Rheinard: “I always see a chance to win the worlds…”

We hope you had a good start into 2026. How and where did you celebrate Christmas and new year?

Yes, I had a good start into the new year. After christmas, I went for a quick 4-day trip to my favourite island Mallorca and after that I was at home to celebrate new year`s eve with friends.

In a couple of months, the IFMAR worlds will take place in China at this fabulous looking GDC facility. It looks like Disney Land for al RC enthusiasts. Together with Bruno Coelho, you are the most winning driver in the touring car class when it comes to world titles (3 titles each). Do you think you can win a fourth title in China, and what would that mean to you?

I believe that I always have a chance of winning. At the last World Championships in Bakersfield, I performed well, was in contention for the overall victory, and ultimately finished third on the podium. Looking ahead to the World Championships in China, I expect all the top riders such as Bruno, Michal, Ronald (and a few others) to be in top form.
I’m really looking forward to this event because the facility is simply fantastic. The hotel is close to the track and there are lots of shops and cafés in the area, which makes the stay even more enjoyable. The track itself is very large and I expect a very demanding high-speed race, which will put a lot of stress on the equipment.

Coming into Daun for the ETS, how will your preparation look like in terms of practice and setup for this unique race at the Sporthotel Grafenwald and what do you expect from your first big race of 2026?

The ETS in Daun will be my first carpet race since the one in Wiener Neustadt at the end of the last campaign. I will do a bit of testing at (David) Ronnefalk`s track in Sweden in the days before Daun to get back into the groove. When looking onto the championship, I am in a good position and my goal is to stay second overall until the end of the season. However, a victory in Daun would be nice for me and my sponsors!

As we know, you are not a driver who enjoys practicing so much. Do you think it is one of your biggest strengths arriving at races with a “freer” mind, or is it maybe a weak point which could help you to score even better results on track with more testing going on?

Yeah, that`s true – I am not the biggest fan of practice. BUT I take a lot of attention on a good preperation immediateley before big race events. I rebuild my cars, prep the body shells, and make sure that everyting is spot on when showing up. Practicing on track is not bad too, but for the race in Daun it is super difficult as you can never find the same conditions somewhere else. Overall, I like to arrive at a big event with a free mind which helps a lot to start into it unbiased.

Lauter: “My goal is the A-Main at the China worlds..:”

Simon, you raced a lot in the last weeks at events like the TOS for example. Are you confident and happy with your carpet performance going into the Daun ETS?

Hi everybody. I have been Racing a lot recently as we have been in China for the Worlds preparation. I did the TOS in Augsburg and a longer week of practice after the TOS race. There was a lot to learn and good competition which is always helpfull during practice to have some kind of orientation. We tested a lot and found some good things in my opinion, but Daun is always special so I am not sure whether this will work there as well. But I think I know how to react to the conditions

You have made the move from Pro Stock to Modified some years ago and you have become one of the top 10 modified drivers at most of your ETS races since then. What would you say is the biggest difference when it comes to driving the cars and would you recommend even more racers to “try modified” at a time?

For sure the biggest difference is the ESC setting and the finger movement on throttle and brake. In stock you basically put everything to highest Punch and in modified you try to be as smooth as possible. A lot of guys think modified is faster in the corners as well which is not the case as the tires are the Limit. That’s why the most improvements in Modified can be found on braking. I still run rather low brake on the radio to smoothen everything out where the best Modified guys use very high brake and are more capable of limiting themself with calmer finger movements.

Your Awesomatix team is a very strong one and maybe the strongest force out there together with Xray. As 2026 is a world championship year, what is your biggest goal and dream for the new season. You are the reigning world champion in the Spec (Stock) class but we guess you will run modified at GDC in China  – right?

I will run modified all year that’s correct. There are some big events this year – with the Double World Championship being the highlight of the year – so my main goal is being as prepared as possible and doing good on the big stage! If everything works out fine I think the A -Main is possible there. I will do my best to make it and enjoy my first IFMAR World Championships in the modified class!

Urbain: “Kicking myself for not doing well in Bakersfield”

Lucas, welcome to 2026 and another ETS race. Before we talk about racing, we like to ask you about your Christmas and New Year`s celebrations. We hope you had a great time?

It was nice to wind down a bit during Christmas, spending time with my family and taking time off RC Racing. It was short lived though as I was already on the road on January 1st to attend the TOS in Augsburg. I didn’t mind though, because this race really is a good one, the right balance between a chill race and a big practice session in the right conditions to get adjusted ahead of the ETS.

With the biggest indoor race of the season right ahead we like to ask you about your current form and your own expectations for Daun. You have been close to a victory at the last ETS in Luxembourg – do you think you can win in Daun?

My current form is there or thereabouts. I haven’t quite found my marks this carpet season yet, but at the same time Daun isn’t really a race you can accurately prepare for. Every year we face widely different conditions there, so I’d rather approach it without any preconceived ideas.
Track evolution can really catch you out, and since we have very little practice before Q1 starts, it is probably better to stay open-minded rather than getting stuck on a setup that seemed perfectly fine at another track the weekend before. That being said, I still feel reasonably confident in my ability to win it. It is up to me to put myself in the right mindset and to give myself the right tools to achieve it.

As the new year is picking up the pace slowly, you have already raced for the first time at the TOS in Augsburg. The schedule for the first half of 2026 is pretty stacked with the ETS in Daun, the TITC in Bangkok, another ETS in Wiener Neustadt, and then the maybe most important trip to the IFMAR worlds in China. How excited are you about the coming months?

It is definitely going to be a busy time. I am currently doing my final prep to fly to Italy for the Charity Race as I am writing this. ETS Daun and TITC are pretty much back-to-back this year given how early we fly to Thailand to maximize practice time.
Then, I’ll be back on carpet again for ETS Wiener Neustadt, with plenty of testing and club racing in between I’m sure, and the WC as the cherry on top after all that. Constantly switching from carpet to asphalt is not the most ideal scenario. I am expecting endless wrenching sessions ahead, but it is what it is. It is in fact what I signed up for and I’m relishing the challenge of it all.

It is maybe not the nicest question, but you have never managed to qualify for an A-Main at the IFMAR worlds – even while being one of the best in the business since many years. How much would it mean for you to end this kind of “streak” at the GDC facilities in Foshan?

I’ve gotten into the habit of doing quite poorly at both EFRA and IFMAR races. If I’m honest these events often fail to feel special to me and despite their status and heritage, I usually struggle to take them more seriously than a glorified club race (lack of an announcer, “à la carte” rule set, endless arguments about simple things etc…).
Last Worlds in Bakersfield were good though, it felt like a proper high-stakes race, and I am kicking myself for not doing well there. I must say I expect quite a lot from the worlds in China this year. When you see the facilities with your own eyes it becomes clear that “just doing things good enough” is not part of their policy, they will make sure it stands out.
Of course, it would be nice to get the monkey off my back by finally making it in the top ten, yet I will arguably not be satisfied with “just” doing that, I’ll be hungry for more. The Worlds always seem to hit different though, unknown set of conditions and a new layout for everyone, it is also not a long race, things can easily spiral down for the worse (been there, done that)…
So as always it can certainly strike a few surprises. That’s not all though, the Euros happen to be at my home track this year in Luxembourg so it would be hitting two birds with one stone in a very short time frame to end a streak of poor EFRA/IFMAR on my end.

Mächler: “Daun is always the “special event” in the calendar”

Max, how are you doing as a team manager and driver in a world championship year with so many big races on the schedule? Let us know a bit of your thoughts and how you plan to handle all the stress with traveling, testing, wrenching, supporting, and racing in the next months?

This year is extremely packed: 1/12 EC and Worlds, 1/10 TC EC and Worlds, TITC in Thailand, the full ETS season, plus a few standalone events. A Worlds year is always special – it’s the top priority for everyone – and that’s exactly why having a strong team structure is crucial.
When I talk about a team, I don’t just mean the drivers. It’s about planning, organization, and execution well in advance to avoid unnecessary last-minute issues.
Together with Lucas and Nicole, I’ve built a very solid internal structure around Oleg and myself to stay on top of everything.
All major events have been fully planned and booked for months already, which also reflects the strong cooperation within the driver group.
We work with shared data and dedicated WhatsApp groups for events like the Worlds and TITC, which helps everyone prepare more efficiently. Due to my responsibilities for the Awesomatix brand, I currently have less time to prepare my own racing program perfectly, which means I’ll race a bit less myself this season. I will grab the transmitter this year with full focus for the double header Worlds in China and the Euros in Sicily and Luxemburg. For the TITC and all the ETS Events I will be present at the events 
to take care of the trackside support for customers and our racers!

Your team is very strong – and very big. How difficult is it to always care about everybody and to keep the team spirit alive week in and week out?

The size of a Team is never an issue, in case you build it with the correct minded people and drivers! No doubt – at the end only one guy can win its class, but there is more to it. The Teamwork to refine the setups and car design plays a major role in every Awesomatix success.
My goal was always to build a Team with guys that genuinely get along and may become even more than just Teammates, because friendship is a much stronger bond than a logo on a shirt.
Given this, it’s rather simple for me to keep the spirit high, because everyone is willing to help each other in case there is something up. All of my drivers know that I’m just one message away in case 🙂 

As mentioned before, 2026 is a world championship year and we all have seen many pictures and videos from the GDC facility in China. What was your first impression when you arrived there?

The facility that Gavin and the Hongyu GDC team built from the ground up is mind-blowing. Photos really don’t capture the scale of the place. Even the visual impression while driving feels unique at first, mainly due to the combination of track width and the height of the driver stand. We’re really looking forward to the Worlds and to racing under those conditions.

Some quick words for the ETS in Daun: Big race, big competition, big chances to win for your team in almost every class. What are your predictions for ETS RD4 with 500 entries?

ETS Daun is always the “special event” in the calendar with the huge amount of entries and long days. Many of our drivers used the recent TOS race in Augsburg to prepare specifically for Daun. With the amount of data collected there, we should arrive with very solid base setups. As always, the final conditions on site will determine the last setup adjustments. With such a talent-packed entry list, nothing is guaranteed for anyone. Everything is wide open, and I’m expecting intense racing and very close battles.   

Bultynck: “For sure, the championship is in the back of my head…”

Ollie, we like to wish you a happy new year and hope that you are fine. First question is a tough one: You can already seal the Pro Stock championship in Daun – how much is it in your head while approaching the race and how are you dealing with it?

Hi and happy new year to everybody. Well I am not really thinking about the Championship yet. I’m just more busy to prepare my cars and myself to do my best and try to fight for the win in Daun and for the team, but for sure the championship is somewhere in the back of my head. But a great result in Daun is priority at this moment. So I will do my best there!

Awesomatix is so strong, especially in the stock classes during all the last years. What do you think makes your team so good at all?

We have a good car for sure, but the most important is the team and teamwork we do. The whole team works so hard to develop and test different things to not leave anything on the table. This way I want to thank Max for building this team as it is, its more like family for me, and his hard work behind the scenes! I have to thank Lucas (Urbain) for all the help and helping me prep all my things.

Beside the ETS, which other races are on your schedule for 2026 and what is the race you are most excited about?

I’ll look to do some Longwy races and also look forward to TITC soon. Last year was my first time there and I really enjoyed it. So, I will be happy to be there again. Preparing for the Worlds is also in full swing for 12th scale and TC Spec, so looking forward to that also. I’ll do Euro’s in Luxembourg as well because I love that track. Nationals are also on the board and some TOS races – so will not be a boring 2026!

Ellerbrock: “I want to secure P2 overall in Pro Stock”

Another strong season for you Lukas. Even if it seems that Ollie will win the title, you are ranked in second place before going into the Daun ETS. Would you be happy so save overall P2 behind him when we wrap up the season in Wiener Neustadt?

Thank you. Unfortunately the outdoor races were not the best for me, so the title defence is out of reach. But as always I will give my best to achieve some good results at the indoor events and try to finish P2 overall, which surely would make me happy.

We think you have already been testing for the IFMAR worlds in China. What have your impressions been at the GDC facility, and in the city of Foshan in general?

Yes I was in Foshan for a week of testing with team. The facility is absolutely crazy! Different and huge tracks, great pits, a big shop and just overall an amazing city. I’m already looking forward to come back there for the Worlds.

It looks crazy to see 500 entries on the list and everybody knows how long and hard these days in Daun will be. But it seems that nothing can stop people from signing up for this epic event. What do you like the most about our big ETS race in Daun, and what are your dislikes about it?

500 entries is an absolute crazy number and once again shows what a good job the whole ETS crew is doing every time! Of course those entry numbers also means that the racing is a bit more limited, which is probably the biggest „dislike“. But in the past years I always had a good time in Daun as it’s a great place to socialize with everybody. I’m already looking forward to be there in a few weeks.