Thunder Alley R/C Raceway played host to the 15th Annual Pro-Line Nitro Explosion this past weekend. The event had 165 entries and in Expert Nitro Buggy it was Mugen’s Adam Drake with the overall TQ. Adam then also came out fastest in the 25-minute A-main event, leaving behind Team Associated’s Ryan Pavidis in 2nd and HB Racing’s Anthony Westergaard, who qualified 8th, in 3rd.
Source: Mugen [mugenracing.com]
Multiple Electric Onroad World Champion Naoto Matsukura has added a Nitro Touring Car World title to his tally with a very convincing performance at the 1:10 200mm World Championships in Florida. After a messy start which saw Top Qualifier Dario Balestri, Super Pole winner Robert Pietsch and reigning champion Dominic Greiner receive penalties, the Infinity driver quickly stamped his authority on the 1-hour final. By the first round of fuel stops the 200mm rookie, who stopped early at 4:30, had already pulled out over a 6-second lead and such was his lead at the mid race tyre change his crew was able to switch to 4:00 stops ensuring his massive lead was never at risk. At the end the Japanese driver becomes the 8th different World Champion of the class by almost 2-laps. Battling with Tadahiko Sahashi for second place before the Infinity driver suffered a flame out in the final minutes of the race Capricorn’s Kyle Branson would finish second with Team Shepherd’s very quick Eduardo Escandon coming through from the back of the grid to complete the podium at Homestead RC Raceway. Half a lap back Pietsch would recover from his penalty and a bad tyre stop to finish fourth ahead of Mugen team-mate Jeff Hamon, with Greiner, who got a second penalty completing the Top 6. Ending up 9-laps off the lead after running out of fuel, Balestri ended up 7th but his biggest frustration was the length the cars were held on the starting grid. He said his penalty was a result of him trying to make sure his engine didn’t cut.
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Dominic Greiner will defend his 1:10 200mm World title from 4th on the grid in Miami later this evening. Starting second in the Semi finals, the Serpent driver maintained that position behind pole man Naoto Matsukura to progress to the 1-hour main event at Homestead RC Raceway. In the first of the two Semi finals, it was Tadahiko Sahashi who took the win ahead of Jilles Groskamp and Kyle Branson. Starting from pole and holding an early lead, Andy Moore’s impressive campaign came undone when he lost the brakes on his car. After his demise, No.2 starter Shoki Takahata took control but after building up a lead the Mugen driver’s race faltered when he had the first of a number of flame outs. Flame outs also ended Vice-Champion Alessio Mazzeo’s event while former Champion Meen Vrejrak’s attempt at a second title ended when he had issues with wheels coming off his car. In the second of the 30-minute encounters, Matsukura led home Greiner by a comfortable gap of 4.7 seconds with Teemu Leino completing the Top 3. With their fourth & fifth place times the next fastest two times outside the Top 3 of both Semis, Jeff Hamon and Eduardo Escandon, both having bumped up from the 1/4 finals, complete the Top 10 that will battle to become the 1:10 200mm’s 8th World Champion. Unfortunately for former 1:8 World Champion Simon Kurzbuch there will be no repeat of the result as he came the second 2016 podium finisher to fall by the wayside in the Semis after suffering a number of flame outs.
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Ronald Volker is the top qualifier for the opening round of the Yokomo Euro Touring Series having taken the final round of Qualifying. Set to start on pole position, Marc Rheinard will set off directly behind him while Alexander Hagberg, Bruno Coelho and Freddy Sudhoff complete the top 5. The German Yokomo driver commented, ‘Im very happy to get the overall TQ, it was tough going into Q4 as we all had similar speed’. Having made an adjustment on the rear diff for the final run he said the car felt the best it had done all day, ‘the balance was great so the car was quite easy to drive’. Volker also took the first points on offer, securing the bonus point for TQ, saying ‘we have the extra point and with that feeling going into tomorrow I’m very confident for the finals.’
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1:10 200mm Vice-World Champion Alessio Mazzeo’s hopes of going one better this time around are still alive after the Italian won his 1/4 final to progress to the Semi Finals in Miami. Starting on pole for the 20-minute encounter, the Xray driver took victory over another Gubbio finalist Kyle Branson, the Capricorn finishing 4-seconds back. Setting the fastest lap of the race, 2010 Texas World Championship Finalist Shinnosuke Yokoyama completed the Top 3 to progress to the all important Semi’s which will determine who will join Top Qualifier Dario Balestri and Super Pole winner Robert Pietsch in the final. Significant names to end their quest in the first of the 1/4 Finals were 2010 World Champion Ralph Birch and 1:8 legend Lamberto Collari. Having bumped up from the 1/8 final Birch finished 6th after early contact with Yokoyama while Collari, having impressed by topping seeding on his 200mm World debut, had a crash that damaged a front arm leaving him to struggle to the finish in last position.
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The opening round of qualifying for the new ETS season has been completed and it was Ronald Volker who emerged quickest in conditions that were looser than the night before. Top seed Bruno Coelho had a number of mistakes early in the run which let the Yokomo driver, who was starting second, passed. Following another big moment the World Champion pulled up to save the car. With Volker in front, the battle was for remaining spots with Alexander Hagberg finally taking the 2nd spot having swapped the position back and forth with Marc Rheinard who ended up 3rd, with Freddy Sudhoff and Akio Sobue completing the top 5. ‘Obviously I’m happy to TQ the first qualifier of the season’ said Volker, continuing ‘the track was different to yesterday, a bit more loose’. The German said his BD9 started to get looser as the run went on, causing him to lose 0.5 second on the 2nd last lap, which nearly cost him the TQ. For the next run he will work with his mechanic Hayato to try make the car more stable as well as reduce the power back to what he had in free practice.
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Robert Pietsch has won Super Pole at the 200mm World Championship in Florida booking himself a direct spot on the grid for Saturday title deciding 1-hour final alongside Top Qualifier Dario Balestri. Qualifying 5th overall, the Mugen driver was first to go and his 17.762 lap was the final lap of 6 was to start. First to challenge the German was reigning Champion Dominic Greiner but suffering a mistake in the middle of his attempt his best lap was 0.122 slower. Andy Moore then stood up to the mark but the Q3 Top Qualifier couldn’t break 18-seconds leave him last of the three to run so far. Taking two rounds of qualifying including the last round, Naoto Matsukura was the final challenger to run but having won Super Pole on his 1:8 Worlds debut last year he it wasn’t going to be another direct A-Main debut for the 200mm rookie. Completing the 3-minute warm-up, the Japanese driver immediately complained of being unable to see as light faded at the Homestead RC Raceway but continuing to put in his 6-laps his best time came on lap 4 but it was 28/1000ths off Pietsch’s. Unfortunately for Pietsch after a short live celebration, an official protest by Matsukura to have Super Pole re-run meant official confirmation of the result was delayed by more than an 1-hour, IFMAR’s international jury unanimous in deciding the result would stand.
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Dario Balestri is the Top Qualifier at the 1:10 200mm World Championship in Miami. The Infinity driver pulled off his third consecutive Worlds pole position in as many years with another TQ run in the penultimate round of qualifying. Having made a mistake in the day’s opening qualifier, the reigning 1:8 World Champion put in a perfect Q5 making 24-laps to top the times for a third time and deny team-mate Naoto Matsukura and Andy Moore the chance of a first nitro World’s TQ. Having taken the third round of qualifying, Moore had issues in the pits in his fifth run while a mistake from Matsukura while setting the TQ in front of Balestri ended his hopes and he ended up 5th for the round. It would be Dominic Greiner who was closest to Balestri but missing out on going 24-laps. Simon Kurzbuch would complete the Top 3, matching his surprise P3 in Q1, only this time the Shepherd driver took a more traditional route and made a fuel stop like everyone else during the 7-minute qualifier. Robert Pietsch made it four different manufacturers at the top for the round also equalling his best performance so far, while Mugen team-mate Shoki Takahata completed the Top 6.
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