The third round of the actual ETS season will take us to Arena33 in Andernach, GER. A place that hosted ETS races since many years and – as rumours say – the last time for a moment as the ETS plans to leave Arena33 out of the schedule for the next season. However, the track in Andernach is perfectly prepared and attracted 100 drivers to come to the TOS race one week ago which was the perfect stage to practice for ETS RD3.
With the race in Andernach being the last outdoor encounter of the season, everybody is looking forward to the last asphalt showdown with lots of excitement. The number of 200 entries in the middle of the summer holidays is outstanding anyway.
RC Racing TV
The new livestream partner of the Euro Touring Series
What was planned as a “one-time-experience” at the last ETS race in Aigen has now become an official partnership. RC Racing TV is the new media partner of the Euro Touring Series and will stream our races live on all channels in the future. The ETS is very happy about this as RC Racing TV is a group of super professional people covering RC events all around the world since a very long time. Both sides can participate from each other to make RC racing – and the ETS – even more popular. A lot of cool stuff will happen and we can`t wait to get it started. Welcome to the ETS 🙂
Our previous ETS video master, Hanno van den Boogard, will now broadcast the EOS and the ENS races in the future and we are very thankful to still have Hanno in our team. The decision was not “against” Hanno, it was a desicion “for” RC Racing TV. Hanno has always done a great job at the ETS and we are looking forward to make the coverage (especially at the ENS) even better from now on. A huge shoutout goes to Hanno van den Boogaard and all ENS and EOS racers will enjoy his work for sure.
Matrix Modified
Who will be the championship leader when indoor racing starts?
The premier Matrix Modified class has seen two different race winners this season with Michal Orlowski (Schumacher), and Marc Rheinard (Awesomatix), while reigning champion Ronald Völker struggled a lot during RD1 and RD2 where he did not score the results he was looking for. The upcoming race at Arena33 will show us which driver will lead the racers into the second half of the season which will take place indoor on black ETS carpet.
Awesomatix
Rheinard leads championship but needs to find pace on Arena33 home track
Marc Rheinard is leading the championship at the moment, tied on points with Eric Dankel (Mugen Seiki). Marc Rheinard was not ultra-fast at the ToniSport race, but as the multiple IFMAR world champion is always a driver who can win races out of nowhere, we can not write him off before the race is done. Together with his Awesomatix team around Lucas Urbain, Max Mächler, Simon Lauter, Michele Manzo, and all the others, they will work on their A800R platform to close the gap (from the ToniSport race) to Orlowski.
It was impressive to see how fast Orlowski was at the TOS race. We definateley need to find something if we like to win at Arena33. It will be very difficult I think as Orlowski just looked so comfortable out there. But we will not stop to try as we have seen what can happen in RC racing at the last race in Austria.
Marc Rheinard (DE) Awesomatix | ORCA
Schumacher
Orlowski on fire while the british team is stronger as never before
Michal Orlowski has only raced once this season (in the Netherlands) and missed ETS RD2 in Austria. Orlowski is in a very good form right now and won the ToniSport race one week ago at Arena33 in a very dominant way. His whole package looks amazign on the track at Arena33 and we must to put him on the chair of the top favourite right now. Orlowski will be in Andernach with his teammate Mattia Collina, and Schumacher`s car designer Andy Murray. If he can get the pace from the TOS on track at the ETS, it will be a very hard mission for the rest of the Modified drivers to challenge him for the race victory.
To be honest, it was a big surprise that we had such an advantage over all the others at Arena33. The car was good right from the beginning and we also had been able to improove it during all our days of testing and racing at Arena33 – really amazing. I hope that we can carry the momentum into the race as I really want to be in the fight for the title this season.
Michal Orlowski (PL) Schumacher | Hobbywing
Mugen Seiki
Völker wants to jump back onto the driver’s seat of the championship – Dankel still on a high!
Mugen Seiki`s Eric Dankel is in the best position in which he ever was at the ETS. Two third place finishes, two great races, and a strong performance at the EFRA euros (5th overall) are putting him into a very bright spotlight now. But as Dankel likes fast and flowing tracks (like Apeldoorn and Aigen) more, we are excited to see him on track at the ETS in Andernach. Can he continue on his high?
When looking on the championship standings, Dankel`s Mugen teammate Ronald Völker finds himself in fourth place some 5 points down the rankings. He needs to collect a very high number of points in Andernach if he wants to keep his championship chances alive for the carpet races where he is normally even stronger than on asphalt. A very trend-setting race for the record ETS champion Ronald Völker who finished second at the EFRA Euros in Türkheim and second at the TOS race last week.
After the TOS race last week, I am full of motivation as I want to get as close as possible to the impressive pace of Orlowski who is on a serious high now. I know that a win at Arena33 would bring me back into the championship game. I like the track a lot and won here three times in the past but with the tires we have now, a lot has changed. There is so much to learn to extract the best performance. Together with my team, I will give my all to achieve a strong result.
Ronald Völker (DE) Mugen Seiki | LRP
Yokomo
The search for the last bit of performance in the BD12 continues
The Yokomo team has their hottest iron sitting in third place after two races with Christopher Krapp. However, the Yokomo team is still looking for that last “finishing touch” on the setup of their BD12 as the new car does not perform in the same way as the BD11 did last season (two Modified race wins for the team). Yannic Prümper had a horrible race in Austria and is only sitting in ninth place right now. Can the Yokomo team sort out their setup issues at Arena33 in Andernach to strike back? The quality of their drivers is undisputed – they just need a good result again after a thirsty stretch.
Xray
Ratheisky, Gollner, and Havranek – the top guns for Xray
Xray is once again not sending their top drivers Bruno Coelho and Alexander Hagberg to the ETS. Maybe there is no need for them to do so after Bruno won the last World- and European Championship, but in the end it is a fact that many racers would love to change as Bruno and Alex are always making amazing races even better. But as it is a strategic business decision of Xray, we must take it as it is.
However, in abscence of their top duo Coelho and Hagberg, Xray will rely on their very fast racers Patrick Gollner, Jan Ratheisky and Oliver Havranek who will be on the line with their X4-2023 cars at Arena33. Ratheisky had a blast in Austria where he finished second on the podium behind race winner Rheinard – his best carreer result so far in the Modified class at the ETS.
Awesomatix ProStock
Can Bultynck and Izsay continue to dominate Pro Stock?
The Awesomatix Pro Stock class was the show of Adam Izsay (Xray) and Olivier Bultynck (Awesomatix) so far. Izsay was able to TQ and win RD2 in Austria, while Bultynck was the dominant driver at the season opener in the Netherlands. Adam Izsay raced at the TOS race last week, while Bultynck was not in attendance. As this can be a benefit for Izsay, we are expecting him to be strong at Arena33 during ETS RD3.
Olivier Bultynck (Awesomatix), Lukas Ellerbrock (Awesomatix), Enrico Jung (Yokomo), Tim Benson (Jambo), Jonas Völker (Mugen Seiki), and Jan Ratheisky (Xray) are some of the drivers we can expect to fight for the win with Izsay and the Pro Stock class will be a close affair. Bultynck and Izsay are only seperated by one point in the rankings and it is a very important race for both of them at the end of the outdoor season.
Hobbywing Frontwheel
Will Arena33 produce a different race winner?
After Xray`s Adam Izsay has already won two races this season, he is sitting in a very comfortable first position in the championship. The technical track at Arena33 is perfect for nice and super close FWD racing, and there will be many fast drivers hunting Adam Izsay down. Adam was very dominant in the last two races and made almost no driving mistakes. He will travel to Arena33 in a good mood, full of confidence and trust in his package.
With Max Weffers (Mugen Seiki), Jacques Libar (Xray), Andy Murray (Schumacher), Jonas Völker (Mugen Seiki), Roman Borschel (Awesomatix), Henrik Heitsch (ARC), Kevin Sparbier (Mugen Seiki) and Mark Valent (Xray) we find a lot of top FWD drivers on the list of entries and it will definateley not be a walk in the park for Adam Izsay and his Xray X4F-2024. Everything is set to go and everybody can expect a great race in the Hobbywing Frontwheel class at Arena33.
1upRacing 40+ Masters
The closest battle so far – can somebody extend the championship lead?
What a great fight we have seen until now in the 1up Racing 40+ Masters class. Many drivers are on the same level and it is not easy to pick favourites right now. René Kölbel (Xray) and Mirco Thalheimer (Xray) are ranked on top of the championship after two races, but Manuel Stankowitz (Iris), Werner Schmitzer (Yokomo), and Michel Zierold (Awesomatix) are sitting right behind them with good chances to close the gap with some strong results.
The 40+ Masters class is wide open and maybe a good moment for last years`s Andernach race winner and reigning champion Manuel Stankowitz to further climb up the ladder after switching to the Iris team ahead of the season. He seems to find more and more pace in his car from race to race and as he is a fighter who is never giving up, Stankowitz is one to watch in Andernach. Let`s see what the Masters will do at ETS RD3.
Orca 21.5 Stock
Bergheim aiming for another top 3 result in Andernach
Tristan Bergheim is the current leader of the Orca 21.5 Stock championship. A win in Apeldoorn and a third place in Aigen earned him a comfortable lead over his competitors. After his A-Main finish in the 17.5 Stock class at the recent TOS race, Bergheim is the top favourite for the race in Andernach but guys like Austria runner-up Phil Langner, Timo Siebert, Alexander Bremer, and many others will try to make life as difficult as possible for Tristan Bergheim. A win would be a tremendous breakthrough in direction overall championship which adds a little more pressure to the young man from Kiel, GER. Can he get the job done?
ToniSport Formula
Can Stiebler do the triple at Arena33 in Germany?
After winning the first two races of the season, Andreas Stiebler is travelling to Andernach with a great working Schumacher Icon Formula car. Stiebler is the man to beat in Formula racing right now but his opponents are not planning to serve the championship title on a golden plate to Stiebler. Jan Ratheisky (Xray) is 5 points back in the rankings which is not a lot, but it is also not easy to close it against a very constant driving Stiebler. David Ehrbar (Xray) and René Kölbel (Xray) are sitting in third and fourth place waiting for Stiebler and Ratheisky to fail. The ToniSport Formula class will add some extra thrill to ETS RD3 in Germany as soon as practice will start!
