Streit TQs Pro Stock at ETS Germany
Tony Streit is Top Qualifier in the Xray Pro Stock class at the Yokomo Euro Touring Series in Germany. In his second season with Awesomatix, the German claimed his second ETS pole position start when he backed up his Q3 topping run with the fastest TQ of the day in the fourth & final qualifier to deny Xray’s Jan Ratheisky, who took Q1 & 2, on the tie breaker. Behind them, Dane Mike Gosvig will line-up third ahead of Norwegian ARC driver Johannessen who pushed Streit hard in the final qualifier.
A former Pro Stock winner, winning the 2011/12 season finale in Austria from the TQ, Streit said he ‘never expected to TQ as (he) never ran on the Volante tyres before’. Missing the season opener in the Czech Republic due to having to sit exams, but having a good run to fourth at the DHI Cup, he said he was happy to carry that form from the Danish event, adding his A800 has been outstanding all weekend ‘even on the strange carpet’. With Awesomatix failing to get a car into the A-Main at Round 1, he said today showed how well they have worked as a team to turn things around with 4 cars now in the A-main. Looking to the finals, Streit said ‘Jan (Ratheisky) is the benchmark in Pro-Stock and an excellent racer so it will be hard race but my aim is to run clean races’.
Top Qualifier & winner of the season opener in December, Ratheisky said ‘I’m happy with everything’. One of racing’s most happy & easy going characters, the German said after a good start taking the first two qualifier, mistakes were his problem in the final two with him rolling his T4 on the opening lap of Q3. Giving Streit credit for his TQ, he said ‘I know Tony is a good driver and we should be able to have a fair battle’. Asked if he would change his car for the final he said the only plans he had was to ‘clean his glasses or change the colour of the carpet’, a joke aim at himself over his mistakes in qualifying.
For reigning champion Marek Cerny, who finished runner-up to Ratheisky at the season opener, qualifying would not go well with the Czech driver set to line up 9th on the grid ahead of former champion Martin Hofer. The Xray driver, who is chasing a fourth consecutive title this season, said a bad set of tyres left him on the back foot. Struggling in Q1 he would change from a carbon to an aluminium chassis T4 for Q2 but the problem was still the same. Deciding it was a tyre issue that was the problem, he would change to a second set for Q3 with the car much improved but then pushing too hard in Q4 to try and salvage a better starting position he crashed and was out after just 2-laps. On cutting open his first set of tyres it was discovered one had a broken insert. With good tyres he said he would try to improve hs position but said from so far back getting a good overall finish was going to be hard.
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