World Class field chase Hara
The world class field here at Andernach have been left chasing Japan’s Atsushi Hara with the former World Champion clearly the quickest in today’s free practice which has just come to a close. Hara’s new Cyclone TC is the talk of the paddock with his rivals all making comment to how good it looks around the track. ‘People are saying my car looks really good and well balanced but it is actually a little nervous to drive. I can make it easier to drive but then my lap times drop off. Overall the car is working really well so I feel good going into tomorrow’s qualifiers.”
Closest to Hara in terms of laps times are his Hot Bodies team-mate Andy Moore and Tamiya’s Vicktor Wilck. Moore would like to have more steering at the beginning off his run complaining that the car is pushing at the start of his run but by the end is working perfectly. The Englishman plans a number of changes in order to try and cure the problem. Swede Wilck says he just has a lack of overall grip but doesn’t quite know what changes he will make ahead of the morning qualifier. Race organisers sugar watered the track this morning, which they will repeat this again for qualifying, and as a result all the drivers found the track was at it best in the first two of today’s five timed practices runs.
Steen Graversen remains the top Kyosho with the fourth fastest lap time followed by Ronald Volker and Jilles Groskamp. Bart Wubben is now the leading Serpent with the 9th fastest lap time just 3/100th faster than American star Paul Lemieux who is the top Xray representative. Marc Rheinard was one of the few drivers to set his fastest lap time in the evening sessions which moved him into the Top 10. Despite living only down the road from the great Andernach facility the German says he never goes well here.
In Pro Stock top German National runner Dominik Reschke and his Corally RDX PHI ended timed practice as the fastest package heading a trio of Germans at the top of the lap charts with Dai Sakaguchi and Matthias Lang his closest challengers. Euro Touring Series standings leader Nicolai Nielsen appears to be struggling, the Dane setting only the 13th fastest lap time.
Drivers will have one final timed practice run in the morning before we get down to the serious business of Round by Round qualifying with the best 3 of 5 to count.
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