Free practice in Aigen-Schlägl
After five rounds, the free Thursday practice in Aigen is done and the drivers are enjoying the BBQ party beside the track. Most of the day, the sky was cloudy and there was no direct sun shining onto the tarmac. Tomorrow we will see the seeding practice going on, followed by the first round of qualifying in the afternoon. The weather forecast looks “ok” with a little risk for rain showers here and there.
Matrix Modified
Mugen Seiki, Awesomatix, and Yokomo – the top 3 teams on Thursday
The Matrix Modified class saw Mugen drivers Ronald Völker and Eric Dankel doing well as they both topped Thursday practice here at ETS RD2 in Aigen-Schlägl. Völker and Dankel both posted their fastest laps in the last round of practice, while third placed Marc Rheinard (Awesomatix) had his best run in the fourth round a little earlier. The Yokomo duo of Yannic Prümper and Christopher Krapp took fourth and fifth for the day.
Völker`s gap to Dankel was at 0.362 of a second. The Mugen duo then had another gap of almost six tenths of a second to the rest of the field. It seems that their MTC2R is working really well here in Aigen, but we can be sure that the Awesomatix and Yokomo teams will try everything to come closer again in tomorrows practice and qualifying runs. It is game on in the Matrix Modified class at ETS RD2.
The Top 5 after Thursday practice (over 3 consecutive laps)
1. Ronald Völker (DE) 45.952 Mugen Seiki|LRP
2. Eric Dankel (DE) 46.314 Mugen Seiki |Hobbywing
3. Marc Rheinard (DE) 46.902 Awesomatix |Orca
4. Oliver Havranek (DE) 46.982 Xray|Hobbywing
5. Christopher Krapp (DE) 47.023 Yokomo | Racing Performer
Awesomatix ProStock
Izsay far ahead after day one in Aigen-Schlägl
In the Awesomatix ProStock class, Adam Izsay (Xray) had a ballistic run in the fourth round of practice. With his fastest 3 consecutive laps being seven tenths (!) quicker than the rest of the pack, he gave everybody a lot to think about until tomorrow. Yokomo`s Dominic Vogl was second fastest behind Izsay, followed by his Yokomo teammate Enrico Jung, Awesomatix driver Lukas Ellerbrock, and Xray`s Stefan Schulz.
The Top 5 after Thursday practice (over 3 consecutive laps)
1. Adam Izsay (HU) 54.327 Xray
2. Dominic Vogl (AT) 55.086 Yokomo
3. Enrico Jung (DE) 55.172 Yokomo
4. Lukas Ellerbrock (DE) 55.174 Awesomatix
5. Stefan Schulz (DE) 55.216 Xray
Hobbywing Frontwheel
Xray`s Izsay is the man to beat in the FWD class
Adam Izsay from Hungary stamped some authority onto the class during the five rounds of free practice. He was the fastest all day long and finished the day on top of the board with his Xray car. His teammate, Jacques Libar from Luxembourg, was second behind Izsay, followed by Daniel Pöhlmann (Awesomatix), Mark Valent (Xray), and Jonas Völker (Mugen Seiki).
The Top 5 after Thursday practice (over 3 consecutive laps)
1. Adam Izsay (HU) 1:05.986 Xray
2. Jacques Libar (LU) 1:06.434 Xray
3. Daniel Pöhlmann (DE) 1:06.672 Awesomatix
4. Mark Valent (HU) 1:06.801 Xray
5. Jonas Völker (DE) 1:06.810 Mugen Seiki
1up Racing 40+ Masters
Last heat of the day seeing Zierold on top of the board
Michel Zierold finished on top of the 1up 40+ Masters field of drivers here at day one. But with Mirco Thalheimer and René Kölbel both on a very similar pace (top three separated by only 0.037) the fight for pole position will be a thriller for sure. Torsten Baggendorf and Ronald Arts completed the top 5 and will try to improve tomorrow in the same way as all the other experienced racers in this class.
The Top 5 after Thursday practice (over 3 consecutive laps)
1. Michel Zierold (DE) 59.561 Awesomatix
2. Mirco Thalheimer (DE) Xray 59.579
3. René Kölbel (AT) Xray 59.598
4. Torsten Baggendorf (DE) 1:00.082 Awesomatix
5. Ronald Arts (NL) 1:00.301 Awesomatix
Orca 21.5 Stock
Pöhlmann tops free practice from a very impressive Langner and Bergheim in Aigen-Schlägl
In the Orca 21.5 Stock class, Daniel Pöhlmann was the fastest racer on Thursday. He topped the time sheets in front of a great driving Phil Langner, and Apeldoorn race winner Tristan Bergheim. Pöhlmanns gap to Langner was half a second over three laps, and he looked very comfortable out there. Young Phil Langner showed a great pace as he improved a lot throughout the day.
Tristan Bergheim, the race winner from RD1 in Apeldoorn, finished third for the day in front of Simeon Seis and Jan Gehrig. From what we have seen today, we expect the race in the Orca 21.5 Stock class to be very close as many drivers had been on a similar pace. But can anybody stop Daniel Pöhlmann?
The Top 5 after Thursday practice (over 3 consecutive laps)
1. Daniel Pöhlmann (DE) 59.723 Awesomatix
2. Phil Langner (DE) 1:01.293 Awesomatix
3. Tristan Bergheim (DE) 1:01.486 Awesomatix
4. Simeon Seis (AT) 1:01.536 Mugen Seiki
5. Jan Gehrig (DE) 1:01.654 Xray
ToniSport Formula
Strong first day for reigning ETS champion Stiebler
Andreas Stiebler had a very solid day of practice in Aigen-Schlägl. He outpaced his competitors by almost one second over the fastest three laps which was really impressive to see. René Kölbel was second fastest, ahead of his Xray teammates David Ehrbar, Luka Jovicic, and Balint Rajki. Tomorrow we will see, if anybody can challenge the dominant looking Andreas Stiebler when we head into qualifying.
The Top 5 after Thursday practice (over 3 consecutive laps)
1. Andreas Stiebler (AT) 55.766 Schumacher
2. Renè Kölbel (AT) 56.661 Xray
3. David Ehrbar (AT) 56.661 Xray
4. Luka Jovicic (LU) 57.024 Xray
5. Balint Rajki (AT) 57.311 Xray
We are looking forward to all the Friday action here at ETS RD2 in Austria. Stay tuned and follow us during the whole weekend. Check out the LIVE section on our website, and also visit the channel of RC Racing TV. There you find our live coverage from ETS RD2 Season #16 2023/24 at MAV Aigen-Schlägl, AUT.
