With the A800R platform reaching its maturity it is now time for the world of front-wheel-drive touring to benefit from more than two years of extensive development of its touring car counterpart. The A800FXR builds on the proven A800R touring car concept – shortened chassis plate for minimal overhang and chassis rub and improved damping characteristics over the FX Evo platform – while retaining the successful drivetrain and steering geometry of its predecessor.
The standout feature of the A800FXR kit is its innovative two-piece, bi-material chassis plate. The forward section, made of aluminum, supports the front end, transmission, and electronics, while a carbon fiber rear section holds the rear assembly. While offering improved weight distribution and refined flex characteristics it brings unparalleled tunability as it allows four different wheelbase settings, truly redefining the phrase “the best of both worlds”!
The A800FXR sees the introduction of newly designed D4 dampers. Built on the proven D3 dampers concept – which implemented an external damping level setting – the new D4 iteration now enables to also externally switch between three damping modes: linear, semi-progressive and progressive, and therefore does away with a complete damper rebuild to switch damping mode! Further D4 refinements over previous D3 include a wider available range of spring setting and increased suspension travel.
The kit comes equipped with a new glass fibre composite front upper deck which together with an also new carbon fibre rear upper deck further increases front flex improving the flex distribution across the complete chassis frame.
To further enhance tunability the kit is rounded up by BW41 and BW29 front chassis ballast weights positioned under the differential as well as the newly designed ST265 Modular Bumper Weight – now included as standard – allowing to secure up to six ST110 round weights in the front bumper making for neat and infinitely adjustable weight bias.
A800FXR features:
Revolutionary two-piece, bi-material chassis design allowing four different wheelbase settings and able to receive up to thirteen TW5 flush tungsten weights
Newly designed D4 dampers enabling external switching between linear, semi-progressive and progressive damping modes
Newly designed AM285 lightweight and tweak-free rear bulkheads
Newly designed AM278FXR front bulkheads
Newly designed P12XFR machined front sway bar holder
Newly designed C107-FXG2.0 glass fibre composite front top deck
Newly designed C127-FXR carbon fibre rear top deck
Newly designed ST265 modular bumper weight
Newly designed BW41 and BW29 “under-diff” ballast weight
A800R proven suspension geometry
A800FX Evo proven drivetrain and steering geometry
A800R proven rear body mount
Disclaimer: Radio Receiver and Transmitter, ESC, Servo and Servo Arm, Motor, Fan, Pinon and Spur Gear, Lipo, Bodyshell and Tires are not included in the kit. They are only used for the presentation of a fully equipped car.
The well-known Essex Winter Series concluded it’s 2024/25 season this weekend at its venue in the South-East of the UK.
In the LRP Modified class, Olly Jefferies and Elliott Harper were tied on points going into the race, with Kyle Branson just two points behind, setting up a great showdown to round out the series. In qualifying, Olly was on form, taking his factory Awesomatix to the fastest time in every round, putting a firm grip on the overall title. Kyle Branson lined up second on the grid with his Tonisport-backed Awesomatix, with Alex Thurston taking the new Mugen MTC-3 to third. Elliott Harper essentially saw his chances of another EWS title disappearing with a fourth place grid spot for Schumacher, and Stefan Chodzynski rounded out the top five with another Tonisport-supported Awesomatix.
In the final, Olly stamped his authority on the season with a commanding win. Kyle took second place, about 1.5-seconds back on Olly, whilst Elliott and Alex battled hard for third. Elliott took third, whilst side-by-side racing over the last few laps allowed Bailey Graves to come through to fourth and Jack Collins take fifth.
In the overall points, Olly Jefferies took the title, with Elliott finishing in the runner-up position. Kyle was third overall with Alex fourth in the standings. Harley Eldridge, missing this race to be at the ETS in Vienna, was fifth overall.
In the Rush Stock class, Zak Finlay had the title in the bag but looked for a clean sweep of pole positions, securing the overall TQ. Tony Broad had a season not to his usual standards, but found more speed this time and started second on the grid, ahead of Ben Moorey and Billy Fletcher.
Zak once again dominated the final to take another win with his Zombie/Tonisport supported Awesomatix, but there was action behind. Ben got past Tony in the first minutes and held a solid second place for Awesomatix, with Billy, Tony and Ricky Copsey having a great fight for third. Billy held on to take third on the day for Schumacher, with Tony fourth and Ricky fifth with their Xrays.
So overall, Zak was confirmed as champion, Ben second overall with Billy rounding out the podium. Tony picked up fourth in the points, with Ricky fifth – matching the finishing order on the day.
The MB Models Front Wheel Drive class had been dominated by Adam Southgate – the Iris driver winning every qualifying round and every final for the whole season so far. He again started on pole position with Michael Chapman, making his first start of the season, second, ahead of Stuart Rand, Nathan Parker and Byron Russell. Adam rounded out the perfect season with the A Final victory, Michael taking a solid second place, and Byron coming through to take third ahead of Nathan, and Thomas Looney rounding out the top five.
In the points, Adam took the top step of the podium, with Stuart second and Nathan third. Byron finished fourth overall and Stuart Collard rounded out the top five.
The EWS Team would like to thank all the racers for their support and another fantastic season of racing. They also want to acknowledge all the support of the sponsors and partners for making another year possible! The summer time sees UK racing focus on outdoors, whilst the EWS Team get underway with planning for the 2025/2026 edition of the series!
1) We have crowned some fantastic, and well-deserved champions!
The season finalse at the ETS is always covered by a special atmosphere as we crown our season champions during the trophy ceremony on Sunday. Season #17 was another show of high-class RC racing at all five rounds, and we finally found some well-deserved champions and podium finishers in all of our six racing classes!
Michal Orlowski – back to back champion and ten race wins in a row. He is shaping a new era…
Schumacher star Michal Orlowski said `he was nervous on Sunday morning due to a possible tenth consecutive ETS race victory and reading it all the time in the reports`. Hard to believe when we then saw how clean and dominant he drove in A2 to bring home the record-setting 10th victory in a row.
Michal won all five races of the season from pole position, and he never needed to race A3 as he always wrapped up his victories in the first two legs of finals – it does not get any better than this. Schumacher is now dominating the Modified class since two complete seasons and we are already looking forward how season #18 will unfold in a few weeks when his competitors will once again start to hunt the Orlowski down.
Once again: Congratulations to Michal Orlowski, Schumacher, Elceram, Cayote (and all other sponsors) for a great season!
Awesomatix driver Marc Rheinard secured the vice-championship after constantly scoring podiums (three times third), and Mugen Seiki`s Ronald Völker brought a difficult season to a good ending when he finished two times second at the last races in Daun and Wiener Neustadt to snatch the last spot on the podium away from the Awesomatix drivers Lucas Urbain and Simon Lauter.
Lukas Ellerbrock – Pro Stock champion after a superb season
The Awesomatix team has now won five of the last six championship titles in the Pro Stock class. Once Simon Lauter stepped up into the Modified class two seasons ago, and Max Mächler did not race all the races anymore, some people already said that the Awesomatix dominance may disappear now.
Well – they had all been completely wrong. Last season, a nice and fair fight for the title was going on between Olivier Bultynck (Awesomatix), Adam Izsay (Xray), and Lukas Ellerbrock (Awesomatix), with the Awesomatix drivers finishing first and second bringing the first championship for the ace from Beglium – Ollie Bultynck.
In Season #17 it was Lukas Ellerbrock who was on fire from the start of the season winning the season opener in Apeldoorn, taking a third place in Aigen, adding another win in Luxembourg, and backing up the good points haul with two more third places at the carpet races in Daun and at Arena Nova.
Once again: Congratulations to Lukas Ellerbrock, Awesomatix (and all other sponsors) for a great season!
In the end, Ellerbrock was two points ahead of Mugen Seiki`s Sören Sparbier who won the last two races of the season. Last season`s champion Olivier Bultynck had some ups and downs (one race win in Aigen) and finished third for the season. Season #18 will set everything back to zero and we are already looking forward to another intense fight for the championship in the Awesomatix Pro Stock class.
Mark Valent wins first FWD championship title for Schumacher
Mark Valent from Hungary lifted the big trophy for the overall ETS FWD championship title at Arena Nova. Valent had a great season and wa sable to win two races in Luxembourg and Daun. He only took part in 4 of our 5 races which added a lot of pressure to Valen`t performance at the season finale in Austria.
Once again: Congratulations to Mark Valent and Schumacher for a great season!
Valent scored a fifth place in Aigen, and a fourth place in Wiener Neustadt to win the championship four ponts ahead of Yokomo`s Frederik Hovgaard, and Awesomatix racer Phil Langner. Hovgaard won in Aigen, and Langner the last race of the season after a brilliant drive.
Jaroslav Kriz – upcoming talent wins 21.5 Stock title in first full ETS season!
Xray driver Jaroslav Kriz was celebrating the race win at Arena Nova in style as he knew that the overall championship title would be his. Kriz was getting better and better throughout the season and was able to win three out of the four races he attended – all from pole position. Kriz will be a driver to watch in the future as he is already getting help and support from many of his Xray teammates.
Once again: Congratulations to Jaroslav Kriz and Xray for a great season!
Being a teammate of Kriz, Danish racer Kristian Jensen became vice-champion after challenging Kriz well during the season. Jensen was able to win RD3 of the championship in Luxembourg which spiced up the battle again. Nadine Zühlke from germany reached the third position overall with her ARC car and brought a very strong season with two podium finishes and constant point scoring to a great ending.
David Ehrbar – hats off to “an old guy” winning two championship trophies!
Calling Ehrbar an “old guy” is not fair for sure. But as he has already reached the fourties, Ehrbar is also not a “young gun” anymore. And when you become older, you have more experience than others. And that is exactly what was visible when we watched Ehrbar performing throughout the whole season. He was (mostly) driving with the perfect balance between full attack, and well-considered driving.
Once again: Congratulations to David Ehrbar and Xray for a great season!
Ehrbar was able to win TWO championship titles in our Matrix Formula, and 1up Racing 40+ Masters class. Running two classes is always a challenge – to win both of them is a huge accomplishment. David Ehrbar won the Formula title ahead of Schumachers outgoing champion Andreas Stiebler, and Michal Wojcik (Xray) from Poland. In the 40+ Masters class, Ehrbar defended his title from a super fast Michal Zierold, and US racer Eric Anderson (both running Awesomatix cars). David won four races in the Masters class and two in Formula and is a well-deserved double ETS champion!
2) Mugen Seiki MTC-3….. Is the Pro Stock dominance of Awesomatix over?
The second topic we need to talk about os the new Mugen Seiki MTC-3 touring car. The platform was already used by Mugen lead driver Ronald Völker, and young Jacob Cruz at the IFMAR worlds in Bakersfield (US) in November, and Völker also finished second with the car in Daun and took the win at the Mibo International race. Völker was having another good weekend in Wiener Neustadt finishing second on the Modified podium behind Orlowski.
But when looking onto Pro Stock, a class that was in the hands of Awesomatix for a long time, we need to highlight the race results of Sören Sparbier. The young German racer was running in the Pro Stock A-Mains frequently with the “old” Mugen MTC-2R, but never had a chance to challenge Ellerbrock, Izsay, or Bultynck for race wins. With the arrival of the MTC-3 things changed dramatically. Sparbier won his first ever ETS race after a fantastic performance in Daun, flew over to the TITC in Thailand to win the Open Brushless class, to just come back to Europe taking another ETS win at the season finale at Arena Nova. What a sensational streak….
But what does it mean for the future? Can the Mugen team stay on top of the Awesomatix Pro Stock class with Sparbier next season, or will the empire strike back in full force? However, the MTC-3 seems to be a big step forware for the Japanese manufacturer. Three cars made it into the Modified A-Main in Wiener Neustadt, wheeled by Völker, Sparbier, and Kili, while Gollner had some tough luck but still was able to win the B-main.
3) Martin Hofer is back, and we are mega happy about it
German racer Martin Hofer made a comback to the ETS, and to RC car racing in general after a break of several years. Martin is a legend of the sport and a member of the ETS family since the very early years. Hofer raced for famous teams such as Schumacher, Yokomo, and Awesomatix, and is a former ETS Pro Stock champion, German national champion, and EFRA Euros podium finisher himself.
Martin is a class act on, and off the track as he is friendly, entertaining, and very fast on track. He announced that he has signed a contract with Xray and that he plans to run the complete next ETS season with us. At Arena Nova he raced in the B-Main of the Pro Stock class with his Xray car and we can be sure that he will find his way back to the top ten of the class sooner or later. Hofer is back…. his cool hairstyle already broke the internet!
4) The driver`s dinner and our tomboa raffle at the ETS Season Finale was a blast…
On Friday evening we had a fantastic drivers dinner with delicious food – supported by “legendary” race mechanic and former Yokomo car designer Yikijiro Umino from Japan. He supported the local club to make the dinner affordable for everybody and we like to thank Umino Sa n from teh bottom of our hearts – ARIGATO.
After a very nice speech from local council Nikolaus Dopler, the buffet was open. The typical Austrian food was as delicious as last year, and the whole evening was amazing, ending in our big tombola raffle for which every racer received one ticket. We also honoured our frequent ETS racers (4 or 5 races) with a special price to thank them for supporting us all season long.
We like to thank the following companies for supporting our Tombola Raffle in Wiener Neustadt
5) Another unbelievable job from the 1.MRC Wiener Neustadt
It is hard to find the right words if you like to describe the job which the 1. MRC Wiener Neustadt has done all week long. From setting up the pit area and the canteen at the early start of the week, helping to build the track, the drivers stand and much more, all the way to the BEST EVER canteen in history of the ETS.
We have many great canteens at our ETS races and all the clubs try hard, but what the 1st MRC Wiener Neustadt did last week was absolutely incredible. They served a breakfast with fresh eggs and bacon in the morning, the famous Austrian Kaiserschmarren, as well as daily changing lunch menus, including vegetarian options, Schnitzel, and other tyoical Austrian specialities.
They had fresh coffee and cappucion, mineralized water from the BWT dispenser, draught beer, and many other highlights. They permanentley worked with 8-10 people in the canteen making everything working smooth during the entire event. We can only say “hats off” to the crew around Sascha Klug – AMAZING JOB!
The FT9 is designed to be a winner in the close and exciting ‘Frontie’ FWD racing class.
The FT9 incorporates many features from the hugely successful Mi9 touring car, to make a superbly engineered racer.
It is fast, light weight, and agile with a super low centre of gravity.
The FT9 contains all the features and adjustments you need from a high end front wheel drive to take you to the top of the podium.
The FT9, drive from the front.
New – Two Kit versions, K220 – Alloy Chassis 7075-T6 or K219 – Special Stiff Weave Carbon Fibre Chassis. Each offering extreme weight reductions in the rear of the car, as well as advanced flexibility characteristics. New – Front bumper design with foam bumper and black brass weight. Optional 60g (6x10g weights U8774) additional weight locations. New – Rear suspension layout with all new shock mounting design. New geometry and forward bias weight distribution. New – All new suspension geometry. Refined over countless hours by our team drivers and in house development engineers to provide maximum performance across all track conditions.
New – Fully updated front transmission housing. Same on the left and right side. New – Rear Transmission housing for maximum rearward weight saving and optimum rigidity. New – Lightweight gear differential design with ultra-smooth action, improved performance and improved ease of build, especially with requirement for maximum oil capacity seen in FWD. Optional oil bleeding design included for an even easier build technique. New – Driveshaft design. All new low profile joint, joint positioning, ball bearing outputs and weight reduction provide performance improvements. New – Nano shock absorbers with total length reduction of 7.6mm. Uncompromised stroke for improved performance and lower centre of gravity. New – Front Hub carrier design. Plastic are included as standard with optional alloy hubs both providing improved wheel control and performance. New – Front Wheel hex’s with improved wheel control and easier attachment. New – Rear Alloy Wheel hex’s, lightweight, simple design with inner alloy nut fixing method offering easier wheel fitment. New – Steering arms with new mounting and adjustable ackermann included and optional crash stop locations. New – Lower wishbone design with enhanced flexibility, droop control and other improvements. The wishbones are now identical on the left and right hand side.
New – Outer wishbone ball and socket for improved durability and geometry. New – Independent rear body mounting. Providing better handling performance and durability with shocks mounted separately. New – Carbon Fibre Servo mount with low centre of gravity design, along with improved mounting location. New – Compatible with Aerox AX067 LP1S servo, with direct mounting. (Wire extension required, such as KO36521). New – Front split shock mount design with twist free design and a more consistent, smooth handling characteristic. New – Lightweight centre layshaft and spur holder design. New – Lightweight Motor Mount, which includes all new motor positioning with improved pinion accessibility and built in 30mm fan mount. New – Steering radius arm assembly with new steering geometry for maximum steering with smooth characteristics. New – Split Top Deck design and integration with the motor mount. New – Aluminium upper link pivots for lightweight and lower centre of gravity included. New – Black threaded inserts. Eliminates the need for nuts. New – Bearing Eccentrics for the diff/spool with smaller diameter and new location type. New – Precision layshaft with shortened design and revised spur gear position. New – Motor Positioning with more central motor positioning .
Improved belt efficiency which can be run much looser without slipping.
Anti roll bar design lowers centre of gravity.
Black alloy turnbuckles used throughout.
20 precision ball raced bearings.
Arrowmax supplied 110T 64dp industry standard fitting spur gear.
LiPo adjustment for fine tuning weight distribution.
Rear track rod for infinite adjustment to rear toe-in. This can be tuned for the use of Active Rear Suspension.
Aerospace carbon fibre components throughout.
Ultra low centre of gravity.
Double wishbone suspension for increased suspension rigidity, and reduced play.
Durable and more efficient drive train with larger pulleys 22:40.
Fully adjustable, suspension geometry, wheelbase, castor, camber, roll centre, ackermann, droop, anti-dive, anti-squat, front and rear toe in/out, ride height and much more.
Option Parts available to fine tune to all track conditions.
LiPo retention mouldings. No tape required.
K219 – FT9 – C/F – Kit K220 – FT9 – Alloy – Kit
Dealer Pre-Orders Being Taken, due late March/Early April
Panterra is ZooRacing’s latest high-performance body, engineered specifically for modified racing, where precision, speed, and handling are paramount. Designed to meet the rigorous demands of competitive modified racing, the Panterra body offers a combination of cutting-edge aerodynamics and advanced material technology that enhances track performance like never before. Utilizing our latest insights, the Panterra delivers significant improvements in speed, stability, and overall handling, setting a new benchmark in the industry. With increased contact pressure for enhanced cornering stability and superior rotation, it provides a dynamic driving experience, especially in modified racing, where every millisecond counts.
Several design innovations have been incorporated into the Panterra to ensure it excels in modified racing environments. The overall length has been reduced to minimize inertia, improving rotation around the vertical axis for faster response. To enhance high-speed steering precision, both the front and hood have been redesigned with less steeper angles. The side contours have been strategically shaped to direct airflow over the rear wheel arches, optimizing the aerodynamic pressure differential and increasing downforce. The rear end is designed with an emphasis on a low center of gravity, ensuring stable handling at high speeds, while the reshaped rear fenders minimize turbulence and promote consistent airflow to the rear wing.
A key feature of the Panterra body is its narrow-shaped waist design. This distinctive shape reduces the frontal surface area, allowing for faster acceleration and better agility in tight corners. By narrowing the waist, we’ve achieved more efficient airflow dynamics and reduced drag, resulting in improved overall aerodynamic efficiency. This design not only enhances handling but also provides a more responsive and agile racing experience, ideal for the high-speed, tight-turning nature of modified racing circuits.
The Panterra has also been meticulously optimized for high-speed handling stability. The reduced frontal area and optimized aerodynamics help the body maintain a stable, planted feel even at top speeds, ensuring the car remains predictable and responsive under heavy acceleration and in high-speed cornering. This stability is critical for modified racing, where high-speed handling is essential for navigating fast straights and tight corners with precision. The aerodynamic improvements, including the optimized rear wing and enhanced downforce, work together to maintain balance at high speeds, providing the driver with greater control, especially in critical race situations.
Aerodynamic efficiency is maximized through an elongated roofline that reduces drag and improves stability at high speeds. The side windows feature a new integrated arch design, balancing the airflow pressure ratio across the body. The new wing is designed for high efficiency and further refined to perfectly complement the body’s rear, enhancing downforce and stability during high-speed maneuvers. An integrated reinforcement rib strengthens the wing, providing additional structural rigidity and ensuring consistent performance on fast tracks typical in modified racing.
The ZOOlite molding process used in the Panterra reduces the weight of the standard 0.7mm body shell by approximately 10g. This reduction in weight helps the body meet minimum weight regulations for modified racing, such as those in the ETS, while simultaneously lowering the vehicle’s center of gravity. For those seeking maximum performance, the Panterra is also available in the lightweight ULTRALIGHT 0.5mm version, further enhancing agility and acceleration on the track without sacrificing strength. For super high grip tracks and hardcore mofified racing, we also offer this body as 0.4mm AIRLITE version.
Each Panterra body package includes high-quality wing mounting hardware and a detailed sticker sheet with grille, headlight, and taillight designs, ensuring your vehicle is both performance-oriented and visually striking on the track.
Features:
– CAD designed – Specialized LCG body shell with a more realistic design and less aerodynamic drag – Low, and yet realistic front end with sculptured hood and grille details – Super narrow waist design to reduce drap and improve overall performance – Recessed roof to channel the airflow and to create greatly improved structural stability thanks to static reinforcement – Structured rear end for anti-tuck capabilities – Large wheel arches allow the body to be placed 4mm front or back (8mm in total) – Large wheel arches ensure the tires will not rub in whatever position – Anti-tuck capabilities with structured side skirts – Static reinforcement on the hood. Especially useful when running the ultra lightweight variant – 0.4mm AIRLITE body weighs in at about 45g cut & including wing
– 0.5mm ULTRALIGHT body weighs in at about 55g cut & including wing – ZOOlite 0.7mm standard body weighs in at about 75g cut & including wing – Detailed decal sheet – Wing mounting hardware – 100mm grid on the rear truck lid for easy and convenient body mounting – EFRA and IFMAR homologated
The seventeenth (!) season of the ETS is done and dusted. We celebrated a great season finale at the wonderful Arena Nova in Wiener Neustadt with 330 entries making it a real show all weekend long. We have seen great races on track, enjoyed awesome moments off track, and crowned our well deserved ETS champions in allour six racing classes. We like to thank everybody who was involved in this season, all the clubs, all the helping hands, and all our wonderful sponsors – see you in Season #18!
Völker wins A3 to defend second overall from Rheinard
Ronald Völker had a mission to complete in A3. The Mugen driver needed to finish ahead of Marc Rheinard`s Awesomatix to secure second overall behind race winner Michal Orlowski. Völker had the mirrors full of Rheinard in the opening laps of A3 until he was able to stretch his lead a bit.
Marc did not give up and after Völker was not hitting all the marks perfectly in the last minute of the run, Rheinard was on the back of Völker again. But Rheinard was running out of time and had to settle for second, only 0.084 seconds behind Völker. Simon Lauter took third place in A3 ahead of Ronnefalk, Sparbier, and Urbain.
A3 goes to Izsay – Sparbier is Pro Stock vice champion
With race winner Sören Sparbier not taking part in A3 anymore it was Xray`s Adam Izsay who took the win in A3 ahead of Lukas Ellerbrock, Mark Valent, Ollie Bultynck, and Kevin Schmid. The final results at Arena Nova were putting Izsay (Xray), and Ellerbrock (Awesomatix) onto the podium beside Mugen`s race winner Sören Sparbier who managed to become vice Pro Stock champion ahead of Ollie Bultynck at the end of the season!
The third and deciding A-Main was all about TQ Phil Langner, and Frederik Hovgaard after A1 winner Wiktor Smid lost some positions in the early stages of the race. Langner was leading, but Hovgaard never disappeared from his rear-view mirror with the gap always between 4 and 7 tenths of a second. Phil showed strong nerves and was able to maintain the gap to the end to celebrate his first victory in the FWD class at the ETS after winning two races in 21.5 Stock touring car last season – congratulations for a great result.
Behind race winner Langer it was Wiktor Smid who took second overall ahead of Frederik Hovgaard and our new FWD champion Mark Valent from the Schumacher team. We like to congratulate Mark Valent for a great performance all season long. Frederik Hovgaard is our season vice-champion and they both got joined by Phil Langner who secured a strong third overall for the season with his win at Arena Nova.
Zierold wins last A-Main of the season to take second at Arena Nova ahead of Anderson
Michel Zierold took advantage of the clean track in front of him as race winner Ehrbar was not on the line anymore in A3. Zierold looked sharp on track with his Awesomatix and quickly opened a gap to second placed racer Eric Anderson form the United States. Anderson had a lot of work to do to keep a hard pushing Ulrich Dinger behind him. They crossed the finish line in exactly this order and the final result of the weekend was Ehrbar ahead of Zierold, Anderson, Dinger, and Thalheimer.
The last A-Main of the season was on the line in the Orca 21.5 Stock class and race winner and newly crowned champion Jaroslav Kriz was watching the action on track from the side-line. The remaining podium positions had been up for grabs, and it was all about Zsolt, Zühlke, Baumbach, and Jensen. Bajusz Zsolt had a clean run and was the fastest driver on track while he was followed by Nadine Zühlke and Tobias Baumbach. Wolfgang Swoboda and David Reip completed the top five in A3.
The overall race result at Arena Nova saw Bajusz Zsolt (2.) and Nadine Zühlke (3.) joining race winner Jaroslav Kriz on the podium. Tobias Baumbach and Kristian Jensen completed the top 5 at the season finale. The overall season podium was locked out by champion Kriz, Jensen (2), and Zühlke (3).
Stenger wins Formula class after mighty comeback in A2 and A3
After we saw thrilling races in A1 and A2, the attention was all on the deciding leg of finals in our Matrix Formula class. TQ Thomas Stenger was able to escape from the rest of the field with his Xray car while David Ehrbar dropped back to third place behind Michael Lipperheide. Xray was running strong with a 1-2-3 with the best non Xray car Andreas Stiebler running in fourth place with his Shcumacher car before a crash in lap 12 changed the running order again. Wojcik moved up to fourth place.
On top of the field, Thomas Stenger had everything under control and demonstrated that it is still possible to beat the newly crowned Formula champion David Ehrbar. Stenger executed the perfect race which earned him a very well deserved first ever ETS race win – congratulations! Behind Stenger, Michael Lipperheide would finish second overall with Andreas Stiebler taking third place.
Orlowski wins Modified A2 ahead of Völker and Rheinard
Schumacher driver Michal Orlowski was celebrating with his arms raised up in the air when he crossed the line to take a record-breaking 10th consecutive race win at the ETS – something we have never seen before. But before all the pressure fell off Orlowski`s shoulders, he had to deliver another clean run in front of Mugen Seiki`s Ronald Völker who was super-quick as well.
In the first laps of the race, Völker had to defend against Rheinard before the Mugen driver was able to open a small gap to the Awesomatix of Rheinard behind him. David Ronnefalk and Simon Lauter raced in fourth and fifth spot which they maintained until the end of the run.
The last 60 seconds of the race saw Ronald closing in on Orlowski as the Schumacher driver made some small mistakes riding a curb here and there. But Orlowski used all his experience and race craft to bring home the win by 0.369 seconds ahead of Völker. Marc Rheinard took third and was another eight tenths behind. The crowd was spending a lot of applause to all the drivers for a great show, and especially for Michal Orlowski`s tenth race win in a row!
New MTC-3 dominates Pro Stock class as Sparbier shines – Izsay scores another second in A2
The second A-Main of our highly competitive ProStock class saw once again Sören Sparbier laying down a blistering run onto the Arena Nova carpet track. Sören won all rounds of qualifying with his Mugen MTC-3 and the first final on Saturday. All eyes had been on the battle between him and Adam Izsay, but the Xray driver never had the chance to set Sparbier under high pressure. Izsay posted the fastest lap of the run with a 14.443, but Sparbier was simply driving like a robot and did not make any mistakes.
After five minutes, Sparbier had a gap of one second over Izsay and celebrated his second consecutive ETS victory in a row. Behind Sparbier and Izsay it was Mark Valent who finished third, followed by Olivier Bultynck, Kevin Schmid, and Tim Benson. Our newly crowned Pro Stock champion Lukas Ellerbrock had a run to forget and was only ranked in eight places in A2.
Perfect race for Langner as he takes Frontwheel A2
Top qualifier Phil Langner executed a perfect race in the second A-Main of the Hobbywing Frontwheel class. Langner drove some perfect lines around the track and Frederik Hovgaard was always a couple of tenths behind him, waiting for something to happen out front. Wiktor Smid, the winner from Saturday evenings spectacular A1 was running in third place.
At the one-minute call, Hovgaard closed in on Langner and it looked that he had a slightly better pace in his Yokomo car. Hovgaard was all over Langner in the last two laps, but Langner was able to stand his ground bringing home the win ahead of Hovgaard, Smid, Reile, and Mark Valent.
Ehrbar wins the Masters class in Austria and crowns a perfect season
With the championship title and yesterday`s A1 already in the bag. David Ehrbar (Xray) had an easy race on top of the field in A2. Ehrbar was flying around the track and checked out completely in the first 60 seconds of the race. Michel Zierold was running in second spot ahead of Eric Anderson, until the US racer lost his third spot to Ulrich Dinger and Mirco Thalheimer.
David Ehrbar took the win in the second A-Main from Zierold and Dinger and brought a fantastic season to a great ending with another super-dominant win at the Euro Touring Series. Congratulations for a superb season to David and the Xray team – the championship title is well-deserved!
Championship decided – Kriz wins big at Arena Nova
Before the second A-main, Jaroslav Kriz knew that he was only five minutes away from a possible first ETS championship title. He had a clean start and was pulling a gap of 2 seconds over Bajusz Zsolt in the first 3 minutes. Nadine Zühlke was running in third place with her ARC car for the entire race as she was followed by Kristian Jensen, and Tobias Baumbach.
Jaroslav Kriz left no doubt about his driving quality on track and brought home a well-deserved win here at Arena Nova which handed the championship title over to him. Congratulations to Jaroslav Kriz and the Xray team for a great season in the Orca 21.5 Stock class!
Stenger takes early morning A2 to keep winning chances alive
After the chaos in A1 on Saturday evening, Thomas Stenger had some perfect laps at the beginning of the race where he was able to already pull a big gap over second placed David Ehrbar. After Ehrbar crashed his car, he lost his position to Andreas Stiebler, and Robert Kampehl.
Stenger had a lead of 4 seconds at the half time of the race, and nobody was able to match the pace of the German Xray driver. Behind Stenger, Stiebler, and Kampehl, Kölbel, it was A1 winner Michael Lipperheide who took fifth place. With Stenger winning A2, the decision for the overall win here at Arena Nova went down to the line in A3.
Völker finishes second behind Orlowski, Lauter moves up from sixth to third in first Modified A-Main
The first A-Main of the FlySky Modified class saw top qualifier Michal Orlowski laying down a great run at Arena Nova. After sweeping qualifying, the Schumacher driver was leading each and every lap of A1 to win the run by 1.4 seconds over a much-improved looking Ronald Völker.
After A1, Völker reported that his mechanic Robert Pietsch “made many changes to the car” which seemed to pay off in a better pace. But before Völker was able to finish second, he had to hold off the Awesomatix car of Marc Rheinard in the first 10 laps of the race. Rheinard was very close to Völker until he was overshooting the left turn after the fast infield chicane which caused a collision with between Rheinard, and Urbain. Both lost positions to Simon Lauter who moved up to third from sixth on the grid.
Meanwhile, Orlowski was still leading and Völker was in second. The gap remained the same until they crossed the line after the intense five-minute race ahead of Lauter, Rheinard, Ronnefalk (fastest lap of A1 13.614), and Urbain.
Sparbier executes perfect A1 ahead of hard charging Izsay
Xray driver Adam Izsay was pushing super hard in A1 to stay with Mugen Seiki`s Sören Sparbier. It was clearly visible that Izsay was throwing all he could onto Sparbier, but the German did not crack under the pressure and drove a perfect race to win the first Pro Stock A-Main with a small gap of 0.4 seconds over Adam Izsay.
The top duo had a huge gap of four seconds over the rest of the field which saw Mark Valent, our new Pro Stock champion Lukas Ellerbrock, and Kevin Schmid rounding out the top five on Saturday evening. Sören Sparbier is only one leg away from his second Pro Stock win – can Izsay stop him in A2?
Smid wins FWD A1 at Arena Nova from third on the grid
Frederik Hovgaard touched race leader Phil Langner in the fourth lap of the race. Hovgaard waited for Langner, but both dropped back to 4th and 5th spot. Dominik Reile took over the lead with his iris car and was followed by Wiktor Smid, and Mark Valent. It was a very important situation for Valent with having the overall championship decision still in mind!
On top of the field, Reile was defending his position with great driving until Smid made a hard but still fair “on the edge” move on Reile in the infield of the track. After a lot of chaos, Wiktor Smid took the win in A1 ahead of Dominik Reile, Mark Valent, Phil Langner, and Olav Dahle. Smid crossed the line under the immense applause of the crowd – what a race!
On the sound of the tone, TQ David Ehrbar launched his Xray car off the line and brought the field around the first laps of the race. Michel Zierold followed him with a gap of one second after the first minute. Eric Anderson was running in third – another second behind Zierold. The top three had been able to break away form the rest of the field which was led by Ulrich Dinger, Mirco Thalheimer, and Simon Schindler.
On top, Ehrbar was increasing the gap tenth by tenth and lap after lap to build up a comfortable gap of 2 seconds once he crossed the finish line. Eric Anderson pushed hard to close in on Zierold but he was running out of time and the two Awesomatix drivers took second and third place behind A1 winner Ehrbar.
Kriz takes opening A-Main on Saturday evening – a big break for the championship!
Top qualifier Jaroslav Kriz was immediately under pressure from Bajusz Zsolt and had to defend his position. Nadine Zühlke, Tobias Baumbach, and Kristian Jensen followed with a little bit of a gap. Bajusz Zsolt was showing a good patience behind Kriz as both Xray cars dominated the race and Zsolt also knew that Kriz was still racing for the overall ETS championship.
At the half minute mark, Zsolt rolled his car over in the right part of the track and gave a lot of breathing room to race leader Kriz. The young Slovakian never looked back end brought a perfect race to a successful ending with a solid win in A1. Zsolt was still able to finish second in A1 while Nadine Zühlke had a great battle with Tobias Baumbach until Baumbach had to give up a spot to Kristian Jensen who made a nice pass on him. The finishing order in A1 was Kriz, Zsolt, Zühlke, Jensen, and Baumbach in the top 5.
Lipperheide takes lucky win in A1 as Ehrbar crashes into Stenger
Thomas Stenger had a good and careful start into the race with his Xray Formula car. After Ehrbar made a small mistake in lap 3, Stenger had some breathing room, but Ehrbar quickly found his way back to the tail of Stenger and they raced nose to tail after the first minute in A1. Michael Lipperheide also jumped onto the DRS train and was running in third place – and in striking distance to Ehrbar and Stenger. Ehrbar was pushing his old friend Stenger hard around the track and waited for something to happen. In the last two minutes, Stenger was able to pull a little gap to Ehrbar again as Ehrbar had his rear-view mirror full of Michal Lipperheide.
However, Ehrbar had a strong comeback in the last 60 seconds of the race and Stenger could not cruise to an easy win. Ehrbar was all over Stenger and the Xray drivers showed great Formula racing at Area Nova. Thomas Stenger was almost over the line when David Ehrbar was crashing into his rear destroying the race of both drivers. Michael Lipperheide was the lucky guy and took the win which was handed over to him on a silver plate. Stenger was really upset after the race and race direction decided to swap his third place with Ehrbar`s second spot to give Stenger at least the position back which he lost to Ehrbar in the crash. A real drama in A1.
Völker and Rheinard “best of the rest” at ETS season finale
Drivers reported about tricky conditions on track today and many drivers struggled a lot with the balance of their modified car. The last round of qualifying was 5 seconds slower compared to Q1 which took place on Friday. Nobody really knew if it has to do with the changing outside temperatures or the higher humidity due to the rainy weather outside.
However, the best in the business went for it and it was once more Schumacher driver Michal Orlowski who took the win in Q4 by 0.8 seconds ahead of a much improved Lucas Urbain, Simon Lauter, Marc Rheinard, and David Ronnefalk (fastest lap of the entire heat 13.436). Mugen driver Ronald Völker had not the best Q3 and Q4, but due to his strong points from the opening two rounds of qualifying he secured second on the grid behind Orlowski.
Can Izsay and Ellerbrock find their afterburners to attack Sparbier in the finals?
Mugen Seiki`s Sören Sparbier was laying down another perfect run onto the black ETS carpet at Arena Nova. Adam Izsay was trying all he could to stay with Sören but came short again by 2.2 seconds. It was a perfect qualifying session for Sparbier who claimed his second ever ETS pole position here in Austria. Izsay, Ellerbrock, Bultynck, and Benson completed the top 5 in the last qualifier.
After the results from qualifying, Lukas Ellerbrock is our newly crowned ETS Pro Stock champion as Olivier Bultynck will not have a chance to beat him anymore on points. CONGRATULATIONS Lukas Ellerbrock, you are a well deserved champion of ETS Season #17 2024/25 and we will officially crown you as the champion later on Sunday!
Last minute TQ for Langner – championship decision between Hovgaard and Valent upcoming!
Phil Langner posted another TQ run and secured the pole position for the finals with his Awesomatix car. Langer won Q1 and Q4, while Yokomo driver Frederik Hovgaard was victorious in Q2 and Q3 of qualifying. Phil Langner had the fastest overall runtime to his favour (from Q1) which handed the TQ spot over to him.
When we are looking onto the fight for the overall FWD championship, nothing is decided yet. Frederik Hovgaard and Mark Valent will somehow battle it out on track with having two cars between them (Smid and Reile) on the starting grid – thriller expected!
Starting grid for the finals
TQ Phil Langner, 2. Frederik Hovgaard, 3. Wiktor Smid, 4. Dominik Reile, 5. Mark Valent, 6. Gergö Valent, 7, Matheo Buchhalt, 8. Olav Dahle, 9. Pawel Staszewski, 10. John Trottmann
Zierold secures second spot in Q4, Anderson to line up third on the grid!
In the last round of 40+ Masters qualifying of the season we saw a super-close fight for the positions behind David Ehrbar. Eric Anderson, Michel Zierold, Simon Schindler, Alexander Stocker, and Mirco Thalheimer all delivered a great run on the challenging track, and it was Michel Zierold who took second place ahead of Ulrich Dinger, Eric Anderson, Simon Schindler, and René Kölbel.
Starting grid for the finals
TQ David Ehrbar, 2. Michel Zierold, 3. Eric Anderson, 4. Ulrich Dinger, 5. Mirco Thalheimer, 6. Simon Schindler, 7. René Kölbel, 8. Manuel Stankowitz, 9. Alexander Stocker, 10. Toni Mateo
Zsolt, Zühlke, and Baumbach to chase TQ Kriz in the finals
After Jaroslav Kriz already had the TQ in the bag before Q4, it was all about the other drivers to score some good points in the last heat of Orca 21.5 Stock qualifying. Kriz took another win to sweep qualifying and he was followed by Buchhalt, Zsolt, Baumbach, Zühlke, and Jensen.
Starting grid for the A-Main finals
TQ Jaroslav Kriz, 2. Bajusz Zsolt, 3. Nadine Zühlke, 4. Tobias Baumbach, 5. Kai Gerhardt, 6. Loris Buchhalt, 7. Kristian Jensen, 8. Krystian Kopacki, 9. David Reip, 10. Elena Fuchs
Xray`s Stenger on pole at ETS season finale in Austria
Thomas Stenger has claimed a maiden pole position at Arena Nova. The Xray driver from Germany, who is a former 1:12 scale stock national champion, was able to win three rounds of qualifying against David Ehrbar, Michael Lipperheide, Jacques Libar, and Andreas Stiebler. We have some thrilling finals ahead of us and the question is: Can Thomas Stenger defend his position against the bunch of fast guys in the finals?
Starting grid for the finals
TQ Thomas Stenger, 2. David Ehrbar, 3. Michael Lipperheide, 4. Jacques Libar, 5. Andreas Stiebler, 6. Chris Grenz, 7. Balint Rajki, 8. Michal Wojcik, 9. Robert Kampehl, 10. Mathias Domig
Strong Ronnefalk takes P2 for the round ahead of Rheinard
Michal Orlowski took another impressive win in Q3 of the FlySky Modified class. His Elceram and Cayote powered Schumacher Mi9 was looking good on track and the ETS champion had a gap of 0.7 seconds over Xray`s David Ronnefalk in the end. Ronnefalk had his best run of the weekend so far and was very pleased with his result after the run.
I am pretty happy with the run. We improved the car after losing a bit of pace in Q1 and Q2 after having a real good speed in practice. Scoring a second now is great as it gives me a lot of confidence for the finals. I hope to be able to fight in the top five for the best possible result. Overall the event is great and we have a good time here with the team! David Ronnefalk (SE) Xray|Cayote
Marc Rheinard came short to Ronnefalk by two tenths and had to live with third place from Q3. The Awesomatix cars of Lucas Urbain and Simon Lauter rounded out the top five. Sören Sparbier (Mugen Seiki) scored some good points when he took sixth for the round ahead of his teammate Berkan Kilic (7), Adam Izsay (8), Alexander Hagberg (9), and Dominic Greiner (10).
Michal Orlowski will now start from the sweet spot of the grid on his way to a possible (and record breaking) 10th ETS win in a row. What sounds like an impossible streak can become reality at Arena Nova in Wiener Neustadt – the place where Orlowski won his first ETS championship title last year. Time for a coffee with Marc 🙂
Pole position for Sparbier and the new Mugen Seiki MTC-3
Mugen driver Sören Sparbier posted another third consecutive TQ run at Arena Nova. The German was 1.1 seconds faster than Xray`s Adam Izsay who finished second again, followed by Lukas Ellerbrock from Awesomatix. It seems like the top three positions are relatively settled now as Sparbier, Izsay, and Ellerbrock always finished in this 1-2-3 order until now.
Olivier Bultynck showed a better pace on Saturday morning when he drove to fourth place in Q3 ahead of Schumacher`s Mark Valent. With the TQ now going to Mugen and Sparbier, the battle for the remaining spots at the end of the grid is still in full force with Langner, Benson, Valent still fighting for their spot in the A-Main.
Hovgaard wins early morning Q3 and is close to the overall TQ now
Frederik Hovgaard is on fire in the battle for the ETS FWD championship. The Danish Yokomo driver had an advantage of 1.9 seconds over second placed Wiktor Smid. Dominik Reile took another third place away from Q3 followed by Gergö Valent and Matheo Buchhalt. Hovgaard`s championship rival Mark Valent is still struggling a bit with the pace and is ranked fifth overall after Q3. Let`s see how Q4 will unfold and how our starting grid will look like at the end of FWD qualifying!
All the 40+ Masters drivers are scratching their heads thinking about “how Ehrbar always can be so fast”. In Q3 he had a big gap of more than 2 seconds again when Michel Zierold took second place with his Awesomatix car, followed by Eric Anderson, Simon Schindler, and René Kölbel. With the result from Q3, Ehrbar will start on pole position in the triple finals which was a 100% guarantee for him to win the races in the 40+ Masters class so far.
Jaroslav Kriz had another perfect run and is the top qualifier at the ETS season finale at Arena Nova – a huge step on the way to the championship for the young Xray racer from Slovakia. Bajusz Zsolt took second for the round followed by Nadine Zühlke, Kristian Jensen, and David Reip. The last round of qualifying will set the grid for the A-Mains. Who will become the biggest contender for Kriz? Will it be Zsolt, Zühlke, or Baumbach?
Another TQ run from Stenger – can he snatch the pole away from Ehrbar?
After taking the win in Q2 on Friday evening, Xray driver Thomas Stenger was again “on the money” in Q3 where he outpaced his teammate and long-time friend David Ehrbar by 2.0 seconds. Stenger also posted the fastest lap of the run with a 14.087 and it looks like we have a new contender for the win here in Austria. Michael Lipperheide took second for the round, followed by David Ehrbar, Andreas Stiebler, and Jacques Libar!
