After the Avalon Vortex body took the first round of the ETS in Apeldoorn by storm, there has been (and continues to be) a lot of talk about it. Some racers love the body for its performance, while others say it’s “too ugly” to use in RC racing. So we know our decision won’t make everyone happy. We’ve discussed this topic internally and thoroughly debated the whole issue from every angle.
Vortex body to be further allowed at the ETS
Decision: The body will stay on the official “ETS Body Shell List” and racers can further use it at our races (more to follow below).
Why? Well, first of all, the body is EFRA (and IFMAR) legal, and it was also designed totally in the frame of our (very open) ETS body shell rules. At this point, we only can send some compliments to the two guys from Avalon, Julius and Andy, who have just worked hard to gain an advantage within all the existing rules. It is as simple as that!
Furthermore, we are feeling responsible for all the racers and customers who have bought Avalon body shells for ETS Apeldoorn, and the upcoming events. We feel like we cannot remove a body from the list after it was approved before – would be a wrong call!
ONLY original REAR WING allowed from now on
As we are thinking about “the future” of touring car body shell design, we know that the current rules are wide open allowing manufacturers to follow the Avalon design now. We really hope that things will not get fully out of control and therefore we have defined, that the Avalon Vortex body shell is only allowed to use at the ETS with the original Avalon Vortex rear wing (0,5 or 0,7mm). No Wolverine, Twister, or other wings are allowed to mount onto the Vortex. The Vortex wing must be cut on the lowest possible cutline (as all other wings too).
Why? We like to limit the wings from becoming higher and higher. The rear is at around 130mm with the original wing while it is up to 136 or 137mm with a Wolverine wing for example. We will also contact all body shell manufacturers and tell them that we will work on some rules for the future. We are reserving us the right to not allow any new body shell if their design will be even more “futuristic”.
Mark your rear wing at ETS RD2 in the HUDY ARENA
When setting such a rule for the rear wing, it is also clear that we must check all the rear wings on Avalon Vortex body shells from now on. During ETS RD2 at the Hudy Arena, ALL racers who want to drive with an Avalon Vortex body MUST come to a quick rear wing check on Thursday. The wings will get marked by the ETS team. This regulation also eliminates the need for the very time-consuming process of measuring a prescribed minimum height on the rear wings of the cars during technical inspection.
No changes in rules for all other ETS body shells
All other body shell rules for the bodies on the ETS list will stay as they are. Nothing will change. We have just worked around the Avalon Vortex body now to find the best solution. Please support our team at the HUDY ARENA and come to the body shell check on Thursday (check the timetable).
As written in the intro: We know that there will always be pros and cons for such a sensitive topic. We are doing our best to keep the racing fair, the rules clear, and the industry going!
