LRP chats with onroad's rising star Ronald Volker

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Mike Garrison

0 Aug. 25, 2011, 8:47 a.m.

08/25/2011
By Mike Garrison
LiveRC.com

LRP INTERVIEW WITH RONALD VOLKER:

LRP team driver Ronald Völker found the key in Touring Car racing. He’s unbeaten on carpet for more than one year now! A unique and probably unrepeatable run in the history of R/C racing.

DHI Cup 2011, LRP Touring Car Masters, Indoor Euros, German Indoor Nats and victory at the European TouringCar Series – Ronald’s latest collection of titles is nothing less than a clear statement. This is hard to take for his competitors and also we at LRP sometimes can’t believe it. Continuous victories against the best drivers of the scene. We wanted to understand everything exactly and interviewed Ronald about his secrets of winning.

LRP: To begin with, we would like to congratulate you on your unbelievable series of victories: overall victory at the ETS, winning the DHI Cup for the third time and defending the titles at the LRP TCM, the Indoor Euros and the German Indoor Nats. Is there one of the triumphs of the past months that stands out from the others?

Ronald Volker: Thank you very much. All of these victories mean very much to me, but winning the LRP TCM is always a very special thing!

LRP: Many drivers, also the stars of the scene think, that you’re almost racing in your own league. They only see a chance to win, if you make mistakes. Do you agree?

Ronald Volker: The indoor season went really great. But even if I could win most of the races, in most cases my advance wasn’t too big to be out of reach for the other drivers. In this highly competitive field, it’s also the small things that decide. The Yokomo / LRP package was always fast and reliable.

LRP: What are the reasons for this nearly unimaginable domination? Technology, support or new training methods?

Ronald Volker: A good basis is crucial and I didn’t change the setup much from race to race. The support of Yokomo’s Yukijiro Umino and LRP’s Reto König were of highest importance.

LRP: One of your few defeats was e. g. Juho Levänen’s victory at the ETS race in Warsaw / Poland. Do you remember them as little slips or do they motivate yourself for future races?

Ronald Volker: You can’t win every race. At the Warsaw race, I tested some setup changes and I also made a few mistakes. It’s important to learn from these things. In the end, I finished second in Warsaw – a good result.

LRP: You’re super successful in touring car racing. This year, you aimed for great results at the 1/12 Euros in France as well, but there and also at the 1/12 German Nats things didn’t go well for you. Isn't the success in TC racing transferable to other classes?

Ronald Volker: At the beginning, the 1/12 Euros went extremely well for me. But then, I couldn’t finish the second A-main and all my chances to win ended in smoke. In addition, the 1/12 cars are not comparable with touring cars. Therefore, it’s difficult for me to brace myself for their particularities, also because I’ve only little experience in this class.

LRP: At the beginning of the year, you announced a collaboration with the Team Shepherd. Are you looking for a totally new challenge in the nitro scene?

Ronald Volker: Yes, I do. I’m very curious to start at nitro events. Contrary to electric racing, strategy and pit stops are decisive factors. In addition, nitro racing is a completely new challenge for me. I hope to learn a lot. I’m looking forward to the first races – powered by LRP engines.

LRP: Last but not least a question on your future projects. At what title do you aim? We imagine that the 2012 Electric TC Worlds in Heestede have a certain importance for you.

Ronald Volker: Yes, in the long term perspective, winning a World Champion title is my main objective. And the next chance is on offer in Heemstede.

We thank Ronald that he found the time to answer our questions despite his full race schedule. LRP likes to wish Ronald all the best for the upcoming races. Good luck!