Mazzeo TQs opening qualifier at ENS
Alessio Mazzeo has TQ’d the opening round of 1:10 qualifying at the Infinity Euro Nitro Series in the Netherlands. A very close Q1, the Xray driver would top the times from the Infinity’s of Jilles Groskamp and Teemu Leino. With the Top 4 covered by just half a second, Shepherd’s Eduardo Escandon would get a P4 for the first of the four qualifiers ahead of WRC’s Melvin Diekmann. For Top Seed Dominic Greiner, a broken rear belt in the warm-up would prevent him from starting the qualifier while Serpent team-mate Mark Green also failed to start suffering an engine failure in the warm-up.
‘We are really happy. This is the best possible start we could ask for’, was Mazzeo’s reaction to his TQ. Leading the defence of Xray’s 1:10 title as reigning Champion Bruno Coelho’s schedule has ruled him out of the ENS this season, the Italian added, ‘It was a clean run except for two mistakes. I had a bad plug which made the engine go rich and then go lean and this caused me to miss my lines two times’. The former race winner, who is slightly under the weather here in Rucphen, said, ‘it is very close with Jilles, Dominic and Teemu and Eduardo is now also better. For the next one I will not change the car, just put in a new glowplug’.
Groskamp said, ‘It was a super close race and I think everyone had a bad lap’. The former champion continued, ‘I took the curb and lost 1-second. Also my engine was too rich for the first part of the heat. Maybe that cost me the TQ but I am happy with my pace’. Running a prototype of Infinity’s upcoming IF15, he said, ‘I wont change anything for Q2, just make the engine more lean. I’m still happy with second and that I was only 1/10th (of a second) behind Mazzeo’.
Summing up his opening qualifier on what is a beautiful sunny morning at the De Baanbrekers track, Leino also reported the engine tuning as his only real issue. The Finn said, ‘We had a little problem with the engine tuning being too rich. I also got sideways onto the straight which cost me 4/10th, which is a lot when it is so close but 3rd is OK’. The 2016 Champion was quick to point out Greiner’s absence from Q1 saying, ‘Dominic didn’t drive so we need to see how he goes and see where we are at. I think we need to improve to be competitive against Dominic’. Leino will make ‘small adjustments’ to his car for his second qualifier.
‘I lost it on the last lap’ was Escandon’s reaction to his Q1 performance. The Spaniard continued, ‘I heard I was 2nd so I pushed on the last lap but made a little mistake’. On his car he said, ‘the car and engine was pretty good and easy to drive so I am really happy. I will leave it the same and just try to make a completely clean run in the next one’.
Diekmann was very pleased with his P5 saying, ‘this is very good for me, I got lucky that Dominic didn’t run’. The German who made a number of A-Main appearance’s last season added, ‘my goal is Top 10 so I am very happy. I had a lot of clear track which helped. The car is good so I will just try to drive another clean run in the next one’.
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Kurzbuch tops practice at ENS Round 1
Simon Kurzbuch has ended the first official day of the 2018 Infinity Euro Nitro Series season at the top of the time sheets, the Shepherd driver fastest in the seeding practice from World Champion Dario Balestri. Having topped the first of the two timed practices at the Southern Dutch De Baanbrekers track, the reigning ENS Champion found almost 3/10ths on his second run while Balestri found marginally more time to jump from P6 after TP1 to second 0.134 off over the fastest 3-consecutive laps. Behind the ENS’ only 1:8 Champions, Robin D’hondt continued his strong showing moving up to complete the Top 3 ahead of Naoto Matsukura who failed to better his time in TP2.
‘The track didn’t change so we need to adapt the car for tomorrow’ was Kurzbuch’s reaction despite again topping the times in TP2. Chasing his 10th ENS career win this weekend, Kurzbuch didn’t change his car for the final run feeling the track had changed a lot from the final free practice to the first timed run. Wanting to wait to see if the track would change back, it didn’t, and so the Swiss driver now will make small adjustments. He said, ‘we are quite close to what we want. The engine is there so I don’t think it will be a problem to get the set-up right for the first qualification’.
Summing up his day, Balestri said, ‘It’s going ok but the track is really difficult’. He continued, ‘you change something small and it completely changes the car. For example 1/4 turn spring change is like you made a drastic change. It is one of the most difficult tracks to work on set-up’. On his gap to Kurzbuch, the Italian said, ‘I have my best engines for qualifying which I think will give me the 1/10th I’m missing so I’m happy I can challenge Simon for the TQ’. Describing his IF18 as ‘really consistent’ he said, ‘we still need to find the right balance for the bumps on the track but this is normal that we are always trying to improve the car’.
‘The car felt really stuck to the track’, was the reaction of a very pleased looking D’hondt at the end of the day. The former European Champion added however, ‘when I push really hard it starts to bounce in the rear so maybe now it is too narrow so I will go out a little again’. Describing his car as ‘easy to drive so I am able to do consistent lap times’, the Belgian concluded, ‘I have two good engines with good power for qualifying’.
Suffering a loose side pulley in the final practice which took 3-minutes to fix, Matsukura said as a result he could break in his tyres for the run but said at the end the feeling of his car was good’. This was something the reigning 1:12 World Champion put down to moving the shocks into a more upright position. Asked if he planned more changes for Q1 in the morning the Infinity driver replied, ‘I am thinking what more we can change for tomorrow but I think the qualifying is going to be maximum close and a clean run will be very important’.
Team-mate Lamberto Collari would end the day a frustrated 5th fastest. The legend of the sport said, ‘I have had some trouble with the tyres coming unglued and because of this can not get consistency in my run because I have to stop to change tyres. It is hard to gauge exactly where we are at’. He concluded, ‘this morning was super fast but now we are 3/10th slower’.
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Greiner Top Seed for Dutch ENS
Dominic Greiner is the top seed at season opening round of the Infinity Euro Nitro Series in the Netherlands. The Serpent driver left his mark on Friday’s track action by topping free practice and then both of the timed practices, the second of which would be 3/10ths quicker than the first. Behind the winner of last season’s finale, Jilles Groskamp would improve to the second fastest time with Infinity’s new car while Xray’s Alessio Mazzeo turned around a difficult day to finish up 3rd quickest. Making it four different cars at the top of the times, new WRC recruit Melvin Diekmann would post the 4th fastest 3-consecutive laps ahead of Teemu Leino and 1:10 rookie Lamberto Collari.
‘I am pretty confident for qualifying but it really close with Jilles, Teemu and now Mazzeo like always’, was Greiner’s reaction at the end of the first official day of the event at the De Baanbrekers track. Having not been completely happy with his car in the first timed practice, but still quickest, asked if he found conditions better for TP2, the World Champion replied, ‘I think a lot depends on the tyres but we tried something and it was better. We also got another free practice run after and tried something else so now we know what we can do if the track changes’.
‘Better’ was how Groskamp summed up the second timed practice. P4 after the first run, he continued, ‘the track was maybe slightly better that time and I also made the rear stable. It was a good run and I closed the gap to Dominic a little more so I’m ready to go qualifying. I’m really happy to be close to him’. The 2015 Champion added, ‘I don’t know if Dominic has any surprises for qualifying but I am going to start with what I have. 3 laps is way different to 4-minute pace’. On his car he said, ‘our new touring car is working very good, good steering, good power because the transmission is really free and I only need to make small changes each time not like before when we had to change everything’.
Summing up his day, Mazzeo said, ‘the car finally works good’. The Italian added, ‘yesterday and this morning have been difficult but we worked hard and now have found a good set-up balance’. Describing the track layout as ‘very hard’, the Vice-World Champion said, ‘the gear ratio is very critical for 1:10 but we have everything good now for qualifying’.
Putting his improved in TP2 down to ‘the driver improved’, Diekmann highlighted this being his first ENS race with WRC saying ‘It’s a new season and a new challenge’. The 19-year-old said having put the car on the track for the first time yesterday with his ‘basic set-up’ he has had to make very little changes. The biggest changes has come with a switch of bodyshell from a Spark to Protoform’s P47 which he said improved the car’s corner speed. On the track, he said it was a bit like Ettlingen with the ‘fast corner suiting (his) driving style’.
Never one to give away too much, Leino summed up practice with, ‘we are ok, the final is on Sunday’. The former champion said ‘From talking to a few drivers the split between the front and rear shore of the tyres is higher than the practice tyres. Maybe the track changed too I don’t know but we still have a few things we want to try’. The Finn concluded, ‘It’s not an easy track. It looks easy but it’s not’.
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Kurzbuch in control at ENS season opener
Reigning back to back champion Simon Kurzbuch is in control of proceedings at the season opener of the Infinity Euro Nitro Series in the Netherlands. Fastest in free practice from World Champion Dario Balestri, the Team Shepherd driver again topped in the first of the two timed practice runs, this time ahead of Infinity’s Naoto Matsukura while Balestri posted the 6th fastest time. Mugen’s Steven Cuypers completed the Top 3 ahead of team-mate Robert Pietsch, while the Capricorn of Robin D’hondt rounded out the Top 5 seeding times.
Just 5/100ths quicker over three laps from Matsukura, Kurzbuch said, ‘that was a difficult run, it was difficult to drive’. The Swiss ace continued, ‘I just spoke with Robert and we think maybe its pollen that has changed the track. It was a bit more wind for that run. Everyone found it more difficult that earlier’. Asked about his car set-up, his advantage in free practice 1/10th of a second, he said, ‘the difficulty now seems to be the track. I think the is car very good and so is my new Novarossi engine but maybe we will make some changes to the car to make it more stable for the final practice but I would say we are ready to go racing’.
‘This track looks easy but it is difficult when you want to find more time’, was Matsukura’s reaction when asked how he was enjoying the track. Unlike his rivals, the Japanese driver said he noticed less of an issue with lower traction for TP1 but report his car had a little understeer. Admitting ‘laps time were a little slower’ he said the ‘track was ok and I was able to run more consistent now’.
‘Fine again’, was how Cuyper’s summed up his run. The Belgian who admitted he has ‘raced here a lot in the past’ said, ‘Yesterday my car and engine was super but then I had a big crash with someone and the engine was broken and we found things broken in the car but finally we are ready in time for qualifying’. Describing today’s track conditions as ‘completely different to yesterday’, he said, ‘finding a good balance between the front & rear is hard but now we are getting there again’.
Pietsch summed up his P3 pace with, ‘It was ok. I feel pretty good’. The Mugen designer continued, ‘timed practice was not as good as before. The wind is carrying pollen onto the track. That’s my thoughts anyway. When there was no wind the cars cleared the pollen away but with the wind it just keeps falling’. Pleased with how his car has been working he said based on the track conditions of TP1 he will just adjust the weight distribution adding he will change ‘nothing more as he feels good and the times are super close’.
Admitting ‘I drive here a lot’, D’hondt said, ‘with a fast engine this is an easy track for everyone’. Happy with his car now he said they had to search for steering in early practice and achieved this by making the car narrower. The former European Champion has also played around a lot with bodyshell going between the B909 and R19 before trying the older R18 which he said ‘is the best for him’. Planning to make the car even narrower for the final practice he will also cut the rear arms to get more flex for the traction.
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Greiner tops first time practice at ENS Season opener
Coming in the the fifth season of the Infinity Euro Nitro Series as the clear title favourite, Dominic Greiner has lived up to expectations by setting the fastest time in the first of the timed practice runs at the season opener in the Netherlands. Having been fastest in practice, the Serpent driver continued that form setting the fastest three laps from former champion Teemu Leino by 3/10th of a second around the De Baanbrekers. The first time the majority of drivers have been to the Dutch track, it was a good showing for Serpent with Mark Green completing the Top 3 ahead of Jilles Groskamp. Interestingly a driver synonyms with 1:8 racing, Lamberto Collari is making his 1:10 race debut stopping the clocks in the 5th fastest time.
Summing up his first time practice run Greiner wasn’t overly pleased with the performance. The German said, ‘we made a little change on the car and it was completely different to drive. It was loose in the rear. We changed it back to what it was before during the run but it was still different. I don’t know if the track changed or the tyre’. Not sure what way to react to the change for 2nd & final timed practice he said, ‘we need to see if its the tyre or track that is the problem’. Asked how much worse the car felt compared to earlier he concluded, ‘Its not super bad but it was a lot better earlier’.
‘Ok’ was Leino’s reaction to his run. The Finn added, ‘before I was looking for steering but now it is loose in the rear but I think it was the same for everyone. I could see other cars were more loose that time. The track changed probably because of the opening ceremony (held between final free practice and 1st timed run)’. Regarding changes to his IF14, he said, ‘I will wait and see how the track is’. Asked what he thought of the track, he replied, ‘its nice but looks boring until you drive it and see that you can start to make time out there’.
Describing the track as ‘easy’, adding, ‘it the type of track that you do four laps and you have learnt it, well for 1:10 anyway’, Green was very happy with his P3 pace. The British driver said, ‘it is going very good. The car is working awesome so I have no complaints. Car, engine, driver are good and the weather is very good’. Asked about changes to his 748, he replied, ‘the car has been very good from the get go and we just made a few rollbar and caster adjustment so we will keep it as is and just drive around’.
A driver who has raced here previously, albeit in 2003 and racing an electric touring car, Groskamp was quietly pleased with his pace. The Infinity driver said, ‘Dominic is the benchmark and the gap to him is not to big so I’m happy’. The Dutch driver who now lives in Thailand, continued about TP1, ‘the track was different, it is more warm now and most cars had less traction. This is good for me because I was trying to make more steering but now I can just make the rear more stable’.
‘For my first time is not going too bad’ was Collari’s reaction to his P5 time. The 9-time 1:8 World Champion said the biggest challenge is changing between 1:10 and 1:8 saying it takes about a minute for him to switch back to the driving style needed for each car. Finding the 1:10 needs a smoother driving style, when asked about set-up he replied with a smile, ‘I didn’t build the car, someone in the team did that for me, Francesco (Tironi) made the set-up and I borrowed the bodyshell’.
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