Drivers full of praise for Czech track
Round 3 of the Euro Touring Series is underway here in the Czech Republic and there is nothing but praise coming from the top drivers for the track that has been created by race host Michal Bok and his crew. Drivers are enjoying the challenge of the long and technical track, 19-seconds being the current benchmark lap time.
Making his international debut for the Tamiya Racing Factory team it is young Elliot Harper who is setting the early pace in practice. The British driver says the track is really nice and has a good flow to it. Still making small adjustments to his set-up, Harper said overall he is pleased with his car on used tyres but on a fresh set of Xenon tyres both he and his team-mates are struggling. ETS Championship leader Viktor Wilck described his early runs as only OK and is hoping that as the traction comes up he can find a better set-up on his TRF416X and avoid a repeat of his poor performance at the recent DHI Cup. World Champion Marc Rheinard made similar comments about his car but was very complimentary of the track layout.
It may have taken him an eventful 15 hours from the time he left his home in Italy till he arrived in Hrotovice but Nitro Touring Car World Champion Daniele Ielasi is here and settling into to his one off Toni Sport drive. Just moments before his flight from Malpensa Airport was due to take-off yesterday morning Ielasi’s plane filled with smoke following an engine fire. Finally getting airborne 8-hours later, in a new plane, Ielasi made it to Vienna from where he joined fellow racers for what was supposed to be a 2 hour journey that ended up taking three hours due to the snowy conditions here in the Czech Republic. Being run this weekend by Toni Rheinard who has equipped him with a Tamiya chassis and Speedpassion electrics, the Italian says he is still trying to adjust to his driving style to suit the carpet surface and the power deliver of the electric motor, which a lot more responsive that the nitro power he is used too.
Having now got the same set-up as that of DHI Cup sensation and Top Qualifier Christer Andersson, factory Team Associated driver Juho Levanen is really happy with his TC5. The Finn described the track as ‘awesome’ and is feeling confident of a good showing this weekend. Working alongside him in the pits is Associated UK team driver Olly Jefferies. Making his first appearance at an ETS race, Jefferies tried Levanen’s set-up but found it too aggressive for his driving style but he feels he has a good idea of what direction to take in terms of set-up for the next practice.
Schumacher Racing are very upbeat following the opening practice rounds. Chris Grainger and Chris Ashton are both very happy with their Mi4LP chassis. Ashton made the ProStock A-Main in Budapest and is hoping to better that result here this weekend. The man to beat in ProStock, Alexander Stocker, hasn’t had a good start to the day and admitted he is really struggling with the set-up on his Hot Bodies.
Elsewhere Team Xray’s Martin Hudy has ran the first few practices with the same set-up he used to make the A-Main at the DHI Cup earlier this month. The Slovak driver said he wants to wait for the traction to come up before he goes making adjustments to his T3 chassis. Hot Bodies factory driver Andy Moore described his start to the day as pretty decent and say he hopes he can maintain that form for the rest of the weekend.
Drivers still have one more round of practice in which to get their cars dialed in, with the Modified and Hobby classes ending today with the opening round of qualifying. For the huge Prostock entry they will have to wait till the morning for their first qualifier.
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