The third race of the current ETS season is leading us to the famous Arena33 in Andernach, GER. Most ETS racers already know the facilities from our ETS events in the past and the whole ETS crew is happy about the huge turnout in the middle of the German summer holidays. The track will be in a good shape as a lot of club racers and others used the days before the event for practice. The German nationals also took place at Arena33 two weeks ago, and now it is time for some serious ETS action on the smooth and beautiful track.
Track walk video at Arena33
Since the 2022/23 Season, we are doing some track walk videos at the day prior to the event. This time, our media team takes you through the facility on the ground of the DJK Andernach and talks about the track and it`s specials – enjoy the video!
Technical layout and smooth surface
Asked about the characteristics of the track, most drivers say that they like the mixed layout. Especially the technical infield together with the long sweeper leading onto the main straight. The infield of Arena33 challenges drivers with a tight chicane and some rhythm breaking hairpins followed by some more wide and open corners where it is not easy to hit every apex perfectly. The track is good to drive for the hobbyists and professional drivers, but it is not easy to go fast at Arena33.
Overtaking – difficult but possible
Overtaking is, what every racer wants to do if he is not starting from pole position. When we look at the Arena33 track, it first looks like a track where it is not easy to overtake. But there are some spots on the track where drivers can attack the car in front of them with a good chance for a clean pass.
- End of the main straight: When close enough there is a chance to overtake hard on braking before the left turn.
- Entry of chicane: The same here, as drivers can try a pass at the inside (or outside) going into the chicane.
- Hairpin after passing the Driver Stand: Risky to try it there, but an inside move seems possible.
- Section after the long right turn: Here we have two options. Directly in the very slow corner after the long right turn, or in the following left turn before accelerating out into the long sweeper onto main straight.
The infield sections in between the track are covered with green Astro turf to make the track look like a natural racetrack, especially when looking on it all the way down from the huge driver’s rostrum. Overall, the improvements at Arena33 are huge and the track is not comparable with the old one anymore.
As the track has no bumps because of an almost new asphalt (new surface in 2020), it feels cosy to drive and provides a different feedback compared to other, more natural asphalt tracks. The drivers need a good rhythm to be fast on the Arena33 racetrack, that `s for sure. “Slow is fast” seems to be one of the key facts when driving on this track as it easily leads drivers to push and overshoot some corners. Losing time will be the result and it is extremely hard to get lost time back from the track.
May the weather god be an RC racer
After we had almost no rain and super-hot temperatures in the last weeks in central Europe, the weather radar is now showing some bigger fields of rain which can possibly arrive in Andernach on Thursday. Mother nature will be happy about the rain – the racing community not so much. Let`s hope for the best possible outcome for our weekend of racing in Andernach.
Let`s go racing
Now, everything is set to go, and we are looking forward to see all of you racing at Arena33. Enjoy the weekend of racing at the Euro Touring Series and have a great time with your friends, teammates, and our ETS family.
