Check out the latest ETS News of season #14 2021/22 and learn more about the changes that will come up.
Visit our YouTube Channel to get more information.
English Version: https://youtu.be/dB6VH997rk0
Deutsche Version: https://youtu.be/nLVNb9zpXFo
ETS & EOS Cancelled RD4 Season #13 2020/21 Daun, GER
As this crazy 2020 year draws to close, everyone is keen to know about our 2021 events. Of course, most importantly, we continue to look at all the government advice, and the rules that are in place throughout Europe – the different countries we race in and where our many racers come from.
The next event we had hoped to bring you were our EOS and ETS races in wonderful Daun at the Sportresort Grafenwald. We had already agreed that we would look at the situation in mid-December and make a decision on these events then. We have now met with the hotel management team and we do not see it being possible for us to have big events like this in January and February.
So, we have made another tough decision for us all, to cancel now the EOS and ETS events in Daun. As always – we don’t like to make these decisions, but with the restrictions in place in Germany now on events, and with the rules around Europe for travel, we also have to think of everyone’s health.
We keep on hoping that there is a light ahead, and so we can at least make the next plans now. We now plan our next ETS event on the Easter weekend of 2 to 5 April at the famous Mülheim-Kärlich sportshall in Germany, and the next EOS event 16 to 18 April at the wonderful Hudy Arena in Slovakia. Of course, we will keep watching the rules as we plan for these events and give you more news in early 2021.
In the meantime, we hope you all stay safe and have a wonderful Christmas time, however it might be possible to celebrate it in this very different year. We hope to see you all soon!
Euro RC Series – End Of 2020 “Review”
As we approach December and the end of 2020, it would be normal for us to look back on our races throughout the year and think about all the wonderful events we have held. But, as you know, 2020 has certainly not been normal at all – for any part of life, and especially our international RC races.
First, we have to say a massive thank you to all the clubs, tracks and facilities throughout Europe who have worked with us through these incredibly difficult times. We of course have had to change schedules around, postpone or cancel races, and also look at new ways to hold events. To all the venues that have worked with us this year (and whether we got to race with you or not), we are very grateful for all the work. If it was holding events in the ETS, EOS or ENS championships, no decisions for anyone were easy, and we know that so many places worked so much with their local governments, all their club officials and the changing rules with one goal in mind – to give racers the safest and best opportunities to take part.
Secondly, we must thank all of our amazing sponsors. These companies support each of our three series of events, and for sure we know that 2020 has been really difficult for them as businesses too. But still, they have stuck with us and that gave us the opportunities to put together the races we have done. It is really great that these fantastic companies continue to be our friends and have the same goal as us: to make the best races possible, whatever the situations!
And finally, but most importantly, to all our racers. We know it has been difficult as we have changed the schedules, and had to make special rules and procedures. We have to change things because of the rules in each country we visit, but the travel between them too. We are all united by our love of RC racing, whether it is electric or nitro powered, on-road or off-road. And, with everything else that takes place, we thank you all for working with us this year and hope that you have all enjoyed what we have been able to make happen in 2020. The families we have in our ETS, EOS and ENS championships are really amazing, and we thank you all for however you have supported us this year!
Of course, we’re sure you want to know what will happen next… and of course, you know that we can’t answer that right now! We all will continue to hope that the situation improves throughout Europe and the world, and we can start to get back to ‘normal’ and our races soon. We will always keep working on our events, and let you know as soon as there is any news at all.
Above all, please stay safe, and we look forward to all meeting again soon!
Uwe, Scotty, Oli and all the ETS, EOS and ENS Orga Teams
ETS Announcement RD4 Season #13 2020/21 Mühlheim-Kärlich, GER
Although the sun seems to have only just set on a gret event in Andernach, we need to look ahead to our next race in Mulheim Karlich, Germany!
At the moment, the government in this part of Germany allows events of up to 250 people indoors. Our normal indoor ETS events go way beyond this, so we have had to come up with a new solution for this race. So, the race will be held in TWO PARTS.
>>PART ONE – Thursday 15 & Friday 16 October
For Modified, Pro Stock and Formula Classes. We will have a maximum of 14 groups (150 entries). Thursday will be Practice and Qualifying, and Friday Qualifying and Finals, finished by 18:30 on Friday evening
>>PART TWO – evening Friday 16, Saturday 17 & Sunday 18 October.
For FWD, Stock 17.5 and Masters. We will have a maximum of 18 groups (200 entries). Practice will start 19:00 on Friday. Saturday is the rest of Practice, then Qualifying, and Sunday Finals, finished by 17:00 on Sunday.
Hopefully you can all understand this is the only way we can find to make this event possible and still have as many of you as possible part of our ETS atmosphere!
ENTRIES OPEN 20:00 TOMORROW (TUESDAY 29 SEPTEMBER). Please be ready to make your entries then!
(Of course, as always, things might change with any new rules or regulations from the government. But we do all we can to make our ETS event happen and give you all a great race!)
Make your entry here.
Volker Victorious As ETS Gets Back On Track
The Euro Touring Series (ETS) finally got back underway last weekend, after the Coronavirus situation forced the delay to the 2020 season. The newly re-surfaced and re-configured Arena 33 circuit in Andernach, Germany, was the host for the return of the famous series and attracted around 200 entries – impressive given the situation and the travel restrictions that continue to affect events in Europe.
In the Modified class, Yokomo’s Ronald Volker took the first two rounds of qualifying, putting him in a strong position early on. The German driver led Q1 ahead of Awesomatix’s Lucas Urbain and Xray’s Bruno Coelho, whilst Q2 saw second and third places reversed as Urbain showed his intention to challenge the “big three” at this event. Marc Rheinard took the challenge to Ronald in Q3 to get his event back on track, the Tonisport/Awesomatix driver leading Volker and Coelho in the round. Q4 would then decide pole position between the two German rivals, but it was Urbain who took his first ever ETS round TQ to lead, leaving Rheinard in second and Alexander Hagberg having his best result in third. This left Volker on pole, ahead of Rheinard, Urbain, Coelho and Hagberg.
A1 saw a battle between Volker and Rheinard, as the top two starters pulled a small gap out and left Urbain and Coelho to fight for third. Rheinard kept the pressure on Volker, but as the race entered the final third, Rheinard started to drop back a little and gave Volker a small gap which allowed him to focus on controlling the pace until the end of the run. The top four finished in grid order, with Yannic Prumper (Awesomatix) coming from ninth on the grid to take fifth. A2 once again saw Rheinard applying pressure to the pole-position started, but this time Urbain stuck with the German drivers and looked like he could challenge Rheinard. However, one minute into the race, the Frenchman’s challenge came to an end, rolling his car and dropping back through the field. From this point, it was a similar story to A1, with Rheinard keeping the pressure on Volker, but ultimately not quite being close enough to challenge for the win. Behind, Urbain’s mistake promoted Coelho and Hagberg into third and fourth respectively, the two Xray drivers finishing up around one and a half seconds behind the leading pair, with Schumacher’s Michal Orlowski making up a place to finish fifth. The win here gave Volker the overall victory at the event, backing up his victory from the previous ETS in Daun and solidifying his lead in the championship.
A3 would then decide the rest of the podium and again, the cars circulated in grid order with everyone being so evenly matched on pace at the front there were little opportunities for passes. Rheinard ran out the winner, securing second overall, ahead of Urbain who would complete the overall podium.
MODIFIED A FINAL RESULTS
1 Ronald Volker – Yokomo/LRP
2 Marc Rheinard – Awesomatix/Muchmore
3 Lucas Urbain – Awesomatix/Orca
4 Bruno Coelho – Xray/Hobbywing
5 Alexander Hagberg – Xray/Hobbywing
6 Michal Orlowski – Schumacher/LRP
7 Yannic Prumper – Awesomatix/Maclan
8 Christopher Krapp – Yokomo/Racing Performer
9 Antoine Brunet – Awesomatix/Muchmore
10 Marco Kaufmann – Xray/Muchmore
11 Viktor Wilck – Infinity/Dash
In the Pro Stock class, it was tight at the top as always with four different drivers taking each round of qualifying. Frederik Mikkelsen took Q1, ahead of fellow Danish driver Kevin Nielsen, before Q2 saw Simon Lauter then take control, beating out Alexandre Duchet for the best time. Q3 went the way of Max Machler, with Lauter in second place, whilst Q4 had Duchet with the win and Nielsen in second. Adding up the points and looking through the tie breaks, Duchet secured pole position, lining up ahead of Lauter, Mikkelsen, Machler and Nielsen.
In the finals, Duchet led the way and took the wins in both A1 and A2 to secure an early overall win. Lauter had a battle with team-mate Machler in Leg 1, but ultimately held on for second place, before staying closer to Duchet in Leg 2, but still not close enough to deny the French driver the win. Lauter took the win in Leg 3 to confirm second overall, with Machler rounding out the overall podium.
PRO STOCK A FINAL RESULTS
1 Alexandre Duchet – Xray
2 Simon Lauter – Awesomatix
3 Max Machler – Awesomatix
4 Kevin Nielsen – Xray
5 Casper Lund – Awesomatix
6 Lukas Ellerbrock – Xray
7 Fabian Bucher – Awesomatix
8 Frederik Mikkelsen – Awesomatix
9 Alex Kunkler – Yokomo
10 Tim Benson – Xray
11 Lars Hoppe – ARC
In the Formula class, the battle at the front was between Infinity’s Jitse Miedema, who set the pace in the first and fourth rounds of qualifying, and Jacques Libar, using his own Libar Engineering prototype car, who went fastest in Q2 and Q3. Coming down to the tie break, Libar would start on pole position thanks to setting a faster time. Andreas Stiebler was the only other driver who looked close to the leading pair and would start third on the grid with his Serpent.
The first final saw Libar struggling to get off the line after starting on the dirty side of the grid, immediately dropping him to the back and allowing Miedema to a comfortable lead. Behind, Dominik Reile came through to take second ahead of Stiebler. In A2, Libar had a much better start and led the field. On the third lap, Miedema hit a curb awkwardly and took himself out of the race. This meant Stiebler was promoted into second, which he would hold until the end, and David Ehrbar, who had a qualifying to forget, moved into third by the end. The final leg showdown saw Libar lead again, but an excellent pass from Miedema on the long sweeper saw the Dutch driver take the lead. Libar continued to run close in second, but wasn’t able to get close enough to challenge to take the lead back. This allowed Miedema to take the win and his second overall ETS vicory, with Libar taking the runner up spot and Stiebler completing the podium.
FORMULA A FINAL RESULTS
1 Jitse Miedema
2 Jacques Libar
3 Andreas Stiebler
4 David Ehrbar
5 Dominik Reile
6 Soren Sparbier
7 Andy Murray
8 Max Weffers
9 James Hart
10 Herbert Webber
11 Michael Lee
The Masters class saw domination once again from Alexander Stocker. The German driver took three of the qualifying rounds to secure pole position, and then led the first two A Finals to take a comfortable victory. Behind, Christian Driessle lined up second on the grid, but Caspar Morgen came through from fourth to take second overall, with Nathan Parker completing the podium after starting fifth.
MASTERS A FINAL RESULTS
1 Alexander Stocker
2 Caspar Morgen
3 Nathan Parker
4 Christian Driessle
5 Thomas Oehler
6 Frank Fuchs
7 Mirco Thalheimer
8 Gregor Konig
9 Werner Schmitzer
10 Dave Lunenburg
11 Christian Grabher
Front Wheel Drive was the biggest class of the weekend, with 50 entries. Stefan Schulz led the way in qualifying, starting on pole ahead of Kevin Sparbier and Jonas Volker. In the finals, Schulz took the win in Leg 1, before Sparbier came back to take Leg 2. The final leg showdown then went the way of Schulz to allow him to take the overall win, with Sparbier and Volker completing the podium.
FRONT WHEEL DRIVE A FINAL RESULTS
1 Stefan Schulz
2 Kevin Sparbier
3 Jonas Volker
4 Henrik Heitsch
5 Steven Olsen
6 Jesper Rasmussen
7 Patrick Muller
8 Jacques Libar
9 Torsten Baggendorf
10 Manuel Stankowitz
11 Nathan Parker
Finally, in the 17.5 Stock class, Thomas Bemmerl secured pole position ahead of Alexander Muller and Joachim Altenhof. In the finals, despite Muller’s best efforts, Bemmerl took A1 and A2 for the overall win. Muller had to settle for second place, with Daniel Pohlmann taking third place as Altenhof dropped to fourth.
17.5 STOCK A FINAL RESULTS
1 Thomas Bemmerl
2 Alexander Muller
3 Daniel Pohlmann
4 Joachim Altenhof
5 Sven Zietlow
6 Domenic Grabher
7 Dominik Ruf
8 Manuel Stankowitz
9 Maximilian Unterschutz
10 Torsten Baggendorf
11 Wolfgang Hossle
With the series now looking to extend into early 2021, the next event is due to take place indoors in October in Muelheim Kaerlich, Germany.
Full Results available at: https://www.myrcm.ch/myrcm/main?pLa=en&dFi=andernach&dId[E]=52034&hId[1]=search#
ETS Picture Galley RD3 Season #13 2020/21 Andernach, GER
ETS Round 3 Picture Gallery update. Fascinating photos by rc-cars-pics. Have a look at them on our website here
ETS Drivers Briefing RD3 Season #13 2020/21 Andernach, GER
It’s time to get underway! As we can’t do the drivers meeting on the track, please pay attention to this video which covers all the important points for the weekend!
Watch the video in full length here.
ETS Livestream RD3 Season #13 2020/21 Andernach, GER
We are LIVE in Andernach!
Video Livestream from Friday till Sunday.
Please visit and subscribe to the EURO RC SERIES Youtube Channel!
Interview With Ollie Bultynck (Team Awesomatix) From Belgium
Coming up now in our series of interviews with our ETS Family we go to Belgium and one of their best on-road drivers, Ollie Bultynck!
ETS:
Hi Ollie! How are you? How are you doing in these crazy times?
Ollie:
Hi, All is ok we are safe but it’s getting worse again and rules are getting stricter again as well.
ETS:
As we know that things are different all across Europe (and the world), can you explain how things are for you in Belgium with restrictions and your view on the COVID-19 situation?
Ollie:
Well with the rules getting stricter again its coming close to maybe a second lockdown here as the virus is getting worse again also to go practice RC is very difficult here and no races allowed here at my local track.
With the situation getting worse again I understand that they are getting stricter but they were to late in the beginning to hold off the virus.
ETS:
Going back to the times before the virus now… where in Belgium do you live? What is it like living there? What are the highlights of your area?
Ollie:
I live in Izegem close to Roeselare and Kortrijk, West-Flanders. It’s good to live here, it’s a city that lives but also have a lot of calm. Everything is near, also not far from the sea.
ETS:
So you’re not a full-time RC racer, what is it you do for a job? Do you enjoy that?
Ollie:
I work for VDL Bus & Coach Roeselare, we build new electric city busses. It’s a challenging job.
ETS:
You’ve been involved in RC racing for quite a long time now. When did you get started, and when did you join the ETS series the first time?
Ollie:
I started I think at the age of 6 years, because of my dad. He was already racing RC Cars and I wanted to try it also so I got a car from my dad for my birthday. I think I joined ETS 8 years ago.
ETS:
What are your best memories of the times when you first started in RC, or maybe first started going to bigger races?
Ollie:
The best memories are for sure the fun I had with my dad on and off the track. Just to have a hobby and passion with my dad was the best. My first big race was the Tamiya Euro Finals in Portugal when I was 16 years old where I met Uwe, Ronald, Steven Weiss and Cyril N’Daiye. Finished P12 there I think.
ETS:
Every year, it seems the competition, particularly in the Pro Stock class, gets stronger. You’ve had some great results both at ETS races and of course in Belgium. How do you think things have changed in the recent years?
Ollie:
Well first of all it’s a good thing that the level is getting higher, it also pushes me to become better. The biggest changes for me are the LiPo, brushless and gear diff that made a huge change. Before you had to prep your brushed motor and diff every run and you had to drive safe and smooth to have 5min runtime with the 5cells. Now you can punch full 5 minutes without runtime problems. You only have to take care of the tires.
ETS:
If we remember right, you have raced both Modified and Stock classes in Belgium. But you focus on Pro Stock and Formula classes for our ETS races. How do you compare all the different classes of racing? Might we see you do more Modified racing soon?
Ollie:
In Belgium I run Modified and Formula, in ETS I run Modified and Formula. But sometimes Pro-Stock and I had good pace in Pro-Stock so I focussed on Pro-Stock and Formula. Modified is nice because of the power but was a little expensive with the crazy new tires every run. Not sure if I will do more Modified racing in the future.
ETS:
Of course everyone has their own opinions of RC racing always. Let’s hear some of yours – what do you think are the best and worst things about RC racing right now?
Ollie:
Best things are for sure to meet the team and friends from all over the world and to do it with my dad together. The fun in the pits is the best. The worst things are the money it costs, but ok it’s in all hobbies the same, on high level it costs money.
ETS:
What’s the best race you’ve been to? It might not be one where you had the best result, but one you really enjoyed being at?
Ollie:
For me it was the Tamiya Euro Finals in Portugal Estoril, was really nice race and no stress for me there at all just enjoyed being there. Also the Hotrace Cup from Nicola is one of the best most relaxing races I have been to.
ETS:
Thinking now of going back to racing, how much have you been able to go to the track recently? Are you looking forward to some more practicing and racing soon? What is your local track?
Ollie:
I had almost 0 time to go practice as I am working in my new house and will move to it soon. Also my local track has been closed some time due to Covid, but I hope to go practicing soon. My local track is the new track from RCR (Racing Club Roeselare). An amazing new track, the best in Belgium at the moment.
ETS:
Once we are back racing again, what track or tracks are there that you really wish to visit one day?
Ollie:
I really like to go to Yatabe Arena in my career and I want to go back to race at the Luxembourg track, one of the best tracks in the world to me.
ETS:
Have you got anyone in RC that you look or looked up to?
Ollie:
There are some I look up to. For sure Mr. Masami Hirosaka with all what he has achieved is amazing. Also Mr MR33 Marc Rheinard is one of the best RC racers in the world. He has that thing when it matters he can drive above 100%, that’s amazing. And I also look up to Ronald Volker. No matter what track or race, he is always on pace and fighting for the win.
ETS:
Thinking back on all of your time in RC, what moment are you most proud of? And what moment are you perhaps most disappointed with?
Ollie:
I think my most proud moment was last year’s ETS Apeldoorn. There I could confirm my pace after winning the EC at Hudy arena. My daughter was also with me in Apeldoorn and she was so happy to come with me to the podium. This was my best feeling to see my daughter so happy. I also have some disappointing moments, but that’s what makes the proud moments special.
ETS:
Thank you for talking with us! As always – we give finally a chance for you to thank or mention anyone you didn’t already. We look forward to seeing you soon again at a race!
Ollie:
I really want to thank my dad and family for all the support and time they invested in me to be where I am right now. Also for sure my Sponsors and teammates, without them it wouldn’t have been possible.
So a huge thanks to all of them for all there support, help, thrust and the fun on and off the track!
