Wilck takes Leg 3 to join Hara & Rheinard on podium
Top Qualifier Viktor Wilck finally came good to take victory in the last race of the day here at the fifth round of the Euro Touring Series in the Netherlands. Having failed to finish the opening leg due to a stripped spur gear and finishing only fourth in the next after he slid out of the lead, the Tamiya Racing Factory driver had his first problem free run and made winning look easy. ‘Everything worked and the car was really good’, was how Wilck summed up his win over Marc Rheinard and Atsushi Hara.
Having pulled up early in Leg 2, Rheinard managed to fight off a strong challenge from outgoing ETS Champion Jilles Groskamp and Hara who had already wrapped up the overall Dutch victory after he powered his way to victory in A-Main 1 & 2. Rheinard said his car was slightly better than the previous final but it was still very loose and this meant he could do nothing to challenge his team-mate Wilck. In the end however second was good enough for the German to claim the second step on the podium and put the ETS title beyond the reach of his rivals.
Hara who literally blasted past the world class field in the opening finals, took third as he pipped European Champion Groskamp by 4/1000ths of a second on the final dash to the finish line. Running GM electrics this weekend the former World Champion was unable to take full advantage of its ‘horse power’ after the diff on his new TCX went off early in the race. Not wanting to get involved in the battle ahead knowing that the drivers where still battling to join him on the podium Hara said he tried a different set-up for the race and before hitting diff troubles said it worked really well.
Beaten to the line by Hara, Groskamp was disappointed not to make the podium at his home race, but the outgoing ETS Champion said the weekend had been very productive in terms of gathering data on both chassis and electrics set-up. That information will be put to good use next weekend at the World Championship warm-up race in Germany. Also traveling from this race to Burgdorf is Hara and his HB team-mate Andy Moore who claimed 10th overall today. Interestingly Tamiya/Speedpassion team-mates Rheinard and Wilck will missed the Warm-Up race instead traveling to the US tomorrow for the Reedy Race.
In Pro Stock Oliver Franke put in a great drive backing up his Leg 2 win to take the overall victory from last year’s Dutch ETS winner Rob Janssen. Franke was clearly the quicker driver again with his Xray but the German showed great patience as he sat behind Top Qualifier Vasco Christiaanse before making his move at the end of the straight as the race reach the mid point. Once past the Dutchman the ETS Poland podium finisher pulled clear to claim the leg and with it his first international race victory. For Kyosho backed Christiaanse second in the leg would only be good enough to see him take the final step of the podium behind his countryman Janssen. In the Hobby Class Germany’s Oliver Günther took overall honours from championship leader Michal Orlowski ending the young Polish drivers run of ETS wins.
Modified Overall A-main results
1. Hara Atsushi – 2pts [Hot Bodies/GM]
2. Rheinard Marc – 4pts [Tamiya/Speed Passion]
3. Wilck Viktor – 5pts [Tamiya/Speed Passion]
4. Groskamp Jilles – 5pts Tamiya/Team Orion]
5. Graversen Steen – 7pts [Tamiya/Speed Passion]
6. Prümper Yannic – 10pts [Tamiya/Speed Passion]
7. Wubben Bart – 12pts [Xray/Speed Passion]
8. Ehrbar David – 13pts [Xray/Speed Passion]
9. N’diaye Cyril – 14pts [Tamiya/LRP]
10.Moore Andy – 18pts [Hot Bodies/Team Orion]
Pro Stock Overall A-main results
1. Franke Oliver – 2pts [Xray]
2. Janssen Rob – 4pts [Corally]
3. Christiaanse Vasco – 4pts [Kyosho]
4. Madsen Carsten – 7pts [Tamiya]
5. Jongenelis Patrick – 8pts [Xray]
6. Laptev Ivan – 9pts [Tamiya]
7. Miedema Tjitte – 10pts [TOP]
8. Kunák Zdenko – 12pts [Xray]
9. Persijn Joffrey – 12pts [Xray]
10.Vekemans Geoffrey – 12pts [Schumacher]
Hobby class Overall A-main results
1. Günther Oliver – 2pts
2. Orlowski Michal – 4pts
3. Fischer Lucas – 5pts
4. Knudsen Peter – 5pts
5. Groskamp Frank – 9pts
6. Mulder Eric – 10pts
7. Bickendorf Markus – 11pts
8. Chlodzinski Blazej – 12pts
9. Rozycki Andrzej – 13pts
10.Wysgol Anna – 13pts
Full results can be found here.
View the event image gallery here.
