Track Focus – Mini Circuit “Ville de Luxembourg”

Track Name – Mini Circuit “Ville de Luxembourg”
Country – Luxembourg
Location – Luxembourg City
Host – Luxembourg Model Car Club (LMCC)
Surface – Asphalt
Direction – Anti-clockwise
No. of ETS Races hosted – 0

It might be a country with a population of only half a million people but Luxembourg can claim to be the home to one of the best tracks in Europe – Mini Circuit “Ville de Luxembourg”. Run by the Luxembourg Model Car Club, which started out on a nearby ‘Park & Ride’ car park, the track was built in 1999 after the club reached a long term agreement to rent a plot of land from the City of Luxembourg. Funding the building of the track themselves, the club hosted its first race in May 2000. Since then LMCC, which has a membership of 50, has hosted European Championships for 1:5 (2003), 1:10 Electric Touring (2009) and twice for 1:8 Onroad (2004 & 10). Playing host to Uwe Rheinard’s 24 Hour race for the first time last year, which it will do again later this year, this is the first time the ETS has travelled to Luxembourg with the decision to add it to the calendar for Season #7 hugely popular with racers.

With a 310 meter long lap, the track is most famed for its Laguna Seca corkscrew style corner which was added in 2007 when part of the infield was also modified. The drop of the corkscrew is in the region of 2 metres and is only truly appreciated when one physically walks back up it. At the end of the straight the track also features a 10 degree banked corner and its a track that modified cars can really come into their own. Last year the surface underwent a polishing using 1mm steel balls after chemicals used to spray the track during 2010 EFRA 1:8 Euros left the track with generally lower traction in particular for the clubs large percentage of 1:5 scale drivers.

Winner of the 2009 1:10 EP European Championship here, World Champion Jilles Groskamp describes the track as ‘exciting to drive’ adding the up & down elevations make it really interesting and different. Although the cars now have more power than in 2009, the Tamiya driver said they are now lapping slower as the polishing had reduced the overall grip. Loving the Laguna Seca section, he said while the sweeper at the end of the straight is good you need to be careful not to carry too much speed through it as a bump just after you come off it can unsettle the car. The Dutch ace said the fast chicane in the middle of the track is also a key point as you carry a lot of speed and it’s easy to lose time if you don’t get the curbing right. Reigning ETS Champion Ronald Volker called the track ‘one of the best in the world’ again because of its ‘unique up & down layout’. The German, who finished 3rd here in 2009, said the run out ot the Leguna Seca corner so as to get the best line onto the main straight is key with the fast chicane also a place where time can easily be lost. Like Groskamp, the Yokomo ace said the traction is not as good as before due to the polishing. A good lap time in the Ride Modified class is expected to be in the lap 18-second bracket.

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