The first of four rounds of qualifying here at ETS RD5 is in the books. Whenever we head into Q1 at an ETS race, you always can feel that it is “game on” from this moment on. The tension in the sports hall of the Sporthotel Grafenwald in Daun had reached the boiling point on Friday afternoon after all the rounds of free and controlled practice. We saw thrilling fights against the clock while everybody was racing for a first countable result of the weekend.
Matrix Modified
Völker takes intense Q1 in Daun
We saw a close finish in RD1 of qualifying in the Matrix Modified class here at ETS RD5 in Daun. Mugen Seiki`s Ronald Völker, who started third into the heat, crossed the line with a small margin of 0.125 seconds ahead of Awesomatix Marc Rheinard. During the whole runtime they were separated between 0.1 to 0.6 seconds all the time with the better end for Völker. The intensity was clearly visible for all spectators, and it once again was a great heat to watch.
Behind Völker and Rheinard, Yokomo`s Christopher Krapp finished in third position. Krapp showed a great pace in seeding practice, but somehow, he was not able to keep it up here in Q1, with P3 still being a very good result for the start of qualifying. Yannic Prümper (Yokomo) and Antoine Brunet (Xray) completed the top 5 on Friday afternoon in Q1 of the Matrix Modified class.
Our media team talked to round one TQ Ronald Völker shortly after the race:
I remember that it was tough to drive here in Daun two years ago, and that didn`t change. It was a very intense and challenging Q1 and the changes we made on my shock package worked out fine. This change for sure helped to walk away with the overnight TQ which always is a great way to start into qualifying. I expect it will be that tough in all upcoming races until the end of the weekend!
Ronald Völker, Mugen Seiki/LRP
Marc Rheinard told us about his run to P2:
Overall, it was a good and solid run bit in the end I came short by that 0.1 second. My car felt a little loose in the rear and my driving was not 100% on point in some laps. There is something to improve for sure, but I am optimistic as my car gets even better when the tires are getting older from run to run!
Marc Rheinard, Awesomatix, Orca
Third placed Christopher Krapp commented his run in our media centre as well:
I am not so happy with my result – even P3 is not a bad start into qualifying. I made some setup changes and expected them to work different as they did. For tomorrow mornings Q2 I will go back to my setup from the seeding practice. The pace is there and I will attack even more.
Christopher Krapp, Yokomo/Racing Performer
Link to the Results on MyRCM: https://www.myrcm.ch/myrcm/report/de/60974/278091?key=202
Xray ProStock
Lauter TQ`s the first round ahead of Kilic and Mächler
In the Xray Pro Stock class it was Simon Lauter taking maximum points in Q1. After he made a mistake in lap 2, he was able to recover from his 2 second loss to take the win. Behind Lauter, Mugen Seiki`s Berkan Kilic finished second with Max Mächler (Awesomatix) in third place. We saw a lot of small crashes from some of the drivers during the heat which once again showed the track`s level of difficulty. Alex Kunkler (Awesomatix) and Frederik Mikkelsen (Awesomatix) finished fourth and fifth for the round.
Simon Lauter (Awesomatix) had to say the following after Q1:
In the second lap I made a mistake in the left part of the track which was completely my fault. After that I was driving “flat out” and luckily, I was able to recover from that with many other drivers also made mistakes during the run. This track here in Daun is not forgiving any mistakes and tomorrow morning I will try to keep my run as clean as possible.
Simon Lauter, Awesomatix/LRP
Second placed Berkan Kilic (Mugen Seiki) was confident with his result too and reported about his Q1:
My goal was to lay down a clean, safe and fast run – really not easy but in the end it worked out for me. With this good number of points in the bag I will try to attack in tomorrows three rounds of qualifying. A good starting position is always nice, and we will see where I will be when qualifying is over!
Berkan Kilic, Mugen Seiki/LRP
Link to the Results on MyRCM: https://www.myrcm.ch/myrcm/report/de/60974/278090?key=202
Hobbywing Frontwheel
Round one goes to Niemann
Top Seed Meik Niemann TQ`ed the first found of qualifying in the Hobbywing Frontwheel class. After being fastest in practice, Niemann didn`t look back in Q1 and drove to the victory. Behind him, Steven Olsen finished second – a very important result for him to keep his title chances alive. Sören Sparbier booked a third place with Alexander Stocker and Sebastian Meibörg completing the top 5.
We asked RD1 TQ Meik Niemann about his run:
My FWD car was sooo good and I really enjoyed to drive with it on the track. I was able to fully concentrate on my driving lines and in the end it was a really good result for me. I will try to keep up the pace as I really would like to start on pole position.
Meik Niemann
Link to the Results on MyRCM: https://www.myrcm.ch/myrcm/report/de/60974/278089?key=202
Orca 17.5 Stock
Important RD1 TQ for Reile
Dominik Reile impressed with a strong TQ run as he topped the timing sheets in the Orca 17.5 stock class. He won the heat with 2.1 seconds ahead of Max Körner in second, and Daniel Pöhlmann in third place. A perfect start into qualifying for Reile while championship leader Thomas Bemmerl scored only a sixth place in Q1 behind Alexander Müller and Henrik Heitsch.
Link to the Results on MyRCM: https://www.myrcm.ch/myrcm/report/de/60974/278086?key=202
ToniSport 40+ Masters
Dinger takes Q1 of Masters qualifying
Ulrich Dinger won the first round of qualifying in the ToniSport 40+ Masters class as he outpaced Toni Mateo and Torsten Baggendorf by a couple of tenths at the end of the run. Thomas Oehler and Markku Seppälä rounded out the top 5.
Asked about his TQ run, Ulrich Dinger said:
For sure I was a little lucky in Q1 as some others crashed during the run. But in the end I am happy to book a TQ run. For the next round I don`t plan any changes and I will just try to keep it nice and easy on the track.
Link to the Results on MyRCM: https://www.myrcm.ch/myrcm/report/de/60974/278087?key=202
Scorpion Formula
Maximum points for Lee as he takes Q1
The first round of qualifying in the Scorpion Formula class saw British driver Luke Lee taking the win in front of Renè Kölbel and Sören Sparbier. Herbert Weber and Michael Lipperheide finished fourth and fifth for the round on Friday evening. Renè Kölbel and Luke Lee had an almost similar pace and we are excited for the next three rounds of Formula qualifying here at ETS RD5 in Daun.
Link to the Results on MyRCM: https://www.myrcm.ch/myrcm/report/de/60974/278088?key=202
We are looking forward to the three rounds of qualifying which will take part tomorrow (Saturday) here at the Sporthotel Grafenwald in Daun/GER. Stay tuned and follow our Pullstart.TV Live Stream in our “LIVE” section here on our website!
