Q3 + Q4 Report ETS RD2 Season #16 2023/24 Aigen-Schlägl, AUT

Qualifying is over here at ETS RD2 Season #16 2023/24 at the beautiful venue in Aigen-Schlägl. The grid for the finals is set and all the A-Main action will take place here on Sunday. Follow our livestream, produced by RC Racing TV and don`t miss the action from ETS RD2 Season #16 2023/24 in Austria.

Matrix Modified

Völker is overall TQ while Dankel took the ultimate round of qualifying – Rheinard to start third on the grid

Q3 – Marc Rheinard took the third round of Matrix Modified qualifying with his Awesomatix A800R. His advantage over the line from second placed Eric Dankel (Mugen Seiki) was only 0.2 seconds, but enough to step back into the fight for the overall TQ. Max Mächler (Awesomatix) had a fantastic run in the second fastest group and posted the third fastest runtime in Q3. The grid for the A-Main was wide open from P5 to P10 and the fight will be as intense as the battle between Rheinard and Völker for pole position. With Rheinard` s winning time from Q3 being slightly faster compared to Völker`s times from Q1 and Q2, we expected a real showdown for the number one starting spot in the Modified class.

Q4 – The last round of Matrix Modified qualifying saw Marc Rheinard and Ronald Völker battling it out for the TQ – until Eric Dankel popped up on top of the board. Marc Rheinard then made a small mistake in lap number three and dropped down to fifth position. Dankel was super-fast, took the win ahead of his Mugen teammate Völker, and posted the fastest TQ run of the weekend. This result secured Dankel the second spot on the grid ahead of Rheinard while Völker`s overall TQ was in dry towels as well.
The starting order in tomorrows triple A-Mains will be: Völker, Dankel, Rheinard, Ratheisky, Krapp, Havranek, Mächler, Lauter, Gollner, and Kretschmer.

Awesomatix ProStock

Xray claims first ProStock pole position in a while

Q3- Tim Benson took the win in the third round of Awesomatix Pro Stock qualifying. He was having an amazing run with his Jambo✩ One car, which he made from many self-made parts and parts from other manufacturers. He posted his time out of the second fastest qualifying group while Adam Izsay was second fastest for the round winning the top heat. There was a small chance for Tim Benson to snatch the overall TQ away from Izsay in the final qualifier.

Q4- In Q4, Tim Benson was not able to post another TQ run. In the fastest heat, it was Louis Kretschmer, Olivier Bultynck, and Jan Ratheisky who outpaced Q1 and Q2 winner Adam Izsay.
However, the results from the first two rounds had been enough for Izsay to seal an impressive double TQ (ProStock and FWD) at ETS RD2 in Austria. The top 5 on the grid will be Adam Izsay (Xray), Louis Kretschmer (Awesomatix), Tim Benson (Jambo One), Olivier Bultynck (Awesomatix), and Dominic Vogl (Yokomo).

Hobbywing Frontwheel

Izsay is overall TQ in the hard fought FWD class

Q3- After winning Q1 and Q2, Xray driver Adam Izsay only needed another win to take pole position for tomorrows triple A-Mains. And Izsay delivered another TQ run. It was a very close affair between him, Pawel Staszewski (Awesomatix), and Jonas Völker (Mugen Seiki) but in the end Izsay could take the win by a tenth of a second from Staszewski.

Q4- The last round of Hobbywing Frontwheel qualifying saw Adam Izsay (Xray) on top again. The Xray driver from Hungary was driving super strong this weekend and showed his competitors once more who owns the track. Schumacher`s Andy Murray from Great Britain improved a lot in Q4 and was able to score a second place for the round followed by Awesomatix driver Pawel Staszewski from Poland, and Mugen Seiki`s Jonas Völker from Germany.
The starting grid will see Izsay starting ahead of Staszewski, Murray, Völker, and Valent in the top 5.

1up Racing 40+ Masters

Zierold steals last minute TQ away from Thalheimer

Q3- Mirco Thalheimer had another perfect run with his Xray X4-2023 on track as he took the win from Zierold (Awesomatix) by 0.4 seconds. Manuel Stankowitz took his Iris car to another third place with the ARC of Torsten Baggendorf and the Xray of René Kölbel finishing fourth and fifth. The decision for the pole position came down to Q4 between Michel Zierold and Mirco Thalheimer.

Q4- The last round of 40+ Masters qualifying was the expected showdown between Zierold and Thalheimer. Michel Zierold needed to beat Mirco Thalheimer`s fastest runtime, and he was able to complete the mission with his runtime from Q4 being 0.8 seconds faster. Michel Zierold will start from pole for the second time in his ETS racing career after achieving this great result as well at last season`s season final in Daun. Good luck to all drivers of the 1up Racing 40+ Masters class for the finals on Sunday.

Orca 21.5 Stock

Pöhlmann to start from pole position into triple A-Mains

Q3 – Phil Langner was leading the heat for most of the time until he made a costly 5 seconds mistake coming onto the straightway. Daniel Pöhlmann took full advantage of that and won the heat in front of Tristan Bergheim and Tobias Baumbach. The decision for the TQ was on the line in the last round of Orca 21.5 Stock qualifying.

Q4 – In the deciding qualifier, Phil Langner was battling it out with Pöhlmann until he made a mistake and landed into the grass. Pöhlmann then took the win which ensured him the overall TQ in the Orca 21.5 Stock class. Phil Langner will start from second place into the finals, ahead of Tristan Bergheim, Jan Gehrig, and Tobias Baumbach.

ToniSport Formula

Pole position for Schumacher`s Stiebler after a clean sweep at ETD RD2 in Austria

Q3- With three out of three, Andreas Stiebler will start from the best starting spot into the A-Mains of the ToniSport Formula class. Stiebler took the win in Q3 with a very comfortable gap of 3 seconds from Xray`s Jan Ratheisky, and René Kölbel in third position. With Stiebler already sealed the TQ, the fight for the positions behind him continued in the final round of qualifying.

Q4- Stiebler didn`t slow down in the (for him unimportant) last round of qualifying and took another win ahead of David Ehrbar, and Gergö Valent. The starting grid for the triple A-Mains will see Stiebler start ahead of Ehrbar, Ratheisky, Valent, and Kölbel.

Q2 Report ETS RD2 Season #16 2023/24 Aigen-Schlägl, AUT

The second qualifier is done and we get a closer impression about the drivers fighting for the win in all our ETS racing classes.
With two more rounds to follow, the tension on everybody is getting higher and higher. The weather looks stable for the whole day which means that we can finish qualifying in perfect conditions.

Matrix Modified

Mugen Seiki still in control as Völker takes Q2 from teammate Dankel and Awesomatix Rheinard

Q2 was another strong outing on track from Mugen Seiki`s Ronald Völker. He looked very dominant and won the heat by 1.5 seconds ahead of his teammate Eric Dankel who had a super close race with third placed Marc Rheinard and his Awesomatix A800R. Völker added the second TQ run to his favor and Dankel is now tied on points with Rheinard in the fight for second on the grid. Behind the top 3, Yokomo`s Christopher Krapp and Xray`s Oliver Havranek took fourth and fifth for the round.
Two more rounds of qualifying are coming up next to define our A-Main grid!

Awesomatix ProStock

Xray`s Izsay with another TQ run ahead of Kretschmer and Vogl

Adam Izsay took the second round of Awesomatix Pro Stock qualifying making it 2 out of 2 for the moment. Louis Kretschmer (Awesomatix), Dominic Vogl (Yokomo), Olivier Bultynck (Awesomatix), and Enrico Jung (Yokomo) completed the top 5 in Q2 and Izsay is only one run away from sealing the best spot on the grid for the triple A-Mains on Sunday.

Louis Kretschmer posted the fastest lap of the heat (18.219) and was only three tenths behind Izsay and it seems that the Awesomatix team is getting back on pace to challenge Izsay`s Xray car. Can somebody take the TQ away from Izsay, or will we see the Hungarian driver claiming his first ever ETS Pro Stock TQ here in Austria?

Hobbywing Frontwheel

Nothing new as Izsay seems to be unstoppable

Xray`s Adam Izsay posted another TQ run on Saturday morning here at ETS RD2. This time it was Pawel Staszewski (Awesomatix) and Andy Murray (Schumacher) who took second and third in front of Kevin Sparbier (Mugen Seiki) and Max Weffers (Mugen Seiki).
If Izsay will continue to drive like he did until now, he will start from pole position into tomorrows triple A-Mains. He is just one run away from sealing the deal!

My Xray FWD car works amazing. It is a pure joy to drive it and I hope that I can win more round of qualifying as the pole position is always a huge benefit to have when heading into the finals!

Adam Izsay (HU) Xray, Nosram

1up Racing 40+ Masters

Thalheimer wins Q2 and is in the mix for the overall TQ now

In the 1up Racing 40+ Masters class, Mirco Thalheimer (Xray) took the second round of qualifying with a one second gap from Q1 winner Michel Zierold (Awesomatix). This result puts Thalheimer equal to Zierold on points, and the third round of qualifying will be a very important one.
René Kölbel (Xray), Manuel Stankowitz (Iris), and Torsten Baggendorf (ARC) rounded out the top 5 here on a sunny Saturday morning in Aigen-Schlägl.

I made some changes to my car setup as I wanted to get a clean and safe run this morning. I knew that the track would maybe not provide the same traction as yesterday evening so I took it nice and easy. I am very happy with my run as it was very clean and consistant and my strategy fully paid off!

Mirco Thalheimer (DE) Xray | Nosram

Orca 21.5 Stock

Langner takes early morning qualifier from Bergheim and Pöhlmann

The second round of Orca 21.5 Stock qualifying saw young Phil Langner laying down a great run onto the MAV Aigen racetrack. He had a close fight with Tristan Bergheim and Q1 winner Pöhlmann, and took the win by 0.079 of a second after five minutes. Jan Gehrig and Tobias Baumbach completed the top 5.
For Phil Langner, it was a very special moment as it was his first ever ETS TQ run – congratulations to Phil and his father Marc for doing such a great job. Keep up the great work and good luck for the rest of the weekend!

It was the first run in which I made no mistakes and my car was good to drive. When Scotty said I was in the lead, I tried to stay focussed as I was a little nervous. For Q3 we will just check the car and race it as it is!

Phil Langner (DE) Awesomatix

Scorpion Formula

Stiebler again in Q2

The second round of ToniSport Formula qualifying saw again Andreas Stiebler setting the pace. The Austrian Schumacher driver posted the fastest lap as well (18.809), and has already scored two TQ runs now. Behind him, a much-improved René Kölbel worked his way up to second place as he finished the run only seven tenths behind Stiebler.
Jan Ratheisky (Xray), David Ehrbar (Xray), and Balint Rajki (Xray) took positions 3 to 5 in this one and Andreas Stiebler is the top favourite for claiming the overall TQ today.

The second day of ETS RD2 in Austria is in the books. After some rounds of free and controlled practice, we saw all drivers in action during the opening round of qualifying in the afternoon. Many threatening looking clouds passed the track, but with a little luck all heats could be run in dry conditions. The racing action will continue on Saturday where we will see three more rounds of high class ETS qualifying. But now, find out what happened on Friday in Aigen and enjoy this report from Q1.

Matrix Modified

Modified Q1 goes to Völker as Rheinard takes second, and Dankel third

In the opening round of Modified qualifying, all drivers pushed their cars to the absolute limit. Top seed Ronald Völker (Mugen Seiki) had the best opening laps and was leading the field for the entire five minutes before he crossed the line 1.6 seconds ahead of Marc Rheinard (Awesomatix) who worked his way from 5^th to 2^nd in the end. Eric Dankel (Mugen Seiki) had to survive a tough moment in the first lap where he almost lost his car on the straightway. He managed to keep it on track and scored a good third place overall in Q1 ahead of Yokomo`s Christopher Krapp, and reigning Pro Stock champion Simon Lauter (Awesomatix).

My car felt really good, and I was able to drive it consistent and fast around the track. Right now, we are really happy with our MTC2R cars here in Aigen and we (Ronald and Eric) try to keep up the pace for tomorrow!

Ronald Völker (DE) Mugen Seiki |LRP

My Q1 result is ok, but the feeling I have for my car is not what I am looking for. I am loosing too much time in the first laps of the race where the Mugen drivers (Völker and Dankel) have a clear advantage. Let`s see if we can find something to improve the pace in the opening laps of the run tomorrow!

Marc Rheinard (DE) Awesomatix |Orca

Luckily, I survived the first lap. I still have no idea why my car went so much to the outside of the straightway. But after that my run was good and I am very happy with a P3 in the opening round of qualifying. My MTC2R is really good and I will try my best to continue like this here in Aigen!

Eric Dankel (DE) Mugen Seiki | Hobbywing

Awesomatix Pro Stock

Iceman Iszay takes Pro Stock Q1

Adam Izsay is on a mission here at ETS RD2 in Aigen. After he won Q1 of the FWD class, he had another perfect run in the Awesomatix Pro Stock class some minutes later. He had a clean run with his Xray car and took the win ahead of his teammate Stefan Schulz. Jan Ratheisky skipped Q1 to save some tires for tomorrow. Lukas Ellerbrock (Awesomatix) scored a third place for the round, followed by Dominic Vogl (Yokomo) and Olivier Bultynck (Awesomatix).
After a perfect day, Adam Izsay can lean back and relax a bit while his competitors have a lot of work to do to close the gap in the remaining three rounds of qualifying on Saturday.

Hobbywing Frontwheel

Super clean TQ run from Izsay while Valent and Völker taking 2nd and 3rd

In the Hobbywing Frontwheel class, Adam Izsay (Xray) continued to drive super-fast and clean around the MAV Aigen racetrack. He was able to buid up a gap of 2.6 seconds to second and third placed drivers Mark Valent (Xray) and Jonas Völker (Mugen Seiki) until the end of the five-minute run. Izsay also posted the fastest lap and was the only guy with a 21 second time (hot lap 21.813).
Behind second placed Mark Valent and third placed Jonas Völker, Mugen racer Kevin Sparbier took fourth for the round with Pawel Staszewski (Awesomatix) completing the top 5. It will be a hard task for everybody to challenge Izsay for the overall TQ in the remaining three rounds of qualifying and we are already looking forward to more FWD action on Saturday!

1up Racing 40+ Masters

Zierold holding off hard charging Thalheimer in Masters Q1 by 0.059

The 1up Racing 40+ Masters class saw top seed Michel Zierold laying down an impressive TQ run. With dark clouds passing by the track at that time, Zierold drove a perfect race with his Awesomatix and took the win by only 0.059 of a second from Mirco Thalheimer who was on a similar pace with his Xray car. Zierold had the fastest lap of the run to his favour (19.756 in lap 2) compared to Thalheimer (19.842 in lap3), which in the end earned him the win in this heat.

Manuel Stankowitz (Iris), Elibert Sievers (Awesomatix), and René Kölbel (Xray) rounded out the top five in the first round of 1up Racing 40+ Masters qualifying. A great start into the weekend which gives us a lot of hope for a thrilling fight on top!

Orca 21.5 Stock

Pöhlmann takes opening qualifier from Gehrig and Baumbach

In the first round of Orca 21.5 Stock qualifying, Daniel Pöhlmann showed again that he likes to get his hands onto the trophy for this weekend`s race win. Pöhlmann took the win 1.5 seconds ahead of Jan Gehrig, with Tobias Baumbach finishing the run another 2.3 seconds behind in third place. Young Phil Langner took fourth for the round and Robert Kampehl scored a good fifth place after Timo Siebert dropped back to P8 after a big driving mistake.

Scorpion Formula

Stiebler wins Q1 ahead of Ehrbar and Ratheisky

The first round of qualifying in the ToniSport Formula class happened right after some light raindrops had fallen on the track and everybody had to wait for around 15 minutes for the track to dry again. As the racing started, Andreas Stiebler (Schumacher) posted the fastest lap of the run and took the win by 1.9 seconds from David Ehrbar (Xray) and Jan Ratheisky (Xray). Gergö Valent took fourth for the round and René Kölbel finished fifth.