Coelho from Volker in Q1
Bruno Coelho has TQ’d the opening round of qualifying at the Yokomo Euro Touring Series in Luxembourg. The championship leader topped the times by just 0.135 of a second from reigning champion Ronald Volker with this year’s other title contender Marc Rheinard completing the Top 3. For Rheinard it initially looked like his opening qualifier would amount to nothing as his transponder failed to register once the qualifier started but in a sporting gesture from his rivals in the top heat they agreed to allow a manual correction of the result to reflect his P3 position on the track when he crossed the finish line.
‘A perfect run’ was how Coelho summed up Q1. Able to wrap up his first ETS title this weekend if he can win on Sunday, he said ‘I pushed first few laps and then just managed my lead. In the end it was a bit short to Volker but we got the TQ so its good’. Commenting on his Hobbywing powered T4, he said ‘we made a change to the car which made it more stable and it was still fast. It was more comfortable to drive than in practice’. With a second qualifier scheduled for tonight due to rain forecast for the morning, Coelho plans to run everything as is despite the expected cooler conditions.
Reacting to the qualifier Volker said, ‘I shouldn’t be disappointed, but I am because it was .1 of a second and my need to TQ this weekend’. Needing a TQ to keep his title hopes alive, the Yokomo driver used his second car from yesterday for Q1 saying ‘it was more stable’. Making small changes in the direction of team-mate Hayato Matsuzaki’s set-up this made the ‘balance much better’. Unfortunately having ended up P4 in seeding Matsuzaki would roll his BD7 on the first lap as he came on to the straight leaving him with P21 for the round. ‘A clean run’ Volker feels there was ‘not much missing from getting the TQ’ and for Q2 they will make small changes to try get more steering from his LRP powered DB7.
‘Was pretty ok but the traction felt less’ was how Rheinard described Q1. Feeling he had ‘the same pace as Bruno at the beginning’ he said his transponder issue put him off a little. Not hearing his name being called in the running order, while he continued he would make a mistake that cost him around 1-second adding ‘otherwise it was pretty close’. Asked about the transponder issue he said, ‘A big thanks to the other drivers for showing great sportsmanship and allowing me to be given a result. The transponder registered in the warm-up and was blinking after the race but I will change it for Q2’.
Setting the fourth fastest time Jilles Groskamp felt he got caught out by two tyre related issues. Having taken his car directly from his pits to the track in practice he said having to go through scrutiny first for qualifying he got caught out by having no battery in his tyre warmers. The Team Infinity driver said he also discovered that his tyre cutter was damaged and this affected the tyre resulting in two slow opening laps with the tyre coming in very late. Once he got into his rhythm he said the consistency in the end was good adding ‘I’m happy with P4 as fourth in this field is a good start and to be 1.5 behind Bruno is not bad.’ Looking to Q2, the 2012 World Champion said ‘I’ll make sure I have a battery in my tyre warmer’.
‘I don’t know whether to be sad or happy’, was Lucas Urbain’s reaction after he posted the fifth fastest time. The VBC team driver continued, ‘I made a really good start, I was leading but then I had the classic chicane spin’. ‘There is a bump there but that is normally fine so I don’t know if I got nervous or just used too much throttle. Anyway for my own standard P5 is good’. One driver happy with the addition of Q2 to today’s schedule, the popular French racer has to work until lunchtime tomorrow having been unable to get the time off and with rain scheduled for the morning it could all work in his favour.
Completing the Top 6 Freddy Sudhoff said it was ‘a good start to the event’. With his team-mate Viljami Kutvonen suffering a shutdown before the end of his Q1 run, the Awesomatix the driver said in the end he messed up himself. Running wide twice the German said ‘they cost me two spots but overall P6 is good’. Describing his A800 as ‘a little too easy to drive’ he will make a roll centre change for Q2.
Piping his old team-mate Viktor Wilck to P7, new Capricorn signing Marc Fischer said the run ‘was ok but just not in the beginning’. Starting ahead of Sudhoff he said ‘over the first 4 to 5 laps Freddy was catching’ and while the car was ok after that he will make changes for Q2. Considering a softer swaybar he will also ‘try a softer rear spring for more bite at the start’.
In the Xray Pro Stock class it would also be the top seed who would take the opening qualifier as Lars Hoppe topped the times. The German ARC driver who finished on the podium here two years ago was fastest from Awesomatix’ Max Mächler with Olivier Bultynck completing the Top 3. In Formula Bultynck would get a P2 with David Ehrbar’s Serpent proving to be quickest.
View the complete event results here.
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