Young talents are important for every sport around the globe – and so it is also in the world of RC racing. Joshua Winkler from Berlin is our interview guest today, and we like to find out some facts about the young man who had a serious impact at the Orca 17.5 Stock class at the ETS. He attended his first ETS race in Aigen-Schlägl where he finished sixth overall before he drove to a very strong second place at Arena33 in Andernach!

ETS – Hi Joshua, we hope you had a good trip home after the ETS in Andernach! How did it feel to bring home the trophy from 2nd place?

Joshua – Hey. Yes, I had a very relaxed journey home. Bringing the trophy home was a very nice feeling and I was very happy about it.

ETS – You drove very strong in Andernach. Did you expect to be able to attack so far in front at your second ETS?

Joshua – Thank you very much. No, I didn’t expect that. After the German Championship in Andernach I was very excited and motivated for the next ETS race in Andernach.  I liked the layout of the track so much and I got to grips with it quite quickly.

ETS – When you compare the finals of an ETS race with A-finals of other races, what is the biggest difference for you?

Joshua – The biggest difference is that the field of drives is much closer together than at regional races. Also, a small difference is that no one has an advantage because of the limited RPM, so nobody is much faster on the straight than anybody else and that’s awesome. It depends more on the driver and how he prepares his car for the race.

ETS – How big is the “Scotty factor” when you were driving? No one comments as emotionally as he does. Did that make you more nervous or is it more of a “cool thing” that he comments on the races?

Joshua – Well I always thought it was cool how he commentates the races. Because when you watched the video, you always wanted to stand up there on the driver’s stand and drive.  But what I was afraid of was that for the first race in Aigen it would be distracting, because I’m not used to it and I thought I wouldn’t really be able to concentrate. But that was not the case, in fact quite the opposite. Scotty even pushed me and motivated me even more.

ETS – The Euro Touring Series is currently the most important racing series for 1:10 electric onroad. But of course, there are also numerous other, smaller racing series. Where else do you race?

Joshua – I come from Berlin. So, I try to take part in everything that is available here. That would be Berliner Touring Master (BTM) or ToniSport Onroad Series (TOS) and RCK. But at the moment I also try to take part in races outside of Berlin. But that’s sometimes difficult because I’m only 17 and don’t have a driving licence yet.

ETS – Do you remember where and when you did your first RC car race?

Joshua – Yes, it was on 30.11.2014 at the 1 Marzahner Racing Club e.V. as a rookie.

ETS – How did the whole RC car virus infect you? How did you get into our great hobby?

Joshua – I had a few RC cars at home through my dad that I used to take out to the car park. At some point I got interested in driving on a real race track. No sooner said than done, we found the tracks in Berlin Marzahn and drove there. The track is 15 minutes away from me by car. After this day, I was so excited about the hobby and knew that I really wanted to do it.

ETS– What was your first RC car?

Joshua – My first car was a LRP S10 Blast TC which I still have at home.

ETS – Do you train very often or less often? Which racetracks are the best for you to get to for training?

Joshua – When I have time, I usually meet up with Oliver Heise in Bernau at the RC “Speedracer” or if my dad can’t bring me, Oliver picks me up from home and we go there together. Most of the time we drive there 13.5, FWD and 17.5. The best track for me to reach is the one in Berlin Marzahn.

ETS – Do you have a favourite racetrack? If so, tell us about that track and why you like it better than others?

Joshua – Not really, but the track in Andernach was my favourite so far. I like the layout a lot. You have a long straight and a lot of corners which you must hit perfectly.

ETS – You are currently racing with an Awesomatix A800MMX. Why Awesomatix?

Joshua – When I drove Dennis Fadtke’s Awesomatix once, I was very surprised how well the car worked. The car gave me what I was looking for in my Xray for a long time. It was much easier to drive. Above all, I was much faster with Dennis’ car on the first battery than with my own car. That was the decisive point.

ETS – Setting up a modern touring car is not that easy, and you always need someone to learn from! Who have you learned the most from so far?

Joshua – So far, I have been able to learn a lot from Oliver Heise, Dennis Fadtke, Julius Johannes Schäfer, Stefan Schulz and now at the ETS races from Max Mächler and Simon Lauter, and I will try to learn even more in the future.

ETS – What fascinates you so much about RC car driving? Is it the technology, the speed, or simply the adrenaline you feel when you’re on the driving stand?

Joshua – A mixture of everything. I find it very fascinating how the driving behaviour changes when you take out or add a screw or a shim. Also, the adrenaline you have when you are on the line and when you feel that you are a bit nervous.

ETS – Do you have a favourite driver or role model in RC car racing? Several answers are allowed

Joshua – I don’t have a favourite driver. But my role models are Max Mächler and Simon Lauter. It’s simply amazing what they get out of the cars in AWESOMATIX PRO STOCK. Stefan Schulz is also a role model for me. How well he drives in the FWD class is no longer normal.

ETS – What do you do when you are not driving RC cars? Are you still a student or have you already finished school? What are your plans and career aspirations for the future?

Joshua – I am currently training to be a plant mechanic.

ETS – Do you have any other hobbies besides RC car racing that you do in your spare time? Or does racing already take up more than enough of your time?

Joshua – I played football for a long time in the club. But the problem was that the games always took place on Saturdays or Sundays, and that overlapped with the racing days or training days. I always had to decide whether to go to the game or to the race. Since I enjoyed driving the RC car much more, I decided to go for it. Despite the demand from a good football club and top scorer in the session to stop playing football and concentrate fully on RC car driving.

ETS – What other goals have you set for the ETS season #15 2022/23?

Joshua – I don’t really have any goals for this season. I want to have fun and learn a lot and hope that other drivers will help me.

ETS – Joshua, thank you very much for this great interview and for your time. We are very happy to call you part of the ETS family. We wish you nothing but the best, and most of all, good luck and success on the track!

Joshua – I also thank you for your attention and wish all riders of RC Sport good luck and fun at the track.

Pictures: ETS and RC-Cars-Pics

In our series of “Young Guns” Interview we are presenting you our young drivers attending the Euro Touring Series. One of them is Nele Knodel from Rechenberg (Baden-Wurttemberg) Germany. We took some time to talk to Nele about RC racing and her life beside the racetrack. Enjoy another ETS “Young Guns” Interview.

ETS – Hello Nele, great that you took the time for us. How are you doing after your last ETS race in Andernach?

Nele – Thank you, I’m doing very well. I am still enjoying the holidays at home 🙂

ETS – You finished 15th in the Arena33, which was certainly not a bad result in a strong field of drivers. How did the race go from your point of view?

Nele – Actually, I am quite satisfied with the result. Surely it could have been a bit better, but I’m already looking ahead to the next one.

ETS – When did you start with the RC hobby and on which race track did you do your first, real laps?

Nele – I started, when I was 10 years old, on the indoor track of the Mini Car Club Crailsheim e.V.

ETS – Can you still remember your first remote-controlled car?

Nele – Yes for sure, it was a Tamiya TT-02 that my dad built for me. A great car to get started back in these days!

ETS – You live in Rechenberg, a small town in Baden-Württemberg. Are there many clubs and race tracks in your area? Do you belong to a club, if so which one?

Nele – Unfortunately, most of the tracks are a bit further away from us. I belong to the Mini Car Club Crailsheim e.V. and the RC MSC Greuthof. We race indoors in Crailsheim and outdoors in Greuthof most of the time.

ETS – Who do you usually travel with to the races? Do you also work on the set-up of your cars yourself, or do you have someone who does that for you?

Nele – I always go to the races with my dad. I do some of the setup work myself, only when it gets too complicated I still need some support.

ETS – Do you train often, or do you try to do as many races as possible? 

Nele – In the summer months we usually only race, in the winter we often train on Saturday or Sunday on the indoor carpet track in Crailsheim.

ETS – What is your favourite race track, and why?

Nele – I don’t really have a favourite track, but I really enjoy racing in Bad Berneck at the Race Arena. It’s not a very big track, but it’s challenging.

ETS – The races of the Euro Touring Series are special just because of their size. Do you also race in other, smaller races? Do you remember where you did your first race?

Nele – Yes, I mostly race at smaller races like the RCK Challenge, RCK Kleinserie, TC Indoor Masters and ToniSport Onroad Series. My first race was at the age of 11 in Plauen where I started in the Rookie class at the LRP-HPI Challenge (Rookie).

ETS – What cars do you currently have in your fleet, and why did you choose these cars in particular?

Nele – I just switched from ARC to Awesomatix A800MMX because I wanted a new challenge. So far, I am really pleased with the handling and the speed of my A800MMX.

ETS – What fascinates you most about RC car driving?

Nele – I like the technology, how the whole thing has to be built up and coordinated with each other.

ETS – As you can easily see, the boys outnumber the boys at ETS. Is it an additional incentive for you to beat the boys in the races?

Nele – To be honest, a little bit 😊.

ETS – You are currently still a schoolgirl! Do you have any plans or career aspirations for the future?

Nele – I don’t have any career aspirations yet. My plan is to successfully complete my ABI in 2 years and then I will see 🙂

ETS – Do you have any other hobbies besides RC car racing that you do in your spare time? On your social media profile you can be seen with a horse – another great passion of yours?

Nele – Yes it is a big passion for me. Usually, I go riding with the horse two or three times a week.

ETS – When you talk to your friends about your RC car hobby, how do you explain to them what exactly you do? What do your friends say about it?

Nele – Often my friends don’t talk about it, but when they do, most of them are fascinated by it.

ETS – Is there any kind of role model for you in RC car racing? Or drivers you particularly enjoy watching drive?

Nele – I don’t really have a role model. But of course I like to watch the fast experienced drivers.

ETS – Nele, thank you very much for this great interview and your time. We are very happy to call you part of the ETS family. We wish you all the best, and most of all good luck and success on the track!

Nele – You’re very welcome, and thank you very much.