – 23/5:05.292
6.(9) Loic Jasmin (FR) – Yokomo/LRP – 23/5:12.051
7.(8) Andy Moore (GB) – Hot Bodies/HPI Flux – 23/5:13.572
8.(10)Dominik Fleischmann (DE) – Hot Bodies/LRP – 22/5:05.970
9.(7) Eric Dankel (DE) – Yokomo/LRP – 22/5:08.818
10.(4)Alexander Hagberg (SE) – Xray/LRP – 22/5:09.262
Xray Pro-Stock Leg 2 Result
1.(2) Steffen Leinburger (DE) – Hot Bodies – 22/5:06.512
2.(5) Oliver Franke (DE) – Hot Bodies – 22/5:07.624
3.(1) Zdenko Kunák (SK) – Xray – 22/5:10.206
4.(9) Fabian Bucher (DE) – Xray – 22/5:11.184
5.(7) Philip Tschupp (CH) – TOP – 22/5:11.619
6.(3) Ivan Laptev (RU) – Awesomatix – 22/5:14.007
7.(4) Felix Wiessmann (DE) – Yokomo – 21/5:01.547
8.(6)Alessio Menicucci (IT) – Xray – 21/5:02.801
9.(8) Michal Orlowski (PL) – Tamiya – 22/5:08.251
10.(10)Francesco Martini (IT) – Xray – 21/5:12.477
View the complete results here.
View the event image gallery here.
