Euro Touring Series » Eoghain O Briain

March 6, 2010

Q4 Update

Marc Rheinard

The fourth and penultimate round of qualifying for the Polish leg of the Euro Touring series is complete with Marc Rheinard and Alexander Stocker topping their respective classes. Producing the fastest run we have seen for the Modified class with 19 laps in 5:10.712, Rheinard’s second TQ run means we will have to wait until the final round to see whether he or team-mate Viktor Wilck, now tied on 310 points, will take their second Top Qualifier honours of the 2009/2010 season. For Stocker he secures pole position for tomorrow’s Pro Stock A-Main to maintain his perfect 100% Top Qualifier record in the third season of the ETS.

The big mover of the round was the star of the Czech ETS encounter Zdenek Hamak who finally converted his fast practice pace yesterday into a strong qualifying performance. The Xray supported driver struggled to get his T3 working in today’s higher traction conditions but got the set-up right for the penultimate round to set the second fastest time and become only the fourth driver to run 19 laps. The Czech ace, who is currently lying 13th in the ranking just behind Martin Hudy, says his focus is to put in a safe run in the fifth and final qualifier to ensure he makes it on to the A-Main grid. Last year’s winner of the Warsaw event, Yannic Pruemper, completed the Top 3 again and keeps his hopes of repeating that win alive.

Alexander Stocker

In Pro Stock behind Stocker it was Jan Gehrig who was best of the rest with Zdenko Hamak third. For last year’s winner Meik Niemann it has not been a successful return to action as he current sits 77th in the ranking meaning he wont be taking home the silverware this year.

Modified qualifying standings after 4 rounds
1. Rheinard Marc (DE) – 310pts
2. Wilck Viktor (SE) – 310pts
3. Prümper Yannic (DE) – 304pts
4. Ehrbar David (DE) – 303pts
5. Treder Lars (DE) – 302pts
6. Bok Michal (CZ) – 301pts
7. Weiss Steven (DE) – 299pts
8. Laptev Ivan (RU) – 297pts
9. Kunák Zdenko (SK) – 297pts
10.Lein Sebastian (DE) – 295pts

Pro Stock qualifying standings after 4 rounds
1. Stocker Alexander (DE) – 310pts
2. Kunák Zdenko (SK) – 306pts
3. Gehrig Jan (DE) – 305pts
4. Bergfeldt Tommy (SE) – 303pts
5. Franke Oliver (DE) – 302pts
6. Wohlgemuth Daniel (DE) – 298pts
7. Orlowski Blazej (PL) – 297pts
8. Lepelaar Michael (NL) – 296pts
9. Wiessmann Felix (DE) – 296pts
10.Klöckner René (DE) – 294pts

Full results can be found here.

View our event image gallery here.

March 6, 2010

Qualifying Modified Heat 6 Rd2 – Video

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfIMVlQJzWo[/youtube]

March 6, 2010

No surprises as Stocker takes first Pro Stock qualifier

Alexander Stocker

Day 2 of the Euro Touring Series has opened with the first round of qualifying for Pro Stock and at the top of the time sheet there was not great surprise, Alexander Stocker setting the pace with an 18 lap run in 5:13.375. The German described the run as ‘not too bad’ saying it was a safe run with extra caution required due to the huge increase in traction since their final practice run yesterday evening. The current championship leader, Stocker said he likes such conditions, a worrying fact for his rivals.

Claiming second for the round was young Slovak talent Zdenko Kunak who was the only driver to break into the 16 second laps with a fastest lap of 16.895. The Xray driver is using Juraj Hudy’s T3 chassis’ this weekend, the Xray owner absent from Poland as he is flying to American tomorrow to get race mileage on the company’s up coming 1:8 electric buggy. Kunak said they have now found a good base setting for the huge track here in the Arena Ursynow but plans some small changes to try make the car a little easier to drive.

Stock class grid

Setting the third fastest time was Jan Gehrig who is enjoying somewhat of an arrive and drive weekend thanks to David Ehrbar. Making the A-Main here last year, the German is using one of Ehrbar’s old T3 chassis’ with the Czech Grand Prix winner also doing the set-up on the car. Gehrig said the car feels really good and said he has been told by the boss that no changes will be made for the second qualifier and that an improved time needs to come from his driving.

Pro Stock ace Tommy Bergfeldt ended up fifth, behind Germany’s Henrik Heitsch, after he got t-boned while running a Top 3 pace. The incident cost him 7 seconds but the Swede said this aside he was pleased with both the car and his driving and plans no changes for the next round. Czech ETS race winner Daniel Wohlgemuth got caught out by the increased traction, rolling his Hot Bodies twice and ending up only 6th fastest. The German plans to glue up the side walls of his front tyres for Q2.

Pro Stock results after round 1
1. Stocker Alexander (DE) – 18 5:13.375
2. Kunák Zdenko (SK) – 18 5:16.872
3. Gehrig Jan (DE) – 17 5:01.883
4. Heitsch Henrik (DE) – 17 5:03.097
5. Bergfeldt Tommy (SE) – 17 5:03.923
6. Wohlgemuth Daniel (DE) – 17 5:05.048
7. Wiessmann Felix (DE) – 17 5:06.119
8. Lepelaar Michael (NL) – 17 5:07.338
9. Madsen Carsten (DK) – 17 5:09.290
10.Klöckner René (DE) – 17 5:09.699

Full results can be found here.

View our event image gallery here.

March 5, 2010

Rheinard tops opening qualifier in Warsaw

Heat 6 Driver stand

Chasing his third consecutive Euro Touring Series race victory, championship leader Marc Rheinard has got Round 4 here in Poland off to a strong start by topping the opening round of qualifying. Despite two moments during his run, the German ran 18 laps in 05:00.127 to TQ the opening heat from Tamiya team-mate Viktor Wilck who also had two bad laps on his way to setting a time of 5:00.569.

Rheinard lost time on lap seven when his Speed Passion propelled TRF416 X done a 360 on the main straight. The German said his car felt pretty good during the run and he can’t explain the strange moment. The second loss of time which cost him 2.5 seconds was easier to explain. On Lap 11 he caught a dot which sent his car into a roll. Wilck also rolled loosing 2 second on each occasion. The first roll came when his car grip rolled on tape while the second came after contact with Zdenek Hamak. Hamak was on a good run but it all came to an end shortly after his touch with Wilck. In spectacular fashion he rolled his Xray T3 the entire length of the front straight. If r/c racing was an Olympic discipline the Czech driver’s roll would have impressed the judges but its not and his car is going to need a thorough going over on the Hudy bench.

Rheinard tops opening qualifier in Warsaw

Setting an impressive 3rd fastest time, Czech Grand Prix winner David Ehrbar was delighted with his opening run describing his Xray as perfect. Running a GM speedo and a 4.5 Turn Speed Passion motor, the German is hopeful he can maintain his form tomorrow and challenge for his first ever ETS podium finish. Overall the opening round of qualifying on this huge track proved very successful for German drivers with Sebastian Lein and Lars Treder taking their Tamiyas to the fourth and fifth fastest times. Lein, an A-Main finalist in Hungary, said his diff didn’t feel right and is very encouraged by his Top 4 run. 18-year-old Treder, a regular ETS competitor, was really pleased with his run and hopes for more of the same tomorrow. Slovak driver Zdenko Kunak, who is looking very good for a strong Pro Stock performance here, completed the Top 6 for Modified.

Factory Xray driver Martin Hudy didn’t get any birthday presents in the first qualifier. Having had understeer in the final practice the birthday boy made adjustments to his T3 but he appears to have gone to far. At the end of the main straight on his out lap for the warm-up his car oversteered in to the track barrier resulting in a broken front wishbone and a DNS for the first heat.

Day 2 of the fourth round of the Xenon Racing backed Euro Touring Series kicks off with the opening qualifier for huge Pro Stock field of drivers.

Modified results after round 1
1. Rheinard Marc (DE) – 18 Laps in 5:00.127
2. Wilck Viktor (SE) – 18 Laps in 5:00.569
3. Ehrbar David (DE) – 18 Laps in 5:01.977
4. Lein Sebastian (DE) – 18 Laps in 5:04.382
5. Treder Lars (DE) – 18 Laps in 5:04.406
6. Kunák Zdenko (SK) – 18 Laps in 5:06.670
7. Prümper Yannic (DE) – 18 Laps in 5:08.802
8. Bok Michal (CZ) – 18 Laps in 5:08.813
9. Klöckner René (DE) – 18 Laps in 5:08.997
10.Lnenicka Sacha (CH) – 18 Laps in 5:09.376

Full results can be found here.

View our event image gallery here.

March 3, 2010

Polish capital awaits Euro Touring Series fourth round

Poland plays host to the fourth round of the Xenon Racing backed Euro Touring Series this weekend as it travels to a new venue, the huge Arena Ursynow, in the city of Warsaw. The final carpet race of the 2009/2010 season before the series move outdoors for Rounds 5 & 6, the second visit to the Polish capital has attracted over 200 entries including last year’s winners Yannic Prümper and Meik Niemann. Twelve months ago the two German’s notched up their first international race victories at the event, a special moment they will both be hoping to repeat again come Sunday.

Prümper makes a return to the ETS after school commitments forced him to miss the Czech round where 200mm World Champion Daniele Ielasi filled his drive at Toni-Sport. Despite being out of action for two months, the talented teenager is sure to be back up to speed quickly and be a serious podium contender this weekend.

Leading the championship by 2 points from Tamiya team-mate Viktor Wilck, Marc Rheinard travels to Warsaw as the clear favourite for the top step on the podium. Having won Round 2 in Budapest, the World Champion backed it up with a dominant performance last time out taking victory in the Czech Republic and now has his targets set on a third consecutive ETS race victory. Wilck, winner of the season opener in Kastellaun, is the only other driver to have been on the podium at all three opening rounds and will be determined get the better of Rheinard on the 41M X 28M track and leave Poland back at the top of the points table.

The star of Hrotovice, finishing fourth overall in the A-Main among the quality line-up of international team drivers, Zdenek Hamak will be hoping to repeat his best international performance and further impress Team Xray who are supporting the Czech driver for the 2010 season. Hamak will again have the benefit of working alongside full factory Xray driver Martin Hudy who currently lies joint fourth in the standings with Team Associated’s Juho Levanen.

In the 13.5T Pro Stock class there are four ETS race winners among the 107 entries but it is current standings leader and inaugural Euro Touring Series Pro Stock Champion Alexander Stocker that they will all be out to beat. The German dominated the opening two rounds but in the Czech Republic had to withdraw from the finals allowing fellow German Daniel Wohlgemuth to take his first win in the series from Russian driver Ivan Laptev.

Defending Pro Stock Champion Balint Rajki has had a difficult season so far and really needs to turn things around this weekend to have any chance of retaining his crown. Last year’s event winner Niemann makes a welcomed return to the series having been absent from the racing scene for a few months and is entered to run a Hot Bodies chassis. Another Hot Bodies that can be expected to feature strongly is that of super fast Swede Tommy Bergfeldt. The Redbull backed racer is a previous DHI Cup Champion and back in January had a great battle with Stocker who eventually took the win and so has a point to prove in Poland.

Round four of the Xenon Racing Euro Touring Series will be part of a major feature on Polish television with the country’s top TV station sending a crew along for the weekend to film all the action. OSM, the host club, have also arrange for the Lord Mayor of Warsaw to attend the event on Sunday making this a great showcase for the sport of r/c racing in Poland. Also supported by Speedpassion, the event gets underway with practice on Friday with RedRC.net on hand to bring live coverage throughout the weekend.

February 1, 2010

A-mains Leg 3 – Video

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcjZjl-UpqY[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uX0FByeE1HQ[/youtube]

January 31, 2010

Wilck wins Leg 3, Rheinard Czech Champion

Viktor Wilck has won the third leg of the A-Main here in the Czech Republic but the final result remains the same as he takes second overall behind Tamiya Racing Factory team-mate Marc Rheinard with Juho Levanen completing the podium.

Again it looked like Top Qualifier Rheinard was going to cruise to a third win of the day but on lap 4 the German got out of shape allowing Wilck to slip through. Once in front the Swede stayed there despite the World Champion getting right up on his bumper in the last minute of the race. Wilck said afterwards that is TFR416X was very strong in the opening part of the race but started to get loose near the end. Rheinard said he was happy to hold station as a pass would have been an unnecessary risk especially with Levanen running a close third.

It was a case of three is the magic number for Associated’s Levanen as he took his no.3 car to third in all three legs to finish for 3rd overall at the 3rd race of the 2009/2010 season. Having done a lot of development work on his TC5R and tested it on high traction tracks, the Finn said he was very pleased with the performance of it here on the lower traction conditions. Happy with his pace in relation to the Tamiya team and at finishing on podium he said the weekend was very encouraging ahead of the Indoor European Championship.

The big star of the weekend was Czech driver Zdenek Hamak. Surprising everyone with his blistering pace in Friday’s practice when he toped the time sheets, the Xray driver backed it up with a great final round of qualifying that put him fifth on the grid. Struggling with his nerves in the finals, Hamak still managed to put in a great performance on home soil to claim his best international race result with a fine fourth overall.

Wilck wins Leg 3, Rheinard Czech Champion

In Pro Stock Daniel Wohlgemuth claimed his first ETS win but the German didn’t make it easy for himself. Holding a big lead in the third leg over Ivan Laptev, the Hot Bodies driver rolled on the last lap allowing the Russian past. With half a lap to go the two swapped paint before we got an action replay of the last corner move Dennis Fadtke pulled on Wohlgemuth in Leg 1. Diving down the inside of Laptev in a do or die move, the Top Qualifier made sure he made it to the finish line first this time round doing so by just 13/100th of a second. Having failed to convert his last TQ honours into victory Wohlgemuth was delighted to take his first Euro Touring Series win. Fadkte, who was making his ETS Pro Stock class debut completed the podium behind Laptev, the two of them both claiming their first podium finishes in the series. Fadkte, an ETS regular in Modified, said he now plans to do both classes for the remainder of the championship.

Wilck wins Leg 3, Rheinard Czech Champion

In the Hobby Class rising young Polish talent Michal Orlowski won all three legs of the A-Main from pole to further extend his lead in the point standings. The 8-year-old will be hoping to continue his winning ways at the next round of the Xenon Racing backed Euro Touring Series when it travels to his home country. The hosts of the Warsaw race confirmed this week that they have secured a new 1600 square metre hall for the March 5-7 event.

Modified A-main Overall results
1. Rheinard Marc (DE) – 2pts
2. Wilck Viktor (SE) – 3pts
3. Levanen Juho (FI) – 6pts
4. Hamak Zdenek (CZ) – 9pts
5. Hudy Martin (SK) – 9pts
6. Graversen Steen (DK) – 11pts
7. Jefferies Olly (GB) – 12pts
8. Harper Elliott (GB) – 14pts
9. Moore Andy (GB) – 15pts
10. Kunák Zdenko (SK) – 16pts

Pro Stock A-main Overall results
1. Wohlgemuth Daniel (DE) – 2pts
2. Laptev Ivan (RU) – 5pts
3. Fadtke Dennis (PL) – 7pts
4. Madsen Carsten (DK) – 7pts
5. Rajki Balint (HU) – 8pts
6. Klöckner René (DE) – 9pts
7. Ashton Chris (GB) – 9pts
8. Mara Jiri (CZ) – 12pts
9. Schmidt Martin (DE) – 18pts
10.Stocker Alexander (DE) – 20pts

Full results can be found here.

View our event image gallery here.

January 31, 2010

A-mains Leg 2 – Video

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7j3nnHcPp_E[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGbz6Gg3CUc[/youtube]