Podium lock out for Tamiya
The curtain has come down on the second round of the inaugural European Touring Series and it was Jilles Groskamp and Nicolai Nielsen that leave Vejle in Denmark with the main silverware. The weekend produced plenty of thrilling race action but in the end it was those that set the pace in qualifying that ruled the finals.
Groskamp over came strong pressure from his Tamiya team mates in Leg 1 of the finals to score an important opening victory over Marc Rheinard and Viktor Wilck. One thing that really stood out this weekend was the great team work being done by the factory squad and as a result the TRF416 was the car to beat, filling the top 3 places on the grid and ultimately the podium. Kyosho’s top man Steen Graversen did try his best but the combined forces of Groskamp, Rheinard and Wilck was too much. Team Associated’s Joel Myrberg endured a tough weekend and unfortunately couldn’t mount the challenge expected.
Leg 2 of the Modified A-Main saw another great drive by Dutch star Groskamp who again was helped by his team mates this time for the wrong reasons as Rheinard and Wilck made contact at the second corner after the start and dropped to the tail of the field. This allowed Graversen to move into second but he was never really a threat to the pole sitter who went on to take his second win and overall victory of the Danish event. Rheinard did a good job to recover to take third.
The final Leg was a battle for the final two podium placings. Groskamp lead for most of the race under pressure from Rheinard who didn’t need a second invitation to pass his team mate when he went wide as the pair came off the main straight. Groskamp then caught a dot and the former World Champion got the break he needed to come home for the win and which would secure him 2nd overall. Wilck also got by in the same move to claim 2nd and the final overall podium placing.
In the Pro Stock class it was Danish drivers armed with Dutch cars that fought for the victory. Nicolai Nielsen driving a Serpent and Rasmus T. Callesen at the controls of a Corally battled throughout qualifying and the finals but in the end it was the former that claimed the pole and eventually the overall victory. The two were inseparable on the large carpet track but Nielsen kept cool under the pressure and won the opening two legs to secure glory. Nielsen opted out of the third leg leaving Callesen and Palle Hornum to fight for second and Callesen looked to have it in the bag but 3-minutes into the race his pinion came lose leaving Hornum’s Xray to take the win and second overall.
The Sport class, introduced to give club racers the opportunity to race at a high profile event, proved to be a huge success and the racing went right down to the wire between Germany’s Axel Thoms and local racer Lasse Scholt. Thoms won Leg 1 from pole but Scholt came right back in Leg 2 forcing the title decision to be made in the final leg. The German racers trip to Denmark proved to be worthwhile however as he took the final leg and overall win ahead of Lasse.
