Friday, June 27, 2008
World Class field chase Hara Categories - Racing, Report - 1 comment so far
The world class field here at Andernach have been left chasing Japan’s Atsushi Hara with the former World Champion clearly the quickest in today’s free practice which has just come to a close. Hara’s new Cyclone TC is the talk of the paddock with his rivals all making comment to how good it looks around the track. ‘People are saying my car looks really good and well balanced but it is actually a little nervous to drive. I can make it easier to drive but then my lap times drop off. Overall the car is working really well so I feel good going into tomorrow’s qualifiers.”
Closest to Hara in terms of laps times are his Hot Bodies team-mate Andy Moore and Tamiya’s Vicktor Wilck. Moore would like to have more steering at the beginning off his run complaining that the car is pushing at the start of his run but by the end is working perfectly. The Englishman plans a number of changes in order to try and cure the problem. Swede Wilck says he just has a lack of overall grip but doesn’t quite know what changes he will make ahead of the morning qualifier. Race organisers sugar watered the track this morning, which they will repeat this again for qualifying, and as a result all the drivers found the track was at it best in the first two of today’s five timed practices runs.
Steen Graversen remains the top Kyosho with the fourth fastest lap time followed by Ronald Volker and Jilles Groskamp. Bart Wubben is now the leading Serpent with the 9th fastest lap time just 3/100th faster than American star Paul Lemieux who is the top Xray representative. Marc Rheinard was one of the few drivers to set his fastest lap time in the evening sessions which moved him into the Top 10. Despite living only down the road from the great Andernach facility the German says he never goes well here.
In Pro Stock top German National runner Dominik Reschke and his Corally RDX PHI ended timed practice as the fastest package heading a trio of Germans at the top of the lap charts with Dai Sakaguchi and Matthias Lang his closest challengers. Euro Touring Series standings leader Nicolai Nielsen appears to be struggling, the Dane setting only the 13th fastest lap time.
Drivers will have one final timed practice run in the morning before we get down to the serious business of Round by Round qualifying with the best 3 of 5 to count.
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ETS Finale is Go - Hara pace setter Categories - Racing, Report - add a comment
The finale of the inaugural Much More backed Euro Touring Series is underway and the fourth round has attracted a star line of drivers from around the world to the top class Andernach facility here in Germany. No less than 3 World Champions are present along with the current European and US Champions and with this type of quality it will be hard to pick which of the 125 drivers will walk away with the silverware.
After four rounds of timed practice it is 2002/2003 World Champion Atsushi Hara’s name that appears at the top of the time sheets. The Hot Bodies driver’s car is looking really good around the very technical layout being used this weekend. Closest to Hara over three timed laps is factory Kyosho driver Steen Graverson who is running the same Shin addition chassis that he used early this year at the TITC event in Thailand.
Current World Champion Andy Moore is third fastest opting to run the original Cyclone top deck on his new Cyclone TC, while Pre World’s race winner Vicktor Wilck is next up on a very similar pace with his Tamiya TRF416. Jilles Groskamp, winner of Rounds 2 & 3 of the series and now the first ever ETS Champion due to the fact that Round 1 winner Juho Levanen was unable to attend, feels he is struggling a little but still finds himself in the Top 5. Austrian Hot Bodies driver Thomas Pumpler completes the Top 6.
Newly crowned US National Champion and Team Xray factory driver Paul Lemieux is running 9th at the moment despite it being his first visit to the Andernach track. Running prototype alu rear drive shafts on his T2 ‘008, the American says he likes the track and appears content with his current pace.
Of the other manufacturers represented here this weekend young German star Yannic Prumper is the top Serpent running in 13th with Marc Fisher just behind him at the controls of his factory Corally. Top Associated runner local Patrick Gassauer in 14th with the fastest Yokomo being Martin Hofer in 18th position. Christian Schamp is the leading Schumacher runner in 26th.
Marc Rheinard, who should now this track like the back of his hand due to the fact that he lives just up the road, is a rather lowly 24th but we can expect to see a big improved from the former World Champion in his next run. Others who find themselves rather lowly on the time sheets include Kyosho’s Shin Adachi, French ace Cyril N’Diaye and Associated team driver Joel Myrberg.
In Pro Stock, in which all drivers are running handout Speed Passion 9.5T brushless motors, German Corally driver Dominik Reschke finds himself as the pace setter from the Round 3 Top Qualifier Vasco Christiaanse driving a Kyosho with ETS Round 1 winner Alexander Stocker third for Hot Bodies. Round 3 winner George Spitteler current lies 8th while Round 2 winner Nicolai Nielsen is 11th and top Serpent.
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ETS Rd4 Andernach - Introduction Categories - Racing, Report - add a comment
An introduction from our race director Scotty Ernst. “Well everyone we are all set for the finale of the 2007/2008 Much More backed Euro Touring Series Final in Andernach Germany. What is shaping up to be a who’s who of the top racers from around Europe also includes 2 of the top drivers from Japan, Shin Adachi from Kyosho, as well as the 2008 Reedy Race of Champions winner Atsushi Hara driving his Hot Bodies Cyclone. Also making the trip to attend the finale is the Top US racer Paul Lemieux who was only last weekend crowned Champion at the ROAR On Road Nationals.
Hosting this final event of the ETS is the beautiful track in Andernach. The venue has all the makings of perfect environment for this exciting finish to the ETS. A great layout and a huge drivers stand, there is plenty of pit room and plenty of fun to be had as there is also some great food and fun things to do off the track. With Volleyball courts and a Mini Football field there will be a team competition hosted during the weekend to test the physical fitness of the drivers present.
The great coverage that you have come to expect for the ETS series will again be the standard as the crew from REDRC will be bringing you great stories, photos and behind the scene info that only REDRC can bring you. Rob Nelson will again be here from BBK scoring so you will be able to keep track of your favorite drivers and watch as they battle for the championships.
We hope you enjoy the coverage we will be bringing to you and hope you can make plans to attend the 2008/2009 ETS Series that will begin in October at the annual Carpet Speed Week held in Germany.”
Scotty
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Modified A-main Leg 3 video Categories - Racing, Report - add a comment
A video from the 3rd and final Modified A-main that saw Marc Rheinard gifted the win following the battery dump of Jilles Groskamp and Viktor Wilck in the closing stages. The end of the video also includes an interview by Scotty Ernst with Modified event winner Groskamp.
Tamiya Lockout ETS podium again Categories - Racing, Report - add a comment 
With the Modified honours already tied up after the first two legs by pre-event favourite Jilles Groskamp one might have expected the third leg of the A Mains to be a simple formality that would bring the event to a close, but that was not to be the case. Viktor Wilck made a blistering start from 3rd position on the grid chased down by Tamiya team-mates Groskamp and Marc Rheinard. The trio were locked in battle right until the last lap when Groskamp dumped allowing Rheinard into second, then dramatically coming up to the last corner Wilck also dumped allowing the former World Champion to just pip the Swede to the line by 9/100th of second while Groskamp crawled across the line just ahead of Luke Van Essen to take third. This result gave the Tamiya Race Factory team their second consecutive ETS podium lock out.
With Round 3 of the Euro Touring Series complete its currently Jilles Groskamp that leads the Modified standings from Germany’s Marc Rheinard and Denmark’s Steen Graversen while in Pro Stock Nicolai Nielsen from Denmark heads Dutch pairing Jan Van Steeg and Jan Mekenkamp. Another successful ETS meeting the seres now moves to the Andernach track in German where both Euro Touring Series Champions will be declared.
Pro-Stock A-main Leg 3 video Categories - Racing, Report - add a comment
A video from the 3rd and final Pro-Stock A-main which saw Jimmy Maddison take the win, while George Spitteler took the overall.
Maddison wins Leg 3 but Spitteler overall victory Categories - Racing, Report - add a comment
The Pro Stock A Main couldn’t have come to a more exciting climax with Jimmy Maddison taking the Leg 3 victory from George Spitteler but it was the latter that secured the overall win on tie break. The race kicked off with Chris Van der Hagen leading from TQ man Vasco Christiaanse but the pair touched allowing Maddison and Spitteler to take up the battle for the race win. Spitteler pushed the DHI and ICC Champion hard but made an error in the final quarter of the race luckily landing rubber side up but this was enough to allow Maddison to cruise to the win but this may also have been the undoing of the Schumacher driver. Taking the win Maddison and Spittelers both had the same results to count towards the final standings which meant EFRA’s ruling was called into play. This states that the time from the drivers best result is counted with the driver with the faster time getting the win. With Spitteler doing a 5:16.00 run and Maddison a 5:17.31 it was local racer Spitteler who was declared overall winner of the Much More backed event.
Modified A-main Leg 2 video Categories - Racing, Report - add a comment
A video from the 2nd Modified A-main that saw Jilles Groskamp wrap up the overall event win.
