Rheinard takes Q4 & overall Andernach TQ honours
Euro Touring Series Champion elect Marc Rheinard is the Top Qualifier for the closing race of the 2009/2010 season after topping the final round of qualifying here this evening at his home track of Andernach. The three time World Champion set the first & only 17 second lap of the event on his way to taking the round by half a second from Tamiya team-mate Viktor Wilck. This left the pair tied on points but setting the fastest overall qualifying time in Q4 the German will start tomorrow’s finals from pole. Rheinard said his Speed Passion powered TRF416 was better at the start of the run than in the previous three qualifiers after he left his tyre warmers on for longer.
Wilck, who started on pole here last year, said his car was pretty good except for the right hand sweeper through which it suffers a little understeer. Unlike the World Championships at Burgdorf two weeks ago the Swede feels the racing tomorrow should be a lot closer as the track has more places in which he can safely try to find a way past Rheinard.
Atsushi Hara, who was third fastest in the final qualifier, will line up third on grid and is looking forward to tomorrow’s finals. The pace setter in yesterday’s opening round of qualifying, Hara hasn’t changed the set-up on his Hot Bodies TCX all day saying it has been better than he’s been driving. Happy with his driving in the final run today the Japanese ace is confident he can take the fight to his great rival Rheinard and repeat his 2008 victory here having been denied the chance in Burgdorf where he failed to qualify for the A final.
Fastest in Q2, Kyosho’s Christopher Krapp will start fourth, having ended the day with his first 17 lapper which was good enough for the fifth fastest time for the round ahead of Xray’s Zdenek Hamak who secures 9th on the grid. Finishing ahead of Krapp on time in Q4, Team Yokomo’s Ronald Volker will start behind his fellow German in the three leg A-Main.
The rest of the grid is made up by 17-year-old Yannic Prumper (6th), Thomas Pumpler (7th), Andy Moore (8th) and Martin Hofer (10th). Hofer tied on points with fellow Yokomo driver Ryan Maker but the German had a best finish of 8th compared with the Australian’s 9th, who takes the BQ honours.
Modified A-Main Grid
1. Marc Rheinard (DE) – 308
2. Viktor Wilck (SE) – 308
3. Atsushi Hara (TH) – 307
4. Christopher Krapp (DE) – 305
5. Ronald Völker (DE) – 303
6. Yannic Prümper (DE) – 302
7. Thomas Pumpler (AT) – 301
8. Andy Moore Andy (GB) – 300
9. Zdenek Hamak (CZ) – 300
10.Martin Hofer (DE) – 293
Full results can be found here.
View the event image gallery here.
