Greiner puts in second TQ run
Dominic Greiner has posted a second TQ run at the Euro Nitro Series in Austria. The Serpent driver topped the penultimate qualifier from Q3 pace setter Teemu Leino putting the German in strong contention to start the race he won last year from pole position. Behind them Jilles Groskamp would again complete the Top 3 putting the winner of the opening qualifier out of contention for the overall TQ on his first vist to the Aigen-Schlägl track.
‘Very good’ was Greiner’s reaction to his second TQ run. The German said while his Max powered 748 was ‘not so easy to drive’ it was ‘fast’ which is good for the 4-minute qualifiers. Admitting he will have to change the car set-up for the 45-minute A-Main which is expected to a tough race due to the track’s high tyre wear, he said for now his focus is on trying to take the overall TQ and the bonus championship point that goes with it.
Leino, who had more to say about the shocks he built for 1:8 racer Daniele Ielasi for Q4, described his P2 as ‘OK’. Running his HB R10 unchanged from Q3, the season opener’s Top Qualifier said with everyone so closely matched this weekend together with the narrow racing line overtaking is going to very hard in the final. Adding this is going make fuel and the expected mutliple tyre stops critical to making up position Ielasi, who is pitting next to the Finn and looking to return the favour of the shock rebuild, offered to support Leino’s mechanic Takashi Miyashita in the pits for the race.
Running the fourth qualifier on new tyres, his first time to do so, Groskamp said his Maxima powered HB R10 was ‘not so good’. The multiple 200mm World Championship finalist said ‘the balance is not there on new tyres’ and they need to work on set-up for the final. With the overall TQ out of his grasps now he said he will try one set-up change in the final qualifier, the A Finalists getting a 10-minute Practice session tomorrow ahead of the B-Main.
‘Consistently 1-second too slow’, was how Capricorn’s Thilo Todtmann summed up his P4 in the fourth qualifier. The German who has been impressive throughout qualifying said having run every run safe and booked his place in the A-Main for the final qualifier he would push harder.
Team Shepherd’s Dirk Wischnewski would record the 5th fastest time. The German, who was third in Q1 and fourth in Q2 despite an off tune engine, both run in cooler conditions, said his Velox V10 is ‘struggling a little in the heat’. ‘Hoping for clouds’ for the final qualifier he will gamble on a set-up change to see if that improves things for the hot temperature Q5 taking place at a similar time of the day as to when the A-Main will run tomorrow.
Completing the Top 6, World Champion Alexander Hagberg summed up his his performance as ‘slow & steady’. The Xray driver is ‘struggling with the handling’ with his NT1 lacking corner speed. Making changes each run the Swede said it has no effect on the car adding ‘I guess this is a problem for many guys’. Team-mate Bruno Coelho would take P10 after again making the same mistake in the same place that put him out of contention for a TQ run in Q2. Making his nitro debut this weekend, Xray’s Marco Kaufmann is enjoying the experience posting the 9th fastest time in Q4. On target for an A-Main start, the quick multiple Euro Touring Series A-Finalist is hoping to get more nitro outings with Xray.
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