First HB win for Groskamp in A1 at ETS Luxembourg
Jilles Groskamp has won the opening A-Main at the Yokomo Euro Touring Series in Luxembourg, the HB driver benefiting from an early mistake from Top Qualifier Ronald Volker. Starting from second on the grid, the Dutch driver toook just two laps to get his PRO5 to the front getting by Alexander Hagberg early in the opening lap and then passing Volker in the same section of track on the second run through when the Yokomo driver lost rear traction and got out of shape. While Groskamp took control of things up front it was Bruno Coelho who provided all the entertainment, the Xray driver recovering from a Stop & Go to finish 3rd ahead of team-mate Alexander Hagberg and Serpent’s Viktor Wilck.
Enjoying his most competitive outing with his new HB/HPI Racing team this weekend, Groskamp was clearly pleased to record his first A-Main win especially as it was in front of former Tamiya team-mate Marc Rheinard. Commenting on the race, the 2012 World Champion said ‘I had a feeling lining-up up for the start that Hagberg was having problem with traction so I knew I had to pass him early to try to stay with Ronald’. Managing to execute the pass on the number 2 starting Xray he said the lead came easier than expected as Volker spun out on the next lap. With Rheinard working his way up to second by lap 8 of 17, Groskamp said he ‘could see Marc coming slowly’ but with 2-minutes to go he knew he had a big enough advantage to cruise to the finish and while the final margin was ‘only half a second it’s still a win’. Very happy with his car, which he said ‘is getting better all the time’ he said other than refresh the shocks he would run it the same for A2.
Commenting on his race Volker, while admitting to be struggling with rear traction was clear to point out his 8th place finish was a result of being ‘completely run over from behind’ by his long time rival Rheinard. Another cold morning at the track, the German said he knew he would have needed to be patient at the beginning as the track would not be great, but struggling with a lack of rear traction he lost the car in the sweeper. Recovering to rejoin third with ‘Marc on (his) tail’ he said the TRF driver ‘knew he should have waited’ and because the referee didn’t know which white body was that, Rheinard & Coelho both running white shells, no penalty was given. He said as a result ‘Marc got away with an unfair second place finish’. Pushed back to 9th following the contact Volker said a lack of rear traction and overall grip meant he could only finish 8th and he ‘can only blame tyres’ for his lack of pace. With the chance of securing a 5th consecutive title later today Volker is hoping conditions will be warmer for A2 so he can run a ‘normal race’.
Having qualified only 6th, Rheinard said his TRRF419 was better today helped by better tyres and improved track conditions due to there being less wind. Commenting on his incident with Volker, the 4-time World Champion said the pass was ‘not 100% perfect’ but as Volker was wide it was 50/50 on who was a fault. Catching Hagberg he managing getting by for second when he spun, he said while he was also catching Groskamp and had a faster car he ‘ran out of time’. Looking to A2 he said ‘I hope I can repeat the result again in the next one’.
Impressing onlookers with his on the limit driving style, Coelho felt his Stop & Go penalty was unjust. Lining up fourth on the grid, the 21-year-old said he touched the throttle and moved slightly but his car remained behind the line. Waiting for the car behind, Loic Jasmin, to pass him at the start so as to avoid a penalty for moving on the grid he said ‘there was no need to give another penalty’. Describing his LRP powered T4 as ‘super fast’, it posting the fastest lap of the race, his recovery from 7th after the Stop & Go was impressive. Getting past both Hagberg and Wilck, him having great drive onto the main straight, he would have to do the passes twice after an error coming down the hill allowed the two Swede to pass back. While Coelho had a car that was ‘amazing all the final’, Hagberg said his was ‘terrible’. With ‘no traction’ he had ‘no chance to fight with anybody’. Asked if it was tyres he replied ‘it felt strange and I don’t really know why’.
Starting from 8th behind Serpent team-mate Marc Fischer, Wilck said his race was ‘ok’. With Fischer letting him by on lap 4, two laps later he was able to get passed Jasmin’s Yokomo with Hagberg his next target. With Coelho coming through he said he was ‘scared to block Bruno’ and ‘thought if I let him through he might take out Hagberg but that didn’t happen’. Looking to A2 he said his S411 ‘felt ok’, only Coelho and Rheinard posting faster lap times, but ‘from a bad starting position a good result is always going to be difficult’.
In Pro Stock and Formula the opening A-Mains would also see mistakes from both Top Qualifiers. In the Xray Pro Stock class champion Marek Cerny would take a tight line through the sweeper with his Xray ending up on the grass. This would allow Yokomo driver Nico Catelani to go to the front as the entire field passed Cerny. The Italian would lead for 10 laps under pressure from Lars Hoppe, but catching the curbing coming onto the main straight the 20-year-old would get out of shape allowing the ARC to get a run on him and go to the front where the Round 1 & 4 ETS race winner would remain to the finish. In Formula Jan Ratheisky would lose the rear of his Xray allowing Olivier Bultynck to the front with David Ehrbar third. On lap 5 however entering the track famous downhill chicane Ratheisky would send his car into a roll leaving the car dead when it finally came to rest. This left Bultynck and Ehrbar to battle it out. With Ebrbar finding a way passed the Belgian, the latter would not give up retaking the lead with a great pass around the outside through the Laguna Seca corner for the win.
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