Toni Mateo (ES) is the new champion of the ToniSport 40+ Masters class. Toni only raced in this class in three out of five races, but in the end his strong results earned him the overall ETS title ahead of Caspar Morgen (DK) and Ulrich Dinger (DE). We talked to Toni Mateo, who lives on the beautiful island of Gran Canaria, and asked him about his great ETS season!
ETS – Hello Toni, thank you for taking some time to sit down here with us. The first question is very simple: You are the new ETS champion of the ToniSport 40+ Masters class. How does it feel to win your first ETS title?
TM – Hello guys, thanks for having me, that is really cool! To be honest, right now I am super happy with my overall win this season. It was not easy and I didn`t expect it but now I am even more motivated for the next races!
ETS – You started to race in the 40+ Masters class at RD3 in Apeldoorn this season. You only needed three races to win the title – that was a really good performance. Did you expect to have a chance for the title after you didn`t race in this class at the first two races at Arena33?
TM – I was not thinking about the overall ranking list – I just went race by race to see what will happen. The level in the 40+ Masters class at the ETS is super good, so I was not sure if I could fight for race wins. But in the end it turned out very fine for me!
ETS – The 40+ Masters class was very competitive this season and a lot of drivers looked strong. Especially Caspar Morgen was constantly fast all season. How was it to race against all these experienced drivers?
TM – To race against all these guys was really tough. A lot of drives are very fast. Especially Caspar Morgen and Ulrich Dinger had been very strong on carpet. I remember the second A-Main in Daun for example. Caspar was all over me and attacked me while always driving fair and clean. I was in full defence mode and got the job done. Races like this are the reason why we all love RC racing so much.
ETS – Toni, you are living on the Canary Islands (Gran Canaria) which most people know as beautiful holiday destinations. Tell us a little bit about RC racing there. How many people are racing RC cars on Gran Canaria for example?
TM – We have a small community of RC racers here on Gran Canaria. But I think we have some very talented drivers here and I hope that some of them will join us at the ETS in the next season!
ETS – When you need RC car stuff, do you always have to order these things from the mainland or is there kind of an RC Shop on the Canary Islands as well?
TM – I know Toni Rheinard from ToniSport since he was a 13-year-old kid. I order most of my stuff from his shop and his service is the best I have ever seen – so thanks for that man! We have a small RC shop here on Gran Canaria, but they don`t sell a lot of high-end RC products. They focus more on the entry lever car kits, which is also very good!
ETS – In the years 2012 and 2013, the ETS had two races on your home ground – on the outdoor track in Telde / Gran Canaria. Is the track still existing?
TM – Yes of course, thr track is still there and provides even better grip now. We will have a lot of races on this track this year again. It is still a very nice track and we always do everything to keep it in good conditions!
ETS – How often do you practice? Is it correct that you are the owner of a carpet indoor track?
TM – My family owns a hall here in Gran Canaria which we are using as a permanent indoor carpet track. There we have our small club, and we are organizing a lot of club races for everybody here!
ETS – You always must fly to the ETS races. Do you enjoy that, or would you like the ETS coming back to Gran Canaria for a race one day?
TM – Flying to the races is something normal for me after all these years. But I would really like to have another ETS race here in the future. It was so cool to see all the drivers coming to my home island. When it will ever happen again in the future, we all would be super motivated to make it an awesome event!
ETS – Thank you very much for this nice interview, Toni. We are very happy to call you a member of the ETS family and we are looking forward to seeing you again in the next season!
TM – Thanks to everybody at the ETS for the nice season. I am super motivated for next season, and I can feel now that I need to race again 😊!
The new FWD champion of ETs Season #14 is Xray driver Stefan Schulz. He had a fantastic season at the ETS and earned himself a well-deserved title in the hard fought FWD class. We are happy that Stefan was able to sit down for answering some questions in our ETS Champions Interview!
ETS – Hello Stefan, thank you talking to us today. You are the new champion of the Hobbywing Frontwheel class at the ETS. The FWC class was the biggest class this season – how does it feel to call yourself “ETS champion” now?
Stefan– Hey Patrick, it’s unbelievable. I worked a lot for this title, but still can‘t believe I finally won it.
ETS – We saw a very intense fight between yourself, Steven Olsen, Mischa Kroos, Jonas Völker and others during the season. How was it to race with all these good drivers and especially with Steven Olsen all the time?
Stefan – Yes it was very hard with these guys. Steven had a very strong pace on the first 3 races of the season, but I had a bit more flawless driving which is the “secret” in FWD. Mischa showed his great potential in the Netherlands. What a pace! But I think he had a bit too much respect about the corner entering to the straight. The curb is very heavy.
At the beginning of the carpet Saison, Marvin Fritschler showed a strong driving line, even stronger than me. Nevertheless, I was able to catch the victory from him in Neumünster.
ETS – You also had a strong finish in Season #13 2019/20 where you won the third and last race at Arena33. Did you expect such an enormous success before the start of Season #14 2021/22, or was it kind of a surprise for yourself to be in a position that allowed you to fight for the title after the first two races?
Stefan – I think I was on a good starting pace. I drove a lot between the Season on my track and beside. I knew it would get very close, so yes, I was really confident going into the new season!
ETS – You showed a great pace in all races of last season. You finished third in the first race and afterwards you won three races in a row. How much practice or testing was needed to achieve these strong results?
Stefan – Before we drove the 2nd time at Arena 33, we tested a lot. The weekend before and in the week of ETS RD3 we drove to the Netherlands and trained there. For RD4 in Neumünster I drove to the TOS right before, and the guys were so fast that I could only finish in 3rd place. After that, I tested a lot and it was worth it!
ETS – The FWD cars are looking really cool on track, and the high number of entries are showing the popularity of this class right now. What do you like the most about FWD racing?
Stefan – I like the FWD driving style the most. Lots of people think you have to drive with full power in the corner, but if you miss the perfect line, you will lose a lot of time. It’s faster to catch the ideal line on the Track and sometimes to go of power.
ETS – What was your favourite race of the last ETS season and why?
Stefan – The 4th race in Neumünster, because a lot of people told me, that I have a chance of 0% for the win with that car, and that the Awesomatix would be a lot faster. With this victory I showed them that it WAS possible.
ETS – A couple of weeks ago, you had been in the United States with your friends and teammates from Xray. Tell us a little bit about your experiences and what you think about a race like the Snowbirds Nationals?
Stefan – It was amazing. It was my second time in the States but my first ever RcC car race. The Snowbirds is not a race as usual. It‘s the only event, where oval and road are driven together. We drove from 5am to 4pm, and oval drove from 5pm to 4am. It was really crazy! The people in America are so nice and very helpful. Overall I can just recommend it!
ETS – As you raced in the United States, we saw Mein Niemann taking a strong win at ETS RD5 in Daun. What do you think about his performance, and do you think you would have been able to stop him in Daun?
Stefan – He was really, really fast at this weekend. I think the question is difficult to answer, because in Neumünster I was faster than Meik. The track size and the location play a major role. All I can say is, at the next Race we will see who the winner will be 😉
ETS – When somebody would like to meet you on track, where are the best chances to see Stefan Schulz practicing. What are your closest Indoor and Outdoor tracks?
Stefan – Normally I’m practicing on the Race-Events. In the week I‘m working a lot and spend the time with my girlfriend. Sometimes I’m driving in my local Club 1.MRC e.V. and the TSV. They are both located in Berlin.
ETS – Will you try to defend your FWD title next season, or will we see you changing to one of the touring car classes in the future?
Stefan – Yes, I will defend my first FWD title and I will start in the Xray Pro Stock touring car class as well. It will take a lot of time to attack, but I also want to attack in Stock at some point.
ETS – One question about the Euro Touring Series in general: What, in your opinion, makes the ETS so attractive for so many people around the world?
Stefan – First of all it is a very high competition as all of the drivers are very experienced and well prepared. Another factor is, that the race series takes place in many countries (when there is no pandemic going on)!
ETS – Stefan, thank you for your answers and your time. We wish you best of luck for the rest of 2022 and we hope to meet you soon on track. Thank you for being a part of our ETS family. The last words belong to you!
Stefan – Thank you for the interview. Also thanks to the ETS Media team for the coverage on, and beside the Track! We see us at the next race 🙂
Thomas Bemmerl – ETS Orca 17.5 Stock Champion, Season #14 2021/22
Thomas Bemmerl is our newly crowned champion of the Orca 17.5 Stock class. He won three out of 5 races this season – a great performance. We took the chance to talk with Thomas about his way to his first ever ETS title!
ETS – Hello Thomas, great to have you here with us for a little Interview. You had an amazing Season at the ETS, and you walked away with the overall championship title in the Orca 17.5 Stock class. How does it feel to be an official ETS champion?
TB – Hi, and first of all – thank you for the congratulations! I am feeling really good and I am very happy about my result on one side, but on the other side I am sad that the season is finished now. For me, it was a long journey from Andernach to Daun.
ETS – With your strong win at the race of the penultimate ETS Season #13 (at Arena33), you already gained a lot of attention. You took the win from pole position ahead of Daniel Pöhlmann who won the overall title at the end of this short season (with only three races). Was it your target to go for the overall championship in Season #14 2021/22 after this strong result?
TB – With my win at this race, I achieved a long-awaited goal. After that I had to define a new overall target and I thought “let`s go for the title”. But to win this title in my first complete ETS season is still unbelievable!
ETS – At Arena33, you took three consecutive race wins. What is the secret behind your success at this location in Andernach where you looked so dominant?
TB – To be honest, it is not a secret that I was practicing a lot at Arena33. I like the track layout and the whole facility a lot. I packed my RC stuff in my Sprinter on almost every weekend and drove to Arena33 to have a great time there. The confidence I gained in these practice sessions helped me a lot during the ETS races!
ETS – After your strong performances at the start of Season #14 2021/22, no one had any doubts that you would win the overall title at the end of the season. But then, Dominik Reile was able to win ETS RD3 in Apeldoorn (Netherlands). He was very fast there, and it seemed that a new title contender was in the mix. What did this result change in your approach for the upcoming indoor races?
TB – Of course, at first it annoyed me a bit that my winning streak was over after the race in Apeldoorn. But shortly after, I started to practice even more. With knowing about the next races to be on carpet, I tried everything to be prepared as good as possible. That was also a reason for me to race at the TOS race in Neumünster before the ETS race at this venue. I just wanted to not miss out any chance to gain an advantage!
ETS – In Neumünster we saw a very thrilling race in the Orca 17.5 Stock class. Daniel Pöhlmann was in a very good form, and Jan Gehrig was in the mix for the overall win. In the end, you nailed it and took the overall win with Dominik Reile finishing fourth overall. Would you say that your win in Neumünster was well deserved – or a little lucky as well?
TB – In my opinion, you always need a bit of luck to win a race at the ETS. The competition is so high and there are so many good drivers who can win. Everybody who is constantly running in the top 5 deserves to win an ETS race at least.
ETS – Even with three race wins on your side, it took until the fifth round in Daun to decide the overall championship to your favour. As soon as it was clear that we will not see a sixth and final ETS race of Season #14 2021/22, your title was safe, and you could celebrate it. Dominik Reile took the win in Daun and booked his second win of the season, and with a possible RD6 we would have seen an amazing showdown between both of you. Are you happy or sad about the fact that we have not been able to see this thrilling season final?
TB – Well, I have a crying and a laughing eye. On one hand, this season ending is easier on my nerves – but on the other hand, it would have been a lot of fun to go into a thrilling final to fight for the overall ETS title with Dominik.
ETS – At the end of every season, the winner always deserved his championship title. No matter if we saw three, four, five or six races in total! Have you practiced a lot between all these ETS races to know that you are in a good shape and your driving being on point? Or are you that kind of racer who only can show his full potential during big race events?
TB – I practiced a lot to see where I can gain that little bit of extra speed. With knowing that also Daniel (Pöhlmann) and Dominik (Reile) were practicing very often, I just needed to do a little bit more to stay on top!
ETS – If we are not completely wrong, you are not racing at the ETS since many years. What and where have you raced before, ad what was the reason for you to finally attend some ETS races?
TB – Before I raced my first ETS, I only drove for fun with an old Xray car on carpet during wintertime. My main class until then was 1:5 scale which I always did during the summertime with my brother and my father. In Autumn 2018 I bought an Awesomatix car to practice more seriously during the wintertime. Shortly after that, Michael Koos and others asked me to join them at the ETS in Daun (2019). On our way home after the race, I told them that I would like to race at the ETS frequently now. I wanted to see if it would be possible to win a race at the ETS at some day!
ETS – Will we see you running in the Orca 17.5 Stock class next season again to defend your title, or are you planning to change your racing class?
TB – Yes, I will change the class and my decision is made. I will start in the Pro Stock class during Season #15 and I have set myself some goals. Let`s see if I can achieve them. It will not be an easy task for sure as I am also not the youngest guy anymore 😊
ETS – Would you recommend the Orca 17.5 Stock class to people who are planning to race their first ETS? What would you tell them about this class and the possibility to learn at the ETS?
TB – Absolutely YES! Grab your RC stuff and join us at the ETS. It doesn`t really matter how much experience you already have or not. What I liked the most when I first raced at the ETS was the fairness between the drivers. There are so many friendships around the track and almost anybody is helping each other when help is needed. That was something I noticed directly!
ETS – Where are you practicing frequently, and do you prefer carpet or Asphalt racing?
TB – I am practicing at the MCC Fellbach most of the time. Sometimes I also go to Heilbronn or Senden. I prefer carpet with a lot of traction. But I am also looking forward to the Outdoor Season – especially now when I will run 13.5T Pro Stock.
ETS – Thomas, as we are now coming slowly to an end, we like to thank you for this Interview and your impressions from ETS Season #14 2021/22. We are looking forward to seeing you racing in the Pro Stock class next season, and we wish you a lot of fun and success at the ETS in the next years. If you like to send out some greeting, the last words are up to you now!
TB – Many thanks to my brother – he watched every race in the ETS Pullstart.TV livestream. And thank you as well to my Parents/Employer for allowing me to take some days off from work to race at every ETS. A big shout out to Paddy Miekautsch for always waiting at the stairs of the driver stand to congratulate me, and to Jürgen and Ella for the great hospitality during practice. Finally I would like to thank Max and the whole Awesomatix team for their help on track and the nice evenings during the ETS races!
Jan Ratheisky – ETS Scorpion Formula Champion Season #14 2021/22
Jan Ratheisky is our newly crowned champion of the Scorpion Formula class. He attended four out of five races this season and won three of them. This season’s title is Jan Ratheisky`s seventh (!) overall championship in the ETS Formula class – what an amazing achievement for him. He is the ETS most successful F1 driver and we are not calling him “the master of F1” without a reason! Here is what Jan told us about his passion for RC racing, and especially about the formula class:
ETS – Hello Jan, thank you for taking some time to sit down for a quick Interview with us. This season, you have won your seventh overall ETS title in the Formula class. What is your secret of being so fast with Formula cars on track?
JR – Good morning 😉 7th title – time fly’s man. What’s the secret? There is none. Just enjoy racing 😊 have to say it’s never that easy how it may looks like.
ETS – As we mentioned before, you are the most successful driver of the Formula class in the history of the ETS. When you look back on all these years of racing, which drivers have been your hardest competitors on track and which championship title was the hardest to win for you?
JR – Well there are a few over the last years. But David is for sure one of the biggest of them. There are also “big guns” in the pipelines who are very fast in F1 like Luke, Jitse and as we run foam now also Rene seems to be way quicker with that. Game on 😊
ETS – How was it to race against RC car superstar and record IFMAR world champion Masami Hirosaka when he came back from retirement to race one ETS with us in the Formula class (2016 Mühlheim-Kärlich)?
JR – Man what a great memory. I remember still the complete event. A highlight! Here is another side story… I build a car for the one and only Mr Scotty Ernst so he has the 100th entry spot! So not just Masami… also the biggest F1 race those days. But back to Masami… As I said he is and always will be the guy which I looked up to. I was more than happy that I was able to beat him but also… let’s say very frustrated that he got some bad luck in the finals and finished out of the podium. I would have the podium picture in my living room for sure. Now I still have the pic with him and all his trophies in the background.
ETS – Let us talk a little bit about the Formula RC cars in general. What is your fascination about those cars, especially when we compare them with the more popular 4WD touring cars?
JR – Fascination is maybe the wrong word. I love that class since we ran it back in the days with 6 cells and 12×3 brushed modified motors. I like any kind of pan car classes. My advantage is mostly that I can drive not too bad even when the car setup isn’t on point. And this class with that (bad) rubber tires fits me very well. Don’t understand me wrong. I don’t judge the tires. Same for everyone. But the cars just don’t work well as we want with the rubber tires no matter which brand. So, I’m able to make faster lap times just with forcing the car over the limit. So yea… lets say this is my fascination on this class hehe. Have do add… as long the car is equal tweaked… the setup is overrated 😉
ETS – We all know that you are not only fast in Formula – you are amazing touring car racer as well. Do you have to practice more for the touring car classes, or do you put in the same work and practice in your Formula racing as well?
JR – I just practice F1 if we try any new parts to be honest. If I am on my clubs’ tracks, I just like to run TC with whatever it is inside from the last race. Just to burn some laps. I am also very happy that my entire family is racing now. So, I must fix and repair a lot for them. But that’s how it must be.
ETS – For all the newcomers in the Formula class: What are the things you are mostly changing on your Xray Formula car setup wise? Do you have some favourite setup parameters you are playing with or is it always different?
JR – I have a very solid basic setup. Mostly I just change my setup with rear wing position, side tubes and most important, droop settings. Now as it seems foam will be the future… I also look to the gear diff setting. To say it easy… when traction comes up = harder diff needed! BUT… as I mentioned before: Make sure the car is well tweaked and just get maximum track time. To handle the car on the limit is most important.
ETS – In the last two races of the season, the foam tires found their way back on track. They are now in use in the ETS Scorpion Formula class. What are your thoughts on that and what have you learned about these tires so far?
JR – I love it! There is not much to learn as the ETS crew made the rules very easy. We use the same diameter as with the rubber tire. So, after adding glue to the sidewall on the front tires the car works very well. Would be way more complicated and faster if tire truing would be allowed but I very much like that it’s NOT.
ETS – A lot of “hobby drivers” would like to know how often you go for practice and testing. It is for sure different right now because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but how was it looking like before that mess started? How much practice does a multiple ETS champion need?
JR – I can’t answer that because it changes from month to month. I would say no practice is “needed”. It depends on how much time you want to invest. As we have a permanent indoor track 2 minutes away from my work, I was there for sure 1-2 times a week for a couple of packs. But I wasn’t there this year. Lots of work and family things needs me to take some time to rest as well. I love RC and I can’t and don’t want to stop it. But it is, and always will be a hobby for me. I want to add that for sure I do practice but as I said before… mostly I just ran packs for fun. No tire glue checking setup changes or whatever… just driving. I just test with sense and time if we test new things. For example, the Xray X4.
ETS – Which is your so called “home track” right now? And please also let us know which is your all-time favourite track you have been racing on with your Xray Formula car?
JR – My home track(s) are located in Braunschweig. We have a winter permanent carpet track together with 2 outdoor tracks. One is a smaller electric track on the same area as the carpet one and the other one is a nitro track with the size like that. My all-time favourite track, “Sponsored or not” is the Hudy Arena Outdoor track for sure 😉
ETS – What are your plans for the next season? Will we see you on track in the Pro Stock and Formula class again, or do you plan any changes on your racing programme?
JR – This is not decided yet but as travel will be allowed more and more again, I might go to more oversea races in the future again.
ETS – Thank you for your time, Jan. We wish you the best of luck for the rest of 2022 and for your upcoming years of RC racing. Thank you for being a part of our ETS family. Now it is all up to you to round up our nice little interview!
JR – Thanks a lot and no problem at all – cheers 😉
RD5 at the Sporthotel Grafenwald in Daun – the unknown final!
From February 3 to 6, 2022 the fifth round of ETS Season #14 2021/22 took place in Daun/GER. It was the fourth time (after 2018, 2019 and 2020) the ETS raced in the Sporthotel Grafenwald, and the 285 overall entries had been a great turnout when we keep the Covid-19 situation in mind. The racetrack in the huge tennis sports hall was very challenging (as always in Daun) and the drivers needed to show their best driving skills if they wanted to compete for a position in the A-Main of their favourite ETS class.
As we were racing in Daun, it was not finally decided if we will see a sixth round or not. But now, after the cancellation of the ace in Neumünster we can point out our newly ETS champions of all classes. Let`s go back to Daun to review the race results and to congratulate our ETS champions of season #14 2021/22. If you have not been in Daun in person, we hope that you liked our event coverage on the eurorcseries.com website, as well as the live streams and heat videos on our YouTube channel.
Daily testing and face masks for maximum safety at ETS RD5
The Marien Pharmacy Daun did a fantastic job to keep us racing safe
The ETS crew decided to implement a daily Covid-19 test for everybody – no matter which vaccination status each driver had. Together with the rule of wearing a medical face mask in the hall, it was the best we to do in case of safety and health. With only a handful of people not complying to the rules at 100%, everybody else did a great job. The whole ETS crew would like to shout out a massive THANK YOU to all of you for showing responsible for yourself and others during ETS RD5 in Daun – you made it happen. Another big shout out goes to the staff of the Marien Apotheke Daun. Without their great work our event at the Sporthotel Grafenwald would have been simply impossible –THANK YOU!
The most difficult layout of the season
Traditionally, Daun is the most challenging track at the ETS
When the racers arrived in Daun, they quickly walked to the racetrack to see how this year`s layout would look like. Due to the T-shape of the area where the track is located, the layout is always very tricky and not easy to create. To become a master of the track in Daun is also not an easy task. When the racers arrived in Daun on Thursday morning, their first action was to look about the track layout. There was a long straightway in front of the drivers stand, followed by a very technical infield section with medium fast corners, a tight chicane and some rhythm breaking sections as well. As practice started, it was easy to see that most of the drivers would need some packs to get some clean laps together. Also, some of the pro drivers struggled in the beginning
Driver and team performances
Title decisions have been made
We hoped to see six races this season, but now we all know that the season is over after five rounds of great ETS racing. A huge improvement when we think about the previous season in which we only saw three races in the same period. All six titles are taken and we are sure that every singe title is well deserved for the respective driver.
It is not easy to judge all drivers and teams for their performances during a complete ETS season, but we like to give you a better feeling of what the teams have achieved. Overall, everybody gave his very best and competing at the sharp end of the ETS is the pinnacle of highly competitive Onroad RC car racing. First, we look on all teams in the touring car classes before we also throw an eye on FWD and Formula!
TOURING CAR CLASSES
MUGEN SEIKI
Völker wins seventh ETS title of his career and the first one for Mugen
The Matrix Modified class is the premiere category at the ETS. Ronald Völker is the newly crowned overall champion of this prestigious class as he took his third win of the season in Daun (after winning RD1 and RD2 at Arena33). A great achievement for the Japanese company Mugen Seki and their lead driver. Everything worked out fine for them in Daun and they have been in a great form over the whole season. Ronald was the only Mugen driver in the A-Main in Daun, with Robert Pietsch qualifying himself into the B-Main. But looking on the overall season, Eric Dankel is another Mugen driver who finished in the top 10 of the Modified class. He also showed the car`s performance and quality. Eric was racing at the first three rounds of season #14 and was in the final at every event. Robert Pietsch made the A-Main at the first two encounters of the season, at Arena 33 in Andernach. A great effort by the whole Mugen Seiki team.
“Congratulations Ronald Völker – you are the Matrix Modified champion of ETS Season #14 2021/22”
The MTC2 – not only quick in the modified class
In the Xray Pro Stock class, Mugen Seiki also closed the gap to the front this year. Tim Benson was TQ and finished second in Apeldoorn with the car of the Japanese company. Their 1:8 scale offroad driver Berkan Kilic made the A-Main at both races he did, and guys like Jonas Völker and Alex Kunkler (now running Awesomatix) also qualified for the big show in the Pro Stock class with their MTC2 cars. Thomas Oehler delivered two strong P4 results and fifth position overall in the ToniSport 40+ Masters class with his MTC2 car. Maximilian Unterschütz switched to a Mugen chassis mid-season and finished fifth in the Orca 17.5 Stock class at the race in Apeldoorn. It is easy to notice that Mugen Seiki made a huge step forward with their actual car and we can be excited what they will show us in the future. Mugen`s car designer Robert Pietsch must be a very happy man at the end of ETS Season #14 2021/22.
AWESOMATIX
Very strong driver line-up and close to victory in modified
Awesomatix top modified driver Marc Rheinard finished on the podium in 4 of 5 races this season. He was close to a win, especially at the last two races in Neumünster and Daun where he finished second overall. With Rheinard`s amazing skills and his strong race craft, a win in the Modified class is just a matter of time for Awesomatix. Lucas Urbain, Michele Manzo, Tim Wahl, Dominic Vogl, David Ronnefalk and Karri Salmela are the other drivers who lined up on the grid of the A-Mains in the Matrix Modified class during the season – a great campaign for Awesomatix. Just missing that single win! But with their amazing car and their high-class driver line-up, it will happen again for sure.
Three titles for the Russian based Awesomatix brand
When we look on to the Xray Pro Stock class, we are talking about the most competitive 1:10 scale touring car stock class on the planet. The Pro Stock drivers are fast as hell, and on the big track in Daun, their fastest lap times have only been a couple of tenths slower than in Matrix Modified. Simon Lauter`s fastest qualifying time was only 3-4 seconds off the pace from a top 10 result in the Modified class – that really shows the amazing speed of the top Pro Stock drivers.
When we analyse the overall results of the Xray Pro Stock, ToniSport 40+ Masters, and Orca 17.5 Stock classes, it is impossible to not register the dominance of Awesomatix in these classes. While it is always a bit mixed in Modified, the touring car stock classes are in the hands of the brand from Russia! There have been 26 Awesomatix cars out of 33 cars in the A-Mains of those three classes and there is not much to say about it. That is a really strong statement and demonstration of their strength in 1:10 scale Onroad racing.
Masterclass from Lauter to win overall title in Daun
Simon Lauter was the dominant driver in the Xray Pro Stock class at RD5 in Daun. He had the chance to claim the first position in the overall championship in Daun, while his main contender Alexandre Duchet (Xray) was racing in the USA at the same weekend. And Simon was on a mission directly from the start. He was driving in a class of his own all weekend and took a well-deserved Pro Stock win, ahead of his teammates Alex Kunkler, Louis Kretschmer, Frederik Mikkelsen and max Mächler. It was an Awesomatix 1-2-3-4-5, which once again showed the teams strong forces in this racing class. With Lauter leading the championship for the first time after RD5, it finally was enough for him to win his second ETS title in the Xray Pro Stock class.
Congratulations Simon Lauter – you are the Xray Pro Stock champion of ETS Season #14 2021/22
Reile wins Orca 17.5 Stock in Daun while Bemmerl walks away with overall ETS title
In the Orca 17.5 Stock class, Dominik Reile was on almost the same mission as Lauter was in Pro Stock. He had to take a TQ and win away from Daun if he wanted to keep his chances for the championship alive. His teammate Thomas Bemmerl came to Daun, leading the overall ranking list. Dominik Reile was fast right from the beginning, and he finally could bring home a win ahead of outgoing champion Daniel Pöhlmann in second, and Thomas Bemmerl in third. Another Awesomatix 1-2-3 in Daun. After Reile`s win, we expected a showdown for the title at RD6. But after it was clear that this race will not happen – Thomas Bemmerl came out on top of the Orca 17.5 Stock class at the end of Season #14 2021/22. Dominik Reile is the new vice champion and Daniel Pöhlmann finished another strong season in third place
Congratulations Thomas Bemmerl – you are the Orca 17.5 Stock champion of ETS Season #14 2021/22
Mateo wins ToniSport 40+ Masters title after strong season finish
In the ToniSport 40+ Masters class, Toni Mateo was on pole position, and he was able to win A1 and A2 in style ahead of championship leader Caspar Morgen. But with this win in Daun, Mateo climbed up the ladder and snatched the title away from Caspar Morgen in the very last minute. In the end Toni Mateo is a well-deserved winner, but we also like to highlight the strong overall performance from Caspar Morgen all season long. Ulrich Dinger takes a strong third place in the championship!
“Congratulations Toni Mateo – you are the ToniSport 40+ Masters champion of ETS Season #14 2021/22“
With this huge amount of success we can call ETS Season#14 2021/22 a huge success for the Russian manufacturer Awesomatix around team manager Max Mächler!
XRAY
Snowbirds Nationals race costs two possible ETS titles
With Bruno Coelho`s impressive wins in Apeldoorn (RD3) and Neumünster (RD4), he was back in the game for the overall title after not being able to attend RD1 and RD2 (Covid-19 restrictions). Everything looked really promising for Coelho and the new Xray X4 touring car – another win in Daun would have put him in the overall lead of the championship ahead of Mugen Seiki`s Völker. And with the season now finished, it also would have been possible for Coelho to win the title with only attending three races this season – that would have been an outstanding achievement.
Strong Pro Stock season ends with vice championship for Duchet
Alexandre Duchet had a strong season in the Xray Pro Stock class where he won the first two races of the season and added a fifth place in Apeldoorn and a second place later in Neumünster. He was leading the championship all season long – just to lose it to Simon Lauter at the last race with not having a chance to fight anymore. Alexandre Duchet is now the vice champion of the Xray Pro Stock class and the highest ranked Xray driver of the season!
The Snowbirds Nationals race in Orlando is one of the biggest and most important Onroad races in the United States. The race was colliding with the schedule of the ETS almost every year, but Xray wantedt to make a trip to this great event in Florida since a very long time. They did amazingly well in Orlando where they won all classes. A great chance to present their new X4 touring car to the US market!
Ellerbrock, Brunet, Kaufmann, and Morgen with strong results for Xray in Daun
With the absence of Hagberg, Coelho, Duchet and Ratheisky, other drivers had to show responsible to score some good results for the Slovakian manufacturer Xray. In the Matrix Modified class, Antoine Brunet and Marco Kaufmann showed that they are always able to make the A-Main. They had been the Xray top guns at the first two races of the season as well (with Hagberg and Coelho not able to make the trip from Portugal), and in Daun they showed a solid performance with P9 ad P10 in the end. Antoine Brunet finished the season in fifth position and was the overall highest ranked Xray driver in the matrix Modified class. In Daun, Lukas Ellerbrock was the only Xray driver who qualified into the A-Main of the Pro Stock class with his Xray X4. In the end, he finished sixth overall from his eight starting position. A strong result when we keep in mind that Ellerbrock was the only Xray driver against the armada of Awesomatix cars. In the ToniSport 40+ Masters class, Caspar Morgen had another good race with his X4 car and finished second overall. He lost his first position in the championship to Toni Mateo in Daun. Overall, Caspar Morgen can be very happy with his season as he was constantly in the top 5 of this hard-fought racing class at the ETS. He can call himself now vice champion of the ToniSport 40+ Masters class.
YOKOMO
Krapp with podium finish in Daun as Yokomo takes third and fourth for overall season
Christopher Krapp was the fastest Yokomo driver in Daun. In most of the heats, he was able to match the pace from the leaders Rheinard and Völker. In the end, Krapp stepped onto the podium for the first time this season. His teammate Yannic Prümper finished the season tied on points with Krapp (both 895), and overall, they finished third and fourth in the overall championship. A superb result for the relatively small Yokomo team at the ETS. It seems that their car is very competitive, they just must get more drivers back on track with the car of the famous Japanese company Yokomo!
Pro Stock “Bump-Up King” Jung
In the Pro Stock class, Yokomo`s Enrico Jung missed the bump up from the B-Main this time. During this season, Jung made the A-Main in three out of five races – two of them with bumping up from the B-main. Winning a bump-up race is always difficult as everybody wants to get into that A-Main final, but Enrico did it two times and showed strong nerves and excellent racing. This time in Daun, the luck was not on his side, and he had to settle for the B-Main. But as Jung is still the only top driver with a Yokomo car in the Pro Stock class, his tenth overall position at the end of the championship is something he can be really proud of. Let`s see how the Yokomo team will line-up for the next season!
SCHUMACHER
Orlowski and Iivonen with strong Mi8 debut
The Schumacher team debuted their new Mi8 touring car at ETS Rd5 in Daun. Michal Orloswki qualified into the Modified A-Main directly, while Pekko Iivonen had a great B-Main and bumped up into the A for the first time ever at the ETS. He was very delighted afterwards and raced with the top dogs of the Matrix Modified class then. The car looked really good on track, and it will be very interesting to see, how they will continue to develop and fine tune it for the next races. Schumacher`s top driver Michal Orlowski finished sixth in Daun and seventh overall in the Matrix Modified championship. Schumacher can be very happy and proud of this result against all the bigger teams at the ETS. In the Stock classes there is simply no Schumacher driver who can fight for a place in the A-Main right now. During the outdoor season, Nicolai Lindegaard was racing with a Schumacher car – and he did very well with two A-Main appearances at Arena33 and a B-Main win in Apeldoorn. But now on carpet there is nobody, and Schumacher should try to add another strong driver to the team to show the car`s potential in Pro Stock during the next season as well.
HOBBYWING FRONTWHEEL
FWD – once again the biggest class at the ETS
Meik Niemann with unreal performance in Daun
Awesomatix racer Meik Niemann was in a class of his own at ETS RD5. Meik is a former ETS race winner (2011 in Poland) and came back to the ETS after some years of complete abstinence from RC racing. He was attending RD4 in Neumünster to get back into the rhythm, and in Daun he almost destroyed the whole field of competition in the FWD class. Mein won all four rounds of qualifying and took A1 and A2 without the smallest mistake. Not a bad second ETS race after a log break
Schulz takes overall title, Olsen to finish second in Season #14
Championship leader Stefan Schulz was not in Daun. He was also racing in the United States at the Snowbirds Nationals with his friends and Xray teammates. But as Steven Olsen finished second behind race winner Meik Niemann, the title for Schulz was safe after the race in Daun had been finished. We can be sure Stefan had a beer or two in Orlando, to celebrate his first ever ETS title. He is a well-deserved champion in the biggest class at the ETS.
Congratulations Stefan Schulz – you are the Hobbywing Frontwheel champion of ETS Season #14 2021/22
Steven Olsen scored a second overall in Daun which secured him the second overall position behind champion Schulz. Before RD5 in Daun, Olsen had the theoretical chance to snatch the title away from Schulz, but therefore he would have needed two more TQs and race wins. But as Niemann was super-fast all weekend long, Olsen had no chance to fight for the title anymore. He did everything possible and was fast as always, but in the end, he must be pleased with the vice champion title. Steven Olsen did a great job all season long and he will find a nice place for his overall season trophy at home for sure. Mischa Kroos from Switzerland completed a great season with third overall in the Hobbywing Frontwheel championship! The booming Hobbywing Frontwheel class was the class with the most entries at every single race of season #14 2021/22. The ETS can be really proud to attract so many FWD racers to come to the races. We are looking forward to the next races and season #15 as we are sure the huge success of FWD racing will continue!
SCORPION FORMULA
Foam tires giving the Formula class wings again
Increasing number of F1 drivers at RD5 in Daun
After not seeing many Formula drivers at RD4 in Neumünster, the numbers increased again for our race in Daun. It was the second race for the class on foam tires, and in Daun we had the Matrix tires on track for the first time. For sure the foam tires need a slightly different setup and maybe a different driving style. But as soon as this clicks together, the cars just looked amazing on track. The corner speed was higher than before, and the drivers told us that they really like the challenge to get the car dialed in on these new foam tires.
Xray 1-2 from Lee and Kölbel in Formula
Luke Lee and Renè Kölbel had a close and fair battle all weekend long, and their two Xray cars had been the fastest on track. In the end, Luke Lee celebrated the win ahead of Renè Kölbel and Sören Sparbier. It was a great fight between Lee and Kölbel for the win and Sören Sparbier showed an impressive performance with his Serpent car which finally brought him on to the podium together with Lee and Kölbel.
Ratheisky takes overall title again and is the most successful Formula driver of the ETS
Jan Ratheisky is the dominating driver whenever he puts his F1 car down on track. He won the first two races at Arena33 in Andernach for a perfect start into the season. In the Netherlands (Apeldoorn), he had to settle for second overall as Dutch driver Jitse Miedema was able to beat Ratheisky after a brilliant drive. But at RD4 in Neumünster Jan Ratheisky took another win which secured him the overall title after only four races of the season.
Congratulations Jan Ratheisky – you are the Scorpion Formula champion of ETS Season #14 2021/22
Renè Kölbel from Austria is the vice champion of Season #14 2021/22 and David Ehrbar is third overall. Ehrbar decided to run more touring car in the future and was only racing in the Formula class during this year`s outdoor season! Austrian racer Herbert Weber took the 40+ title of the Formula class (included in the normal championship) and ended season #14 in a fourth overall position!
Special awards for the first time in Daun
In Daun, the ETS crew handed out two new awards for the first time. The “One to Watch” and “Spirit of the Event” award. Two prices, given to two different persons of our huge ETS family.
The “One to Watch” went to youngster Sören Sparbier. Sören is racing a lot at the ETS and at other racing series in Germany. He is traveling to races with his brother Kevin and his father Holger. Sören is progressing all the time, and at ETS RD5 in Daun he made it into the A-Mains of the Formula and the FWD class. He qualified third in both classes and finished fourth in FWD and third in Formula. What a great performance – more than good enough to be “One to Watch”
The “Spirit of the Event” award went to Renè Kölbel from Austria. Renè was in hospital one week before the race, and it was not clear if he would been able to make the trip over to Germany to attend the race. He was in surgery, and we are more than happy that he is doing fine again. After Renè got green lights from the doctors, he didn`t hesitate and jumped in the car of his friend Herbert Weber who gave him a lift over to Daun. That shows how much spirit there is between RC racers, and it was clear that the “Spirit of the Event” award for ETS RD5 belongs to Renè Kölbel. Thank you for coming over and racing with us in Daun!
Season #15 2021/22 will kick off in Apeldoorn, NED in June
With season #14 now ending, we all can enjoy a little break from bit international ETS racing now. All drivers will prepare themselves and their cars for the new season which will start at the AMCA Apeldoorn at the beginning of June. Until then it is time to do some club races and other events for most of the drivers – something which is very important to keep RC racing alive at the local club levels. We are looking forward to seeing you again when we head into another epic season of ETS racing and we will do everything to provide your greatest RC experiences in the future as well. We will keep you updated about everything (schedule, rules etc.) here on our page – check it out!
Thanks to our sponsors and to all the helping hands
Finally, we like to thank everybody who helped us making ETS Season #14 2021/22 happen . Without the support of so many people, it would have never been possible to organize our 5 races in these difficult times. As we don`t like to forget someone, we will not list all the names here – but once again THANK YOU to everyone! The final call of ETS Season #14 2021/22 goes out to all our amazing sponsors. THANK YOU for your continuous support – we really appreciate it!
today we must inform you, that we decided to cancel ETS RD6 of Season #14 2021/22 which was scheduled to happen from 24.03. -27.03.2022 at Chuck`s Raceway in Neumünster.
We have done everything possible to keep international RC racing going in the last 2 years, and we really wanted to celebrate a great season finale with all of you. However, we are counting 160 entries right now which is just not enough, just a couple of weeks ahead of the event. At our last EOS and ETS races in Daun, we saw huge numbers (25-30%) of drivers having to make last minute cancellations due to different Covid-19 reasons. With this in mind, we just cannot put the much-needed effort into a race which will maybe happen with only 100 -130 racers. This would not meet the requirements of an ETS race as we always aim to be the number one racing series for electric 1:10 scale Onroad. The economic side is also playing a role, which you might understand for sure!
The decision to cancel the race was not easy for us. In the end, we thought it is better to take a short break from racing which will allow us to be back in full force for the first race of ETS Season #15 2022/23. The race is scheduled at the beginning of June, and we hope to see all of you again at the amazing track in Apeldoorn, NED. We will keep you updated about all the important news around the Euro Touring Series on our website. The Champions of Season #14 2021/22 will be crowned in style when we head into the new season.
See you on track at the start of ETS Season #15 2022/23
One week after we all raced together at ETS RD5 in Daun, our Media Team member Hanno van den Boogaard edited a short video clip from our amazing ETS and EOS races at the Sporthotel Grafwenwald. Enjoy some impressions and let us take you back to the action and experiences from ETS RD5 and EOS RD4. Enjoy the video!
Rheinard wins A3 to seal second overall ahead of Krapp
Awesomatix driver Marc Rheinard took the win in the last final of the Matrix Modified class. He had a comfortable gap of almost 4 seconds over the second placed Yokomo of Christopher Krapp. Lucas Urbain (Awesomatix) finished third in A3 which secured him the fourth overall position ahead of Yannic Prümper (Yokomo) in the five. Newly crowned ETS Matrix Modified champion Ronald Völker watched the race from the sideline!
Overall results of the Matrix Modified class (Car/Electronics) 1. Ronald Völker (DE) Mugen Seiki/LRP 2. Marc Rheinard (DE) Awesomatix/Orca 3. Christopher Krapp (DE) Yokomo/Racing Performer 4. Lucas Urbain (FR) Awesomatix/Orca 5. Yannic Prümper (DE) Yokomo/Dash 6. Michal Orlowski (PL) Schumacher/Hobbywing 7. Dominic Vogl (AT) Awesomatix/Hobbywing 8. Karri Salmela (FI) Awesomatix/Reedy 9. Antoine Brunet (FR) Xray/Hobbywing 10. Marco Kaufmann (DE) Xray 11. Pekko Iivonen (FI) Schumacher/LRP Winner B-Main: Cyril N`Diaye (FR) Xray Winner C-Main: Dominik Schmid (DE) Awesomatix
In the Xray Pro Stock class it was Louis Kretschmer who took the win in the last heat of the day. Right after the start, second placed Berkan Kilic slightly touched the rear of Alex Kunkler`s car in front of him. Kretschmer took advantage of it and never looked back until he crossed the line. After the collision, Kunkler found himself back in third place and tried to overtake second placed Frederik Mikkelsen. Danish driver Mikkelsen stayed calm until the end and brought home the second place in A3. But the overall result still looked different as Alex Kunkler finished second and Louis Kretschmer third. Mikkelsen in fourth, and Mächler in fifth place completed an “all Awesomatix” top 5 in the Xray Pro Stock class.
Overall results of the Xray ProStock class (Car/Battery) 1. Simon Lauter (DE) Awesomatix, LRP 2. Alex Kunkler (DE) Awesomatix/Rudddog 3. Louis Kretschmer (DE) Awesomatix/Sunpadow 4. Frederik Mikkelsen (DK) Awesomatix, LRP 5. Max Mächler (DE) Awesomatix, Sunpadow 6. Lukas Ellerbrock (DE) Xray/LRP 7. Meik Niemann (DE) Awesomatix/LRP 8. Markus Wegmann (DE) Awesomatix 9. Jill Bartsch (DE) Awesomatix 10. Berkan Kilic (DE) Mugen Seiki/LRP 11. Rob Janssen (NL) Awesomatix, Sunpadow Winner B-Main: Adam Izsay (HU) Xray Winner C-Main: Sebastian Meibörg (DE) Mugen Seiki Winner D-Main: Tobias Waider (DE) Awesomatix Winner E-Main: Patrick Moser (CH) Awesomatix
Steven Olsen took the last leg of A-Mains in the Hobbywing Frontwheel class. He took it wire to wire ahead of a strong driving Sören Sparbier and Sebastian Meibörg. Behind overall winner Meik Niemann, Steven Olsen finished second ahead of Sebastian Meibörg who was tied on points with Sören Sparbier who had to settle for fourth position. Alexander Stocker finisher fifth overall in the Hobbywing Frontwheel class.
Overall results of the Hobbywing Frontwheel class 1. Meik Niemann (DE) Awesomatix 2. Steven Olsen (DK) Awesomatix 3. Sebastian Meibörg (DE) Mugen Seiki 4. Sören Sparbier (DE) Serpent 5. Alexander Stocker (DE) Awesomatix 6. Mischa Kroos (CH) Awesomatix 7. Jonas Völker (DE) Mugen Seiki 8. Jill Bartsch (DE) Awesomatix 9. Frederik Hovgaard (DK) Yokomo 10. Henrik Heitsch (DE) ARC 11. Max Körner (DE) Awesomatix Winner B-Main: David Kuschnarew (DE) Yokomo Winner C-Main: Oliver Kaufmann (DE) Awesomatix Winner D-Main: Dirk Drechsler (DE) Mugen Seiki Winner E-Main: Yavuz Kura (DE) Yokomo Winner F-Main: Ben Looijen (NL) Mugen Seiki Winner G-Main: Sven Schrader (DE) Yokomo Winner H-Main: Raymond Libar (LU) Xray Winner I-Main: Bernd Ellerbrock (DE) Xray Winner J-Main: David Foxwell (GB) Awesomatix
Ruf takes A3 while Pöhlmann and Bemmerl will join Reile on the podium
Dominik Ruf won the last A-Main of the Orca 17.5 Stock class here at ETS Rd5 in Daun. Starting from the sixth position, Ruf had a fantastic run and crossed the line ahead of Daniel Pöhlmann, Thomas Bemmerl and Alexander Müller. With this win, Dominik Ruf improved his final result to P4, but it was not enough to join the podium.
Overall Top 10 of the Orca 17.5 Stock class 1. Dominik Reile (DE) Awesomatix 2. Daniel Pöhlmann (DE) Awesomatix 3. Thomas Bemmerl (DE) Awesomatix 4. Dominik Ruf (DE) Tamiya 5. Alexander Müller (DE) Awesomatix 6. Roman Borschel (DE) Awesomatix 7. Henrik Heitsch (DE) ARC 8. Felix Schneider (DE) Awesomatix 9. Max Körner (DE) Awesomatix 10.Wolfgang Swoboda (DE) Awesomatix 11. Niclas Storm (DE) Awesomatix Winner B-Main: David Kuschnarew (DE) Winner C-Main: Janne Koivisto (FI) Winner D-Main: Sven Miether (DE)
In the last A-Main of the ToniSport 40+ Masters class, Caspar Morgen was able to take the win. He had a close race with Ulrich Dinger, but he managed to stay ahead of him for the entire race. Thomas Oehler crossed the line in third place with Ronald Arts and Karsten Bartsch completing the top 5 in A3. In the end, the podium of the ToniSport 40+ Masters class was taken by Toni Mateo, Caspar Morgen and Ulrich Dinger. Thomas Oehler took fourth place overall and Mirco Thalheimer finished in fifth position in the ToniSport 40+ Masters class.
Overall result of the ToniSport 40+ Masters class 1. Toni Mateo (ES) Awesomatix 2. Caspar Morgen (DK) Xray 3. Ulrich Dinger (DE) Awesomatix 4. Thomas Oehler (DE) Mugen Seiki 5. Mirco Thalheimer (DE) Xray 6. Ronald Arts (NL) Awesomatix 7. Karsten Bartsch (DE) Awesomatix 8. Werner Schmitzer (AT) Awesomatix 9. Torsten Baggendorf (DE) Awesomatix 10. Manuel Stankowitz (DE) Awesomatix 11. Markku Seppälä (FI) Awesomatix Winner B-Main: Lutz Jentsch (DE) Winner C-Main: Marc de Witt (DE) Winner D-Main: Martin Bollenbacher (DE) Winner E-Main: Michael Stiegler (DE)
Renè Kölbel won the last A-Main of the Scorpion Formula class. With this result, he secured the second overall position behind race winner Luke Lee. Sören Sparbier also booked his third place on the podium with a P2 in the last A-Main of the Scorpion Formula class. Herbert Weber finished fourth overall ahead of Tomas Sova from the Czech Republic in the fifth place.
Overall Top 10 of the Scorpion Formula class 1. Luke Lee (GB) Xray 2. Renè Kölbel (AT) Xray 3. Sören Sparbier (DE) Serpent 4. Herbert Weber (AT) Xray 5. Tomas Sova (CZ) Xray 6. Mathias Domig (DE) 7. Michael Friebel (GB) 8. Michael Lipperheide (DE) EF1 9. Chris Grenz (DE) EF1 10. Luka Jovicic (LU) Xray 11. Patrik Sadrinna (DE) RCT F1 Evo Winner B-Main: Nobuhiro Kanabe (DE) Winner C-Main: Torsten Heiße (DE)
After Ronald Völker crossed the finish line here in A2 of the Matrix modified class, the audience had a huge applause for the newly crowned ETS champion. With this win here in Daun, nobody could take the title away from Völker anymore. It is his seventh overall ETS title, and the first for Mugen Seiki – the team he joined at the end of 2020. Directly after the start Marc Rheinard (Awesomatix) was close to Völker but in lap 2, Marc spun out while he entered the chicane and lost his second spot to Yokomo`s Christopher Krapp. The Yokomo driver had a great pace afterwards and closed the gap to the Mugen car of Völker in front of him. But as Krapp was driving “a little over the limit to catch Ronald”, he had some small bubbles here and there which allowed Rheinard to come closer again. As Krapp was riding a curb slightly too much, Rheinard took the chance and passed him to get the second place back. At the front it was still Ronald Völker leading, and everything looked easy for him until Marco Kaufmann`s car had a crash on track and landed directly on the front hood of Volker’s Mugen at the end of the fast straightway. What a shock for everybody around the track. Rheinard came closer again but luckily for Ronald, his car was only tweaked a little bit and he could still bring home the win in the last minute of the race to take the win here in Daun and the overall ETS title in the Matrix Modified class.
We talked to a very delighted Ronald Völker after A2:
My car was a little bit twitchy in the beginning and I touched the curbs in the chicane in the opening lap. After Marc had a small bubble, I had some breathing room but also Chrissi (Christopher Krapp) was having a good run. I tried to not let him come closer. However, at the 4-minute mark I had a comfortable lead and I got shocked out of nowhere when a car was landing on the front hood of my car. Luckily it landed on my car and not right in front of it, otherwise it would have ended my race immediately. After that my Mugen car felt slightly tweaked but the gap was just enough to bring it home. I am very happy to win the first ETS title for Mugen Seiki and I like to thank Robert Pietsch and everybody else in the team for the great support. I also like to thank Jürgen Lautenbach from LRP for his support over all the years as my perfect working LRP power package was a huge factor in the hunt for another ETS title as well as all my other sponsors for their long term partnership.
Lauter scores maximum points in Daun after winning chaotic A2
Simon Lauter took the win in A2 of the Xray ProStock class and is the overall winner of RD5 at the Sporthotel Grafenwald in Daun. Simon took it tone to tone with his Awesomatix teammate Alex Kunkler finishing 0.6 seconds behind him in the second spot. Behind them, Frederik Mikkelsen had a great race from 6th on the grid to the third position. But the spectators around the track all looked a little surprised about the heat as we saw so many crashed, hard moves and some unsportsmanlike conduct on track as well. For sure, it is just an RC car race, but we are hoping that everybody will take a deep breath now to show us a clean and nice third A-Main. The top three had nothing to do with this big carnage during the race, but almost everybody else was involved in some “scary” scenes.
Asked about his strong win here in Daun Simon Lauter had the following words for us:
I am happy with this result as I had to deliver here at the fifth round of the championship. It was not easy to claim the pole position here as everybody was so fast and the competition was very high. In A1 on Saturday my car was unreal and as good as it has never been before. In today`s second leg it was still very good, but I had to keep my nerves under control as Kunki (Alex Kunkler) always was in striking distance. In the end it all went fine for me and I am also very happy for Kunki`s strong result as we practiced a lot together before this event.
In the Hobbywing Frontwheel class Meik Niemann took another dominant win ahead of Sebastian Meibörg in second and Sören Sparbier in third. For Niemann the race is done and he is the overall winner here at ETS RD5 in the highly competitive FWD class. Let`s see who will join him on the podium as we will head into the third and final A-Main of our Hobbywing Frontwheel class very soon!
Dominant win for Reile as he takes A2 for overall victory
Dominik Reile is the overall winner of ETS RD5. After he won A1 yesterday evening, he took full advantage of his starting position again and drove to a relatively unchallenged win in A2 on Sunday morning. Daniel Pöhlmann was close to him after the start, but during the run Reile was able to stretch his lead to 1.8 seconds. Thomas Bemmerl had a traction roll in lap 7 and lost the conbtact to the duo in front. He still managed to defend his position against Alexander Müller who finished fourth in A2. For Dominik Reile it was the second win of the season, with championship leader Thomas Bemmerl have taken three wins so far. The championship is not finally in the bag for Bemmerl as Reile will have the chance to achieve the same amount with another win at ETS RD6 which is scheduled for March in Neumünster.
Asked about his weekend, Dominik Reile told our media team:
It feels really great to win here in Daun. I am happy with my own driving and my Awesomatix car was so good all weekend. I hope that we will have the race in Neumünster as I would love to fight for the overall title with Thomas there.
Toni Mateo is the winner of the ToniSport 40+ Masters class. Toni had to defend against strong driving Caspar Morgen for the entire 5 minutes of the race, but he was able to stand his ground and brought home another win after he won ETS RD4 in Neumünster some weeks ago. Behind Mateo and Morgen we saw Ulrich Dinger, Torsten Baggendorf and Thomas Oehler rounding out the top 5 in A-Main number two of the 40+ Masters class.
The Formula win goes to Great Britain as Lee takes A2
Top Qualifier Luke Lee will bring a nice trophy home to the UK. He took the second leg of A-Mains here in Daun with Renè Kölbel chasing him around the track for the entire race. But Luke Lee looked very strong in the front and didn`t make any mistakes which meant that there was absolutely no chance for Kölbel to ride some serious attacks on Lee. Behind race winner Lee and Renè Kölbel, Sören Sparbier drove to another strong third place in A2 of the Scorpion Formula class. A3 will be on the line soon and the fight for second overall is still open between Kölbel and Sparbier.
EFRA President Javier Garcia came along to this week’s ETS event in Daun. Oli Meggitt from our Media Team had the chance to interview him to talk about EFRA, Euro RC Series events, and racing in general.
OM – a first question, what brings you to Germany and to the ETS this weekend?
JG – Well, as part of EFRA’s Development Plan, we identified the need and benefits to co-operate with other races and race organisers. I had the chance to come here and I think it is important to visit events like the ETS to demonstrate this sort of co-operation.
OM – Can you tell us a bit more about the Development Plan and what it hopes to mean for RC across Europe, and also for our events in the ETS, EOS and ENS?
JG – The main aim is to help grow our sport. I hope to see EFRA as an umbrella for the whole RC community – people who are racing at any events, if they are EFRA events, Nationals, or events from any other organisers. We can always learn from each other! We can see different points of view and different ways to approach events and different racers too. It is important to EFRA to have strong National championships, but we realise it’s important to co-operate with big international races like ETS too. Overall, we want to promote RC in the best way possible, and I think that means everyone working together.
OM – In 2020 and 2021 there were no EFRA races, whilst there could be some other international races like the ETS, EOS and ENS races we held in that time. Were you worried that EFRA didn’t hold any races, but other events did happen?
JG – Actually no, I want to thank organisers like the ETS crew to keep events running these last years. Both international events and many Nationals races that could take place too, and that’s important for RC of course. But for an EFRA European Championship, we decided we could not risk to hold it and not every country would be able to attend.
OM – So what does 2022 look like from your view?
JG – Of course, EFRA events will be back in 2022 and we are pleased to show our Development Plan work. For example, there will be some new and different media approaches to races and we want to expand our co-operations with other series and events, like we already announced with RCGP.
OM – Can you summarise how this will work then? What is the basic idea of the co-operation between events and organisers?
JG – As well as using the experience of National Federations, we want EFRA to be the umbrella for RC in Europe – bringing all organisers and manufacturers together. There are three things to highlight really. Firstly, we want to promote our sport better through sharing media and give us the chance to reach out to the most people possible to expose them to RC racing. Second, it’s important to help with calendar co-ordination – there are many great events and it’s important to bring all the calendars together so everyone can easily see all the different races that are there. And third, we want to see how this co-operation can be expanded in future, through learning from each other – things like seeing how different racing formats work for different events.
OM – Thanks for the time to talk to us. Is there any final summary or ending you want to give us?
JG – The most important part is to show our RC community we are all working together. Now is not the time to look for divisions, or for anyone to fight to get drivers to one race instead of another one. It’s an ambitious plan we have, and we hope we can deliver it over the next three years. So let’s see how far we can go, we have just opened the door!
