Awesomatix factory driver Simon Lauter is the newly crowned champion of the Xray Pro Stock class. He won three out of 5 races during Season #14 which earned him a well-deserved ETS title in the prestigious Pro Stock class. For Simon, it was the second title after he won his first at the end of Season #12 2018/19. We had the chance to asked Simon a couple of questions about his season and his expectations for the upcoming ETS championship.
But right before we step into the interview, let us take a quick look back on Simon`s highlights on track during ETS Season #14 2021/22 on his way to the championship:
ETS – Hello Simon, thank you for taking some time to answer a couple of questions which we like to ask our newly crowned Pro Stock champion. First, we like to congratulate you for your great achievement by winning your second overall title in the Xray Pro Stock class. How would you describe your feelings now, some weeks after the last race in Daun?
SL – Hi guys, thank you for giving me this opportunity to express some thoughts and answer your questions. And of course, thank you for the congratulations! Right now, I am just a little bit of “RC exhausted”. The last weeks have been quite stressful with a lot of racing, practicing and preparation and therefore I took some time for myself to regenerate and be in good shape for the upcoming challenges and the next season. Back to my feelings regarding the championship: Of course, I am super happy with everything and I am even more focussed on defending this title. Last time I was not able to defend it, and I will give everything to make it this time 😉
ETS – You started into the season with a double podium at Arena33. You finished third at both races behind a very dominant looking Alexandre Duchet and his Xray teammate Jan Ratheisky. Did you believe to have a shot for the overall title after these tough races in Andernach against very strong competitors?
SL –For me, the start to the season in Andernach was not bad at all. At Round 1 Alex was super strong and dominant, but I was close in Round 2 already (at least in my opinion). So, there was an important step forward between those races and with this in mind I was sure that the overall title is possible. But to be honest I am not somebody thinking about possibilities or stuff. As long as I had the chance to get the overall championship, I just tried to do everything I could.
ETS – With the race in Apeldoorn (RD3), it seemed that things started to turn around to your favour. You started second behind TQ Benson and you won the race after some thrilling finals including an epic pass against him. Was that the moment in which you started to believe in a realistic shot for the overall championship?
SL – Apeldoorn was important for me in many ways. It was my first win in three years, and it was one of those races where you just have this extra luck on your side. The finals were thrilling, and I managed to overtake Tim and beat Alex on track during qualifiers and finals. I knew that it would be tough to keep the momentum, but I used it as motivation and spent even more time on track preparing for the indoor season (as the switch from outdoor to indoor can have a big impact, especially as XRAY had a new car and less experience with it as before).
ETS – After our three outdoor races in Andernach and Apeldoorn, we headed to Neumünster for RD4 and you arrived there on early Friday morning, meaning you had missed out a complete day of free practice on Thursday. You must have been very confident there as you still managed to win the race in an impressive way. What was your mindset for the race in Neumünster?
SL – We had some smaller races before ETS in Neumünster (TOS at my home club and a race in Piding), and as I could win both I was super confident. But I did not miss practice day in Neumünster on purpose. I had a personal appointment which I could not cancel and therefore I had no other choice. So of course, I was worried with the lack of practice, but on Friday morning I had the opportunity to get the same tracktime as everybody else had the day before. With this in mind I knew that arriving late was not the disadvantage I worried about beforehand. The first practice with all the other guys was surprisingly good and this was the moment I was back at full race confidence, and this was the key. And coming back to your 3rd question I need to mention that Q3 and Q4 were the most important moments for this championship, as those were the “all or nothing” runs I had to win to deny Alex the championship. And those runs were the first in a long time where I could get the better end over my competitors with only a few tenths/hundredths. I missed out on those last tenths sometime and this was the moment I could change it at this event. Psychologically this was a big step for me.
ETS – As we all travelled to Daun, it was not clear that this race would be the last of the season. But in the end, you took another win wile your main competitor Duchet was not attending the race. Was it just pure emotions and happiness about your race win, or was there a moment in which you thought that it would have even better to beat him on track in Daun as well?
SL – I guess the one does not exclude the other. I was happy to take TQ and win the race, but I would have loved to race it out on track one more time, obviously. In the end I can’t change the fact that Jan and Alex did not attend RD5, I just had to do what everyone expected. And this is what makes me especially proud: We (Awesomatix) did not do any team tactics/politics as most people thought and told me before the race. I was able to show that I did not need those tactical games and that I was ready to fight for the championship on track, and on my own.
ETS – Now, as you are the overall champion of the Pro Stock class for a second time, let us talk a little bit about your Awesomatix car, the team, and your other supporters. Winning a Pro Stock title is a very big achievement for every driver at the ETS, but it is also very rewarding for all manufacturers. How important was the teamwork with your Awesomatix teammates on the way to your second title?
SL – I want to mention that this is a team result. Especially after the rather big gap at RD1, everyone worked hard, tried different setups and parts and we had a great exchange of information. Nobody gave up, everyone was putting hard work into this. Especially Oleg and Max were dedicated to get some wins for the team and we were able to achieve them together. Of course, the requirements in stock and modified are not the same, but a good result in Pro Stock is only possible with the right car (easy to drive with good cornerspeed) making Pro Stock important for most customers (as only a minority of those are racing modified). Nevertheless, I am sure we have a great car for modified as well and I am sure that a modified win for Awesomatix will follow soon.
Apart from that it is also great to have some fun with the Team in the pits, motivate each other or have some chats about stuff offside the racetrack. Talking about other supporters, I must thank my sponsors supporting me in the best way possible. And I guess this is the correct moment to add Tim Wahl and Team Schrauberstüble 😊 to the discussion. It helped me a lot that we started to work even closer this year and shared setups, practiced together, and just supported each other.
ETS – How important are the batteries in stock racing classes in your opinion? Is it important to use new batteries more frequently or is it more about charging and discharging them correctly to get the best performance out of them?
SL – As the motors are handout at the ETS the only changeable source of power and top speed is the battery. With the RPM limiter, top speed is not a main factor anymore (as it should be the same for everybody) but there are notable differences in punch at the exit of a corner. I think the choice of a manufacturer with a good line-up of configurations is important (f.e. bigger batteries outdoor, smaller ones for indoor). I don’t use new batteries all the time or stuff like that. I just cycle them every run to get the best power output and discharge them to storage voltage after usage. But I don’t think there are big secrets within this process.
ETS – When somebody would like to meet you on track, where are the best chances to see you practicing? Do you have some indoor, or outdoor tracks you go for practice frequently?
SL – Well, I live in the north of Munich, therefore Bavaria is the best area to meet me on track. In detail there is a high chance in Augsburg (TSV1871), as this is my home club with a permanent outdoor track and a big indoor track with ETS carpet we can use once every one or two months. This indoor season, a new permanent track opened (Fuchstalring at MC Welden) and I visited them once a week on average. So those two clubs are the ones I spent most time at. Apart from that I try to prepare on tracks similar to the track the upcoming event takes place. Therefore, I can be found in Türkheim if an outdoor ETS is pending.
ETS – Simon, you worked your way up to the top of the ETS in the last years. In the past, you raced at the Tamiya cup as well and you won a world champion title there. What can you tell people who are relatively new in the RC hobby? At which races they should start at first and what can they do to get even better and faster?
SL – In my opinion, the biggest the decision is not the series you want to start, it is to make sure that you start with racing continuously. Practicing at a local track hundreds of hours can make you a local hero, but multiple races a year make you a better overall driver for different conditions and layouts.
Once the decision to start racing is made, the best way to start is a series that is common at your club or common with the club members, as this will get you into a group of people and give extra motivation to get better and learn faster. Most of the time, those series will be either Tamiya Cup or RCK Challenge in Germany (TOS up to a certain point as well). The budget to start is lower compared to ETS and the atmosphere is more relaxed – at least for Tamiya Cups as far as I can tell. That’s why I am still racing some Tamiya races – not frequently anymore, but I try to mix my racing schedule as I need those more “fun aimed” races to calm down.
ETS – Before we come to an end now, we wish you the best of luck for the rest of 2022 and for all upcoming years of your RC racing career. Thank you for being a part of our ETS family and we see us trackside! The final words are now up to you Simon!
SL – Final words, what a pressure….Thank you for having me! I am optimistic 2022 will be a good year for everyone. I hope we can have many races this year and enjoy our beautiful hobby. Stay healthy and as always: See you on track!
