Day one at the penultimate round of ETS Season #16 is done. Five rounds of free practice allowed racers to learn the track layout in the famous t-shaped sports hall of Daun. The huge turnout gave drivers enough time to think about setup changes between their runs and at the end of the day we saw everybody getting into the grove.
After the event lost 2 hours of time in the morning due to a power cut, the day was stretched almost until midnight giving racer`s a first taste of the following three long days in Daun. All participants left the track late evening with a lot of excitement for the official start of the evet on Friday. Seeding practice will start early in the morning with two three-minute runs for everybody with the fastest two consecutive laps counting.
Matrix Modified
The Matrix Modified class saw the top dogs going for it. The flowing track was leading to fast lap times (compared to previous Daun track layouts). Awesomatix driver Marc Rheinard was fastest at the end of the day followed by the Schumacher of Michal Orlowski and the Mugen Seiki car of Ronald Völker. With the top three separated by only 0.135 of a second, we all know what to expect from the rest of the weekend. Chrostopher Krapp (Yokomo) was fourth fastest, followed by a very strong Adam Izsay (Xray). The Matrix Modified class is on fire here in Daun and Friday will bring the heat…
The Top 5 after Thursday practice (over 3 consecutive laps)
1. Marc Rheinard (DE) 35.480 Awesomatix|ORCA
2. Michal Orlowski (PL) 35.568 Schumacher|Hobbywing
3. Ronald Völker (DE) 35.615 Mugen Seiki|LRP
4. Christopher Krapp (DE) 35.866 Yokomo|Racing Performer
5. Adam Izsay (HU) Xray 35.909 Xray|Hobbywing
Awesomatix ProStock
Izsay, Ellerbrock, and Bultynck – championship contenders on top!
In the Awesomatix ProStock class we saw the top three of the current championship rankings finishing 1-2-3 in free practice. Izsay (Xray) was fastest, followed by Ellerbrock (Awesomatix) and Bultynck (Awesomatix). GP3F winner Tim Benson (Awesomatix) was only running in the last practice heat of the day and immediately popped up in fourth position, followed by Sören Sparbier (Mugen Seiki).
The Top 5 after Thursday practice (over 3 consecutive laps)
1. Adam Izsay (HU) Xray 38.483
2. Lukas Ellerbrock (DE) Awesomatix 38.695
3. Olivier Bultynck (BE) Awesomatix 38.804
4. Tim Benson (DE) Awesomatix 38.885
5. Sören Sparbier (DE) Mugen Seiki 38.933
Hobbywing Frontwheel
Izsay leading, but the best of the rest is all over him
Adam Izsay has once again proven that he is the man to beat in the Hobbywing FWD class. But right behind him, there is an intense fight for the positions with British racer Ben Moorey and German talent Phil Langner being closest to Izsay in second and third place. Frederik Hovgaard and Andreas Myrberg made it into the top five at the first day of ETS RD5.
The Top 5 after Thursday practice (over 3 consecutive laps)
1. Adam Izsay (HU) Xray 45.168
2. Ben Moorey (GB) Schumacher 45.282
3. Phil Langner (DE) Iris 45.447
4. Frederik Hovgaard (DK) Yokomo 45.634
5. Andreas Myrberg (SE) Iris 45.695
1up Racing 40+ Masters
Ehrbar leading from Dinger and Myrberg – Thalheimer searching for pace
David Ehrbar is leading the field in the 1up Racing 40+ Masters class after day one at ETS RD5 in Germany. Ehrbar entered the 40+ Masters class for the first time and he is looking very fast out there. Behind Ehrbar, it was Ulrich Dinger and Andreas Myrberg in the hunt for success. Michel Zierold and René Kölbel completed the top 5 while championship leader Mirco Thalheimer is actually looking to find some pace sitting in tenth position.
The Top 5 after Thursday practice (over 3 consecutive laps)
1. David Ehrbar (DE) Xray 41.5617
2. Ulrich Dinger (DE) Awesomatix 41.740
3. Andreas Myrberg (SE) Iris 41.796
4. Michel Zierold (DE) Awesomatix 41.797
5. René Kölbel (DE) Xray 41.981
Orca 21.5 Stock
Langner on top after free practice
In the Orca 21.5 Stock class, young Phil Langner is sitting in first position overnight. Lutz Jentsch was second fastest, and Langner`s championship rival Tristan Bergheim took P3 for the day. Jan Gehrig and Timo Siebert looked strong as well. The championship is still wide open and Langer, Bergheim, and Siebert will go for it…!
The Top 5 after Thursday practice (over 3 consecutive laps)
1. Phil Langner (DE) 41.996
2. Lutz Jentsch (DE) 42.325
3. Tristan Bergheim (DE) 42.420
4. Jan Gehrig (DE) 42.737
5. Timo Siebert (DE) 42.955
ToniSport Formula
Defending champion Stiebler shows great form in practice
Our reigning ETS ToniSport Formula champion Andreas Stiebler was the fastest in the strong field of 45 (!) Formula drivers. He outpaced second placed Jan Ratheisky by 0.6 seconds which makes him top favourite for qualifying right now. Robert Kampehl, David Ehrbar, and Alex Bremer rounded out the top 5 during free practice at the Sporthotel Grafenwald.
The Top 5 after Thursday practice (over 3 consecutive laps)
1. Andreas Stiebler (AT) Schumacher 38.850
2. Jan Ratheisky (DE) Xray 39.451
3. Robert Kampehl (DE) Schumacher 39.561
4. David Ehrbar (DE) Xray 39.797
5. Alexander Bremer (DE) Schumacher 40.183
We are looking forward to all the Friday action here at ETS RD5 in Germany. Stay tuned and follow us during the whole weekend. Check our website, and also visit the Youtube channels of the Euro Touring Series and RC Racing TV as well. There you find our live coverage from ETS RD5 Season #16 2023/24 at the Sporthotel Grafenwald in Daun, GER.
