A3 Report, ETS RD4 Season #17 2024/25

Völker wins A3 from Rheinard and Izsay

Race winner Michal Orlowski was a volunteer Marshall in A3 and watched Mugen Seiki`s Ronald Völker bringing a successful weekend to a great end when Völker secured second overall with a clinic drive in A3. Völker outpaced the Awesomatix of Marc Rheinard by 4 (!) seconds which was a real statement from Völker at the end of the event.

Dominic Greiner was hunting down Simon Lauter and showed great pace until he touched Lauter`s car in lap 5 for which he received a stop and go penalty. Adam Izsay found himself in third spot after this happened and he was able to hang on with this result until the end. However, the FlySky Modified podium saw Ronald Völker and Marc Rheinard joining Michal Orlowski on the podium!

Izsay and Ellerbrock joining Sparbier on Daun podium

Adam Izsay had the mission to secure second overall and he delivered! Adam drove to an unchallenged win in A3 which he was leading from tone to tone ahead of Lukas Ellerbrock and Dominic Greiner. Phil Langner had a great fight with Louis Kretschmer for fourth and fifth place until Kretschmer hit the back of Langner`s car coming onto the straightway, Enrico Jung moved up to fourth place and Kevin Schmid took a good P5 away from A3. The final result on the podium saw Sören Sparbier on the top step, flanked by Adam Izsay and Lukas Ellerbrock.

Langner takes A2 from Reile to finish second overall

Mark Valent was not on the line after winning the first two legs of finals and A3 was all about the remaining podium positions. Phil Langner was able to break away from the rest of the field while an intense battle between Reile, Hovgaard, Stocker, Moorey, and Borschel was going on behind them. After the five minutes we saw Phil Langner securing second overall with a clean victory in A3. Dominik Reile finished third in A3 which also earned him third overall and the final spot on the podium.

Ehrbar wins Daun – and the overall ETS title

After losing A2 to René Kölbel it was all between him, David Ehrbar and Michel Zierold in the third and deciding leg of 40+ masters finals. Ehrbar had a perfect start and did never look back. His gap over second placed Michel Zierold was at around one second when he crossed the line after five minutes to seal the victory and also the overall championship title in the 1up Racing 40+ Masters class. Congratulations David Ehrbar for a great season so far. Toni Mateo and Alexander Stocker finished fourth and fifth in A3. The podium positions went to Ehrbar, Kölbel, and Zierold.

Zsolt and Jensen stepping onto the podium beside winner Kriz

Race winner Jaroslav Kriz watched A3 from the stands and saw his Xray teammate Bajusz Zsolt taking the win from Wolfgang Swoboda, Kristian Jensen, Pawel Trella, David Reip, and Elena Fuchs. The win in A3 was enough for Zsolt to take second overall ahead of Kristian Jensen.

Stiebler and Stenger completing Formula podium in Daun

The last A-Main of the Matrix Formula class was a three-horse race between Andreas Stiebler, Thomas Stenger, and Jacques Libar. The podium spots beside race winner David Ehrbar had been wide open and Stiebler was able to control the gap to Stenger and the others for the entire race. Stenger had a good run and pushed hard but he was not able to come close enough to Stiebler. Jacques Libar came very close to Stenger in the last 3 laps of the race and the battle for the last podium position was hot until the finish line with the better ending for Thomas Stenger!

A2 Report, ETS RD4 Season #17 2024/25

Orlowski wins A2 ahead of Völker and claims second ETS title in a row

On the sound of the tone, Michal Orlowski had a great first lap while Völker`s car was a bit loose in the chicane. Orlowski was leading the race and Völker was charging hard behind him to stay in touch. Marc Rheinard and Simon Lauter had also been in the mix for the first three minutes before they lost a bit of ground to Orlowski and Völker. In the last minute of the race, Völker was able to close up to Orlowski and they were running nose to tail in the last two laps.

Völker hoped for Orlowski to make a mistake but Orlowski was standing his ground to take another ETS race win and his second overall championship title in the Modified class. Völker finished on a strong P2 in this race and was only 0.185 of a second behind champion Orlowski – a huge step forward for the Mugen team. Marc Rheinard was third again with his A800R and was followed by his teammate Simon Lauter and the Serpent of Dominic Greiner!

The ETS team congratulates Michal Orlowski and the Schumacher team for taking the overall title!

I am super happy to win another ETS title. It is also special because I was able to win for my new electronic sponsors Elceram and Cayote. After switching brands, it is always important to have a good result immediately to get that kind of confidence. The race on track was intense and Ronald was super quick, but we got the job done here in Daun. I also like to congratulate Sören Sparbier for his win in the Pro Stock class as he did a real good job!
Michal Orlowski (PL) Schumacher | Elceram

My first lap was not perfect, but after that I got into a good groove trying to set Michal (Orlowski) under pressure. He was driving perfect and did not allow me to risk anything behind. I hoped to get a chance for a move in the last lap but it just shouldn`t happen. Away from that I am more than happy with our performance this weekend. We had been so close to Orlowski who is the dominant driver since almost two years now and we will try to further improve to get back to the top. For A3 I will try to defend second overall. The best of the day is Sören Sparbier winning Pro Stock with out new car. He won all heats he drove in an impressive way and all Mugen drivers and customers can look forward to getting a great car in the next couple of months!
Ronald Völker (DE) Mugen Seiki | LRP

I made a setup change before the race but this time my car was too easy to drive and it was understeering way too much. My pace was not as in A1 and I could not follow Michal and Ronald close enough. Will go back too the setupo from A1 and then try my best to win A3 for second overall. It will not be easy as Ronald is fast but I will try my best!
Marc Rheinard (DE) Awesomatix | Cayote

First Mugen victory in Pro Stock as Sparbier executes perfect A2

When Sören Sparbier crossed the line after five minutes of Pro Stock racing, the crowd was cheering and applauding for him and his first ever win in the ETS Pro Stock class. Sparbier was laying down another clean run onto the black ETS carpet with the Mugen prototype car and Xray`s Adam Izsay tried his very best to stay in contact with Sparbier. Izsay always was in a one second window to Sparbier, but he never got close enough to increase the pressure on Sparbier. The Mugen driver executed the perfect weekend with four TQ runs and wins in A1 and A2. Congratulations to Sören Sparbier and the Mugen team for taking a well-deserved first Pro Stock win.

I am so happy now. The last 30 seconds of the race had been intense as I just tried to stay away from the curbs to bring home the win. I like to thank the whole Mugen team and especially Robert Pietsch for giving me the trust and the chance to drive the MTC-3 this weekend. I also like to thank Ronald and last but not least my good friend Timo Siebert who is supporting me so much. This day is special and I am happy that my girlfriend was here with me to celebrate!
Sören Sparbier (DE) Mugen Seiki | LRP

Lukas Ellerbrock, Dominic Greiner, and Olivier Bultynck battled behind the top two drivers for positions three to five and that`s how they finished the run .

Valent and Langner putting on a show in A2 – Valent wins Daun 2025

Phil Langner was bringing the heat in A2 of the Hobbywing Frontwheel class. He was pushing Mark Valent around the track to lead the Schumacher driver into a mistake. But top qualifier Valent was driving a great race and Langner just had no chance for a serious attack. Valent crossed the line two tenths ahead of Langner and was super happy when he was coming down the driver stand. A great victory for him and the Schumacher team and a stellar drive from Phil Langner behind him.

Behind the leaders it was Dominik Reile (Iris) who had a great fight for third spot with Frederik Hovgaard (Yokomo), Ben Moorey (Awesomatix), and Michael Bolt (Awesomatix).

Kölbel wins A2 after Zierold touched Ehrbar with 2 laps to go

Masters A2 was the last chance for Michel Zierold to get a chance for the overall race win in Daun. TQ David Ehrbar had a clean start and luckily for him, his Xray teammate René Kölbel was able to create some pressure on Michel Zierold`s Awesomatix in the first laps. This allowed Ehrbar to pull away a bit. But as Zierold found his way back to the tail of Ehrbar`s car the race got exciting again. Zierold was on the move, but Ehrbar showed his class and strong race craft once again when he did not make any mistake on top.

At the one-minute mark Zierold was as close as he had never been to Ehrbar`s car and touched him coming into the infield section after the straightway – unlucky race incident. René Kölbel took full advantage of the Zierold/Ehrbar crash and took the win in A2 ahead of Ehrbar, Zierold, Mateo, and Baggendorf. The decision for the win was somehow shifted to the last final of the day!

Stellar performance from Kriz as he claims overall win in Daun

Pole sitter Jaroslav Kriz had a good start into A2, and Kristian Jensen was trying to stay with him as a win in A2 would have been the only chance for Jensen to move the decision for the win into A3. But Kriz was just too fast and consistent on track. The young Xray driver from Slovakia was stretching his legs to build a gap of 1.5 seconds after two minutes. Kriz never looked back and brought home a well-deserved overall victory after a dominant performance all weekend long. Kristian Jensen, Wolfgang Swoboda, Bajusz Zsolt, and Jan Gehrig completed the top 5 in A2 of the Orca 21.5 Stock class.

Victory for Ehrbar and Xray after a perfect weekend

 What a great performance from David Ehrbar. The Xray driver won all 4 rounds of qualifying and took A1 and A2 from tone to tone to take the victory at the Sporthotel Grafenwald in Daun. Ehrbar showed no nerves when he drove to the win in A2 with his gap to second placed Andreas Stiebler (Schumacher)at 2.5 seconds.  Jacques Libar found his way by Thomas Stenger and finished in third place and Adam Southgate finished fifth. Congratulations to David Ehrbar for his great drive!

A1 Report, ETS RD4 Season #17 2024/25

Orlowski wins the first A-Main in Daun after a real masterclass from the top drivers at the ETS

The first A-Main of the FlySky Modified class was a demonstration of world class RC racing on the highest level – once again! The drivers showed awesome pin-point driving on the flowing and difficult track in Daun and it was a pure joy to watch.

Michal Orlowski had a good start with his Elceram and Cayote energized Mi9, and Ronald Völker was following him with his MTC-3 and the LRP power a couple of tenths behind. Marc Rheinard was also right in the mix with his Cayote powered Awesomatix A800R. Völker was kind of sandwiched between Orlowski and Rheinard, which meant he could not attack Orlowski too much to not give Rheinard a chance to close in as well. After two minutes, Orlowski switched on the afterburners and pulled a small gap which Völker was immediately able to close again.

Both posted identical lap times out front and, in the end, there was nothing Völker could risk and try when he crossed the finish line 0.278 of a second behind race winner Orlowski. Marc Rheinard was another 2 tenths behind and took P3 away from A1. Simon Lauter and Lucas Urbain completed the top 5 in a fantastic final – even if we did not see any spectacular moves on track. There are two more A-Mains coming up on Sunday and we can`t wait until it happens!

That was a close race. Ronald was very fast, and I had not the best feeling with my car on track this evening. We need to discuss possible changes for A2 to just make it a little better again. However, I could maintain the gap to Ronald during the run and I am happy with this start into the triple finals. Now it is time to enjoy the evening with the team!
Michal Orlowski (PL) Schumacher | Elceram

I am happy with the pace we had on track. My problem was that I could not put more pressure on Michal because of Marc being also very close to me. I was kind of sandwiched and then you never can risk too much. It is not easy to follow closely on this track as we are approaching the corners with a lot of speed all the time. But we are finally back on a great pace and there are two more finals on Sunday where we will try to win!
Ronald Völker (DE) Mugen Seiki | LRP

Hmmm, I really hoped that there will happen something in front of me. I was staying in touch with the leaders but there was never a real chance to attack. My car felt good, and I hope that I can race Michal and Ronald a little harder in A2 and A3 tomorrow.
Marc Rheinard (DE) Awesomatix | Cayote

Sparbier is “right on the money” and wins A1 in Daun

A great day for Mugen Seiki came to a perfect ending when Sören Sparbier took full advantage of his pole position in the first A-Main of the Awesomatix Pro Stock class. Sparbier had a perfect race, made no mistakes, and was holding off a very hard pushing Adam Izsay (0,7 seconds after 5 minutes). A big break for Sören Sparbier who has the chance to win his first ever ETS race in the Pro Stock class (and the first one for Mugen Seiki) on Sunday when A2 and A3 is on the line!

To win A1 feels great and was already a little emotional. But now I will try to stay focused for tomorrow. We will have a nice dinner and then I will go to bed early. Tomorrow is a new day and I will try my best to bring home the win for the team and myself!
Sören Sparbier (DE) Mugen Seiki | LRP

Behind Sparbier and Izsay it was Dominic Greiner who finished on a strong third place ahead of Jesper Rasmussen and Olivier Bultynck. Third place starter Lukas Ellerbrock lost a lot of time because of a body tuck and finished seventh in A1.

Clinic drive from Valent earns him A1 victory

After the sound of the tone, Schumacher`s Mark Valent brought the field around lap number one where we saw no position changes. Valent was able to open a gap to Phil Langner (Awesomatix) and Reile (Iris) and was one second ahead of them after the first 2 minutes of A1. Phil Langner also had a little gap over Reile who had a lot of work to do to keep championship contender Frederik Hovgaard (Yokomo) behind him. Valent`s pace was impressive, and Langer had no chance to create pressure on him.

The battle for positions 3 to 8 was super-intense and we saw high class ETS FWD racing. Alexander Stocker was able to get by Hovgaard with two laps to go to take fifth place. Mark Valent took the win in A1 from Phil Langner and Dominik Reile.

Great show of racing as Ehrbar didn`t crack under Zierold`s pressure

David Ehrbar had a clean start in A1 of the Masters class with his Xray car. Michel Zierold and René Kölbel followed him a few tenths behind and Zierold was very close to Ehrbar after two minutes while Kölbel was sitting in third spot – “sometimes the best place to be”.  Zierold pushed really hard and was all over Ehrbar in the last 90 seconds of the race. Zierold` s car looked much better in the chicane on the left side of the track and Zierold was looking high and low, but Ehrbar kept the door slam shut.

Behind them, the freight train with Kölbel, Mateo, and Stocker was waiting for something to happen, but Ehrbar kept his nerves under control and brought home a hard-fought win in A1 of our 1up Racing 40+ Masters class.

Kriz wins Saturday evening A1 in Daun

After a clean start, the field was running in the grid order for the first three laps until Kristian Jensen lost his car at the deepest point of the track opposite to the driver stand. His car flew over the barrier, and he dropped back to the dead last spot. Jaroslav Kriz was leading the race and quickly build a one second gap over Bajusz Zsolt who was followed by Pawel Trella in third place.

Jan Gehrig and David Reip had a good race in fourth and fifth spot. Nothing happened on top until the end of the race as Kriz made no single mistake when he won A1 in style and from tone to tone ahead of Bajusz Zsolt, Pawel Trella, Jan Gehrig, and David Reip.

Ehrbar cold as ice when he took Formula A1 from Stiebler and Stenger

Right after winning A1 in the 40+ Masters class, Ehrbar changed the model on his transmitter and launched his Xray Formula car off the line to win A1 of the Formula class as well. Schumacher`s Andreas Stiebler was running in second all time and Thomas Stenger had a nice battle with Jacques Libar for third and fourth position.

In the last minute of the race, Ehrbar lost time when he got collected by a backmarker but luckily, he could continue leading the race. Stiebler was close behind him and flew off track when he touched Ehrbar`s rear tire. Thomas Stenger took advantage of it and finished second ahead of Jacques Libar, Andreas Stiebler, and René Kölbel!