IIC: Hagberg steals 1/12-scale TQ, Volker seals the deal in Touring Car

0 Oct. 18, 2014, 7:45 a.m.

10/18/2014
By Aaron Waldron

LiveRC.com

The track continued to improve throughout Friday's final two rounds of qualifying and set up a make-or-break "rocket round" on Friday evening that determined not just the TQ, but the overall A-Main grid for most of the classes running at the tenth annual International Indoor Championships. That still required putting together a clean run, however - and as we saw in the Modified Touring division, sometimes increased grip makes it more difficult to string together a solid, mistake-free run. Once the last heat ran Friday evening the finals were set for Saturday, awaiting just the fastest time in each of the lower mains to bump into the tenth spot on the grid for the finals.

“The car was really good, but it felt slower than before,” said Alexander Hagberg after clinching the overall TQ. “It was tough to pace myself because Josh crashed, so there was no one close to me. I was driving too slowly in the middle of the race and had to push at the end.” Alex switched from Blue compound rear tires to softer Greens, and ran his one-color practice body because his painted race shell was too beat up to continue.

Keven Hébert was less enthusiastic about his 12R5.2 despite the solid finishing time. “I got up to third on the grid but the car is horrible,” said the Canadian, who had trouble getting his car to turn. “It doesn’t steer. It’s hard to drive when it doesn’t steer. It’s just so bound up in the track that it just doesn’t rotate at all.” Needing a good run to ensure he made the final, Keven switched from Pink compound front tires to Blues because they were safer, but will try Magentas in tomorrow morning’s practice.

Max Kuenning said his car was “really good” after making changes to it all week. “It slowly got better round by round. I was struggling at first but made those changes and got more confident in my car,” said the Michigan native now residing in New Mexico, who moved up to sixth on the grid.

1/12-Scale Modified Top Ten (top 9 make the main)

Alexander Hagberg - 50/8:05.332 (R4)
Josh Cyrul - 50/8:05.591 (R3)
Keven Hébert - 49/8:04.074 (R4)
Juho Levanen - 49/8:06.114 (R3)
Mike Haynes - 49/8:00.420 (R2)
Max Kuenning - 48/8:02.655 (R4)
Andy Moore - 48/8:04.327 (R4)
Paul Lemieux - 48/8:05.852 (R3)
Ray Darroch - 48/8:07.119 (R4)
Hupo Honigl - 48/8:07.753 (R4)

Surprised that the track was slower in the fourth round as he won the heat with a time about four-tenths off of his best of the week, Ronald Völker returned from the track to find diff oil smeared around his BD7 2015. “I switched to thinner oil and didn’t seal it very well.” Though he didn’t notice the car changing as the oil began to leak, Ronald was still struggling with the handling of his car. “It was understeering so I changed my driving style a bit. I tried to go more tight and took more risk as I got chased by Alex.” Hoping to try two different setup changes in the morning practice, Ronald said starting up front was a big advantage. “If I don’t mess it up I’ll be okay - if I start second or third the chance to get caught up is much bigger if someone taps a board.”

Admitting his best chance was yesterday when his car felt much faster, Andy Moore’s first time on carpet with the Pro 5 (and testing an aluminum chassis) has been “pretty good.” He ran the same set of Gravity RC Type C handout tires all throughout qualifying as they were working on changing the car setup and didn’t quite take into account how much faster new tires have been, so he planned on breaking in a new set during Saturday morning practice before the final. “I should be happy but I’m a little disappointed. I crashed in round two and got caught up in traffic, so my time would’ve been better but not faster than Ronald.”

Securing the final spot on the grid by just over four-tenths of a second, Italian XRAY driver Francisco Martini was quite happy with his T4 2015. “It really is amazing, very easy to drive.” In fact, it has been the track he has struggled to come to grips with. “<y driving style is not perfect for this type of track. In Europe we don’t have boards, so it’s very difficult here not to touch anything.” Making the final in Modified Touring for the first time after several visits in which he’s found success in other classes, Francisco said his strategy for the final when starting near the back is simple. “Switch on and go - I have nothing to lose.”

Modified Touring Top Ten (top 9 make the main)

Ronald Völker - 28/5:09.732 (R3)
Alexander Hagberg - 28/5:10.067 (R3)
Paul Lemieux - 28/5:10.680 (R3)
Andy Moore - 27/5:00.492 (R4)
Keven Hébert - 27/5:00.511 (R3)
Juho Levanen - 27/5:01.737 (R3)
Josh Cyrul - 27/5:03.169 (R3)
Mike Haynes - 27/5:06.396 (R3)
Francisco Martini - 27/5:06.716 (R3)
Ben Cosgrove - 27/5:07.188 (R4)

“It was hard to drive,” said Michael Herald Jr. of his car during a new TQ run. “It was tippy if I pushed it, so it was hard to relax with everyone being so close and the third place car was right behind me so I couldn’t let up.” Michael wasn’t sure what to except for the final with everyone’s cars being about the same speed, he said that starting up front was a big advantage. “You can see eight minutes with no passing and everyone crossing the line two seconds apart.

1/12-Scale Stock Top Ten (top 9 make the main)

Michael Herald Jr. - 42/8:06.998 (R4)
Craig Zavier - 42/8:08.230 (R4)
Andrew Knap - 42/8:08.323 (R4)
John Wiita - 42/8:10.590 (R2)
Tony Block - 42/8:11.380 (R3)
Kyle Goodwine - 41/8:03.472 (R4)
Mark Smyka - 41/8:03.623 (R3)
Rod Canare - 41/8:03.959 (R4)
Danny Jenkins - 41/8:05.353 (R3)
Mario Ficco - 41/8:06.004 (R4)

“The car has been good, I just drove better,” said Formula 1 TQ Brian Wynn. “I’ve been making mistakes because these cars are so sensitive to line entry, braking, and throttle input. I went back to my old driving style in F1 and gave up a little bit of time at the beginning, but I just kept it clean.” Happy that his CRC teammate Mario Ficco is starting behind him, he admitted that the defending champion had more pace in the fourth round. “I don’t know if I would’ve been able to do anything with Mario if he didn’t run into problems at the end.”

Formula 1 Top Ten (top 9 make the main)

Brian Wynn - 24/5:05.820 (R4)
Mario Ficco - 24/5:09.936 (R3)
Dave Ehrlich - 24/5:11.714 (R1)
Fabio Evangelista - 24/5:13.035 (R4)
Bill Jeric - 23/5:00.186 (R4)
Kevin Cole - 23/5:00.248 (R3)
Mark Day - 23/5:06.903 (R4)
Sean Park - 23/5:09.197 (R4)
James McGee - 23/5:09.408 (R4)
Nick Canelos - 23/5:10.965 (R3)

“It was a lot better than the first three rounds, that’s for sure,” said surprise Amateur Touring TQ Ryan Cooper after Michael Herald, Sr. looked to have the class on lockdown. Showing that the only change he made to his car was applying glue to the sidewall of the rear tires, Ryan said, “I came in hoping to get TQ but after three rounds it wasn’t looking good, for sure.” He’ll leave the car alone for the main and hope to get out front early.

Amateur Touring (top 9 make the main)

Ryan Cooper - 25/5:08.917 (R4)
Michael Herald Sr. - 25/5:11.313 (R3)
David Walker - 25/5:11.752 (R4)
Brian Card - 25/5:12.749 (R3)
Steve Breuer - 24/5:01.219 (R3)
Evan Morey - 24/5:02.010 (R4)
Robert Brandow - 24/5:02.370 (R3)
John Choi - 24/5:05.508 (R3)
Eddie Shaffer - 24/5:06.030 (R4)
JD Ramsey - 24/5:01.160 (R4)

“That thing is ridiculous,” said a smiling Josh Cyrul of his Speed Merchant World GT car. “It’s so freakin’ good, and when you’re within a tenth of a second of the hot lap of 1/12-scale…that’s ridiculous! It’s so fun to drive.”

Expert World GT

Josh Cyrul - 30/5:01.103 (R3)
Hupo Honigl - 30/5:07.131 (R3)
Mike Haynes - 30/5:07.457 (R3)
Walter Henderson - 29/5:04.796 (R2)
Sean Cochran - 28/5:04.780 (R4)
Edgar Fiallos - 27/5:01.780 (R3)
Patrick Morehead - 26/5:04.837 (R4)
Matthew Siu - 23/5:07.252 (R1)

“I just hold it wide open and turn,” said Josh Cyrul, who said his 13.5-powered car has been really good and consistent all week. “The main will be interesting with Ray and I being slower at the beginning and faster at the end, with John Wiita and Andrew Knapp starting off faster. I’m just going to wait for the tone and run.”

1/12-Scale Super Stock (top 9 make the main)

Josh Cyrul - 45/8:07.329 (R4)
Ray Darroch - 44/8:03.944 (R3)
John Wiita - 44/8:04.552 (R3)
Andrew Knapp - 44/8:05.203 (R4)
Tony Block - 44/8:05.558 (R2)
Brian Wynn - 44/8:05.746 (R4)
Max Kuenning - 44/8:06.479 (R4)
Lawrence Fairtrace - 44/8:07.638 (R4)
Hupo Honigl - 44/8:09.627 (R2)
Eric Anderson - 44/8:00.606 (R4)

“The car was good - I reset TQ!” said a happy Brian Wynn. “I made two small mistakes trying to be super tight, but I stayed clean after that and made back the time. I gave up a few tenths at the end trying to be safe so I wouldn’t lose my lead, but I probably gave up half of it just trying to be careful.”

World GT (top 9 make the main)

Brian Wynn - 27/8:04.277 (R4)
Max Kuenning - 27/8:04.905 (R4)
John Wiita - 27/8:06.147 (R4)
Brian Bodine - 27/8:07.866 (R4)
Mario Ficco - 27/8:08.396 (R3)
Tony Block - 27/8:09.819 (R4)
Lawrence Fairtrace - 27/8:11.278 (R4)
Mark Smyka - 26/8:01.159 (R3)
Rod Canare - 26/8:02.387 (R4)
EJ Evans - 26/8:05.818 (R3)

“My car was really good, very easy to drive and stable,” said Michael Herald Jr. of his Spec Grand Touring car. “I was just out for a cruise, trying to keep it in the groove and not get put in a bad situation with lap traffic.” Michael thinks the best part of starting at the front of the grid is the opportunity to get a clean start in the main, saying, “I don’t think it’s going to be anything in between - it’s either going to be really clean or total carnage.”

Spec Grand Touring (top 9 make the main)

Michael Herald Jr. - 24/5:04.925 (R4)
David Zorn - 24/5:12.040 (R4)
Bill Sydor - 23/5:00.506 (R3)
Fabio Evangelista - 23/5:01.342 (R3)
David Walker - 23/5:02.592 (R4)
Todd Understiller - 23/5:03.503 (R4)
Rob Michael - 23/5:04.392 (R4)
Adam Hutchison - 23/5:06.328 (R2)
Monte Hess - 23/5:07.280 (R4)
Mario Ficco - 23/5:08.826 (R3)

“I left my car pretty much the same and played with tires a little bit,” said Keven Hébert. “It pushed a little bit in the last round and I missed TQ by a couple of tenths.” Happy with how the weekend has gone, Keven said starting from TQ is more important in spec racing. “It’s pretty important to start up front because it’s difficult to pass when you don’t have enough motor to overpower somebody.”

Super Stock Touring (top 9 make the main)

Keven Hébert - 27/5:09.367 (R3)
Arthur Scrimo - 27/5:11.730 (R4)
Mike Gee - 26/5:00.800 (R1)
Kody Knudtson - 26/5:01.203 (R4)
Antoni Caretti - 26/5:02.019 (R4)
Kyle Klingforth - 26/5:02.992 (R3)
Robbie Dodge - 26/5:03.118 (R4)
Sandro Kruger - 26/5:03.256 (R4)
EJ Evans - 26/5:04.635 (R4)
Henrik Heitsch - 26/5:04.923 (R4)

Overnight TQ Kyle Klingforth was so happy about setting the fastest time in the third round, and it holding up through the last qualifier, that he split early and headed off for dinner and a good night’s sleep. With a time nearly three seconds faster than second place, which is greater than the gap from second back to seventh, the Stock Touring final looks like Kyle’s to lose.

Stock Touring (top 9 make the main)