Balestri takes opening qualifier as Matsukura loses drive

The opening round of qualifying at the Singapore International Nitro Grand Prix saw Dario Balestri carry his morning seeding form into the first 7-minute affair with the Infinity driver topping the times by a convincing margin after main rival Naoto Matsukura went out just after the 3-minute mark with a stripped first gear.  Pushed early on by Matsukura, who seeded second, Balestri in the end was over 5-seconds faster than Teemu Leino, the Finn having a strong morning at the RCMC Marine Parade track.  Up against a stacked field of Infinity drivers, Mugen Seiki’s Shoki Takahata opened his Grand Prix debut with the third fastest time despite his engine struggling with the high humidity and 32 degree heat.  With many drivers making small mistakes on the high speed circuit, it was Tadahiko Sahashi, who is seeded in the second fastest heat, who was fourth fastest ahead of Takakki Shimo and Thailand’s Chavit Saligupta.

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Balestri tops seeding at Singapore Grand Prix

On a very humid morning at RCMC Marine Parade, Infinity’s Dario Balestri has topped seeding for the Singapore International Nitro Grand Prix breaking the lap record on his run to the fastest 3-consecutive laps of the newly resurface track.  Knocking a another tenth of a second of the yesterday’s lap record pace, set in open practice by double World Champion Tadahiko Sahashi, Balestri was quickest over the single round of seeding from 3 times GP winner Naoto Matsukura.  With the Top 2, who between them have won 4 of the last 5 editions of the annual race, having a distinct early advantage in terms of outright pace, it was Finland’s Teemu Leino who completed the Top 3.  Making his first visit to the country’s only permanent track, this the 20th anniversary of the Grand Prix, Mugen Seiki’s reigning World Champion Shoki Takahata set the fourth fastest time ahead of fellow countryman Takakki Shimo.  Today’s scheduled will see drivers run three rounds of qualifying with the fourth & final round taking place Sunday morning ahead of the finals.

F1 World C/Ship leader Antonelli warms up for Singapore GP with 1:8 testing at RCMC

Formula 1 World Championship leader Kimi Antonelli got himself warmed up for this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix with some 1:8 Onroad testing at the newly resurfaced RCMC Marine Parade track which officially reopens this weekend with the hosting of the 20th Singapore Nitro Grand Prix.  A race which sees the entry headed by Mugen Seiki’s 1:8 Onroad World Champion Shoki Takahata and newly crowned 1:10 Nitro Touring Car World Champion Naoto Matsukura, Antonelli joined some of the biggest names in Nitro Onroad on Wednesday spending 3-hours at the track.  A regular at Lamberto Collari’s track in Bologna, Italy, where he is from, Antonelli drove an Infinity IF18-3 that had been specially prepared for him by the 9-time World Champion.  Impressing all the drivers with his RC driving skills, getting to drive alongside the F1 star, Matsukura was especially impressed by the 20-year-old’s enthusiasm for wanting to drive RC highlighting he spent most of his time at Singapore’s only permanent onroad track up on the drivers stand and working on his driving, taking just one or two 10-minute breaks.  On his best lap Antonelli was just a tenth of a second off Matsukura’s which was under the track record, the new surface increasing the speed quite a bit.  While Kimi will race for Mercedes on the streets of Singapore this weekend, his father Marco will race 1:8 at the Singapore Nitro Grand Prix.

Image: Dimas Ardian