Mugen Seiki factory driver Sören Sparbier has great memories about Daun. He was able to win his first ever ETS at the same venue in 2025 which was his greatest success at the ETS. After that, he managed to win another race (ETS Vienna) and made multiple modified A-Mains too. Sören is rocking his MTC-3 which is built on a steel chassis from WeiRC. Sören is also using some Mugen option parts such as the bypass shock bodies in the front, as well as KPA steering arms.
His car is energized by a 5100mAh LRP LiPo battery to keep the centre of gravity as los as possible. The ETS Pro Stock combo is installed in his car together with a S15 servo from Power HD which is controlled by a Sanwa M17 radio.
Orlowski fights back, Rheinard spins out early, Völker second!
We have three different drivers with a TQ run now after Cayote Modified Q3. Ronald Völker was leading the field out of the gate ahead of Rheinard who immediately spun out while entering the first hairpin after the long sweeper. Rheinard dropped back in the running order and was only able to recover to third place until the end of the run.
Out front, Michal Orlowski was getting up to grips when he took over the lead from Völker. Orlowski`s car looked way better than yesterday – he invested many hours into a complete setup change which seems to work good for him now.
Orlowski took the win in Q3 ahead of Völker with the two being separated by half a second in the end. Völker was not unhappy with his run but once again said that it was “tricky out there as the track felt a bit more slimy”.
Behind Orlowski, Völker, and Rheinard, we saw Dominic Greiner (4), Lucas Urbain (5), and Alexander Hagberg rounding out the top six.
With one round still to go, we have three drivers battling it out for the overall TQ here in Daun. Mugen Seiki`s Völker has the fastest runtime to his favor now and he needs to defend his spot against Orlowski and Rheinard.
Saturday morning, 8am: Kretschmer wins Pro Stock Q3
The third round of Pro Stock qualifying happened on a very early Saturday morning when all drivers had to show up from 7am. Once the top heat was hitting the track at 8, Awesomatix driver and Q2 winner Louis Kretschmer took another win ahead of Schumacher`s Jesper Rasmussen. The Danish ace was bringing on the heat and the lead changed many times between himself and Kretschmer. In the end, Kretschmer had an advantage of 0.096 seconds to snatch Q3 away from Rasmussen.
Adam Izsay took third for the round and 2025 Daun winner Sören Sparbier (4) finally posted a top 5 result with his Mugen car. Jan Ratheisky had a solid run to P5 in the b-sort and championship leader Bultynck came out of Q3 as the sixth fastest driver.
Langner claims hard-fought FWD pole position in Daun
The first driver who was able to seal the TQ for the weekend was Phil Langner in the FlySky Frontwheel class. After winning the first two rounds early today, he could also take Q3 with an advantage of 0.6 seconds ahead of Gergö Valent (Xray), the Awesomatix of Kevin Schmid, Frederik Hovgaard`s Yokomo, and the ARC of Luca Romondia. It is so cool to see many different cars battling for the top spots in the FWD class which is the biggest this weekend with 140 entries.
The very last heat on Friday evening saw the top dogs of the 40+ Masters class hitting the track. Toni Mateo had a good run in the second fastest group again, but his result was only good enough for a P7. When the top group got underway, an intense battle between David Ehrbar, Michel Zierold, and Philipp Stadler was going on. The lead between the top three changed multiple times throughout the run and it was sooo close.
After five minutes, Austrian Mugen Seiki driver Philipp Stadler was able to post his first TQ run after a brilliant drive. Stadler won the race by a gap of 0.4 seconds over round two TQ David Ehrbar, and winner Michel Zierold. The overnight ranking list showed Ehrbar ahead of Stadler, Mateo, Zierold, Morgen, Thalheimer, Baggendorf, Sommer, Hagnauer, and Boje.
RC Maker strikes back when Antes wins Q3 on a late Friday evening
After we had seen ARC driver Luca Romondia dominating the event until now, Q3 mixed things up a bit. Romondia was not able to finish the run (after he got unlucky tapped by a competitor) and the RC Maker duo of Daniel Anthes and David Reip was able to secure a first and third place for the round.
Daniel Anthes, a former winner of the stock class at the LRP touring car masters (back in the day) won Q3 with an advantage of 1 second over Xray racer Pawel Trella (runs in the b-group), and RC Maker teammate Reip. Christian Lütjen finished in fourth place and Matheo Buchhalt completed the top five. What will happen on Saturday? Who will TQ the event? Will it be Anthes, or Romondia?
Ehrbar again in Q3 – decision for pole shifted to Saturday
After his win in Q2, David Ehrbar had another run full of confidence and scored his second consecutive TQ run of the event. Andreas Stiebler was second again with his Schumacher car and was kind of Xray sandwiched with Martin Hudy right behind him (gap 0.546). Balint Rajki was fourth fastest and Samir Nukicic drove to fifth place for the round with his runtime coming from the second fastest group.
David Ehrbar is our “overnight TQ” here in Daun but the decision for the overall pole position in the Formula class will be on the line during Q4 on Saturday as Stiebler is still in the fight for it!
The “old boys” are putting on a show at the Sporthotel Grafenwald in Daun
The second round of Matrix Modified qualifying saw Marc Rheinard and Ronald Völker having a dogfight for the win. The lead was changing multiple times during the run when both drivers pushed their cars to the absolute limit. Awesomatix driver Rheinard posted the fastest lap with a 13.579, and Völker was laying down a 13.592 with his Mugen car.
The battle came down to the line in the last lap and it was Rheinard who had the better ending when he took the win by the invisible gap of 0.014 seconds over Völker. What a super-close finish it was. The crowd`s reaction was insane and everybody enjoyed to watch this masterclass of modified carpet racing!
Serpent`s Dominic Greiner had another stellar drive to third for the round and was able to hole off champion Michal Orlowski who is still struggling a bit with the pace of his Schumacher car this weekend. Simon Lauter completed the top 5 in Q2 with his Awesomatix A800RR.
In the post-race interviews on RC Racing TV, Völker and Rheinard both said that it was “difficult to drive on track” and that “they had been surprised to still have a decent gap over the rest of the field”. They also mentioned that they are 80 years old when adding their ages and that they still enjoy these close battles so much after all these years of professional racing 🙂
The last two rounds of qualifying will take place on Saturday and the battle for the TQ will reach it`s climax then. Ronald Völker is overnight TQ, followed by Rheinard, Orlowski, Greiner, Sparbier, Lauter, Gollner, Hagberg, Urbain, and Izsay. Who will seal the deal here at ETS RD4 in Daun?
Kretschmer wins Q2 ahead of new Schumacher signing Rasmussen
Awesomatix driver Louis Kretschmer won the second round of Awesomatix ProStock qualifying in Daun. After retiring his car in Q1, Kretschmer (hot lap 14.676) had a clean run in Q2 which he won by a gap of 0.8 seconds ahead of Jesper Rasmussen who is looking sharp on track with his new Schumacher Mi9.
The winner of Q1, Adam Izsay, had to settle for a third place in this round of qualifying and saw Olivier Bultynck (Awesomatix) and Jan Ratheisky (Xray) rounding out the top five.
With the faster runtime coming from Louis Kretschmer, he is our overnight TQ here in Daun. Kretschmer is still chasing a maiden ETS race win in his career – can he do it this weekend? The top 10 overnight: Kretschmer, Izsay, Rasmussen, Kriz, Ratheisky, Bultynck, Borschel, Jung, Whitelock, Murray.
Two from two for Langner as qualifying reaches half-time!
Phil Langner was (again) on pace in the second FWD qualifier. The German teenager secured another TQ and was two seconds faster than Kevin Schmid (Awesomatix) who took second place for the round by 0.055 seconds over the Xray of Gergö Valent.
Henrik Heitsch posted the fourth quickest time running in the b-sort and Yokomo`s Frederik Hovgaard finished fifth in Q2. With two TQ runs in the bag, Phil Langner is only a little step away from the very important pole position here in Daun – can he get the job done?
Back in the game – champion Ehrbar wins Q2 in Daun
In the second round of qualifying, reigning 40+ champion David Ehrbar showed that he is in the mix for the win this weekend. Ehrbar drove to the win in Q2 ahead of his Xray teammate Caspar Morgen, and Q1 winner Michel Zierold (Awesomatix). Mugen Seiki driver Philipp Stadler from Austria posted the fourth fastest time and Toni Mateo, the winner of Q1, was able to complete the top five for the round!
ARC and Romondia stamping authority on 21.5 stock class….
Luca Romondia continued where he stopped in Q1. He dominated Q2 with his new ARC A11 and left the rest of the field behind with big question marks. Pawel Trella was posting the second fastest time and was a massive 5 (!) seconds slower compared to TQ Romondia.
Radek Ruszkowski, Wolfgang Swoboda, and Jan Vogler made it into the top 5 of Q2 as well. The class is the Luca Romondia show until now and we are looking forward to the next round when the top groups will hit the track at around 20:40 again!
Ehrbar fights back and wins Q2 ahead of Stiebler and Rajki
After his P3 finish in Q1, David Ehrbar was the fastest driver in the second round of Matrix Formula qualifying. Ehrbar was leading the race and Q1 winner Stiebler was running in second place – separated between 0.5 and 1.5 seconds for the entire run. David Ehrbar also posted the hot lap of the heat, hammering down a 14.283 which left no doubt that the reigning champion found some pace in his package.
Behind Ehrbar and Stiebler we saw a close fight for the positions, and it was Balint Rajki who took third place in front of Martin Hudy and Michael Lipperheide.
Tire gamble pays off for Völker as he wins Q1 from Rheinard and Orlowski
In the first Cayote Modified qualifier, the spectators around the track saw top seed Ronald Völker swinging out of the gate laying down some hot laps allowing him to open a gap of almost one second in the first minute of the race. Compared to Orlowski and Rheinard, Völker was on new tires which he had not broken in during one of the practice sessions on Thursday.
The gamble fully paid off for Völker as he was clearly the fastest in the first two minutes of the heat before the lap times were equaling with Rheinard at the end of the run. Ronald Völker took the win in Q1 by 0.9 seconds over Awesomatix driver Marc Rheinard, followed by reigning ETS champion Michal Orlowski (Schumacher) who was some 1.5 seconds behind Rheinard.
Serpent factory driver Dominic Greiner had a great run to P4 for the round and was followed by Sören Sparbier (5), Simon Lauter (6), Alexander Hagberg (7), Lucas Urbain (8), Adam Izsay (9), and Pekko Iivonen (10).
Izsay leads Xray 1-2-3 in opening round of quylifiyng
We saw a lot of surprises in the first round of Awesomatix Pro Stock qualifying. The top drivers had been on a very similar pace but we saw many of them crashing which is not happening a lot on this sharp end of the competition.
The first surprise: No Awesomatix car in the top 3. Top seed Olivier Bultynck crashed in lap three, Louis Kretschmer had to retire his car in lap 6, and Lukas Ellerbrock lost a massive amount of time in lap 7 of the run. That was a “slow” start into qualifying for the current Pro Stock empire around Max Mächler!
The second surprise: Jaroslav Jun. Kriz was crazy fast and posted the second fastest overall run coming out of the b-heat, followed by his Xray teammate Jan Ratheisky who was running in the same heat. A great start for these two drivers after not making into the top heat in seeding practice!
Another surprise: Sören Sparbier was sending his MTC-3 into the fence in lap 13 of Q1 while running in second place. A rarely seen mistake by the Mugen Seiki factory driver.
No surprise: Adam Izsay was very fast and took over the lead in lap two of the run. He did not slow down until the end and took the win of the top heat ahead of Roman Borschel and Enrico Jung. The overall top five after chaotic Q1 had been Adam Izsay (1 – Xray), Jaroslav Jun. Kriz (2-Xray), Jan Ratheisky (3-Xray), Roman Borschel (4-Aweosmatix), and Enrico Jung (5-ARC).
Langner takes early morning Q1 from Borschel and Schmid
Phil Langer had a perfect start into qualifying at ETS RD4 in Daun. The championship leader, who is still chasing his first FWD win, was able to win the opening round of qualifying with his privateer Awesomatix car. Langner had an advantage of 0.8 seconds over Roman Borschel. Langner and Borschel clearly had the best pace in Q1 as third placed driver Kevin Schmid was already 2 seconds behind them after the five-minute run. However, it was also a good Q1 for Schmid who is running FWD at the ETS for the first time this weekend.
Henrik Heitsch (ARC) posted the fourth quickest overall runtime coming out of the b-sort and was followed by the Xray of Gergö Valent, and the ARC of Luca Romondia who is looking fast on 21.5 Stock as well this weekend.
Jill Bartsch (Awesomatix) took P7 for the round with his time coming out of the third fastest group – not bad at all! Loris Buchhalt (Iris), Adam Southgate (Iris), and Jacques Libar (Xray) rounded out the top 10 in Q1 of the FlySky FWD class here in Daun.
After being top seed on Thursday, Michel Zierold was starting into Q1 with a clean track in front of him. Xray`s David Ehrbar was his strongest contender and both drivers posted 15.8 lap times on top of the board. Ehrbar tried all he could but came short to Zierold by just 0.111 of a second.
However, the overall time from Zierold was not enough to TQ the complete round because former 40+ Masters champion Toni Mateo was laying down a ballistic run in the b-heat to outpace Zierold by 0.023 of a second.
Mateo took full points from Q1 and is now in contention for the pole position here in Daun after not being fully on pace in seeding practice.
Casper Morgen was “best of the rest” and took P3 away from Q1 when he crossed the line half a second behind Ehrbar. Mirco Thalheimer and Philipp Hagnauer completed the top 5 for the round which was
After being top seed on Thursday, Luca Romondia left no doubt that he will be the man to beat in the Hobbywing 21.5 Stock class this weekend. Romondia had a very clean run with the all-new ARC A11 on track and was super consistent throughout the whole race. RC Maker driver David Reip was pushing hard and could stay within one second until he lost 2 seconds of time in lap 16 of the race.
Romondia took Q1 by 4.1 seconds ahead of Reip and it was Matheo Buchhalt (Iris) who took third place from Q3 after “only” being 10th quickest after seeding. Wolfgang Swoboda and Radek Ruszkowski completed the top 5 for the round!
Stiebler wins Q1 after dominant on-track performance!
Top seed Andreas Stiebler was in control of the first Formula qualifier which he won ahead of Xray`s very own Martin Hudy. Stiebler posted the fastest lap of the heat (14.474) and had a gap of 2.1 seconds over Hudy as they crossed the finish line.
David Ehrbar had a good first qualifier as well and finished on P3 ahead of Balint Rajki, Michael Lipperheide, and Robert Kampehl. Can Schumacher driver Andreas Stiebler continue to hold off the many Xray cars behind him in Q2?
Xray factory driver Alexander Hagberg is running his Xray X4`26 here in Daun. The car is equipped with their latest 1.2mm spring steel chassis, some 1,6mm topdecks, PSS inserts and shock pistons, as well as a 1.2mm front Anti-roll bar and a Hudy servo horn.
Alexander is using a 4600mAh shorty pack from Team EAM to power his Hobbywing Xerun XR10 Pro G3 ESC and 5.5T Hobbywing motor. A Sanwa M17S radio and a Sanwa PGS-LH II servo are responsible for all the throttle and steering inputs and the car is finally topped off by a Xtreme Twister Speciale body shell, painted by the legendary A-paint.
Chassis: XRAY X4`26 Body Shell: Twister Speciale 0,4mm Speedo: Hobbywing Xerun XR10 Pro G3 Motor: Hobbywing Xerun V10 5.5T Battery: Team EAM 4600 Radio: Sanwa M17S Servo: Sanwa PGS-LH II Tires: Matrix ETS Handout (EPCZ-28) Sponsors and support: XRAY, HUDY, Hobbywing, Team EAM, Pro-Spec, AVID, TQ Wire, Hiro Seiko, A-Paint, P-Stickers, Sanwa
The biggest ever ETS is underway at the Sporthotel Grafenwald in Daun. With 490 entries, the event consists of 45 heats (!) and a lot of time for the racers to wrench on their cars to find the fastest setup. The technical track layout in the typical “Daun t-shape” is a big challenge for all racers but once the traction came up mid-day, the lap times were dropping down and everybody was posting fast lap times. With four rounds of qualifying coming up on Friday and Saturday, all Thursday practice sessions had been counted for seeding. Time to look onto the seeding results now….
Völker, Rheinard, and Orlowski the top three after opening day in Daun
The Cayote Modified class saw many drivers fighting hard against the track. It took some time for everybody to get used to the layout and the conditions, but familiar names popped up on top of the board frequently. Mugen Seiki`s Ronald Völker was fastest in three out of four practice rounds while Schumacher driver and championship leader Michal Orlowski finished the day in second place – some 0.232 seconds behind Völker.
Awesomatix top gun Marc Rheinard had a very good overall pace in his car and took third for the day while he was followed by teammate Simon Lauter and a strong performing Yannic Prümper (Schumacher). Mugen Seiki`s Sören Sparbier was sixth fastest ahead of the two Swedish Xray drivers Alexander Hagberg and David Ronnefalk, the Serpent of Dominic Greiner, and the Yokomo of Christopher Krapp.
The Top 5 after Thursday practice (over 3 consecutive laps)
1. Ronald Völker (DE) 40.533 Mugen Seiki MTC-3|LRP 2. Michal Orlowski (PL) 40.765 Schumacher Mi9|Elceram|Cayote 3. Marc Rheinard 40.921 Awesomatix A800RR|Cayote 4. Simon Lauter (DE) 41.195 Awesomatix A800RR|Hobbywing 5. Yannic Prümper (DE) 41.371 Schumacher Mi9|Cayote
The Awesomatix Pro Stock class saw (once again this season) Olivier Bultynck on top of the board after seeding practice. The Awesomatix factory driver was 0.178 seconds quicker than the newest signing of Schumacher – Jesper Rasmussen from Denmark. He had a very good first day with his new Mi9 and was second fastest, just 4-thousands (!) of a second ahead of Lukas Ellerbrock (Awesomatix), Louis Kretschmer (Awesomatix), and the Xray of Adam Izsay.
Last year`s race winner Sören Sparbier was sixth quickest with his Mugen MTC-3 and was closely followed by the new ARC A11 of Enrico Jung, Roman Borschel (Awesomatix), Mark Valent (Schumacher), and Timon Coenen (Awesomatix).
The Top 5 after Thursday practice (over 3 consecutive laps)
Trella tops FWD practice ahead of championship leader Langner, and Borschel
Xray racer Pawel Trella from Poland was the fastest driver during the four rounds of seeding practice on Thursday. Trella posted the three fastest consecutive laps of the day in the third round of practice and was one and a half tenths quicker than Phil Langner in second place. Roman Borschel posted the third fastest time ahead of Yokomo racer Frederik Hovgaard, and the Awesomatix of Kevin Schmid. Behind the top five, Dominik Reile, Gergö Valent, Timon Coenen, Adam Southgate, and the Buchhalt brothers Loris and Matheo made it into the top group for qualifying as well.
The Top 5 after Thursday practice (over 3 consecutive laps)
1. Pawel Trella (PL) 51.517 Xray 2. Phil Langner (DE) 51.660 Awesomatix 3. Roman Borschel (DE) 51.722 Awesomatix 4. Frederik Hovgaard (DK) 51.758 Yokomo 5. Kevin Schmid (DE) 51.912 Awesomatix
BOOM…… Zierold is top seed in ultra-competitive Masters class
Awesomatix driver and mister “Boom RC” Michel Zierold left a mark when he had the strongest three-lap pace of the day in the last round of seeding practice on Thursday evening. Zierold outpaced the second placed Mugen MTC-3 of Philipp Stadler by 0.032 seconds only, which was still enough to sit P1 overnight. The Xray duo of Danish ace Caspar Morgen, and reigning 40+ champion David Ehrbar was claiming third and fourth for the day while Iris driver Manuel Stankowitz was completing the top 5 on a solid pace.
The Top 5 after Thursday practice (over 3 consecutive laps)
1. Michel Zierold (DE) 47.560 Awesomatix 2. Philipp Stadler (AT) 47.592 Mugen Seiki 3. Caspar Morgen (DK) 47.813 Xray 4. David Ehrbar (DE) 47.900 Xray 5. Manuel Stankowitz (DE) 48.047 Iris
ARC driver Luca Romondia was way ahead of the competition when he was setting the three-lap pace with his brand new A11 by 0.7 seconds ahead of the two RC Maker SP1 cars of Daniel Anthes and David Reip. Loris Buchhalt was fourth quickest with his IRIS ride and Wolfgang Swoboda completed the top 5 after a competitive Thursday. It was a great start into the event for quick Luca Romondia who raced many times at the ETS in the past and is having kind of a comeback this weekend.
The Top 5 after Thursday practice (over 3 consecutive laps)
Schumacher`s Stiebler on top of day one in Daun with 4 Xray cars in tow
It was Andreas Stiebler from Austria who came out of seeding practice as the fastest driver of the day. He had a comfortable gap of half a second over fast Balint Rajki from Hungary and German Formula ace David Ehrbar. Xray designer Martin Hudy and Robert Kampehl rounded out the top five after seeding practice. With the start of qualifying on Friday, we will see the true 5-minute pace of all Formula racers – game on!
The Top 5 after Thursday practice (over 3 consecutive laps)
1. Andreas Stiebler (AT) 43.784 Schumacher 2. Jacques Libar (HU) 44.271 Xray 3. David Ehrbar (DE) 44.291 Xray 4. Martin Hudy (SK) 44.357 Xray 5. Robert Kampehl (DE) 44.431 Xray
Hagberg: “I respond to 100% of all customer questions”
Alexander, we hope you enjoyed Christmas and the start into the new year with your family in Lisbon. How does it feel to celebrate in warmer conditions compared to your home country Sweden and what did you have for Christmas dinner?
Winter in Portugal is a lot milder (and snow-free) compared to Sweden. Which is enjoyable. We do get sunny days with up to 20 degrees even in December or January at times! Christmas dinner for me was a Portuguese tradition – bacalhau (codfish). There’s many ways to cook it, but we had a “com natas” creamy version.
You are one of the most famous XRAY drivers of all time. Your support for XRAY customers is second to none and you are doing a brilliant job. How much of your working time beside racing goes into customer support each and every day?
I sometimes spend several hours a day doing both office work and customer support for XRAY/HUDY. I do receive a consistent and quite large number of questions or feedback from customers on a daily basis which I try to respond to a 100% of them.
The upcoming race in Daun is a special one with so many entries and long days. You are used to this from other races (Snowbirds for example). What is your secret to always stay fit and mentally strong during such demanding days?
I drink a lot of coffee by habit, and try to eat well, and eat at least 3 times during the day to keep my blood sugar levels stable.
To keep this one short: What are your goals for 2026 when looking on ETS, TITC, and the IFMAR worlds?
My goal as a racer is to try and fight for the top positions at international races, which includes all of the above. My goal as an employee for XRAY is to try and keep the team and customers as happy possible with their racing/hobby!
Ratheisky: “This year`s IFMAR worlds in China will be the RC trip of my live”
You are very well known for racing multiple classes at big events – what is your gameplan for Daun and what are your expectations for the race?
Thanks 🙂 Even I had to remove F1 sadly its „only“2 classes left its 6 in the End as I have to take care on my kids. Gameplan? Learn the new car on carpet and show the young guns that I can still beat them. But I don’t want to set the goal to high. There is a stacked field of very good if not the best drivers I know atm. To answer it… Bot A mains would be a very good result to start the carpet season.
It looks like you have a pretty nice indoor track in Braunschweig for practice. Do you think this is an advantage over others who have no track available?
Even I like the Track in Braunschweig a lot im more there to hang out, wrench and help my kids. Mostly I run old tires from US until they are worn to have some value out of the money spent. I will start to test a bit more soon as the ETS is finished. Because we have some leftover tires then 😉 I made 2 packs with the ETS equipment so far. Should be enough ^^
You will travel to the IFMAR worlds with your family in April. Will this be the coolest RC trip of your life?
You can bet on that! Luckily, I visited this great place already end of last year and it was a blast. It will be the first time for my kids out of Europe. 2 World Championships entirely in the easter school vacations. We MUST use this once a lifetime chance. Most expensive trip I ever make in my life, but the experience and good memories will be worth every €. Now me AND my kida are goon „All in !!“
Izsay: My childhood dream came true with my new job at XRAY
Adam, you are working full time at XRAY now since a couple of months. How does it feel to be a part of such an iconic brand and how is live in Trencin for you so far?
It’s been amazing so far to work at XRAY, was my childhood dream to be able to call my hobby my job aswell and the life in Trencin is great also, nice place where i already spent a lot of days before i moved here to live.
The X4`26 seems to be a very strong car. What is your goal for the race in Daun in the very competitive Pro Stock class?
Obviously for Daun my goal is to have a great race in both Pro Stock and Modified classes. The X4’26 has been performing very well so far, and we had a great race with Soren already last weekend at TOS in Augsburg, so i’m looking forward to Daun to race again at the ETS after a long break.
As for most of you guys, 2026 is a world championship year again. What comes into your mind when you think about your last world championship (Gubbio) and what have you learned from this race which you want to do different in China?
We went for the Femca championship back in December to try to be as good prepared for the WC as possible and i’m feeling good for April and looking forward to it eventough we have a lot of other big in front us before that. About the last 2 worlds i have missed out on USA 2024 but i was in Gubbio 2022 in my first year with TC finished 3rd so my goal is to try to improve on that this year in China.
Ronnefalk: “Becoming parents is such an amazing feeling”
Hi David, happy new year! Before we talk about RC, ee would like to congratulate you and your wife on the birth of your son Colin. It must have been a fantastic Christmas and new year`s time at home. How is life so far with him and how do you feel as a father now?
Happy New Year! Thank you so much, it’s been a great Christmas break experiencing the first few weeks of Colin’s life for sure. Both Colin and Johanna are doing well which is the most important and even though it’s still only a few weeks since his birth we have seen a few different phases already. Such a fantastic feeling to become parents, the next step in life!
You had been very fast at last years carpet race in Wiener Neustadt. How confident are you for the race in Daun which is always a tricky one?
The last few weeks I’ve had time to organise and prepare my gear which is an important part of the job in order to go into the race season prepared. I had great speed at the ETS in Wiener Neustadt last year and I’m looking forward to improve on that for the race in Daun this coming weekend. I was already feeling good going into this race last year but unfortunately I had to sit out last minute as I got an infected appendix which needed to be removed. Feeling very good coming into the race this year anyway, especially after the test days we have had together with Alex, Adam, Marc, Pekko and JQ at my track in Sweden. Excited to attend the first carpet race with the X4’26 which has been working great!
As you will do the EOS/ETS double header in Daun, what does your schedule look like afterwards on the way to the IFMAR worlds in China?
Together with Xray we decided to put the focus on Touring Car until the Worlds in China, so that meant I sat out EOS in Daun this past weekend. Of course it’s always tough to skip races you enjoy doing but it’s also not possible to do them all. I prefer to go into the races well prepared and then this decision was the right one for sure. After ETS I will do the TITC in Bangkok, then the team will schedule a test session together in March on asphalt before the tripple header in Wiener Neustadt – 1/12 Worlds – Touring Car Worlds. Looking forward to the racing season to kick off, see you all at the ETS in Daun!
Völker: “I have a lot of confidence after my latest results”
Ronald, before we look onto the biggest indoor race of the season we need to ask: Has it already sunk in that Robert Pietsch will not be on your side anymore? It was an announcement which nobody had expected so it must be kind of a big change for you and the team?
Definitely an unexpected news, by the time it was official, I already had my ideas, goals and mind focussed for all upcoming challenges, but the moment he has told me wasn’t the easiest as many could imagine as he played the major part to my racing program in the last years which I am very thankful about.
Your racing had been going extremely well in the last months. You won the AOC in Korea, the EWS in Essex, and the TOS in Augsburg – a great streak against a strong competition. What do you expect from the ETS race in Daun – a race you could already win two times in the past?
Yes, I got lots of confidence after the AOC in Korea to carry into the indoor season as the last ETS outdoor race started well but didn’t end well, kind of a reset was needed. Daun is always tricky by its track condition, beside of one year, I was always up there to challenge for the win and usually like the differences this event has compared to others.
2026 is a world championship year. How was your trip to then new GDC facility and what can you tell us about it? We also like to know how your feelings are, going back to a worlds in China ten years after you won your worlds title in the same country?
Of course, the memory to win there was huge and still is and I couldn’t be more motivated currently. The testing went very well in the end, but I know of all the Worlds I have attended in the past, the event itself always has different track condition than testing (which is good and fair), different kind of attention and momentum so you need to do the right things in the right moments with a bit of luck on your side, but I’m definitely ready for it!
Sparbier: “Grateful for everything that Robert has done for me!”
Hi Sören, happy new year 2026. Last year was simply amazing for you with two ETS wins and a victory at the TITC. Do you think you can do even better in 2026 – especially when we are looking on the upcoming world championship which will be the first one for you?
Hello everyone, and Happy New Year. The 2025 RC season was amazingly good, and I don’t know yet whether 2026 will be even better, but I hope so, and I will do everything I can to improve. This is my second World Championship; I competed in Gubbio back then, but just to experience it. Now my expectations are a little different than they were back then, and I think I have a good person in Ronald to support me in getting the best possible result. I’m not going to compete in Stock, but in Modified (as I did in Gubbio), and we’ll see what kind of surprise comes out of it.
It seems that you are racing every weekend on all different stages in onroad and offroad. Is this your biggest strength – to just drive and drive as much as you can to further improve your skills?
Yes, I think that driving a lot has brought me a long way to where I am now. I can’t say whether it’s best to drive in so many different classes, but it’s definitely fun, and that’s important. You learn something new everywhere, so it’s not a bad thing.
You are the number one Pro Stock racer from Mugen Seiki right now. In Daun you will once again face a very strong competition. Do you think you can repeat your victory from 2025 and what would that mean to you?
In any case, there is a big focus on another victory, as is the case with every race, of course, but an EST victory is particularly important and would be a good start to the year. I always do better indoors than outdoors, and the training in Augsburg as preparation has already worked wonderfully in Stock and Modified.
Robert Pietsch has left your team. He was a huge help for you, especially on the road to all your big wins. Is there something you like to tell him?
Yes, Robert is unfortunately no longer our helping hand, but he has given us a lot. I now have to do more of the wrenching myself and work hard, but I will do my best. As a sign of gratitude to Robert, I will not be racing in my colors, as I did in the last races, but in his. Just as I did when he was still here. I am very grateful to him for everything he has done for me and will try to implement everything he taught me.
Callens: “It`s my Daun debut so the challenge will be “big like hell”
Hi Remi, we hope you are doing fine and also that you have celebrated Christmas and new year`s eve in style. Did you have had a lot of chances to practice on carpet with the MTC-3 so far?
Since I have the MTC-3 from November 2024 I can say I have had a lot of practices on carpet with full winter season 24/25, then as the platform didn’t change too much, I started 25/26 winter season with a great knowledge in my bag. However I did not practice a lot yet this year, I did only a few races in Longwy with great speed showing and EWS International where I failed with my driving and finding a proper car setup for my driving style I guess. Last « race practice » for me will be in Longwy, one week before ETS, where I need to adjust some things to get fully ready for the battle!
Daun is a huge challenge for everybody with the difficult track, the long days, and the high competition. You have never been in the A-Main at this race if we are not wrong. What kind of target have you set for yourself for the biggest indoor race of the year?
Yes you are right, as I never went there before haha ! It will be my first time competing in Daun and I feel the challenge will be high like hell with all those great guys and the exhausting days incoming. Target on my side always is to make the A-Main and I really look forward to it as this season has been really difficult on my side. I think I lost a bit myself with all the things I do, have to manage, outside RC in my professional/personal life. But I know my package Mugen Seiki MTC-3 / LRP is one the greatest on the market at the moment, so if I can get the confidence on my first run I know I can be competitive during the whole race, I feel ready ! Except the race I expect, and I will, share a lot of good moments with my friends as it’s also why I reach, always well organized, ETS races.
With the MTC-3 looking like a really amazing car, how would you rate Robert Pietsch`s departure from the team, especially with the IFMAR worlds coming up soon?
Indeed, Robert Pietsch made an amazing and outstanding car with MTC-3 platform, from the beginning as the prototype we got was really close (99%) to the commercialized kit in June 2025. But Robert was more than that, he was the team leader with always great communication, great ideas and always kind with everyone. I was shocked when he sent me a message start of December to let me know his departure from Mugen because in my mind he was the one that represented Mugen Seiki the best with 1/10 and 1/8 job he has done. It’s a big loss for the team for sure, especially with the upcoming IFMAR Worlds but I know Ronald can handle it as I trust
Gollner: “My preperation was fucussed on consistency”
Patrick, coming into Daun and knowing that it is the biggest indoor race in Europe – what is your preparation looking like and what do you think you can achieve together with the team?
Coming into Daun you always feel a bit of extra pressure – it’s the biggest indoor race in Europe and the level is insanely high every year. My preparation has been very focused on consistency: a lot of indoor practice, working on driving clean on high-grip carpet, and refining small details like tire management and rhythm over long finals. Together with the team, the goal is to be competitive from the first run and build up step by step. If everything comes together, I believe a solid A-main result is realistic, and on a good weekend even fighting closer to the front.
You are racing for Mugen Seiki for one year now. How would you sum-up your first year with the team and what is your forecast for 2026 with races like the TITC and the IFMAR worlds on schedule for you?
My first year with Mugen Seiki has been very positive overall. I feel more comfortable giving feedback and pushing development now. Robert Pietsch helped me massively in my first season. Especially when it came to car setup, but also to changing my driving style, which is generally very important before every race, including how you prepare yourself mentally and technically. Learning all these things from a different perspective was a real pleasure, and of course I was able to take a lot away from it. He basically brought me to the next level. Looking ahead to 2026, I’m really motivated. Races like TITC are huge goals, and with the experience from this year, I think we can go there much better prepared and aim for strong results.
We have asked Ronald and Sören the same: How did you receive the news of car designer Robert Pietsch leaving Mugen Seiki? He played a key role also for you we guess?
Of course, the news about Robert Pietsch leaving the team was a surprise. He played a very important role in the development of the car, and also for me personally – his technical knowledge and clear explanations helped a lot during my first year. Mugen still has a very strong structure and talented people behind the scenes, and I’m confident the team will continue to move forward. I’m very thankful for what Robert contributed and wish him all the best for the future.
Orlowski: “I had a blast while skiing in the Dolomites”
Hello Michal, how are you? Before we talk about RC racing, we would like to know how you spent your time around Christmas and New Year’s. We saw you skiing on your social media. Where was that, and are you as fast on skis as you are in RC?
Hey, I am feeling great and excited for 2026. I started the year in the best way possible skiing in Dolomites with my girlfriend and her family. Someone called me Marcel Hirscher 🙂
The year 2026 will be another fully packed one for you. Beside the ETS, some of the most important races will be the IFMAR worlds in China, and the famous TITC in Bangkok (which you won last year). How has your practice been going at the worlds track in China and what can you tell us about this place?
There will be plenty of big events this year. The facility in Foshan, China is something I have never seen before nor could have ever imagined. It will be a great race and I am excited for the challenge. The competition will be fierce.
You are leading the Cayote Modified championship here at the ETS and you are very close to win your third consecutive ETS title. How much would that mean to you, showing everybody that you are still the man to beat at the biggest racing series for 1:10 touring cars on the planet?
ETS overall season title is one of the most prestigious titles in our industry, since it showcases the performance on multiple tracks across the whole season. It is a privilege to be in the fight for the win at every single race and I hope I can continue along this path for many more years.
Last question for now: Rumours has it that you are already running a Mi10 prototype? Is that true, and if so, what can you tell customers about a possible release for a new Schumacher touring car?
No comment 🙂
Iivonen: “Tha past year had been amazing for me”
Hi Pekko. How is life going so far? We guess you have a lot of snow in Finland. Are you doing some fun activities there during the wintertime?
Life is great at the moment. I have been doing RC for my living for the past year, and it has been an amazing experience so far! At the moment, there is some snow thankfully, but I don’t have that much time to spend at home as the schedule is already super tight!
You have always been running very strong at the ETS in Daun. Do you like the special shape of the track and the atmosphere in the hall or what is your own secret to do well there?
I mostly run touring car on carpet, so I think that’s why I have been strong there. Also, the car has been working well there (in Daun) every time so that helped a lot too!
You have been testing for the IFMAR worlds with Michal in China. What is the biggest challenge on this huge track. Can you tell us a bit about the conditions there?
I think the biggest challenge is the changing conditions throughout the day and trying to adapt to that. Also driving on asphalt for me is a bit of a learning experience still for me but I think it was already better at the Worlds warmup.
Prümper: “I feel way more confident now with my Schumacher cars”
Welcome to 2026 Yannic. How is it going so far with your family and the company you are running?
Many thanks, I also wish everybody at the ETS a happy new year! Everything is going well! My first son is growing up very fast, while we are expecting my second son. My company is doing well, too. In summary, everything is perfect right now!
Compared to the past, you are racing a bit less. Do you think this has affected your results in the last two seasons a bit?
I need and take a lot of time for my company and family. This is the reason why my RC time is getting a bit shorter and of course it effects also my performance. It‘s very difficult to keep up, especially with the top guys in rc but also I did not feel comfortable with my recent used cars. I am always trying to use every possible freetime to practice for RC and make the best of it.
You are running for Schumacher now. How satisfied are you with the car and what do you expect from yourself at the ETS in Daun?
I‘m getting more and more used to the car and finally find my own setup‘s. In the beginning, I just copied Michals setup which doesnt really work for my aggresive driving style. After I practiced more and working to find a suitable setup for my driving style, I‘m feeling way more confident with my Schumacher cars!
Murray: “We like to give more attention on the stock classes!”
Andy, another important year of Rc racing is picking up the pace. You have signed up for the Pro Stock class in Daun. What do you expect from the race with it`s tricky conditions?
The modified class is as competitive as ever, however, as stated Schumacher have historically been a little less competitive in Pro Stock. My entry reflects having a little more attention in the class, testing in these conditions offers the best possible conditions to learn. About my own race, I have no idea, the class and race is super competitive, so I have no real expectations. I hope to have fun and learn some useful things.
Schumacher was the most winning brand in the last two seasons at the ETS – but only in Modified. You are involved very closely with the team. The car seems to be very good, but what is the reason there is mostly no Schumacher top 5 driver in the Pro Stock class.
It is true we don’t have a huge team of top Pro Stock drivers; we have however made the podium in the final carpet race of last season with a great drive from Mark Valent and Andreas Stiebler made the A main at the last round in Luxembourg. Hopefully we can continue to grow our Pro Stock team and show some great form in Daun with these guys and some others too!
You will be involved a lot in Michal Orlowski`s road to the world championship. You have worked together with him at countless big races. What do you think about all his improvements throughout the last years?
It has always been a pleasure to work together with Michal as we grow, gaining knowledge and fighting to become competitive for many years. So much needed to be learned and improved. Michal has always been fast, it has made me proud and so happy to see his recent success, having been working together with him and his father, since Michal was still a kid.
Are you nervous when you have wrenched on his car and then putting it down on the grid? How difficult is it for you to watch thrilling races from the side line?
I am always nervous when the race is unfolding, but that is true if i directly wrench on a car or not. We are a team and any mistake by any of us is felt the same by all of us, not forcing blame, just needing to learn and improve for the next race and try to get over any disappointment in the best way possible.
Coelho (Inf1nity): “It was a year of big changes and a lot of learning”
Hi Bruno, how are you? We hope that you had a great start into the new year. Your old teammate Alex Hagberg told us that he had Bacalhau “com natas” as Christmas dinner. Which Portuguese speciality was on your table during Christmas?
All fine, thank you, and I hope the same for you. What Alex had is really good, and in Portugal it is very traditional to eat bacalhau (codfish), during Christmas. We have many different ways to prepare it, and “Bacalhau com natas” is probably my favorite. This year I had “Cabrito assado no forno”, which translates to oven roasted kid goat. It is also a very traditional dish for Christmas in Portugal, and it is something we usually enjoy with the family on special occasions.
Well, 2025 was a year full of changes for you. You left Xray to join Infinity and it was a year full of hard work. In the end you celebrated a huge win at the ETS in Luxembourg which must have meant a lot to you. How would you sum-up your first full year with Infinity?
It was definitely a year of big changes and a lot of learning. Joining Infinity meant adapting to a new environment, new people, and a different way of working, and it required a lot of dedication from everyone involved. Winning the ETS in Luxembourg was a very special moment for me, as it confirmed that the hard work was going in the right direction. Overall, I would describe my first full year with Infinity as very demanding, very motivating, and extremely positive from a long term perspective.
You are not on the entry list for the ETS in Daun and we have not seen you hitting carpet during the winter. You also told us that you will completely skip the carpet season. Can you tell our ETS fans and spectators what is the reason behind it going into the world championship season?
This decision was mainly based on focus and long term planning. With the World Championship coming up, I felt it was important to fully concentrate on outdoor racing and preparation on asphalt, which is where the Worlds will be held. Skipping the carpet season allows me to invest my time and energy into testing, development, and preparation that is more directly connected to the goals for this season. It is not an easy choice, as I enjoy racing carpet, but my main focus now is asphalt.
You have been at the FEMCA race to prepare for the IFMAR worlds and won it. How was the time in China at this facility and what can you tell us about the whole experience in Foshan?
The time in China was very positive. The GDC facility in Foshan is impressive, and the organizers did a great job with the event. Racing at the FEMCA was an excellent opportunity to understand the track, the conditions, and the overall environment ahead of the IFMAR World Championship. The experience was valuable both on and off the track. It allowed us to test, learn, and adapt, and the win was a great bonus that confirmed we are working in the right direction. Overall, it was a very productive and motivating trip.
Brunet (RC Maker): “We are pushing extremley hard to develop the best possible car”
Hello Antoine, how has your start to 2026 been so far, and how have you been preparing for the ETS in Daun with your RC Maker SP-1? What result would you be satisfied with after the race?
The start of the new season looks very promising. Over the last few months, we’ve made a clear step forward in car performance, so I’m really looking forward to being in Daun to see where we stand competitively.
The RC Maker team is around for one year now and you are involved from the very first minute. How would you sum up 2025 for the brand and the car platform and what do you expect to happen in 2026?
The 2025 season has brought some strong positives, but also a few challenges. We unexpectedly lost several drivers, which reduced the amount of data available and inevitably impacted our race results. Despite that, Ryan and the team have been pushing extremely hard to develop the best possible car as quickly as we can. As a team, we’ve learned a huge amount—everything was completely new for us, and that experience has made us stronger.
We talked to many other drivers about the upcoming big events like ETS Wiener Neustadt, TITC, and finally the IFMAR worlds in Foshan and the Euros in Luxembourg. Will you attend all these races in 2026 or did you have to pick some of them to fit in your life schedule?
Looking ahead, 2026 is shaping up to be very exciting, with many races across Europe and several events worldwide. I’m confident in our development direction and have full trust in Ryan and the work he’s doing for the future. There are also a lot of exciting developments coming soon for RC Maker, as well as for our new brand, INOV8 Our goal is to compete in all races leading up to the World Championship. That’s our main goal, and we’re fully committed to giving everything to reach the top .
