Awesomatix was the team to beat in Aigen last year. They had been able to win three out of four touring car classes with Marc Rheinard (Modified), Michel Zierold (40+ Masters), and Daniel Pöhlmann (21.5 Stock). With all classes having numbers of top drivers listed for this coming weekend, the Awesomatix team around team manager Max Mächler will have a lot of work to do if they want to repeat the results from 2023. We have spoken to a few Awesomatix drivers ahead of ETS RD2 Season #17 2024/25….
Cayote power gives Rheinard wings as he aims for a second consecutive Aigen win
“Orlowski will be the man to beat but I will give everything to challenge him and all the others in the best field of drivers we had in a while”
After a pretty good ETS season opener in Apeldoorn, I am looking forward to travel to the beautiful place in Aigen-Schlägl. My pace was really good in Apeldoorn which keeps me confident for RD2 of the championship. Last year I was able to win in Aigen after nice battles on track with Eric, Jan, and Ronald. My power package is really good now as the new Cayote stuff is working amazingly well so far. I try to be as competitive as possible and will go to some other track in Austria to test with Hara in the week before the ETS. We will see the strongest field of drivers since a very long time in Aigen as the Xray guys will join us there as well. I am sure that Bruno will be on point and that Michal Orlowski will be the man to beat once again. I am in a good mood and will throw everything I can at them to win the race!
Marc Rheinard (DE) Awesomatix | Cayote
Urbain aiming to build up speed incrementally over the course of the weekend
“The plan is to grab a few headlines during the weekend in Aigen”
Having in mind that I had to skip last year’s Aigen round I do have to admit I feel slightly behind regarding track knowledge. Sure I was there when the ETS first visited Aigen two years ago but a lot has changed since then, notably the tires, so I am sure it will feel totally different to how I recall it. Still I have very fond memories of my first visit at the track, great layout, facilities and club in general, so I know at the very least I am gonna enjoy that.
Lucas Urbain (FR) Awesomatix |Orca
I contemplated whether or not making the trip to go testing there before the race, but I am always worried to find completely different track conditions to what we will race on and therefore being thrown off setup-wise and stuck with wrong ideas. Rather the plan is to approach it with an open mind, watch my rivals if I can and build speed incrementally over the course of the weekend.
I know my package from Apeldoorn is strong, and it proved to be equally effective at the EC warmup so I trust it to keep delivering in Aigen. With the return of team Xray plus Akio and Hayato making the trip again it is probably the most stacked ETS round in a very long while. I feel very much hyped up by that! Overall it sounds like a fun weekend of racing ahead and the plan is to grab a few headlines along the way if I can!
Ellerbrock is on a winning streak – can he make it three out of three in Pro Stock?
“I have a good feeling right now, especially with our new FD Flex Damper Set which seems to be a great update for the A800R”
After two wins in a row, I’m heading to Aigen with a good feeling, even if it hasn’t been my best track in the past. But we gained important insights for the track last year and have a very strong start set-up which should also work well in Aigen. So of course, I hope to be able to fight for first place in Aigen again and secure important points for the championship.
Lukas Ellerbrock (DE) Awesomatix | Nosram
Two weeks ago, the EC Warm Up in Belgium went very well for me. As I was only able to arrive on Friday evening, I had less practice than many others, but I was right on pace for the first qualifying. In the end, I started from second place and was able to maintain this position in the finals. So, Ollie and I were able to clinch a nice double victory for the team.
Car wise, the most interesting new feature on the car is the FD Flex Damper Set, which is effectively a new top deck. We have already had some good experiences in the first tests, so it will of course be exciting to see how it performs in Aigen. I’m sure it will be another very close battle for the win, where the most important thing will probably be qualifying. Ollie and Adam will certainly be in the fight again, but there are plenty of other fast drivers with good chances, so you never know who is the main competitor before the race. Aigen is simply a great track with a really nice layout and great organization around the track. In the past, it has usually been very hot in Aigen, which could of course be a factor in the set-up and how to manage the tires.
Hara to visit Aigen for the first time
“Last time, I missed the A-Main due to my own mistakes, but I have enough speed to aim for the A-Main”
I have never been to Aigen. I get the impression from people’s reviews and videos that it is very nice! I can’t wait to hit in Aigen track!! Aigen is a very high speed layout, so a little mistake could be a tragedy in the Mod class. The car setup will need to be very stable. I used an Awesomatix A800R at the last race in Apeldoorn supported from Zero Tribe and will be racing again with my brother Marc Rheinard, with the help of Team Coyote and Toni Sport. Last time I missed the A-Main due to my own mistakes, but I have enough speed to aim for the A-Main, which gives me confidence. My A800R supported by Zero Tribe has a wider range of setups now and I have been able to adapt it more to my liking. Some new parts will be added as well. I heard that Xray’s team will be at Aigen, so I expect Michal Orlowski, Bruno, Marc, and others will be competing for the top. I will do my best to make it into the big show 🙂
Atsushi Hara (JP) Awesomatix | Cayote
