The new FWD champion of ETs Season #14 is Xray driver Stefan Schulz. He had a fantastic season at the ETS and earned himself a well-deserved title in the hard fought FWD class. We are happy that Stefan was able to sit down for answering some questions in our ETS Champions Interview!
ETS – Hello Stefan, thank you talking to us today. You are the new champion of the Hobbywing Frontwheel class at the ETS. The FWC class was the biggest class this season – how does it feel to call yourself “ETS champion” now?
Stefan– Hey Patrick, it’s unbelievable. I worked a lot for this title, but still can‘t believe I finally won it.
ETS – We saw a very intense fight between yourself, Steven Olsen, Mischa Kroos, Jonas Völker and others during the season. How was it to race with all these good drivers and especially with Steven Olsen all the time?
Stefan – Yes it was very hard with these guys. Steven had a very strong pace on the first 3 races of the season, but I had a bit more flawless driving which is the “secret” in FWD. Mischa showed his great potential in the Netherlands. What a pace! But I think he had a bit too much respect about the corner entering to the straight. The curb is very heavy.
At the beginning of the carpet Saison, Marvin Fritschler showed a strong driving line, even stronger than me. Nevertheless, I was able to catch the victory from him in Neumünster.
ETS – You also had a strong finish in Season #13 2019/20 where you won the third and last race at Arena33. Did you expect such an enormous success before the start of Season #14 2021/22, or was it kind of a surprise for yourself to be in a position that allowed you to fight for the title after the first two races?
Stefan – I think I was on a good starting pace. I drove a lot between the Season on my track and beside. I knew it would get very close, so yes, I was really confident going into the new season!
ETS – You showed a great pace in all races of last season. You finished third in the first race and afterwards you won three races in a row. How much practice or testing was needed to achieve these strong results?
Stefan – Before we drove the 2nd time at Arena 33, we tested a lot. The weekend before and in the week of ETS RD3 we drove to the Netherlands and trained there. For RD4 in Neumünster I drove to the TOS right before, and the guys were so fast that I could only finish in 3rd place. After that, I tested a lot and it was worth it!
ETS – The FWD cars are looking really cool on track, and the high number of entries are showing the popularity of this class right now. What do you like the most about FWD racing?
Stefan – I like the FWD driving style the most. Lots of people think you have to drive with full power in the corner, but if you miss the perfect line, you will lose a lot of time. It’s faster to catch the ideal line on the Track and sometimes to go of power.
ETS – What was your favourite race of the last ETS season and why?
Stefan – The 4th race in Neumünster, because a lot of people told me, that I have a chance of 0% for the win with that car, and that the Awesomatix would be a lot faster. With this victory I showed them that it WAS possible.
ETS – A couple of weeks ago, you had been in the United States with your friends and teammates from Xray. Tell us a little bit about your experiences and what you think about a race like the Snowbirds Nationals?
Stefan – It was amazing. It was my second time in the States but my first ever RcC car race. The Snowbirds is not a race as usual. It‘s the only event, where oval and road are driven together. We drove from 5am to 4pm, and oval drove from 5pm to 4am. It was really crazy! The people in America are so nice and very helpful. Overall I can just recommend it!
ETS – As you raced in the United States, we saw Mein Niemann taking a strong win at ETS RD5 in Daun. What do you think about his performance, and do you think you would have been able to stop him in Daun?
Stefan – He was really, really fast at this weekend. I think the question is difficult to answer, because in Neumünster I was faster than Meik. The track size and the location play a major role. All I can say is, at the next Race we will see who the winner will be 😉
ETS – When somebody would like to meet you on track, where are the best chances to see Stefan Schulz practicing. What are your closest Indoor and Outdoor tracks?
Stefan – Normally I’m practicing on the Race-Events. In the week I‘m working a lot and spend the time with my girlfriend. Sometimes I’m driving in my local Club 1.MRC e.V. and the TSV. They are both located in Berlin.
ETS – Will you try to defend your FWD title next season, or will we see you changing to one of the touring car classes in the future?
Stefan – Yes, I will defend my first FWD title and I will start in the Xray Pro Stock touring car class as well. It will take a lot of time to attack, but I also want to attack in Stock at some point.
ETS – One question about the Euro Touring Series in general: What, in your opinion, makes the ETS so attractive for so many people around the world?
Stefan – First of all it is a very high competition as all of the drivers are very experienced and well prepared. Another factor is, that the race series takes place in many countries (when there is no pandemic going on)!
ETS – Stefan, thank you for your answers and your time. We wish you best of luck for the rest of 2022 and we hope to meet you soon on track. Thank you for being a part of our ETS family. The last words belong to you!
Stefan – Thank you for the interview. Also thanks to the ETS Media team for the coverage on, and beside the Track! We see us at the next race 🙂
