There are many questions as we are approaching the seasons penultimate race. More than 370 entires bringing the heat to the famous Sporthotel Grafenwald in Daun!
With the sixteenth season of the ETS going into it`s last stages, it is time to travel to Daun which has become one of the most iconic places in the history of the ETS in the last couple of years. The Sporthotel Grafenwald is the place to be for next week and more than 370 entries are speaking for itself! When looking into our six ETS racing classes, there is a lot to talk about. Some classes are still wide open, other classes will eventually see their new champion already crowned in Daun. Let`s take a closer look….
Matrix Modified
Urbain, Rheinard, and Völker challenging newly crowned 1:12 scale world champion Orlowski for the Modified title of ETS Season #16
Orlowski has had a fantastic run – can he continue in 2024 where he left off in 2023?
The Matrix Modified class is a close affair since the start of the season. We have seen three different race winners in the four races and Michal Orlowski (Schumacher) was the only driver scoring two wins in Apeldoorn and Andernach. But as Orlowski missed the other two races (Aigen & Hann. Münden), he definateley needs two more strong results as he has already used his two throwout results.
When looking onto the current championship table, Orlowski is only ranked in 25th place. This distorts the picture because of the two races he missed – you definitely have to keep him in mind. Orlowski had an incredible winter season and added wins at the Florida Carpet Championship, the EOS in Germany, and last but not least a 1:12 IFMAR world championship title to his CV. He will arrive well prepared in Daun and we can expect him to be on top of his game. One thing is clear: He has most of the aces in his hands and he will be hard to beat for everyone!
It was nice to have a small break from racing over christmas and new year, especially after the success at the 1:12 scale worlds. I have a busy schedule for January, and touring car wise I will go for testing in Germany to prepare for the GP3F which will happen with Rush tires and open additive on the weekend before the ETS in Daun. Right after the GP3F, we will go directly to Switzerland to practice with Matrix ETS tires and the MR33 tire sauce to get into the groove for Daun. We did the same last year and the ETS in Daun ended in a very positive way. We had a great year of touring car racing in 2023 and we have high hopes for 2024 now. The standing in the overall championship is very interesting and it is a good feeling to be in the fight for the ETS title for the first time ever. We will give it our all and I am really looking forward to battle it out on track with Ronald, Lucas, Marc, and all the other fast guys.
Michal Orlowski (PL) Schumacher | Hobbywing
Can Rheinard finally win another ETS title?
Awesomatix factory driver Marc Rheinard took the win at ETS RD2 in Austria and scored two third places. His throw out result until now is P7 from RD1 in the Netherlands where he was not able to convert his TQ into a race win. Rheinard still has a serious chance to win the title if he will win at least one of the remaining two races. He had a strong pace at the last race in Hann. Münden and he was in the mix for the 1:12 scale IFMAR title some weeks ago – a fight he lost to his friend and ETS competitor Michal Orlowski. For Rheinard, the overall ETS title would mean a lot as he has not won it for too long now. Rheinard deciced to skip the GP3F race in France which is going on right now as he wanted to fully focus on the ETS race in Daun without using other tires and additives (at the GP3F) before.
It is going to be an important race for me in Daun because the championship is still wide open. I did not do any practice since the 1:12 scale worlds in Florida so I will go to Switzerland in the days before the ETS to just get back into the rythm of driving. Daun is always a great race with so many people coming and the whole facility is simply cool for a big race like that. I am ready for the last two rounds of the season and will do my very best to win!
Marc Rheinard (DE) Awesomatix | Orca
Urbain travels to Daun with maximum points from Hann. Münden in his bag
Rheinard`s Awesomatix teammate Lucas Urbain was the big winner at the last ETS race in Hann. Münden. Urbain won the race from pole position holding off his hard pushing rivals Ronald Völker and Marc Rheinard in some of the closest finals we have seen in a long time. Urbain missed RD2 in Austria, and scored a second place at the season opener in Apeldoorn together with kind of a disappointing eight place at Arena33 in Andernach. However, Lucas is still in the fight for the championship and depending on how it will go for him in Daun, he can step into the role of Orlowski`s biggest rival at the saeson finale in Austria!
I practiced in Switzerland with my Awesomatix car and this was my only training session on Matrix tyres since the last ETS in Hann. Münden. It was just to get me back into the mood for the GP3F and the ETS. Daun will be a real test for us as a team because last year we had the rollout there with the new A800R and now we can see how much progress we have made over the year. Personally, I’ve never really done well at Daun, so we’ll see if my recent good results were just a fluke or if I’ve really made progress. Either way, I’m ready for the race and will give everything to keep the championship alive until the season finale in Austria.
Lucas Urbain (FR) Awesomatix |Orca
Last exit Daun – can Völker still save the season?
Mugen Seiki`s reigning ETS champion Ronald Völker faces a complicated, but not impossible mission. Völkers season started with a tough race in Apeldoorn where he scored a P4, somewhere behind his own expectations. At RD2 in Aigen everything seemed to work fine for him, but he was not able to convert his TQ spot on the grid into a race win. Tough luck saw him discover the “Rheinard story from Apeldoorn” finishing only in eight place. But Völker did not give up and found his way back onto the podium with two consecutive second places at Arena33 in Andernach and at the Transworld Hotel in Hann. Münden. These results brought him back onto the championship train but he needs two perfect races now to defend his ETS title. Impossible? We will find out very soon…
We worked hard in the last few weeks and made even further progress with my LRP powered Mugen Seiki, so I am more than looking forward to challenge my competitors for the win in Daun to keep Championship hopes alive. I have had great races in Daun and really like the atmosphere and the „bungalow“ style there to hang out after a long racing day. As Daun has a high amount of entries as usual, I am also looking forward to meet up friends and fellow racers!
Ronald Völker (DE) Mugen Seiki | LRP
As you can see, the situation in the Matrix Modified class is very complicated (result wise) as four drivers still have a chance to win the title. We are looking forward to an amazing weekend of racing at ETS RD5 in Daun and we will see who comes out on top before we head to Wiener Neustadt in March to crown our big champion!
Awesomatix ProStock
Most important race of the season for leading trio Izsay, Bultynck, and Ellerbrock as the championship is close to the finish line
Nothing is decided in the Awesomatix Pro Stock class and we watched a close three-horse race between Lukas Ellerbrock (Awesomatix), Olivier Bultynck (Awesomatix), and current championship leader Adam Izsay (Xray) all season long.
As we are approaching Daun, Adam Izsay will travel from Hungary to Germany with a tiny little 1-point lead over second placed Olivier Bultynck from Belgium. German racer Lukas Ellerbroch is sitting in third place, another three points behind. The battle for the championship will go on between these three drivers while Jan Ratheisky (Xray) is already seven points off the podium, sitting in fourth place.
Adam Izsay showed great driving at the last race in Hann. Münden and has already won two races durign the season. But Bultynck was right on his tail in Hann. Münden and also Lukas Ellerbrock was not slowing down. The trio showed some amazing Pro Stock racing and it is very difficult to pick a favourite now.
Ellerbrock was super fast at the last race in Daun, but Bultynck and Izsay will do everything to finish in front of him. Olivier Bultynck left long time sponsor LRP at the start of 2024 and his car is now powered by EAM batteries. Changing brands is sometimes a huge confidence boost and we are excited to see Bultynck rocking his new batteries in his Awesomatix A800R. But as we have only talked about the top three, there are many many other fast racers in Daun and it would not be a big surprise to see anybody else on the podium on Sunday!
Hobbywing Frontwheel
Champion Izsay racing for glory against more than 100 FWD drivers in Daun
It went a little under the radar after the race in Hann. Münden, but Xray driver Adam Izsay has already been crowned ETS Champion of the Hobbywing Frontwheel class. Nobody can catch up with him in terms of points, and Adam is crowning an outstanding season very early on. He won three races, finished third in the other one, and nobody of the other drivers can reach his current points haul of 1208 in the remaining races when the throw out results will be counted etc. We like to say:
CONGRATULATIONS ADAM IZSAY FOR WINNING THE FWD CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE OF ETS SEASON #16
Behind Izsay, the fight for the remaining places in the top 10 of the championship is wide open. Max Weffers and Jacques Libar are second and third now, followed by a group of others who attended all races of the season as well. After the race in Daun we will see a cleaned up table and we can see who will be able to cement a top 10 position at the season finale in Austria which will take place in March in Wiener Neustadt.
In Daun we can expect super close racing in the biggest field of ETS FWD racers we ever had (117 entries). We are very proud that this great class is still going so well and we would like to thank all FWD drivers for their continued support – you are great.
1up Racing 40+ Masters
All eyes on championship leader Thalheimer – can he withstand the pressure?
The 1up Racing 40+ Masters class produced four different race winners this season. René Kölbel (Xray) won the season opener in Apeldoorn, Michel Zierold (Awesomatix) was victorious in Aigen-Schlägl, Mirco Thalheimer (Xray) nailed it in Andernach, and Torsten Baggendorf (ARC) took the win in Hann. Münden. Three of the four race winners celebrated their first ever win at the ETS this season (Thalheimer, Baggendorf, Kölbel), and the 40+ Masters class once again showed that it is a highly competitive racing class.
Championship leader Mirco Thalheimer produced the most consistant results and is leading with a gap of three points ahead of second placed Michel Zierold. They are both having a very good chance to fight for the overall title. Third placed Werner Schmitzer (Xray) is still in the hunt, but without having a race win to his credits so far he has the most difficult job to do in the current top 5 of the table.
Torsten Baggendorf and René Kölbel can also turn things around in the last two rounds of this ETS season – all they need to do is winning the last two races. What sounds like a plan is not easy, and we are already looking forward to a thrilling weekend of rcacing in the 1up Racing 40+ Masters class.
Orca 21.5 Stock
Big break for Bergheim to seal the title at the Sporthotel Grafenwald while Langner lurks for his chance!
Championship leader Tristan Bergheim (Awesomatix) will arrive in Daun with the clear mission of sealing the title at the penultimate race of the season. Bergheim is the only driver who made it onto the podium at each race of the season and he was abe to win two of them.
When looking onto the championship standings, Timo Siebert (Mugen Seiki) and Phil Langner (Awesomatix) are the only drivers with a theoretical chance of snatching the title away from Bergheim. To make it happen, the second place ranked Timo Siebert needs to win both of the two remaining races from pole position. But as this is something he never did until now, the pendulum is clearly showing into the Bergheim corner.
Phil Langner seems to be an even more dangerous opponent for Bergheim. Phil won the last race in Hann. Münden in a clinic way and is on a real high now. With a first, second, and third place and one throw out (missed race in Apeldoorn), Langner has a serious shot for the title and we can expect a great fight between him and Bergheim. One more win for Bergheim, and the title would be his – can he handle the pressure?
ToniSport Formula
The stage is set as Stiebler, Ratheisky, and Ehrbar batteling it out until the end of the season
Since the new Hobbywing combo is powering the F1 cars, the class has seen a slow but continuous growing again. We have 47 entries for Daun which is just fantastic. The championship is led by Andreas Stiebler (Schumacher) who was on the podium at every race of the season. He won the first two races and scored a second and third plae afterwards. These results are giving him a 3-point advantage heading into the last two races of ETS Season #16.
Behind him, it is the Xray duo of David Ehrbar and Jan Ratheisky sitting second and third – tied on points and with one victory each. Both, Ehrbar and Ratheisky, will try everything to overtake the Schumacher driver Stiebler (reigning champion) in the point standings until the end of the season to bring the title back to the Xray team.
As the track in Daun is always very challenging, the ToniSport Formula class will create some nice battles on track for sure. Can Stiebler extend his championship lead, or will he loose some ground to his competitors? One thing is clear: We will see the closest fight for the overall championship title of the Formula class since many years!
