The second race of the weekend was on road nitro racing, 1/10th and 1/8th. Both classes have seen some growth the last years and there was a nice turnout for the season first national race. The race was held in Kuusankoski, one of the iconic outdoor tracks in Finland with a long history of hosting the first race of the season. The track is quite technical and slightly smaller than most tracks. Especially the main straight with a turn in the middle and with plenty of chicanes makes for close racing and highlights driverâ™s skill over engine power.
In 1/8 we had Risto Rönnqvist driving with his XRAY RX8. Risto has been racing 1/8 for a while and has always been a solid performer. With plenty of experience he had his XRAY running smooth early in the morning and just made few adjustments during the day on the familiar track. Risto started in the final on fourth place. With some tight racing with Henry Fredriksson and Teemu Saarinen the final was for sure to be interesting. However Tomi Mairue had some problems in the lead and had to repair his car. While Fredriksson and Saarinen ran into trouble, Risto was able to run at a constant pace and finish first in the 30minute final.
Risto did not have the fastest lap in the finals but he was the guy to run most laps in the 30minute final. Nitro is a good example where it is important to have a good solid car for the long finals so you do not make mistakes. Risto made good work running consistent lap times and I am sure the victory tastes sweet :)
Podium:
1. Risto Rönnqvist ⓠXRAY RX8
2. Eetu Pesonen
3. Teemu Saarinen
