Coelho cruises to A1 win at ETS Germany
Bruno Coelho cruised to an easy win in the opening A-Main of the ETS Season Finale in Germany this morning, the Top Qualifier having a winning margin of almost three seconds over Naoto Matsukura. Top Qualifier at the uniquely challenging Minidrom Ettlingen track, Coelho immediately took control of A1 making a blistering start ahead of Xray team-mate Tim Wahl. Starting his first ever outdoor ETS A-Main from second on the grid, Wahl was looking good in 2nd early on but had a slight moment on the curbing was enough to let Matsukura and the rest of the pack to close, the Infinity driver executing an impressive move on the German on the entry to the sweeper to take second. Matsukura’s Infinity team-mate Marc Rheinard would shortly make a similar pass on Wahl, these being the only two passes of the race, the rest of the field finishing in the order they started.
‘It was a very good final. I was very confident with the car after my 1/2 lap warm-up’, said Coelho after the race. Chasing his fifth win of the season, the back to back Champion said, ‘Tim had not so good a start which gave me space so I could just drive my own race and lead it to the end’. Describing track conditions as ‘completely different to yesterday’, he said, ‘it was more stable in the rear and much easier to drive and I hope it stays like this for the rest of the day’.
‘I’m happy with second’ was how Matsukura summed up his opening final. Starting third on the grid he said, ‘I took Tim on the straight which was a perfect pass but it was too late because Bruno was too far away’. Also describing track conditions as being ‘different’ today, the ETS Slovakia podium finisher said, ‘my car was super easy but after 2-minutes it had understeer so we make a little change in the set-up for the next one to get more steering’. A driver who seems to have re-found his touring car form since joining class newcomers Infinity, the 2014 World Champion said, ‘I try to get one place better the next one’.
Giving his views on A1, Rheinard said, ‘What can I say we lost the race in qualifying again’. The 4-time World Champion continued, ‘Bruno is a little faster but I think we are closer than it looks. If I was starting second I could at least challenge Bruno a little bit’. He added, ‘It is a difficult track to pass but I made a nice move on Tim on the straight which gave me third’. With Montech’s Racer body looking to have the advantage at this track Rheinard concluded, ‘I was the best LTC finisher’.
‘I’m happy with this’ was Wahl’s reaction to finishing 4th. With 4-World Champions on the grid, he continued, ‘If anyone said before the start I would finish 4th I would agree with this’. In terms of his car, he said, ‘It was not perfect for these conditions. The track is more stable today and my car is best when its loose but it is windy and getting hotter so I expect it to change’.
In the Pro Stock class, Olivier Bultynck couldn’t do more for his title aspirations as the Awesomatix driver lead from start to finish with championship rival Alexandre Duchet finishing 2nd. Contact between Tom Krägefski and Max Mächler would benefit Tobias Vogel who would complete the Top 3. In Formula, Serpent’s Tim Benson drove the perfect race, the Top Qualifier winning from Matej Dobnikar who closed in the final laps. In the title battle, reigning champion Jan Ratheisky got the better of Bultynck to finish 3rd, the duo having start 8th and 6th respectively.
View the complete event results here.
View our event image gallery here.
