And rightly so, you could argue. They’re the ones with the magic fingers, the incredible focus, the nerves of steel. It’s the battle between those rock-star drivers that find a spot in the 10-car A final that we’ll be drawn into, that we’ll pull apart and analyse. It’s the battle that we’ve all come here for.

Today though, we’ve seen an equally absorbing fight between some of the smartest operators in our industry. As qualifying has unfolded, it seems to me that along with the rock-star drivers, it’s been the engineers and mechanics who have gone to war. The constantly evolving track conditions here are well documented – changing with moisture levels in the surface, with temperature, wind, and more. Staying in touch with those conditions, pulling the right setup choices at the right time of day has proven critical.

There are engineers and setup gurus here who are just about stars of RC in their own right. People who make the difference for their teams and drivers, who stand in the gap between win and loss. For XRAY, designer Martin Bayer is here, shaping setup choices on the cars he has designed. For Schumacher R/C Racing it’s Trish Neale and the family environment he cultivates. For the large Team Associated squad, the likes of Billy Hayden, Andrew Selvaggi, and Brent Thielke are on board and well organized into different driver/engineer groups. And in the Mugen Seiki Racing corner, their team is in the hands of Shin Adachi, one of the best ever, and with a sharp focus just on his two primary drivers. These are the designers, the leaders, the engineers behind the drivers.

And then, just across in manufacturer alley, there are the power people. Engineers from the motor, battery, and ESC manufacturers are here helping drivers dial in the right power package, the right feel that suits prevailing grip and track conditions. Think Oscar Jansen for Team Cayote, Salton Dong for Hobbywing Technology, Jan Johan for Elceram RC, and Jurgen Lautenbach for LRP GmbH.

Today, as driver/engineering teams made better or worse choices, the balance of power on track shifted constantly through the day as weather and surface conditions evolved.

In Q1, Team Associated and Mugen came out strongest, Marcus Kaerup getting the first of his two round wins for the day over Burak Kilic. XRAY were only tenths away, Schumacher further back.

In Q2, Davide Ongaro and Marcus Kaerup kept AE on top, a clean pair of heels shown to the pursuing XRAY squad. Schumacher’s Cole Tollard put in his best run, giving clues to his team for setup direction.

Kaerup and Ongaro were once again on top in Q3, the Team Associated cars working well in all conditions – but now Schumacher started emerging with Daniel Kobbevik, Broc Champlin, and Michal Orlowski moving into the top five, as Kilic continued to hover for Mugen.

And then into Q4, as temperatures eased and afternoon shadows covered the track, XRAY struck back, Dakotah Phend and David Ronnefalk to the top over the Schumacher trio as the AE squad slid a little.

So many different conditions, so many different choices, so many different challenges. It’s the engineers and mechanics who are helping their drivers find a way through the maze, figuring out which way to go at which time of day.

The upshot of all that engineering brilliance and extraordinary driving talent is that Marcus Kaerup is within a whisker of locking down the #1 starting spot for the second time this week.

Behind him, just about anything is possible. Ongaro, Phend, Ronnefalk, and (theoretically at least) Kilic can all start as high as P2. Kobbevik, Champlin, Lemieux, and Orlowski seem likely to be in the ten, but the order is a long, long way from settled, and several of them can push up into the top three or four as well, depending on Q5 results. Tollard, Horne, Zalewski, and long shots Kato, Boda, and Rivkin are wrangling over what might be the last spot.

The job of the engineers gets no easier tomorrow. There are those same track and weather challenges, with some added impact from what is forecast to be the hottest day of the week, and potentially a weather front due around the time of A3 that “might” dramatically impact temperature, humidity, and wind.

And there’s the task of turning a fast qualifying car into one that can be raced with. That can be thrown up the inside for a pass. One that is not so edgy that the slightest touch of wheels with an opponent sends you tumbling.

Drivers are the rock stars. No doubt. One will deservedly be crowned World Champion. But the engineers and mechanics are very much in the trenches too. Today, it’s been fascinating to watch those engineers go to war.

📷Red RC