05.01.2019

BERMAN WINS FIRST EVER 1/8 NITRO GT3 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

The 1/8 Nitro GT3 Modified chassis was released just in time for the 2018 World Championship. As such, this was the first ever race for the class. Last year VRC Pro introduced the 1/8 Nitro GT3 Spec class just before the 2017 World Championships but (as with any spec class) setup and tuning options are limited. This year’s introduction of the modified class opened up all access to all settings and provided a more powerful modified engine. The result: faster cars and faster lap times. By way of example, the 1/8 Nitro GT3 Spec World Championship was held a Bamberg in April of 2018, fast laps for Spec class were 15.2 – 15.3 with straightaway speeds of 105km/h. Whereas fast laps for the Modified were 14.9 – 15.0 with straightaway speeds of 110km/h. In fact, in Modified class the three Pro Level podium finishers completed the grueling 45-minute final with an average lap time (excluding pitstops) of 15.2-15.3 seconds.

The introduction of the modified chassis also included a new “ultra soft” tire compound in addition to the existing “super soft” option. In qualifying the racers experimented with the various chassis, engine and tire compound options. However, by the time of the finals, all three of the pro level podium finishers were running the “super soft” tires all the way around. Joshua Berman (US) took the top qualifying position into the final. He was followed by Kevin Bacon (US), Olivier Meunier (DE), Graham Raistrick (UK), Giorgio Mingotti (IT), Carson Yeung (HK), Massimiliano Tanturri (IT), Tommaso Andreuccetti (IT), Andrea Giordano (IT) and Günther Roth (AT).

There was a tight battle for the three pro level podium positions. Berman shot from the pole position into the first corner and lead the pack for the first lap. However, early jitters allowed Bacon to pass and kept Meunier right on Berman’s tail. The three raced as a pack for the first five laps until Meunier clipped the apron at the hairpin in front of the rostrum and rolled onto his side requiring a turn marshal. The mistake costs Meunier about 4 seconds and he was forced to play catch up the remainder of the race. The mistake forced Meunier to push for fast laps, which costs him some consistency throughout the remainder of the race. While Meunier clearly had the pace of the leaders, a few mistakes set him back.

Following Meunier’s mistake, Berman regained the second position and his composure. He stayed close to Bacon and reeled him in by lap 11, and regained the lead on lap 12. However, on lap 18 Berman caught the apron in the infield chicane a performed a spectacular cartwheel style flip through the infield; which required a turn marshal. This stunt allowed Bacon to regain the lead. Bacon held the lead until lap 36 when it was his turn for a mistake. Bacon flipped as he pushed through the S turn in front of the rostrum. This put Berman back in front for good. Berman and Bacon remained about 2 – 3 seconds apart the remainder of the race until Bacon rolled again on lap 146. The additional mistake gave Berman about a 5 second cushion and he cruised to his 11th VRC Pro World Championship win. Bacon finished second, and Meunier took the third and final podium position.

Congratulations to Joshua Berman the 2018 1/8 Nitro GT3 Modified World Champion!




A-MAIN RESULTS

PRO LEVEL

1|Joshua Berman|174|45:09.482 2|Kevin Bacon|173|45:00.552 3|Olivier Meunier|173|45:10.196 4|Graham Raistrick|169|45:00.396 5|Giorgio Mingotti|169|45:05.680 6|Carson Yeung|167|45:09.082 7|Tommaso Andreuccetti|165|45:06.372 8|Andrea Giordano|125|45:01.572 9|Massimiliano Tanturri|DNS 10|Günther Roth|DNS

SPORT LEVEL
1|David LALANNE|165|45:08.100 2|Robert Hillman|163|45:00.520 3|Manuel Weber|163|45:05.564 4|JEREMIE GAUTIER|161|45:21.504 5|Steve Young|155|45:14.712 6|Yuriy Meshkov|154|45:05.632 7|Sven Dellebeke|DNS

CLUB LEVEL
1|Milan Peka|165|45:04.506 2|Stanislav Pavlíček|164|45:13.150 3|Tony DELMASTRO|161|45:01.844 4|Thomas Priemer|161|45:12.614 5|Chanyoung Hwang|160|45:02.610 6|Jon Brun|160|45:03.544 7|michael Zappa|160|45:03.764 8|Danny Kwiatkowski|156|45:10.504 9|Olivier Gurdebeke|155|45:05.188 10|John Payson|DNS

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