Rheinard sees off sterling Volker challenge to win
Yokomo Euro Touring Series Round 1 Top Qualifier Marc Rheinard saw off a sterling challenge from arch rival Ronald Volker to win the opening A-Main at the Czech Republic event. Leading away the field, the Tamiya driver quickly came under pressure from Volker’s Yokomo with lap 7 producing passes from two of the World’s greatest touring cars drivers that would see a roar of excitement & admiration from onlookers. Having shadowed Rheinard, Volker took advantage of him running wide on the track centre straight to get his BD7 down the inside at the following hairpin. Famed for his ability to make passes where most drivers would never contemplate overtaking, at the next corner Rheinard would squeeze his TRF419 down the inside to retake the lead. Unfortunately as everyone got their breath back and waited for the battle to heat up again, coming onto the straight two laps later Volker would traction roll ending his challenge and leaving him to finish sixth. Behind an equally close battle for what had become second would see Alexander Hagberg just hold off Yannic Prumper.
‘Good in terms of the result’ was Rheinard’s reaction to the race. With both Volker and Hagberg setting faster laps than his best, the ETS’ most winning driver said he just drove defensively. Describing his car as starting off good he said from then on it ‘just got worse and worse’ every lap. Asked about his pass, the 3-time World Champion said ‘I ran a little wide which allowed Ronald to get by but I thought I am not letting him have it that easy and got him back at the next corner’. With no free practice tomorrow morning due to the busy race schedule of the finals, he said defensive driving would have to be his strategy for A2 as he didn’t want to take the risk of running his second set of tyres which in practice left him struggling for steering on an already challenging track.
‘I think the crowd liked it’, that was Volker’s reaction to the race. The defending four time back to back champion continued it ‘wasn’t to be my better hand’ but ‘I enjoyed the battle with Marc’. Happy with the pace of his car, setting the fastest lap of the race, he said while it was ‘not so easy to drive’ he said his traction roll was sudden and unexplainable but his ‘race was done’ because of it. The 3-time Hrotovice race winner, said he was paying for his mistakes in qualifying having to start behind Rheinard but while passing is challenging he is confident for tomorrow as he was ‘clearly faster than Marc’.
Inheriting second, Hagberg said he didn’t have a good feeling with his car for the first two minutes. Feeling as if his T4 was tweaked, the factory Xray driver said as a result he was left to defend rather than challenge for the lead. The Swede said he had no option but to make changes to the set-up for tomorrow in order to stick with Rheinard & Volker.
Running all over the rear of Hagberg’s car, Yokomo’s Yannic Prumper was pleased with his race saying his car was the best its been all weekend. Changing to a different set of tyres, harder rear shock oil and most significantly switching from a Protoform Speed 6 to an LTC-R his car had a lot more steering. Trying as hard as he did, the 20-year-old said he just couldn’t find a way passed Hagberg but the race has given with a lot more confidence going into A2.
Having complained of his car being on the limit of wanting to traction roll in the final qualifier Awesomatix driver Viljami Kutvonen described his run to fourth in A1 as ‘slow and safe’. The Finn changed his set-up to make the A700 Evo easier to drive but said he went too far and it was too easy. Still happy to improve his starting position by one place for tomorrow he will go back a little on the changes made in the hope of having better pace for A2. Starting his ETS debut from 8th on the grid, World Championship runner-up Bruno Coehlo would complete the Top 6.
In the Xray Pro Stock class Top Qualifier Lars Hoppe continued his impressive domination taking his ARC to an easy unchallenged win. As if he needed any help the German benefitted from an initial battle between the number 2 & 3 starting Xray team-mates of last year’s race winner Jan Ratheisky and defending champion Marek Cerny that bunched up the field. Cerny would get out of shape coming onto the straight hitting the boards and then touching Mike Gosvig as he made a pass. The contact ended Cerny’s race but four corners later Ratheisky would go off also as a result of contact with Gosvig. Former champion Martin Hofer was the big benefactor, his Schumacher coming through to take second with Markus Kreder completing the Top 3 just infront of the recovering Ratheisky.
Formula would also prove entertaining. Intially Top Qualifier Ratheisky looked to have broke clear but a mistake on lap 4 allowed a very quick David Ehrbar to get right onto his rear wing. Setting the fastest lap of the race the Serpent driver was very patient but when he went for a move the pair made contact, Ehrbar coming off worse allowing former champion Herbert Weber up through to second. Finding a way back passed Weber only for Weber to spin him out, the CRC driver would wait and give back the position but Ratheisky was now uncatchable winning by almost 5-seconds.
View the complete event results here.
View our event image gallery here.
