August 27, 2016

Final qualifier in Beijing shows Coelho still in command

Having wrapped up the overall TQ honours yesterday in the penultimate round of qualifying, Bruno Coelho used the final round of qualifying at the Electric Touring Car World Championships to show his rivals that he is still in command in China.   Coelho would head an Xray 1-2 in the sixth qualifier, topping the time sheets for a fifth time with a 2.5-seconds advantage over team-mate Alexander Hagberg.  With second on the grid already locked up, Yokomo’s Ronald Volker would get 3rd for the closing qualifier ahead of long time arch rival Marc Rheinard, the 3-time World Champion set to start 5th on the grid his worst every Worlds starting position.

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August 26, 2016

Coelho is Top Qualifier in China

Bruno Coelho is Top Qualifier for the Electric Touring Car World Championships.  The Xray driver, who burst onto the scene at the last World Championship two years ago in the US, secured pole position in Beijing with a fourth TQ run in the penultimate qualifier.  With only Ronald Volker able to deny the 2014 Vice Champion the overall TQ, just half a lap into the fifth round the Yokomo driver’s challenge was done as he suffered a driveshaft failure but Coelho wanted it on merit and did so with a new fastest 5-minute pace.  Behind Alexander Hagberg would make it an Xray 1-2 with Jilles Groskamp completing the Top 3 from Marc Rheinard.  Unfortunately for current World Champion Naoto Matsukura, who had the high of winning a fourth 1:12 World title earlier in the week, his touring car campaign hasn’t improved and the Japanese driver will not be defending his title as with just one more qualifier to run he is ranked 19th overall.

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August 26, 2016

Bruno takes Q4, Volker crashes out

Having conceded Q3 to Ronald Volker with a series of driver errors Bruno Coelho jumped back into control of qualifying at the Touring Car World Championship in China.  Claiming his third TQ run, the Xray driver was to top the fourth round ahead of Marc Fischer as his so far closest rival Volker crashed on the final lap breaking his Yokomo when a P2 was on the cards.   Running in the same heat as Fischer, heat 14 of 15, Akio Sobue would get a third followed by Alexander Hagberg, both drivers not happy with the cars for the round.  Having broken into the Top 6 for the first time in the previous round, Marc Rheinard would again post a P5 run ahead Yokomo’s Nicholas Lee.

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August 26, 2016

Volker capitalises to take Q3 at WC

Ronald Volker has TQ’ the third round of qualifying, the Yokomo driver capitalising on a number of mistakes from Q1 & 2 pace setter Bruno Ceolho.  Running in the second fastest heat at the World Championships, Akio Sobue would set the benchmark for the top heat with an impressive time which Volker would just manage to better, his advantage over the 5-minutes only 0.095 of a second.  For Coelho, who ran a slower time than Q2 while everyone else went faster, the round would give the Xray driver a P3 ahead of team-mate Alexander Hagberg.  Having struggled in the opening two qualifiers just scraping Top 10 times, Q3 would be a big step forward for Marc Rheinard as he posted the fifth fastest time the gap to the TQ pace down from over 5 to 1.8-seconds.

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August 26, 2016

Coelho again in Q2

Having concluded yesterday’s action by taking the opening round of qualifying, Bruno Coelho continues to be the man to beat at the Electric Touring Car World Championships in China. With four rounds of qualifying on today’s schedule, the Xray driver opened the third day of the event with a second TQ run again having the edge over Yokomo Ronald Volker. With Volker setting the early pace, its a blue sky sunny morning in Beijing, Coelho would put in a strong second half to top the times by 1.4 seconds. Behind them Alexander Hagberg would complete the Top 3, the Swede getting ahead of Q1 P3 finisher Viktor Wilck.

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August 26, 2016

2018 ISTC Worlds awarded to South Africa

South Africa will host the next IFMAR ISTC World Championships. The decision to award the 10th running of the Touring Car Worlds along with the 1:12 World Championship was made during the current World Championships taking place in Beijing, China. A former host country, with the city of Krugersdorp venue of the 2002 Worlds won by Surikarn Chaidajsuriya, the 2018 event will take place in the city of Welkom at the Welkom R/C Club facility. With it originally expected no applications would be received from the FAMAR Block, therefore the hosting of the next Worlds falling back to the current FEMCA hosts, South Africa was the only country to submit a presentation. While no dates have been set it is expected the race with most like run in the month of May which is the end of their Summer.

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August 25, 2016

Wilck top seed at Beijing Worlds

Viktor Wilck is the top seed for qualifying at the Electric Touring Car World Championships in Beijing, the Serpent driver having topped a much faster second round of controlled practice.  With wind causing many drivers problems in the first round, the sun came out for driver’s second attempt at a 3-consecutive lap time and with the wind dying off the track would prove over a second faster.  Having set the pace so far at these unique Worlds, in that no one drove the newly surfaced track prior to the first round of free practice yesterday morning, Bruno Coelho would finish second fastest 0.125 off of Wilck’s pace, their fastest lap times almost identical with only 2/1000ths of a difference between them.  Ronald Volker would complete the Top 3, the Yokomo driver a further 3/10th back.  For World Champion Naoto Matsukura a though first day didn’t get any better with his title defence starting in the 5th fastest qualifying group.  It wasn’t a good controlled practice for his Tamiya team-mate Marc Rheinard either, the 3-time Champion only able for the 13th fastest time.

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August 25, 2016

Coelho masters difficult conditions in 1st control practice

Bruno Coelho mastered difficult track conditions on Day 2 of the Electric Touring Car World Championships in Beijing this morning to top the first round of controlled practice.  Having topped yesterday’s six rounds of free practice, the Xray driver again was fastest but with wind effecting track conditions it was not a repeat of the 1-2 the Slovakian manufacturer witnessed on the opening Day.  With Hagberg managing only P10, pulling up with a minute to go as he clearly struggled with his car, there was a marked improvement from reigning manufacturer champions Yokomo.  Only p5 in free practice, Ronald Volker would set the second fastest time, albeit 7/10ths off Coelho over the best 3-consecutive laps, with team-mate Loic Jasmin completing the Top 3.

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