Matsukura TQs third qualifier in Ettlingen
Naoto Matsukura has TQ’d the third round of qualifying at ETS Germany. The Infinity driver made the most of increasingly difficult conditions at Minidrom Ettlingen to prevent Bruno Coelho from wrapping up the overall TQ but as the slowest qualifier so far it will be a tall order for the Japanese driver to deny the already confirmed ETS champion his fifth TQ of the season. For a time Coelho didn’t have a result for the third qualifier, his transponder having stopped counting after lap 11 of 20 but he was later manually issued with the finishing time as recorded by his mechanic Francesco Martini. Completing the Top 3 would be Tim Wahl, the Xray driver coming good on the form he showed at the Warm-up race last month to pip Ronald Volker by just 0.003 of a second.
Having hit the curbing coming onto the straight and launched his car into the protective fencing around the marshalling post in Q2, Matsukura said, ‘I almost did it again on the first lap, I was lucky’. The former World Champion continued, ‘My car is pretty good in the hot conditions. I just understeers but its not loose so its got good potential’. Having claimed his first ETS podium finish at the previous round in Slovakia, the Japanese driver while pleased with his car was realistic about his chances of beating Coelho for the TQ. With Coelho having a fastest time of 21/5:07.457 from last night’s opening qualifier and his Q3 topping time a 20/5:03.209, he said, ‘I cannot beat Bruno’s time, its too hot’ but with a P4 from Q1 his goal is to try an secure second on the grid behind the Portuguese driver.
Commenting on his timing issues, Coelho said, ‘I didn’t know my transponder stopped counting but knew something was strange because I was pulling away from Marc but didn’t hear may name in the running order’. Opting to do the third qualifier on used tyres he said, ‘for being on used tyres I think the car was perfect but I was driving too close to the curbing and picking up dust on the tyres which was losing me a little time’. Asked if he felt his overall TQ was safe he replied ‘the track is very slow but it not 100% sure and anything is possible but for the last one we should be more than before because have new tyres’.
Reacting to his P3 time, Wahl said, ‘I was hoping for this weather’. The German, who finished second at the ETS Warm-up race continued, ‘at the Warm-up my car was working really well when the conditions were the same as now, so I kept my car the same. It is pretty safe but like it is for everyone the conditions are still difficult’. Sitting 8th in the qualification ranking after 3 rounds, counting a P11 from Q1, the former A-Main finalist will try to make the best use of still having a new set of tyres left for the final qualifier.
Summing up his P4 time, Volker said, ‘we adapted the set-up for Q3 because the weather dramatically changed. I saw in the heat before many people had problems with getting loose so I just tried to keep it on the grey’. Having to open for Matsukura, he said, ‘I lost 3rd having to let Naoto through’. Expecting the track to be similar for the next, the World Champion will try to make his Yokomo ‘a little more safe’ and in terms of tyres will run the set from Q2 which ran only 5-laps. Behind Volker, Marc Rheinard would get 5th after the Infinity driver opted, like Coelho, to run used tyres.
Mister consistent, Chritopher Krapp made it a trio of P6 runs. The Yokomo driver said, ‘what should I say, it was pretty boring actually. I felt I could stay with Bruno and Marc but then the car started overheating (the tyre) and I was drifting’. Claiming his first ETS A-Main start since joining Yokomo for the 2017 season, the German said Ettlingen is presenting the most difficult conditions he has ever encountered and he has never found it so hard to drive a modified car around for 5-mins describing it as ‘super hard here’.
In the Scorpion Power Formula class Tim Benson backed up his Q2 TQ with another, the Serpent driver fastest this time from the Xray of Matej Dobnikar. Tonisport boss Toni Rheinard would complete the Top 3 driving a VBC as once again the title contenders struggled. Points leader David Ehrbar was best of the trio with the 20th fastest time. In the Xray Pro Stock class, Tobias Vogel finally came good on his No.1 seeding to TQ the penultimate round ahead of Q2 pace setter Olivier Bultynck and Alexandre Duchet.
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