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It was a dramatic start to the final day of action at the 22nd running of the Reedy Race of Champions as title rivals Ronald Volker and Viktor Wilck went head to head from the front row because a clash while battling over the lead eliminated both drivers on the spot. With the expected overnight rain staying at bay, drivers arrived to a dry but cold and windy track making for difficult conditions with traction at an all time low.  Winning each of their final encounters yesterday meaning they would be gridded in the same heat, it was Volker on pole with Wilck alongside.  Initially it was Volker who had the better start, Wilck making a number of mistakes over the opening laps but soon he was in his groove and quickly back on the rear bumper of Volker.  With 5-laps to go it looked like Wilck had found a way through in the front chicane but a slide saw Volker’s Yokomo shoot across into the side of the Infinity driver with both cars spinning off into the barriers before Volker’s car was collected by Akio Sobue.  Both cars broken, they were both out and with one race remaining it is all to play for in Round 12 as Volker holds onto a 1-point lead over his rival.  With the two drivers out Meen Vejrak took the win while the other encounter saw outgoing champion Marc Rheinard cement his podium finish with his 3rd win of the event.

Giving his reaction to the race, Volker, who retired with a broken front spool cup, said, ‘It started off fine and there was more grip than the practice session but eventually Viktor was quicker and caught up.  In the hairpin he tapped me from behind and I got out of shape on the exit. It was not a fair move.  He went inside me but overshoot it a bit. I didn’t want to give up my lead but as the grip is low today my car spun in the chicane when I was side by side with him and we made contact’.

Asked his thoughts on the incident, Wilck said, ‘In the beginning I had a few mistakes, it was super loose but then I got comfortable with the car and closed in on Ronald. I went on his inside and actually passed him but he decided to punch us both off the track.  Suffering a broken turn buckle and arm pin, the Swede concluded, I have to see the video to see exactly what happened’.

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The tenth round of racing at the Reedy Race of Champion saw title rivals Ronald Volker and Viktor Wilck match each other as they both came through the field of their respective heats to add another race win.  Separated by 1-point going into the final round of Day 2’s action at Steel City RC Speedway that is how the gap remains in the overnight standings with 2 rounds to go but whether they go ahead is in the hands of mother nature.  With the general conscious from various weather apps being that no racing will happen tomorrow due to forecast overnight rain, should that be the case Volker will be crowned Reedy Race Champion for a fourth time but if racers wake up to dry conditions in Fontana tomorrow morning its all to play for for Wilck. While Volker is sure to be doing his best rain dance and Wilck wishing for a dry day, for defending champion Marc Rheinard which ever way it swings he is set to give up his title with 3rd place on the podium.

Not comfortable with congratulations given to him by members of the Infinity team, asked about his latest race Volker said, ‘I took a hard hit going into the first corner but somehow the car stayed rubber side down and I was able to recover.  This time was the best the car has been all day so I was able to close the gap and make some moves to eventually get the win’.  Asked about the possibilities of a fourth title, he replied, ‘tomorrow there is a high chance of rain so we will have to wait and see how things look but I’m ok with the weather forecast being correct’.

Contesting his first Reedy Race with reigning manufacturers champions Infinity, Wilck said, ‘It was a perfect race again.  I just feel I needed to get more races against Ronald’.  With four wins compared to Volker’s five and accepting defeat to his rival, he continued, ‘Congrats to him. He made the most of his car. It was not perfect, our’s was better but we didn’t maximise our results.  The big one was this morning when I hit the two cars’.  With a small number of people reporting that their weather app was showing a dry morning Wilck said, ‘It would be nice if its dry tomorrow but on my phone it does look good, let see’.

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This year’s Touring Car Reedy Race Champion looks set to be decided this evening in the 10th round of racing at new venue Steel City RC Speedway.  Originally scheduled to run over 12 rounds of racing, rain is looking increasingly likely to wash out Sunday’s 2 remaining rounds meaning the Champion of the 22nd running of the legendary race will be decided between former champion Ronald Volker and Viktor Wilck in today’s final round of heads up racing.  Just one point separates Wilck from longtime points leader Volker after the former finished 2nd in front of his rival in the Round 9 encounter – Brandon Clements winning the heat from the pole as the big battles happened behind the American.  With Marc Rheinard finishing second in the other encounter behind second time heat winner Nicholas Lee, and Akio Sibue only fourth, the 7-time defending champion now looks almost certain relinquish the Mike Reedy perpetual trophy with a podium finish.

Needing nothing but a win to try to regain the title he won back in 2012, on his Round 9 performance Wilck said, ‘the car was really good but I just took too long to get to the front’.  The Infinity driver continued, ‘the (grid) system is the problem because for the last round Ronald will drive alone again’ – the Swede meaning that his rival is in the easier of the two heats. He added, ‘It really a shame what happened in the morning run because with that result I would have already won overall. I will try my best in the last one but it’s a big ask as even if I win Ronald only needs a second and he will win on the tie break’.

Commenting on his race, Volker said, ‘At least Viktor didn’t get the win.  When I was passing a few guys he got by me. I was still lacking steering so I couldn’t fight back and now it comes down to the last one’.  The Yokomo driver concluded, ‘I hope we can improve the car and fight for the single point’ – 1 point awarded for a race win.

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Having conceded defeat after the seventh round when, going head to head with Ronald Volker, him finishing second behind the points leader, Viktor Wilck has put himself back in the game with a win in Round 8 at the Reedy Race of Champions.  The Infinity driver added his third win of the event when from fourth on the grid he found a way passed Meen Vejrak, Ryan Cavalieri and team-mate Marc Rheinard for the crucial win.  Lining up in the other encounter, Volker could only manage 3rd from fourth on the grid, the result the Yokomo driver’s second worst finish of the event.  On the points table, Wilck is now 2-points off Volker with 4-scheduled rounds of racing remaining however with bad weather forecast for tomorrow it is widely expected that the 22nd running of the Reedy Race will be determined on 10 rounds. For Wilck this means he needs wins from today’s remaining two runs, with Volker currently having the advantage of more wins should the tie break be called into play.  Winning the race in which Volker was running, Akio Sobue’s second win of the day moves him into contention for a podium finish with that battle set to be between him and team-mate & defending champion Rheinard.

‘At least now we have a small chance. It’s still open’, was Wilck’s reaction after the latest round.  The former Champion continued, ‘we just need some more rounds with Ronald.  He has one more win than me so I need to go for wins. Again I start behind him in the next one but my car is really good, so I’ll be going for it’.

Volker said, ‘I had a lot of understeer for some reason. I couldn’t fight at all but at least I got a P3 on the last lap’.  Looking to claim a 4th Reedy Race title, asked if he knew the reason for the understeer he replied, ‘it’s hard to tell if it was the change to the car or the track.  This round was the highest the wind has been since we’ve been here’.

Sobue echoed Volker’s thoughts on the wind, the Japanese driver saying, ‘it was more windy and this made the track feel different’.  He added, ‘my car was easy to drive but I was lucky that Nicholas, JJ and Ronald were fighting with each other as it took the pressure off me’.  Only 1-point off third place in the points, last year’s podium finisher said, ‘the top two are out of reach but I will try to fight Marc for the podium’.

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Dario Balestri has secured Infinity’s first ever pole position in the 1/8th class at the ENS.  The Japanese manufacturer, a supporter of the ENS since the end of the 2015 season has achieved success in almost all categories of racing, but remarkably, a 1/8th ENS TQ had still eluded them.  Reacting immediately after the last run, the current ENS and World Champion instantly remarked that it was a “great team job”, indicating firstly towards team mate Carmine Raiola, who topped the final qualifying round allowing Balestri to secure pole.  Also noting the rest of the team, including the mechanics of the two drivers, he said a small mistake in the last round prevented him taking Q4 as there was “nothing between the top three” – the two Infinity pilots and Mugen’s Robert Pietsch.

Pietsch, who will line up second on the grid, had taken the fastest time in Q3, forcing the last round showdown.  Swapping times at the top of the timing screen with the two Italians, Pietsch ultimately came up half a second short of Raiola but ahead of Balestri by just over one tenth of a second.  The Mugen designer remarked that it was “super close”, and that “you have to have a little bit of luck every now and then”.  When asked about the fight for pole in the final round, he said that he had Balestri behind him on track, which made him feel a little bit of pressure and led to a few small slides which cost him the overall TQ.  Talking about his car, he will change nothing for the long 45 minute final.

Raiola was overjoyed to take the fourth qualifier, although the reaction became a little subdued when he realised that Pietsch’s second place in the last round pushed the Italian to third on the grid.  The disappointment was short-lived, however, as he joked with Infinity team mate Balestri that he hoped to have “45 minutes together and a nice race”.  He feels well prepared for the final, having tested used (smaller) tyres in the final round, where he set the second best four-minute run of the day.

A “tough day” was Simon Kurzbuch’s initial reaction to his qualifying result.  Also pointing out that little mistakes were the difference between the top four drivers, he said that his car was “not too bad”, but that he had to “drive it at maximum” today.  Looking towards the Infinity pit area, the Shepherd driver said that he would use tomorrow’s A Final practice session to see “how the pace changes” – although he was unsure what setup changes he would make overnight in preparation for the race.  Notably, Simon is at the ENS without his father this weekend, however with his brother taking over pit duties, Kurzbuch believes he is “as good as my father, and with Alex [Kempe] we should still have the strongest pit crew tomorrow”.

Rounding out the top five on the grid, Jeffrey Rietveld matched the excitement of his Italian Infinity team mates, saying he was “very happy to be back in the A Main”.  Admitting that he “doesn’t get as much chance to practice” as some as his competitors, he believed he had now got the “right setup finally” on his IF18 and feels his pace over the longer runs will be good.  Also reporting that he has “great fuel economy”, he also feels that this will be important in the 45 minute race.  The remainder of the A Final direct qualifiers are last year’s winner Robin D’Hondt, local star John Ermen, then Silvio Hachler, Rick Vrielijnck and Tony Gruber.  Bologna winner Dominic Greiner had a birthday weekend to forget so far and will line up on pole in the B Final and hope to bump up for the 12 car race.

In the +40 Masters class, Arie Manten continued his domination this weekend, securing the pole position ahead of John Lenaers, who took the final qualifier as Manten had already wrapped things up, with Martin Zevenhoven lining up third in front of Andrea Hachler and Adie Van de Ven.

The newly introduced 1/8th 4S Electric class saw the first pole position go to John Ermen, who will roll off first ahead of Simon Schutte, Martjn Smits, Kai Asmer and Jeroen Smits in the triple-leg final tomorrow.

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Teemu Leino has taken his fourth overall ENS TQ despite failing to match his earlier results in this evening’s final two qualifiers.  With his earlier wins in Q1 and Q2, that was enough to secure him the overall pole position, the winner in Bologna extended his Championship points lead thanks to TQ bonus point.

Joking that “it was just OK” when asked if he was pleased with the result today, he followed up by explaining that he had changed nothing in terms of the car setup and just relied on his driving and his mechanic Felix’s work in the pit lane.  Saying that the “car feels OK for the final”, he will also keep the car the same for the final but fit a different engine.  When asked about the tyre wear for tomorrow, he thought a little before responding that he doesn’t “care what the others do on strategy”, and that he will just drive as fast as he can for 45 minutes.

Jilles Groskamp will make it an Infinity 1-2 on the A Final grid.  The Dutch driver set the best time in the third round of qualifying and finished the day off with a second in the evening’s closing round.  Reporting his car as “really nice” in Q3, he was at a loss to explain his lack of pace in Q4.  Saying this was maybe due to a change in the track conditions, he thinks the “strategy is quite OK for tomorrow”.  Often a driver to try something different in the long finals, the current ENS 1/10th Champion hinted he didn’t expect to do anything very different to the other drivers at the front of the grid, concluding that “the car is good also on small tyres”.

Leo Arnold, who had been quickest in practice, struggled early in qualifying with gearbox and one-way issues affecting the first two rounds.  But the French driver, who took the overall TQ at Round 1 of the series in Bologna, found speed towards the end of qualifying, taking second in Q3 and the fastest time in the final round.  Admitting that their focus today had been on fixing the earlier issues, he had not changed the setup of the car throughout the four rounds.  Looking towards the final, the Xray driver said they will “check the tyre [wear] and fuel in practice”, but he “expects a close race – strategy and small mistakes will decide the winner”.

Fellow Frenchman Quentin Leroux will line up fourth for the A Final.  The Capricorn driver being seeded in the second from top heat after practice, meaning he hasn’t had the opportunity to run against the other front runners during qualifying.  This leaves a bit of a question mark as to how everyone will stack up when on the track at the same time, but the practice session should allow things to be quickly worked out.

Completing the top five is Milan Holthuis.  After showing strong pace in practice, the Dutch youngster was able to convert this into qualifying pace with a third in the last round.  A change to softer shock oil was the biggest change to his IF15 chassis as he reverted back to the setup he ran on Thursday’s practice day.  When asked what he expects in the final, his father jumped in with “at least what we have now – or a bit better!”.  Expecting a tough race tomorrow, Holthuis wants to enjoy the experience and hopes to remain in contention at the front.  Behind the Dutch driver, Patrick Nahr marked his return to the ENS to be the best Shepherd, heading team mates Thilo Todtmann and Melvin Diekmann, whilst the other direct A Final spots are taken by Jakub Rozycki and Basile Concialdi.  The last A Final places will be decided tomorrow as the top two finishers in the B Final will bump up to make a 12 car grid.

View the complete event results here.

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Ronald Volker has moved a step closure to a fourth Reedy Race of Champions title after taking an important win ahead of Viktor Wilck in the seventh round of heads up racing at Steel City R/C Speedway.  With two drops from the 7 rounds run so far, Volker holds a 3-point lead over Wilck with the gap to third placed Marc Rheinard now up at 4-points.  For the defending champion, his latest race was another disappointing run as he got a P4 which he is currently counting together with his P7 from the day’s opening round as his two drop scores.  That encounter was won by RROC debutant Lucas Urbain, the Awesomatix driver winner from previous round winners, Ryan Cavalieri and Akio Sobue.

‘For sure that was an important heads up with Viktor to stay in front of him and get the single point’, was how Volker summed up win No.4 of this year’s event.  The 3-time Champion, who went to the front when JJ Wang spun out in the sweeper with 6-laps to go, continued, ‘He put me under a lot of pressure so I’m just happy I was able to save that one. It was an important one’.  Breaking Wilck’s run of fastest laps, the German concluded, ‘The car was for sure better than the 1st run but we will make an adjustment to get a little more steering under braking for the next one’.

Commenting of his battle with Volker, Wilck said, ‘I was unlucky again. They (Volker & Wang) crashed together and they still go out in front. And again he (Volker) started in front of me’.  Lining up 5th with his title rival 3rd on the grid, the incident the Swede was referring to was when the two leaders made contact on the entry to the chicane but unable to avoid both cars he couldn’t capitalise and all three resumed in the same running order.  Having looked very strong yesterday to battle for a second Reedy Race title, looking at the latest points table the 2012 Champion said, ‘Now its pretty much over actually. The heat before killed me when I hit two back markers.  That should have been a win’.

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