Red RC - RC Car News

Following the success of their race winning Belt Booster product, Monaco RC have extend their chemical line with a premium bearing oil. Being super thin, allows for ultra high RPM levels, and thanks to the use of high quality fluids, the bearing life is extended as well.

Source: Monaco RC [monacorc.com]

The post Monaco RC Bearing Booster premium bearing oil appeared first on Red RC.

Pro-Line have also presented some new tires and wheels starting with the release of these Hexon Buggy Rear Carpet Tires. The Hexon features a hexagon pattern of uniquely shaped pins that provide longer-lasting tread and more consistent performance than previous generation carpet tires. Just like the Prism 2.0, the Hexon features a low profile tire carcass shape that lowers your car’s centre of gravity for improved corner speed with the pins positioned with the flat edge pointed front to back for maximum forward grip and are narrow when viewed from the side to reduce traction rolling. This new tire also features a directional side tread so you can tune the performance of your tires to the current track conditions. You can choose to mount the standard pins on the outside for a more aggressive grip, or you can mount the vertical side pins to the outside for a more forgiving grip.

Next up is Pro-Line’s all-new Big Daddy Wide Drag Slick SC tires!. The Big Daddy tire has a massive 2″ wide contact patch, which is 25% wider than standard Short Course Drag Slicks, making them ideal for low-grip, no-prep surfaces while still fitting standard Short Course 2.2″/3.0″ wheels. Pro-Line engineers added extra webbing inside of the tire for added stability at the high speeds found in drag racing. Made from Pro-Line’s MC compound which has become a drag racing favourite for its incredible grip on a variety of surfaces and its resistance to stretching, Pro-Line also includes soft grey foam inserts to allow the tires to fully conform to the track surface and provide maximum grip.

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In terms of wheels Pro-Line have extended their line of aluminium bead lock wheels for crawlers with their popular Impulse and Crest Line styles also getting the machined metal treatment. The face of the both wheels has been CNC machined in the USA to exacting tolerances and precision finishes. The unique 3-piece wheel design bolts together in the back and locks on to Pro-Line’s list of 1.9″ Crawling Tires.

Source: Pro-Line [prolineracing.com]

The post Pro-Line Hexon, Big Daddy tires & Alu. crawler wheels appeared first on Red RC.

More new bodies from Pro-Line with the introduction of the 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor for the Traxxas Rustler and the Axis SC body. The F-150 truck body is a detailed and functional replica which includes all the rugged Raptor style and attitude that you want and expect while being a direct fit onto the stock cage and body mounting system. This body completely transforms your Rustler 4×4 and allows you to add a custom paint job to your truck. The body comes pre-cut from the Pro-Line factory, so you just need to add paint along with the stock internal cage/body mounting system.

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The all-new Axis race body for Short Course features a super low-slung design with aggressive lines throughout giving it an unmistakable look on the track. The low centre of gravity of this body allows you to push harder and go faster around both low-speed and high-speed corners, making it perfect for your local high-bite indoor clay or carpet track. The Axis SC body has large fender flairs for maximum tire clearance and further allowing you to slam the body as low as possible. The body also features large cutouts in the rear to allow air to escape the body and to reduce weight.

Source: Pro-Line [prolineracing.com]

The post Pro-Line F-150 Raptor for Rustler & Axis SC bodies appeared first on Red RC.

As teased earlier in the week, Pro-Line have today released full details on the new Axis bodies for Mugen MBX8, TLR 8ight-X and Associated RC8B3.2. Designed with the latest in CAD technology, the Axis features a super low-slung design with sharp lines throughout giving it an unmistakable look on the track. The Axis is a cab-forward design that provides enhanced steering response while the small side fins balance out the rear of the car with ideal side-bite. The rear of the Axis body has the right amount of clearance for the nitro engine and fits the chassis and bulkhead shape of your race buggy perfectly. To run the Axis body on the EP version of the Mugen or Associated, the battery must be no taller than 39mm due to the low-slung nature of the Axis side pods.

Source: Pro-Line [prolineracing.com]

The post Pro-Line Axis body shells for MBX8, 8ight-X & RC8B3.2 appeared first on Red RC.

Akio Sobue has claimed a second TITC title, this time round the Infinity driver doing so in much more dominant fashion to his spectacular win over Alexander Hagberg in 2018.  While concerns of the Coronavirus depleted the international entry for the 18th running of Asia’s most famous annual touring car event, the Infinity driver still faced stiff competition, most of which came from within his own team.  With the race marking the international race debut of the Japanese company’s IF14-II, Jilles Groskamp would keep Sobue honest in the finals.  A crash in A1 caused by his pinion coming undone, gave Groskamp the win in A1 meaning it would all go down to A3 after Sobue got the job done in A2.  Having been the closest to matching Sobue’s pace at the Infinity Addict Circuit throughout qualifying, Groskamp wasn’t going to let the opportunity to go for the overall win pass in A3 and putting in a good fight kept the pressure on the Top Qualifier for the entire 5-minutes, the first time anyone had been able to do so all weekend.  Still Sobue resisted the challenge to take back the title that he had lost last year to the absent Hagberg.  Having finished runner-up last year, Naoto Matsukura again was on the podium this time in 3rd after winning a battle with Viktor Wilck for that position.  Finishing off what was a tough TITC weekend for the Yokomo team, local hero Meen Vejrak would get a P3 in the third A-Main to secure 5th place as the best placed non-Infinity driver.

‘I’m super happy’, was Sobue’s reaction to his win before adding, ‘but it was a big surprise that Jilles now had good pace for the full 5-minutes. I expected him to drop but he didn’t.  It was good to have a battle with a driver like Jilles’.  The launch event for the second generation of Infinity’s first entry into the electric touring car scene, he continued, ‘This a great result for the Infinity team and I hope we can keep this form for the Worlds. This is a very positive start for the new car and a good way to start a World Championship year’ – the IFMAR World Championships taking place in The Netherlands in July.

‘I’m not the youngest guy anymore so I really happy to be competitive this year’, was how a very pleased Groskamp summed up his second place adding, ‘A few times before I have finished 2nd here but that was a long time ago. I’m super happy for the team’.  On his improved A3 pace, the Dutchman said, ‘I matched my tyres for A3 to have them all medium, not too hard or not too soft and I sauced them a little shorter time that time.  I’m very happy I could fight with Akio for the win and I think I put on a good show’.  Even holding an impressive drift after running wide in the sweeper towards the end of the race, he said, ‘finally I could match Akio but he deserved the win today.  He was fast from the start of the event and all the way through’.

Commenting on his A3 performance, Matsukura said, ‘the last round my car was a little loose but I still ended up on the podium so I am happy’.  The former World Champion continued, ‘Infinity came here with a new car that will go on sale next month and we showed it is very good.  It’s a World’s year and this is a great way to start off the season’.  Having only just signed with ORCA, he added that he was also happy with the performance of his new electronics package saying, ‘for the last A-Main I tested new firmware and the braking feels very good, it’s also smooth, I am looking forward to the rest of the 2020 season’.

Summing up his 6th in A3 having started off the Mains with a second, Wilck said, ‘I worked my through the pack.  I got by Ryosuke (Yamamoto) on the first lap.  The car felt good in the beginning.  Then Naoto spun out and I was third.  I was driving normal lines and suddenly it just spun out. Anyway it was a good result for the team and I will try to build on this for the rest of the season’.

Having finished on the podium at his home race in 2018, on a track where he won his Nitro Touring Car World title, Vejrak never really threatened for a top spot this year but the Thai driver was pleased with his finish to a challenging weekend.  He said, ‘I had good pace the last one and 3rd helped me to move up one place on my qualifying position’.  He continued, ‘The car was a little loose in the rear (in A3) but it was the same for Viktor and Naoto.  I gave Viktor space to fight Yamamoto.  They made mistakes and I could get by and have a good fight with Naoto.  The BD10 is a new car and this was first race with it and in the end I could find a good set-up so I am happy about this’.

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In Open Brushless, Dominic Vogl helped Awesomatix retain their title they won last year with fellow European Max Machler.  Summing up his big win, the Austrian said, ‘I’m really happy and I need to thank Ryan (Maker) for the car after I destroyed my own in Q3.  It’s a European win again’.  With the overall win wide open between three drivers going into A3, the Top Qualifier said the start was difficult as he hit a bump in the infield section which pushed him to the outside allowing Kriengsak Suttiprawat the opportunity get on his inside before the two touched and the Thai crashed collecting third placed Trin T.  After this Vogl said he ‘just stayed safe to the end’.  While Suttiprawat recovered to second ahead of Trin in A3, Trin’s win in A1, when Suttiprawat hit Vogl in the sweeper on the opening lap, was enough to give the Infinity driver second with Suttiprawat third.

View our event image gallery here.

After crashing out in the opening A-Main due to his pinion coming undone, Akio Sobue resumed his control over the TITC to take the A2 win by a comfortable margin.  The Infinity driver once again came under some early pressure from team-mate Jilles Groskamp before the Japanese driver was able to pull clear, showing the form that saw the Top Qualifier take all four rounds of qualifying.  Behind, Naoto Matsukura completed the Top 3 never really posing any treat to his team-mates up front. With Ryosuke Yamamoto completing the Top 4, the only change to the starting order came when Meen Vrejak got by Viktor Wilck for 5th position in the opening laps of the race.

‘Much better’, was Sobue’s reaction to his win, the 2018 TITC Winner adding, ‘thankfully the car felt the same as it did before the crash but I had the feeling of more traction than before’.  Explaining his race, he said, ‘I knew Jilles would try to overtake me in the beginning but I kept claim and drove my own race cause I knew I would have a stronger car in the second part of the race.  In the end I could really open up a gap’.  Needing to win A3, to claim the TITC for a second time, he is confident he can deliver another win saying, ‘everything is now the same as qualifying so I have the advantage of being a little quicker than the others’.

Summing up his A2, Groskamp said, ‘I was again quick at the beginning but I can’t attack so there was no point making a crazy move.  I just followed him and hope he made a mistake but he didn’t’. The Dutch driver continued, ‘I will attack harder the next one but he’s my team-mate and I don’t want to take him out.  I will try a crazy tyre strategy in the last one and maybe it works out but I’m already happy as I am secure on the podium. I’m happy for the team and our car. This is a good showing for Infinity and I’m confident we are going to have a good season with the new car’.

Suffering a spin at the end of the straight in A1 that saw him finish 5th, Naoto was happy to hold position in the second final.  The former World Champion said, ‘the first two laps the car is too difficult and I lost almost 1-second to the leaders.  After that it is OK and I can catch them but the chances of battling for the win are already over. I will make a little set-up change for the last one so hopefully I can get a better start and have more of a chance to race at the front.  If Akio makes no mistake I think he will take an easy win but I want a podium. It’s between me and Viktor so I need one more good result’.

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In Open Brushless, Dominic Vogl managed to put the A1 dramas behind him to take an easy win over Kriengsak Suttiprawat, who took him out on the opening lap in A1, and Trin T.  The Awesomatix driver said, ‘I was really pissed but these things can happen. It was just that nobody said anything because the race has no referee.  Anyway, the second race was super good.  It was a little loose at the beginning but then I was able to pull a gap’.  With the Top 3 qualifiers in contention for the overall win going into the deciding race which will take place in the evening, the Austrian said, ‘Suttiprawat is super fast in the cool conditions. My car still good but his car gets better. I have already locked up a podium finish so I just need to keep cool in the last one and see what the race brings’.

View our event image gallery here.

Jilles Groskamp has taken the opening A-Main at the TITC, the Infinity driver challenging his team-mate Akio Sobue before the Top Qualifier crashed out at the 3-minute mark.  A much more competitive looking Groskamp, who qualified second, was able to put Sobue under pressure for the first 2-minutes of the race before things settled down and the Japanese driving managed to get himself some breathing room.  Suddenly it all turned on its head as Sobue came around to complete his 12th lap, his car shooting off into the barrier as a loose pinion meant he couldn’t brake.  With Groskamp well clear of the rest of the field, the Dutch driver could cruise to the finish 2.8-seconds ahead of Viktor Wilck while, taking full advantage of the many incidents in the race, Nicholas Lee came through from 8th on the grid to complete the Top 3.

Summing up A1, Groskamp said, ‘My car felt good at the beginning of the race. I was actually faster than Akio and had to back off a few times. I could have tried to pass but didn’t want to hit him.  I was really surprised the car was really competitive at the start’.  The former World Champion continued, ‘after 2-minutes Akio pulled away a little but I still felt I could have had another go at him later in the race.  To get the first one in the bag is always nice’.  Having improved his IF14-II by switching to a softer top deck he also increased the toe-in again which made the car more stable.  Looking to A2, he said, ‘I’m not sure if I can fight Akio in the second half of the race but the pressure is on him now and it’s going to go to the third final, unless of course I win again the next one. I am going to leave the car the same, it was perfect’.

Explaining his sudden exit from the race, Sobue said, ‘the pinion came off and I couldn’t stop’.  The 2018 Champion added, ‘today was more loose and Jilles had more pace.  It was not so easy for me today but I think I would have still been OK for the win’.  Asked if he planned to change his car for the second A-Main, he said, ‘It was a big crash so I will just check over everything and leave the set-up the same so I know it is all OK’.

Causing some of the opening lap chaos, Wilck explained, ‘At the start I touch Ryosuke (Yamamoto).  we were side by side and closed in and touched’, continuing ‘after everyone spun off or had problem I could come back to 2nd’.   On his race pace, the Swede said, ‘I changed the set-up again but it was too stable so for the next one I am going to go with what Jilles has. Now his car is working good’.  He concluded, ‘It is very low traction now and windy so it is easy to spin’.

‘Fortune was on my side’ was Lee’s reaction to his 3rd place adding, ‘I had a clean race while the others made or got caught up in mistakes’.  The Singapore driver added, ‘the grid is too close and everyone is going for it in the first corner’.  With the Yokomo team struggling in qualifying, asked if today marked any improvement in set-up, the former TITC runner-up said, ‘My car is still not what I like so we are still trying to get it better’.

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In the Open Brushless class, the first corner saw Top Quailfier Dominic Vogl unceremoniously pushed off through the first corner by second place starter Kriengsak Suttiprawat sending them both back down the field.  With no official Race Referee the incident also went ahead with no repercussions.  Eventually Suttiprawat found his way back to the front with Trin T, who was also flipped over at the start, hot on his heals and Vogl in third.  On the final lap the pressure seemed to get to Suttiprawat as he overshot the penultimate corner and in similar style to Sobue’s spectacular 2018 A3 win, Trin launched his car at the loop to take the win by 1/10th with Vogl salvaging third, 7/100ths off 2nd.

View our event image gallery here.

Having wrapped up the overall TQ in the penultimate round of qualifying at the 2020 TITC, Akio Sobue has gone on to complete the clean sweep by making it four out of four in the final round.  Having topped seeding on Thursday, the Infinity driver has maintained a distinct advantage over his rivals taking the final qualifier ahead of fellow countryman & new for 2020 team-mate Ryosuke Yamamoto, his advantage once again a commanding 3-seconds. With Naoto Matsukura getting up on two wheels during his final attempt, Jilles Groskamp would hold onto his second place starting position, the Dutch driver finishing 3rd ahead of Naoto in the weekend’s fastest heat.  Meen Vejrak again managed a Top 5 run and the fastest lap of Q4, Day 2 of qualifying going much better than yesterday, and with that result the Yokomo driver will line-up 6th for tomorrow’s A-Mains when four Yokomos will go up against six Infinitys.

Commenting on his clean sweep, Akio said, ‘I went with the same set-up as the last controlled practice but now it was a little loose.  It had good pace but it was difficult to drive’.  Asked about tomorrow’s finals, the 2018 Champion replied, ‘It all looks good for tomorrow. My car still has better pace than the other cars’.

‘I got my P2 (on grid) so I’m happy with that’, was Groskamp’s reaction after Q4.  On his final qualifier, the 2012 World Champion said, ‘I had a few moments when the car got loose in the sweeper but I was able to catch back up to second (in the heat).  The track conditions were crazy different again so it was hard to tell exactly what set-up changes are doing but I think I might go back to the set-up I was running in Q1 and Q2’.  On his chances for the final, the Infinity driver said, ‘the gap is still there to Akio so I’m happy to settle for second but I’m going to have to fight for it with Naoto’.

Summing up his Q4 performance, Matsukura said, ‘the car was better than before but still not close to Akio, the track was also better for this one.  One time I went on the curb too much and almost flipped. That made me lose my rhythm and hade a few moments so I lost about 1-second in total’.  Starting 3rd on the grid, last year’s runner-up said, ‘It will be difficult to win.  I have to pass Jilles and then Akio and he is very fast but I will still do my best to try and get the win’.

After impressing in the opening qualifier with a P4 but then dropping off a little in Q2, Yamamoto put his impressive P2 in the final qualifier down to both an improved set-up for the conditions and being more relaxed.  Suffering slightly from nerves after his strong start to qualifying, the 20-year-old ran a softer front spring on his IF14-II for the final qualifier and having already locked himself in to the A-Main on his TITC debut he could drive with no pressure.

Demoted to 5th on the grid by Yamamoto, Viktor Wilck said, ‘I can’t find a middle point.  The car is either too loose or too stable.  I went with the wrong set-ups today. I should have run this set-up in the morning and the morning set-up in the evening.  It’s a little frustrating.  Still overall it’s a good result for the team and the new car.  We will see what I can do in the final’.

Setting a marginally faster best lap time than Sobue in the final qualifier, Vejrak said, ‘I am really happy with the last one.  I feel the car can come back into the game except against Akio who is really fast’.  He continued, ‘I had the best lap for the last one which is promising but I need to improve the car more for tomorrow. I need more overall grip but finding it is not easy. When it is hot the car is ok and the drop (in performance over the 5-mins) is OK’.  Asked about the layout in terms of racing for track position, the Thai driver said, ‘It is not a difficult layout but it is fast so it could be difficult to pass and I also have all Infinity drivers in front of me’.

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In the Open Class, Austria’s Dominic Vogl is the Top Qualifier.  Having returned after making his TITC debut at the Infinity Addict Circuit last year, the Awesomatix driver came back from destroying his car in Q3 to TQ the final round in a car prepared for him by Australian team driver Ryan Maker.  Explaining his crash on his warm-up lap, he said, ‘I was running rear, rear tyres and maybe needed to be more patient warming up the tyres.  The car was destroyed so Ryan prepare a car for me fitted with the geardiff from my car and my set-up and it was much better’. Starting tomorrow’s A-Main ahead of Zero Tribe driver Kriengsak Suttiprawat, Infinity’s Trin T and Serpent’s Bowie Ginting, he said, ‘I will go with lighter oil in the geardiff and be more patient at the start, then it should be fine. From the middle to the end I should be fine, but at the start Suttiprawat can challenge me’.

View our event image gallery here.

Outgoing champion Dario Balestri signed off the Euro Nitro Series season finale in Germany with a win leading home team-mate Carmine Raiola for an Infinity 1-2.  Qualifying 3rd on the grid, the World Champion spent the first half of the race behind his team-mate but spilt fuel on the gearbox would put an end to Raiola’s challenge for his first ENS career win.  Qualifying 2nd and 3rd on the grid, Raiola and Balestri initially pursued Top Qualifier Simon Kurzbuch until the newly crowned champion flew off the track on the entry to the straight.  Unfortunately while the Shepherd driver survived the impact, his race would come to a premature end as he succumbed to gearbox issues eventually calling it a day at the half hour mark.  Behind the two white Infinitys, only 6/10th off Raiola, Merlin Depta would take his Serpent to the final step on the podium ahead of team-mate Dominic Greiner with ARC’s John Ermen completing the Top 5 in Ettlingen.

Claiming his 4th 1:8 ENS career win and his third at the Ettlingen track, Balestri summed up the final as ‘a clean race’.  The Italian added, ‘At the start Carmine was really fast. I followed him but at the same time tried to manage the tyres. Our strategy was to stop for fuel earlier than him and then push hard in the second part of the race.  Unfortunately he had a gearbox problem. Without this it would have been a better race’.  Coming straight into the season finale on the back of racing in Japan at the opening of the impressive new Infinity International RC Speedway, he concluded, ‘I am happy to finish the season with a win. Now its time for some holiday before the World Championships’.

Asked about his final, Raiola said, ‘It was OK. Fuel got in the gearbox so one time it worked, one time it did.  I also lost time in my tyre stop but it was a good clean race’.  Backing up his first podium of the season which he claimed at the previous round in Austria, the Italian added, ‘we should really good speed here so everything is ready for the World Championships’.

Reacting to his first podium of the season, Depta said, ‘It was a good race. I had a little incident with John (Ermen) when I tried to pass him when he was a lap down and spun out. It could have ended worse but in the end to finish behind two professional drivers is not the worst outcome’.  Asked if his strategy went as plan the German replied, ‘yeh it was good. We changed the full set at half time.  Klaus (Lechner) was amazing. His pitstops were flawless’.

In the 1:8 40+ A-Main, the title still to be decided at the season finale, there was an exciting finish to the race as John Lenaers got by Top Qualifier Andreas Giesa in the closing laps.  For Giesa however 2nd was enough for the Shepherd driver to clinch the title from Andrea Hächler, who finished today’s race in 3rd. Having to do a gear change during the final leaving him 8th in the final, ENS Aigen winner Alain Levy completed the overall championship points podium.

View the complete event results here.

View our event image gallery here.

Patrick Nähr has secured his first ENS career win, the Shepherd driver leading a 1-2 finish for his team at the season finale in Ettlingen, Germany.  Only returning to competitive racing this season after a break due to work commitments, Nähr would have a great battle with Melvin Diekmann as the German duo each looked to lay claim on their first ever win of the championship.  As the race concluded Diekmann, who led for quite sometime, had the faster car but trying to make a pass on the penultimate lap he made contact with his team-mate.  Waiting for Nähr’s car to be returned to the track he himself went off the track putting an end to what was building up to be a thrilling finish to the sixth season of the ENS.  Qualifying 3rd and 4th respectively, Nähr & Diekmann found themselves at the front after an unfortunate incident between Top Qualifier Jilles Groskamp and Thilo Tödtmann.  Having engine issues in the warm-up, Groskamp started the race ok with Tödtmann on his bumper but the engine flamed out 3-minutes into the race and with nowhere to go Tödtmann ran into the rear of it causing a pivot ball to come off.  Both would rejoin and Tödtmann challenged for the podium on the final lap but missed out to Leo Arnold while Groskamp got 6th.

Reacting to his win, Nähr joked, ‘Now my nerves are OK again’.  He explained, ‘we planned for longer fuel stops but after 15-minutes it flamed out in the middle of the track which was not in our plans’.  Only returning to racing at the second round of this year’s championship, he continued, ‘After 20-minutes we changed all four tyres but the second set was not good.  The car was difficult to drive. It was not easy.  My car was better in qualifying than in the final’.  On his battle with team-mate Diekmann he said, ‘My tyres were blank and Melvin had changed twice so he had more speed’.  Becoming only the 9th different 1:10th race winner in the ENS’ 24-race history, Nähr said it felt good to take a major international race win again with his last being when he won the European B Championship back in 2011.

Summing up his race, Diekmann said, ‘The beginning was very good and then we had some luck with Thilo and Jilles’ problem. Our plan was to change only the right side tyres but during the stop they saw that the left side was too small to get to the end so then in the middle of the race we had to stop again to change all four’.  He continued, ‘during this stop the body tucked on the right side and I had to pit for my father to pull out the body so we lost more time. I had fresh tyres so I pushed as hard as I could but I lost time battling with Leo (Arnold).  When I did get passed I was able to catch Patrick but then I touched him so it was on me to wait then  I was out of time.’.  Equalling his best ENS result, he concluded, ‘Overall it was a very good race, but tough, and it was a great result for the Shepherd team’.

After a weekend that started out with him seeding in the second fastest qualifying heat, Arnold was pleased with finish on the podium.  The Xray driver said, ‘the event started bad so 3rd is a good result.  I did three races this season and finished all of them on the podium and today’s result secures me 2nd in the overall championship. I’m happy for this’.  Starting 7th on the grid, on today’s race the ENS Bologna Top Qualifier said, ‘the engine went rich after 5-minutes I had to race 40-minutes like this which was hard in the straight. I also had to make 2-more (fuel) stops than planned because of this’.

A disappointed Groskamp explained, ‘I think we had dirt in the fuel or dirt in the carb and then we couldn’t tune the engine in the warm-up.  3-minutes into the race it suddenly flamed out. We changed the plug but it was very rich and I had to pit a few times to lean it out and once we found the right tuning it went perfect for the next 40-minutes’.  Losing his overall championship podium with today’s result, the former champion concluded, ‘We should have been right there today and I also feel sorry for Thilo, he was very fast this weekend’.

Setting the fastest lap of the 45-minute final, Tödtmann said, ‘Jilles had a flame out and stopped when I hit him the pivot ball came off.  I rejoined 3-laps behind and caught back 2-laps.  I changed only the right side tyres and Leo changed all 4 so he had more tyres. I tried to attack on the last lap but we crashed and it wasn’t fair so I waited. It was a very hard 45-minutes’.

View the complete event results here.

View our event image gallery here.

Euro Nitro Series Champion Simon Kurzbuch will see out his successful 2019 campaign by starting the final race of the season at Ettlingen in Germany from pole position.  The Shepherd driver secured his 15th ENS career TQ by taking the fourth & final qualifier as his only remaining challenger Carmine Raiola posted the third fastest time, over 2-seconds down on the Swiss ace. Raiola’s team-mate Dario Balestri would push Kurzbuch hard in Q4 heading his rival a number of times before traffic ended the Italian’s chances.  Ending up tied on points, Raiola’s Q1 TQ run gives him second over his Infinity team-mate who will start third. Winner of the season opener in Italy, Dominic Greiner will start the scheduled 45-minute final from P4 with Serpent’s new 989 ahead of the ARC of former ENS race winner John Ermen with Jeffrey Rietveld completing the top half of the grid.

Reacting to his TQ, Kurzbuch said, ‘all day the car was really good and the second engine delivered what we expected’.  Leading the opening qualifier before suffering an engine failure in the final 20 seconds, the ENS’ most successful driver said, ‘we came into the weekend with a good starting point and from the first practice the car was perfect’.  Looking to tomorrow’s final, the schedule brought forward due to rain being forecast for Sunday, he said, ‘set-up wise I will change nothing.  We have data for the tyre wear and also it helps that we know that we are already champions.  The pressure is off so I can enjoy the race but I still want to win’.  The former World Champion added, ‘It’s 2-months to the Worlds so we will take tomorrow as important practice to try and improve everything more’.

Claiming his best qualifying position of the season with P2, having qualified 3rd at all previous rounds, Raiola wasn’t overall pleased with his performance.  The Aigen podium finisher said, ‘the first 2-minutes is OK but then I start to lose out to the first two (Balestri & Kurzbuch)’.  Asked his plan for the final, the Italian said, ‘I will have to take a risk to stay with the other two.  Maybe I will try to make 5-minutes (fuelling) and one tyre change’.

Commenting on his Q4 performance in which he set the fastest lap, Balestri said, ‘I just need to be faster in the traffic’.  He continued, ‘the speed is there to race with Simon tomorrow as always but we will try to make his life not so easy’. Asked his thoughts on the final, he replied, ‘first of all we have to see if it is dry or not but we will refresh the car, the car is fine, and then we need work on our tyre strategy’.

While Jilles Groskamp wrapped up the overall 1:10 TQ in the penultimate round, Thilo Tödtmann sent out a strong message in the final qualifier that he plans to take the fight to the Infinity driver in tomorrow’s 45-minute final. Continuing to be the outright fastest driver around the Ettlingen track setting yet another fastest lap in Q4, the Shepherd driver posted a TQ run ahead of team-mate Melvin Diekmann to secure second overall on the grid.  While retiring with a diff problem right after the start of the final qualifier, Patrick Nähr will start third followed by Diekmann with the Top 5 competed by Milan Holthuis.  Top Qualifier at the season opener, after a difficult start to the weekend which put him in the second fastest heat grouping Leo Arnold will start 7th.

In the 40+ 1:8 class, it will be Andreas Giesa who starts on the pole, the German taking the opening three qualifiers.  Topping Q4 from reigning champion Arie Manten, John Lenaers will start second ahead of Michael Pätz, Rudi Scherer, Manten and ENS Aigen winner Alain Levy.

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Jilles Groskamp is to start the Season Finale of the Euro Nitro Series in Germany tomorrow from pole position.  The former champion claimed his first overall TQ of the 2019 championship when he made it three out of three in the penultimate round of qualifying at Ettlingen after Thilo Tödtmann’s challenge for pole ended in traffic.  On a TQ run, just as the heat reached 3/4 distance Tödtmann passed the slower car of Quentin Leroux only to be hit by the French driver at the following corner, the contact leading to the Shepherd driver’s car coming to a stop.  This allowed the Infinity of Groskamp to go to the top where he would stay to finish half a second up on Shepherd team-mates Patrick Nähr and Melvin Diekmann.

Reacting to what is only his second ever ENS TQ, Groskamp said, ‘I was a bit lucky Thilo crashed but you first have to finish to finish 1st’.  The Dutchman continued, ‘My car was easy to drive but Thilo was faster but he didn’t keep it on the track and I did. We still have to make the car faster so I will try something in the final qualifier’.  The former Electric Touring Car World Champion said his tyre choice for Q3 was ‘probably not the best decision’ explaining, ‘I thought re-run tyres would be faster than new so I went out on used and they weren’t.  We still have to find our way on a few points but qualifying is done and we can work on the finals’.  He concluded, ‘It is always nice to get a TQ’.

Explaining his unfortunate exit from Q3, Tödtmann said, ‘Quentin opened for me and then the next corner he hit me. I don’t think he did it on purpose’.  The German added, ‘the TQ is not important but the championship point it carries is. Myself and Melvin are battling for third in the championship (tied on points) so it would have been a help. One positive of the run was that I copied what Melvin did for Q2 and changed to a stiffer rear roll bar which helped a lot. The track is getting more grip every time’.

Enjoying an improvement in his finishing position with each round, Nähr said, ‘It’s going a lot better than yesterday and the day before. We changed the rear roll bar to harder one for Q3 and the car was more stable.  For the last one I will change a harder rear diff which I hope will give me more steering in the long corner at the end of the straight’.

The driver to lead the rear roll bar change when he was first to try it in Q2, Diekmann said it allowed him to challenge Groskamp for the second round TQ but leading the heat he said the nerves got the better of him and he put his car on the grass, eventually finishing with a P4.  Confident he could challenge for the TQ in Q3, unfortunately his engine ran very rich and he will now switch it out for his final qualifying attempt.  Currently holding fourth on the grid, the German joked, ‘I’ve saved the best for last’.

In the third of the 1:8 qualifiers it was a repeat of Q2 with Simon Kurzbuch again fastest from Dario Balestri,  this time the Shepherd driver having 1-second advantage over the Infinity ace who managed the fastest lap.  Dominic Greiner made it three different manufacturers in the Top 3, his Serpent 6/10th off Balestri followed by Lars Hoppe and John Ermen.  Q1 winner Carmine Raiola had another disappointing run finishing outside the Top 10 but with 2 of four to count he will be hoping to end the day as he started it and deny Champion Kurzbuch the final TQ of the season.

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With an engine failure stopping him in his tracks in the opening qualifier at ENS Ettlingen, Simon Kurzbuch bounced back to take the second round ahead of his great arch rival Dario Balestri.  Also having a troubled Q1, Balestri would finish 6/10ths of a second off the Shepherd driver’s TQ pace in a heat that would see Q1 TQ man Carmine Raiola have his turn of bad luck. Struggling with a rich engine his race came to an end when he stripped a gear with a minute to go.  While Dominic Greiner would set the 3rd fastest time in the top heat, it was to be John Ermen who completed the overall Top 3, the ARC driver’s time in the second fast heat demoting the Serpent driver to fourth with Lars Hoppe rounding out the Top 5.

‘A very good result in contrast to the previous one’, was how a pleased looking Kurzbuch summed his Q2 performance.  The Swiss ace, who shares the most number of Ettlingen wins with Balestri as the only two drivers to win here, said, ‘the car was really good like it was in the first one.  We will try for two more TQ runs now. That is the goal’.  Running on used tyres for the second of the four qualifiers, the already confirmed 2019 Champion said, ‘it doesn’t make much difference because of the long warm-up’ – the drivers getting a 4-minute warm-up prior to the 4-minutes of qualifying.  Asked about Q3, he replied, ‘we will leave everything the same for the next one and see what happens’.

Balestri said, ‘It was ok, we got points’.  Having topped seeding, the World Champion said, ‘the problem is in the heat before I hit Gruber in the pit lane and now the car is different. I have to check to see what happened and if there is something bent’.  Asked what had changed from practice, the two time Ettlingen 1:8 winner replied, ‘I am missing grip’.

Initially thinking he was fourth for the round, on discovering his Top 3 run, Ermen said, ‘I am even happier to post a 3rd position’.  One of the great characters of the onroad nitro scene, the Dutchman put his Q2 improvement down to changes made to his car.  ‘We did a small set-up change and it made it a lot easier to drive but it was also still fast to drive’.  One area he hopes to improve on for the remaining qualifiers is his driving.  He explained, ‘I was following behind Rick (Vrielijnck) and I struggled to hold my pace so I lost time in the final segment of the run.  We started the heat very close to each other and I was just not hitting my apexes but to overtake you have to be in a really good position and I was not able to get that.  I will change nothing on the car for Q3 and just focus on my driving’.

In 1:10, Q2 was a repeat of the opening round.  Once again Infinity’s Jilles Groskamp held off the Shepherd of Thilo Tödtmann albeit by a slightly bigger margin this time 8/10ths of a second.  Former European B Champion Patrick Nähr completed the Top 3 ahead of fastest man on the track Melvin Diekmann.

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Carmine Raiola has TQ’d the opening round of qualifying at the ENS Season Finale in Germany, the Infinity driver cutting things ultra close and running out of fuel crossing the loop.  Fourth fastest in practice, the Italian looked to be battling for second position with Dominic Greiner in the first of the four qualifiers as already crowned champion Simon Kurzbuch set the pace out front. However with less than 20-seconds on the clock, Kurzbuch would suffer an engine failure allowing Raiola to secure a TQ run by 1/10th of a second from Greiner.  Having topped seeding ahead of Merlin Depta, last year’s race winner Dario Balestri hit problems before the run had even started. Coming down pitlane after completing his warm-up, the Infinity driver hit the bottom of the lowly held Shepherd of Toni Gruber which pulled the trim tab from the body.  While his mechanic tried to fix it back into position the body was ripped and it came undone again causing Balestri to have a high speed off on the entry to the main straight while holding P2.  In the end he would finish 4th behind Depta, who completed the Top 3 with the fastest lap of Q1.

‘Not bad considering I had a flame out on the last lap’, was Raiola’s reaction to making it an impressive Q1 for his team as Jilles Groskamp took the opening 1:10 qualifier.  The ENS Aigen podium finisher explained, ‘I was on new tyres and this is why the fuel was so close but on used tyres for Q2 we should be OK’.   In terms of his car’s performance he said it was good for the first three minutes but then in the last minute started to loose traction.  Asked if he would change anything for Q2, he replied, ‘I will start on old tyres so I don’t want to change anything so I have a good back to back test of the difference in tyre sizes’.  Asked about his own personal performance he said, ‘I had two mistakes. Small mistakes but still mistakes so I hope to have none next time’.

The 1:10 winner in Ettlingen last year, Greiner summed up the first of the day’s qualifiers, all four rounds on today’s schedule due to rain being forecast for Sunday, by saying, ‘It was close in the end but overall I’m happy with a 2nd’.  The Serpent driver continued, ‘(the engine) went rich in the middle and then lean again and I had to be careful with the throttle. I ‘m not sure why the tuning changed. Maybe its the tank’.  On his car’s performance, the winner of the season opener in Bologna, said, ‘It was a little difficult to drive.  It was loose so we need to try and make it more stable’.

Pleased with his P3 run to back up his practice form, Depta said his Serpent is ‘super hard to drive’ adding ‘I think that’s because the traction is not there.  The others are not so much faster so its the same for everybody’.  With limited racing mileage this season due to the growth of his Merlin McFly brand and machining business, he expects the traction to improve over the remaining qualifiers and believes he has a good car for this.  The German was a little critical of the start, Balestri’s dramas not helping, saying, ‘there was a big rush out the pitlane at the start and a lot cars exited the pits together but no one went to put gaps between each of us. It was a little messy’.  Asked about tyres for Q2, Depta said he will be on fresh tyres for each qualifying admitting, ‘I’m slower on used’.

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Ronald Volker and Alexander Hagberg have completed the podium at the Season Finale of the Yokomo Euro Touring Series in Slovakia.  With newly crowned Champion Bruno Coelho securing his fourth win from the six races in A2, the final race of the 12th season of the ETS was to decide who joined the Xray driver on the podium at the Hudy Arena.  Effectively starting on pole as Top Qualifier Coelho sat out A3, Hagberg led away the field from Ronald Volker, the latter having finish the opening two encounters in P2.  On the first run down the main straight Volker would pull off a spectacular high speed pass on Hagberg and once in front the Yokomo driver never looked threatened for the win.  At the end the German would finish 1.5-seconds clear of Hagberg who in turn was over 2-seconds ahead of Christopher Krapp.  Winner of the Season opener, the result secured Volker his third P2 race result with Hagberg third and Krapp fourth.

Speaking after the race, this season’s Vice Champion Volker said, ‘I was really desperate to save my P2 and the pass was great.  I had nothing planned.  I just pulled the trigger and it work out.  Then I tried to pull away so as not to give the opportunity to come back at me’.  The former Champion continued, ‘Overall the season was better than the previous one.  We had a chance to fight for the overall title.  It always comes down to the fine details and that is what we need to improve.  Thanks to Hayato and Jurgen for all the support, and all the rest of the team’.

Posting the fastest lap of A3, Hagberg said, ‘I changed my car (for A3) and it wasn’t as good at the start.  I couldn’t do anything  to challenge Ronald’.  Only his second podium of the season, his other being at the Season opener, the former ETS race winner continued, ‘I wanted to win (A3) but still a podium finish is a nice way to end the season’.

With all the class winners except Pro Stock being decided in A2, it was their A3 that would provide the main action.  Starting from the TQ, Simon Lauter led away resisting pressure from No.2 starting Dominic Vogl.  The Awesomatix due pulled clear of the field with Vogl looking menacing as he shadowed Lauter.  With three laps to go they came into the front chicane before the loop and with Vogl braking later they made contact but immediately the Austrian handed the lead back to Lauter.  Vogl wasn’t finished yet however and on the final lap got the inside on the leader through the sweeper exiting the straight with the two touching on the exit of the sweeper but it was a racing pass and Vogl could hold on for the win, which being 2-seconds quicker than Lauter’s A2 win, giving him the overall win.  The meaning of the win clear from Vogl’s roar of celebration on the drivers stand.  Having clinched the overall title in Apeldoorn, Lauter would finish his campaign with second with A1 winner Olivier Bultynck completing the podium.

In Formula, David Erbhar won A3 to join newly crowned Champion Jan Ratheisky on a podium which was completed by Matej Dobnikar.  Søren Boy Holst won A3 of 40+ Masters to finish runner-up to Alexander Stocker while in Stock 17.5 Cham Dassanayake and A3 winner Marwin Riedelbauch joined inaugural champion Daniel Pöhlmann on the podium.

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Chassis – Yokomo BD9
Motor – Racing Performer M4 4.5
ESC – Racing Performer RPX 2
Batteries – Racing Performer 6000
Tires – Volante (handout)
Radio/Servo – Sanwa/Power HD
Bodyshell – Protoform Type S

Remarks – Just missing out on the podium here at the Hudy Arena, Christopher was running a new prototype RTC rear suspension on his otherwise kit standard BD9.  The German said the idea of the RTC is that give them more toe gain.  One optional and the car is the carbon battery mount and Christopher has swapped out the standard kits screws for titanium ones.

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Joern Neumann has made it back to back wins in the EOS taking the 4WD win today in Austria in A2, but the biggest prize goes to Bruno Coelho as he wraps up the season with the 4WD Championship title.  Having taken the TQ and then the A1 win after an exciting battle with Coelho, Neumann had a much easier A2 after an early mistake from the number 2 starter that effectively dropped him to last.  With Coelho out of the equation, Neumann was chased by his team-mate Michal Orlowski.  Needing to win today to retain his 4WD title, a mistake from the 2WD Champion on the penultimate lap allowed Neumann to cruise to the finish for the overall win on the championship’s first visit ERT Steyregg.  The result also meant that irrespective of the A3 outcome, Coelho was champion again for a third time and Orlowski’s quest for a repeat title double where over.  With a rain shower that arrived during the third B-Main delaying A3, the astro surface meaning the track was ready to go back racing once the rain had passed, Coelho went on to cap off his title winning season with the win over Orlowski.  Overall this meant Coelho split the Schumacher drivers to claim 2nd on the podium.

Reacting to his title win, Coelho said, ‘It was a super tight championship. We came into the last race with just 2-points separating us. Myself and Michal had very good battles.  I think the last race was not perfect for him but I also had bad races at the back’.  He continued, ‘the team worked hard for this race and they came here to test.  I think to finish 2nd in the 2WD championship showed the World we have done and taking the 4WD title today the team is super happy. Now we look forward to the Worlds’.

Summing up his strong finish to the season having won both the astro turf rounds, Neumann said, ‘my finish to the season was very good. I’m very happy.  4WD on astro is very good for me and next year we need to improve on carpet’.  Joking, ‘if they change to all astro next year we should be ok’,  the former 3 time 4WD champion having had more experience with the Schumacher this season had helped as he ‘knew what to change for the different conditions’.  Asked about A2, the German said, ‘Bruno crashed early on so I had a big lead and cruised to the finish’.

Having wrapped up the 2WD title a round early, on his 4WD campaign, Orlowski said, ‘I’m disappointed obviously.  I felt we had the pace to win every time but small stuff happened and this time we came up short’.  The Polish teenager continued, ‘we were very close the last round and had the pace at Hudy Arena but we found a problem with the car after the race.  Today I felt we had pace and the car felt great and getting four cars in the final shows how good our car is.  For now I am disappointed but in a week I will think about the Worlds.  Finishing second in 4WD (championship standings) only motivates me more for next season. I believe we have the best package out there on all surfaces’.

In the new for Season #8 4WD 10.5 class it was a dominant campaign from Tim Kunz as he took the TQ and win at all 5 races he contested. Well known RC distributor Sven Rudig would finish runner-up with Marcel Rotterkamp third overall.  In the Mod Truck category Joern Neumann is the champion for Schumacher from Xray’s Max Gotzl and ERT Steyregg’s own Philipp Marzinger.

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Chassis: Schumacher CAT L1
Motor: Team Orion 4.5T
ESC: Team Orion HMX
Batteries: Team Orion 4000 mAh
Radio/Servo: Sanwa/Highest
Tires: Schumacher (handout)
Body: Aerox Lightweight

Remarks – Former Champion Jorn Neumann took his Schumacher L1 to a second consecutive EOS win in the last round of the Championship in Steyregg, Austria. Having sealed the win taking the first two legs of the A-Main, his car is configured for dry conditions, and is equipped with the new HD top deck, 8 degrees aluminium caster blocks, Carbon suspension arms and Kashima coated shock bodies.

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Joern Neumann has won an exciting opening A1 at the EOS Season Finale in Austria.  Starting from the TQ, the Schumacher driver was under intense pressure from Bruno Coelho off the start, leading to a mistake from the German midway through the race that let the Xray driver through.  Once in front however, it was Coelho’s turn to face the pressure as Neumann came back at him forcing him into also making a mistake. While Neumann would get caught up in that mistake, he came out of it in the lead which he would hold on to until the finish. Joona Haatanen would also get by Coelho but they quickly touched and Coelho had to wait to let the Associated driver through which dropped them both one position.  Unfortunately for Haatanen he would make mid air contact with Hupo Honigl and drop from 2nd to fourth on the last lap while Coelho went from P5 to second.  Putting in a clean race, Schumacher’s Wesley van Helmond would come through from 6th to complete the Top 3 with his team-mate Michal Orlowski continuing to have a tough time as having made his way up to 2nd had a mistake and ended up 6th.

Agreeing it was an exciting race, Neumann said, ‘I felt Bruno was much quicker than me in the first few laps and I hit the pipe and he passed me. Then when I was behind him, he must have felt I was much faster and had a crash.  It seems on this track it is easier to follow than lead’.  Chasing his second consecutive EOS win in the 4WD after a long period without wins, Neumann is hoping he can seal the overall win in a A2 saying, ‘the car is good, everything is good so I will go the same again and try to stay in front’.

‘A very intense final’, was how Coelho summed up the opening A-Main.  Looking more and more likely to secure the overall title here in Steyregg, he continued, ‘who is at the back is faster and that race was proof of this. I looked faster than him when I was behind but when I passed him it looked like I forgot the layout of the track. It is much easier to follow’.  The former World Champion added, ‘Like I said before everything can happen. I was maybe 5th starting the last lap but then I was second.  It’s still all open’.

Asked about his race, van Helmond said, ‘I  don’t really know what happen that I ended up 3rd.  The car is good and I had a clean run. I had just one small mistake that’s all’.  Looking to A2, the Dutch driver said, ‘I followed the rest and the rest made mistakes so I will try to put in another clean run and see what happens’.

Describing his race, Haatanen said, ‘the start was pretty good and I was right behind Bruno and Joern.  Then Bruno had a mistake and I got by but something happened between us and we crashed. He had to let me go but Hupo got by and then on the last lap we hit in the air and I ended up 6th’.  The Team Associated driver concluded, ‘what happened out there was my own stupid mistakes and without them I would have had an easy 2nd.  I believe the car is good but I still want something better for the bumps’.

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For the second race in succession it is Joern Nuemann who is the 4WD Top Qualifier at the Euro Offroad Series. The Schumacher driver secured the TQ from title favourite Bruno Coelho in the final round of qualifying in Austria with the Q4 time giving the German pole on the the tie break by 3/100ths of a second.  Coelho would end up qualifying with a P4 run after mistakes in the second half.  Behind the two former champions it will be Joona Haatanen who will start third on the grid.  The Team Associated driver enjoyed his best run in Q4 to set the second fastest time ahead of Schumacher’s Wesley van Helmond.  With Hupo Honigl lining up 4th on the grid, reigning champion Michal Orlowski will have his work cut on to retain his title from 5th on the grid, the Schumacher driver needing the win to take the championship.

‘Not the best run but the others (drivers) were even worse’, was Neumann’s reaction to taking Q4.  With the drivers set to go straight into their finals tonight at ERT Steyregg due to heavy rain being forecast for Sunday,  the EOS most winning driver said, ‘I just need to keep it on its wheels to fight for the win.  Of course Bruno is very strong here but I think I can match him for the win.  The track is quite difficult so it is easy to make mistakes and be overtaken but I hope that doesn’t happen’.

Coelho summed up Q4 as ‘a tough qualifier’.  The Xray driver continued, ‘I started slow as to make no mistakes and when I saw Joern, who was the only one who could TQ, flipped I tried to calm down my driving but he came back strong. I tried to keep pace with him but I flipped and he passed me.  As we seen in 2WD everything is still open but starting first is beneficial to Joern. I will try to put pressure on him at the start to try get him to make a mistake’.

Qualifying in the same position as he did for 2WD yesterday, Haatanen said, ‘the car is quite good so I can’t complain’.  On his P2 run in the final qualifier,  the Finnish said, ‘it was a good run but on the last couple of laps Joern got by’. Asked about his approach to the finals, he replied, ‘If I have the pace I will try to make a pass or if not I will wait like I did in 2WD yesterday’, the teenager taking A2 after the two leaders made mistakes.

With victory the only way he can close the deficit on Coelho in the championship standings, a win today would be his third of the season and this would give him the title on the first tie breaker, Orlowski said, ‘I’m starting 5th but I have the pace to win’.  Again retiring from the final qualifier with the same drive shaft issue as he had in Q2 after a roll, the 2WD Champion said, ‘the drive shaft came out which was bad luck and in Q3 I had trouble with traffic but we still have a chance in the final. I need to win so that’s what I am aiming’.

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Joern Neumann has TQ’d the second round of 4WD qualifying at EOS Austria, the Schumacher driver quickest from Q1 winner Bruno Coelho by 9/10th at ERT Steyregg.  Returning to his former championship winning form at the previous round of the championship at Arena 33 where he took the TQ & Win, Neumann took over the TQ pace in the later half of the run helped by a bad lap from Coelho and a fastest lap time that was 2/10ths faster than that of the championship leader.  Both factory Schumacher drivers would show great pace with Orlowski setting an almost identical fastest lap time to his team-mate but much earlier in the heat, before a mistake resulted in the Pole retiring after he popped a rear ball cup.  Also showing very strongly in the early part of the qualifier, Joona Haatanen would finish with some difficult laps but his early pace meant he would still stop the clock with the 3rd fastest time.

Commenting on his TQ run, Neumann said, ‘It took a couple of laps to adapt to the high traction but then it was good’.  The multiple former champion added, ‘because we had to stay in silver (compound) tyres we changed to a harder front spring and ran a little lower ride height. It worked good’.  With the announcement that with the track now dry drivers will have to run the yellow compound handout Schumacher tyre for Q3,  Neumann is confident that will suit his car even better adding they just need to ‘make small changes, nothing major’.

Coelho said, ‘we change the car for the dry conditions but didn’t go 100% with the set-up and we should have had, especially for the silver tyre’.  The Xray driver continued, ‘I was on two wheels everywhere and trying to fight with Joern but at the end he was quicker’.  Asked about switching to the yellow compound the former World Champion said, ‘we should be good. We’ll get the car ready for that’.

‘Now I had even more speed’, said a pleased looking Haatanen.  The Team Associated driver went on, ‘I ran a harder spring in the rear and went higher with the diffs which made the car more stable and improved the corner speed.  The Silver (compound) was too soft and towards the end the car wanted to flip so I had a couple of mistakes on my last few laps’.  Looking to the penultimate qualifier he said, ‘the car will be much better on yellows and I’m ready to mix it for a TQ run’.

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Having dominated yesterday’s 2WD qualifying, taking all four rounds, Bruno Coelho has got 4WD underway at the EOS Season Finale in Austria with a TQ run.  Setting the pace in practice, the championship leader topped the times from Round 5 winner Joern Neumann by 1.2-seconds with 2WD podium finish Hupo Honigl completing the Top 3.  With the  astro turf track getting drier and drier each run after over night rain all drivers reported Q1 conditions as tricky.  The only driver who can challenge Coelho for the 4WD title, reigning champion Michal Orlowski set the fourth fastest time with Joona Haatanen opening qualifying with a P5.

Summing up his TQ run, Coelho said, ‘I had a mistake and got stuck on the pipe but luckily everyone had mistakes’.  The driver who holds a 2-point lead in the championship standings continued, ‘the car is working good but the conditions are changing every hour. It’s getting drier and drier so you don’t know what to expect for the next one’.

‘Tricky, tricky conditions. The car was very edgy’, was Neumann reaction to Q1.  The Schumacher driver continued, ‘overall second was a better start to 2WD when I crashed too many times’.  With drivers running the silver compound of the EOS’ Schumacher handout tyres, the German said, ‘If we change to yellow I will leave the car the same but if we continue on silver I need to change the set-up’.

Describing his P3 effort as ‘very good’, Honigl said it was hard work out on track. ‘I ran my complete dirt set-up on the car but the track dried up so it was super difficult and I drove super careful’.  Looking to Q2 the Austrian Xray driver said, ‘I need to change my set-up for the next one’.

2WD Champion Orlowski said, ‘the track changed quite a lot. There was a lot of grip in some place and not a lot in others.  The pace was good but I made a mistake’.  Matching title rival Coelho on wins this season, with 2-each, the Schumacher driver continued, ‘we will change quite a lot on the car now.  The rain is coming so it’s a tough one to hit the right right set-up’.

‘Not too bad but I had a few mistakes’, was Haatanen’s summary of his first of four qualifying attempts.  The Team Associated driver continued, ‘we changed the car for Q1 and it was much better and it has put us on the right way with set-up, but the grip got higher so the track was difficult but still we got a Top 5 out of it’.  For Q2, the Finnish teenager plans to raise the diffs higher for less roll and may also try a different spring.

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