Euro Touring Series » Announcement

June 15, 2017

Coelho aiming to wrap it up at Hudy Arena

The Yokomo Euro Touring Series travels to rc racing’s bucket list topping Hudy Arena this weekend (16-18 June) but unlike previous visits to the home of Xray the event will not mark the traditional conclusion to the season for the world famous touring car championship. Now scheduled in as Round 5 of 6, the ETS’ fifth trip to Slovakia however looks likely to decide the Season #10 champion with Bruno Coelho already within hands reach of successfully defending his title. The only one who can attempt to deny Coelho form celebrating one of the sport’s most coveted titles on Sunday night is World Champion Ronald Volker. With Coelho having three wins from four races, Volker is the only other winner this season but the Yokomo driver needs to dominate on a track where he has only won once before when the ETS made its first visit in 2013. Coelho on the other hand has never failed to win at his ‘home track’ since making his championship debut and would love to wrap up the title with that record remaining intact.

While all the attention will be on seeing if Volker can force the title to be decided in his home country, Ettlingen in Germany the new location for the season finale, a number of drivers will be striving for their own personal success at the Hudy Arena. Having given Infinity its first international title when he won the Reedy Race of Champions last month, Marc Rheinard will be aiming to give the Japanese newcomer its first ETS win as a manufacturer. Missing out on the podium at Round 4 in Italy for the first time since joining Infinity, that result ended the German’s title hopes. Given the track’s ownership, winning at the Hudy Arena would now be the next best thing and it’s something he has done once before when he led a Tamiya 1-2 from Viktor Wilck there in 2014 albeit before the arrival of Coelho.

Claiming a surprise but very popular podium finish last time out behind Coelho and Volker, Elliott Harper will be looking to repeat that performance for the relatively small Schumacher team. The multiple World Championship finalist, put his second ever ETS podium down to progress made by the team finding a set-up for asphalt and after his confidence boosting performance he should be in the mix this weekend having made the final on his previous visit to the Hudy Arena.

Having made his first A-Main this season in Italy, Wilck would go on to be competitive at the Reedy Race of Champions eventually finishing on the podium. While a unique race format, the Serpent driver did have good speed and having made the A-Main every year at the Hudy Arena we might see the Swede back mixing it at the sharp end of the field. Fellow countryman Alexander Hagberg has contributed to an Xray 1-2 here the last two years and after his misfortunes in Italy the 1:12 European Champion will be looking to bounce back.

In Pro Stock, it is also the reigning champion who leads the way but Jan Ratheisky has yet to register a win. The season so far has seen three different winners with Ratheisky’s Xray team-mate Alexandre Duchet claiming two of those. Second in the standings, the French driver took a surprise win at the season opener and a win on the championship’s first visit to Madrid. Bringing the challenge to Xray is Awesomatix with Olivier Bultynck holding third in the standings with a win at Round 2 to his credit. The Russian manufacturer added a second win with team manager Max Mächler taking a very popular first ETS win in Italy. In the Scorpion Power Formula class, it is two wins a piece for champion Ratheisky and Serpent’s David Ehrbar with just a single point separating the two title contenders.

May 12, 2017

ETS Italy crucial for Coelho’s rivals

The Yokomo Euro Touring Series travels to Italy this weekend (12-14 May) with the outcome of the Riccione event crucial to the rivals of reigning champion Bruno Coelho. With the first half of the season complete it is advantage Coelho with the Xray driver registering two wins from the three races. With last month’s third round in Spain marking the start of the outdoor season, the Portuguese driver took an important psychological strike against his rivals as the rest of the season will be battled out on asphalt. Only the ETS’s third visit to the Riccione track, it is a venue that has proven a happy hunting ground for Coelho with it being one of three wins he claimed last season en route to the title. The race’s other winner is Yannic Prumper who took the spoils in 2015 but its Coelho’s main title challengers Marc Rheinard and Ronald Volker who need to be the third winner at the beach side holiday destination in order to heat things up in the Season #10 title chase.

The only other winner so far this season, with hard work paying dividends at Round 2 in Germany, Volker failed to repeat that form in Madrid. While he would end up third, the World Champion was never a threat for the win. While Riccione has never been good to the Yokomo driver in terms of a result, it is one of the German’s favourite tracks and he knows he can be quick there having taken the TQ in 2015. Unfortunately Coelho’s ETS asphalt debut that weekend resulted in the pair clashing in the finals with Volker finishing 4th while Coelho completed the podium behind Prumper and Meen Vejrak. Last year would fare worse as he would only qualify & finish 5th but the 5-time ETS champion wants his title back as do Yokomo, so they can be expected to come out fighting for the win this weekend.

With Madrid only his second outing with touring car newcomers Infinity, Rheinard would be the only one to keep Coelho honest there. The 4-time World Champion had a rejuvenated focus for the first asphalt race and pushed his rival hard in qualifying, the TQ having to be settled on the tie-breaker in favour of Coelho. Like Volker, Riccione is not a track which Rheinard has enjoyed particular success although he did at least make the podium last year. With third on his Infinity debut and P2 on his second outing the German will be looking to complete the trend with a win. Again Jilles Groskamp will form the team’s core EP team for the weekend and the former World Champion’s input within the team is a factor that should never be underestimated. Having come close to the podium the last two outings, finishing fourth in both Germany and Spain, Akio Sobue will be aiming to join his team-mate Rheinard in the mix for the win as he makes his debut on the Road Race Riccione track.

Making a welcomed return to the ETS having been forced to miss ETS Spain due to illness, Viljami Kutvonen was impressive at Riccione last year. The Awesomatix driver would be Coelho’s closest challenger qualifying & finishing second on what is still his best ETS performance to date. Having since equalled that performance on carpet at this season’s opening round in the Czech Republic, the Finn is well up for his comeback as he chases his & Awesomatix’s first win in the premiere class.

In Pro Stock, the championship has followed a similar pattern to the Volante Modified class with winner of the season opener Alexandre Duchet adding a second win in Spain. The win was decided in A3 after reigning champion Jan Ratheisky had snatched an A1 victory on the line from his Xray team-mate. With Awesomatix’ Oliver Bultynck winning at Round 2, Ratheisky has yet to register a victory this season. In the Scorpion Power Formula class, Ratheisky did manage to end his winless streak as he denied Top Qualifier Bultynck the win at Round 3. Overall it is winner of the opening two rounds David Ehrbar who leads the standings despite being off form in Madrid.

April 6, 2017

Drivers relishing Madrid’s ETS debut

Drivers competing in the Yokomo Euro Touring Series are relishing the prospect of racing in Spain this weekend (7-9th April) as Madrid makes its debut on the championship calendar. While the well known holiday island of Gran Canaria has welcomed the ETS in the past, this is the first time the mainland will play host to a round of the world famous touring car championship. Also as it is the first outdoor event of current season, there is an extra air of anticipation among the title contenders as they prepare for battle on the large Asoger track. With the opening two rounds of the championship producing two different winners in Bruno Coelho and Ronald Volker, the switch from carpet to asphalt for Round 3 is an important opportunity to fight back however based on last season there is one driver who stands above the rest and that is Coelho. The reigning Champion, the Xray driver won two of the three outdoor events last season and while very different conditions he also took the first big asphalt win of the season when he won the TITC in Thailand.

Making an impressive comeback last time out to end a long run without winning, World Champion Volker was certainly rejuvenated by that victory in Muelheim-Kaerlich in February. The hard work put in by the German for that event paid dividends with the German looking to have found his way again since his title defeat last season. The Yokomo driver will be looking for a similar performance in Spain having closed the gap to Coelho to just a single point last time out. While Volker will lead the Yokomo challenge, the team’s young protege Naoki Akiyama will be one to watch having shown at the TITC that the speed is there to run at the front.

Sitting third in the championship Marc Rheinard has taken a leaf out of Volker’s book and has been testing extensively in preparation for the switch to asphalt, a surface the 3-time Touring Car World Champion is openly much happier racing on. Having kicked off his ETS debut with Infinity by claiming a podium finish at Round 2, the German attended the Madrid track’s warm-up race and won it ahead of Yokomo pairing Christopher Krapp and Volker. He returned for further testing with team-mate Jilles Groskamp, highlighting how much the former champion wants to be ETS champion again.

While he might personally feel his age is against him, Groskamp has shown he still has the speed. The Thailand based Dutch driver made his ETS debut as an Infinity driver in Luxembourg last season and won and now armed with the Japanese manufacturer’s ProtoTC he challenged for the win at the TITC. His first ETS outing of the current season, what speed age has taken from the 2012 World Champion, Groskamp more than makes up for it in his preparations and testing work. This a huge asset to not just him individually put also the rest of the Infinity team, the 2-time ETS champion very much a team player. Another of the Infinity drivers travelling to Madrid is Akio Sobue who comes into the weekend on the back of winning the opening round of the new CETC in China, an event run on asphalt albeit indoors.

Fresh from winning yet another 1:12 European Championship title, Alexander Hagberg hasn’t enjoyed a great start to his ETS season. The last ETS encounter outdoors saw the former asphalt race winner finish second behind team-mate Coelho and so the Swede will be hoping to turn around his campaign this weekend. Another podium finisher the last time the championship ran under the sunshine, Viljami Kutvonen will carry the hopes of Awesomatix along with Freddy Sudhoff. Having endured a tough time on carpet, Viktor Wilck will hoping his fortunes change in Spain and he can relive his World Championship podium form. Another World’s finalist looking for a strong showing will be Marc Fischer, the race marking a return to Capricorn for the German.

For the first time in a long time, the leader of the Pro Stock championship points coming into a race weekend is not an Xray driver. Awesomatix’ Oliver Bultynck was the Top Qualifier and winner at Round 2 and the Belgian holds a 2-point advantage over reigning champion Jan Ratheisky. In the Scorpion Power Formula standings, it is double winner David Ehbar who leads the way with the Serpent driver having the perfect score from the opening rounds. Behind him Champion Ratheisky is second with Bultynck sitting third.

February 23, 2017

Coelho out to extend ETS advantage in Germany

The Yokomo Euro Touring Series moves to Muelheim-Kaerlich in Germany this weekend (24-26 Feb) with Bruno Coelho looking to extend the championship lead he established after taking the TQ & win at the Season #10 opener in the Czech Republic in December. Riding on a high from his TITC win in Thailand last weekend where he fought off intense pressure from former ETS Champion Jilles Groskamp in A3 to secure overall victory, Coelho’s mindset for the resumption of the ETS will also be boosted by the fact that the Round 2 venue is where the Xray driver took a breakthrough first win on carpet last year. That weekend would prove a strong one for Xray with team-mate Alexander Hagberg, a previous winner of the event, making it a 1-2 for the Slovakian manufacturer but their rivals will be determined to prevent such celebrations this time round.

The first time, since commiting to a full ETS campaign 7-seasons ago, that he is not the reigning champion, Ronald Volker will be hoping extra testing since Round 1 will pay dividends this weekend. The World Champion was once the dominant force on carpet and while he made the final step of the podium in Hrotovice he was never a match for Coelho. Taking full advantage of the recently opened Arena 33 permanent indoor track to try and get more comfortable with his Yokomo on carpet, the German will want to ensure he doesn’t go a fifth race in a row without victory, a statistic that has never befell the 5-time ETS Champion before. An exciting addition to the Yokomo team for Round 2 is former Kyosho/Tamiya driver Christopher Krapp, with the former ETS race winner having previously podiumed in Muelheim.

Equalling his best ETS finish with second at Round 1, Viljami Kutvonen would love nothing more than to go one better in Germany. The Finn, who has become an established front runner of the championship, got his 2017 season off to a brilliant start in January when he took a convincing TQ & win ahead of Volker at the DHI Cup in Denmark. Unfortunately illness prevented the ‘Iceman’ from travelling to the TITC but now fighting fit again, he will push harder than ever to give Awesomatix their first win in touring car’s premiere class.

While Xray, Yokomo and Awesomatix are expected to challenge for victory one big unknown for the first race of 2017 is new arrival Infinity. Having officially announced its EP program last week on the eve of the TITC, the Japanese company has bolstered its EP driver line-up with some big names notably Marc Rheinard. In Czech Republic, the 4-time World Champion marked the end of an era by running a special colour scheme in A3 as he made his final outing with lifelong sponsor Tamiya who dissolved their iconic TRF race team. With tyre quality issues making for a difficult debut with Infinity at the TITC, Rheinard will be aiming for a much improved showing at what is his home race. Winner of the German round two years ago, Rheinard will be joined in flying the Infinity flag this weekend by ex-Tamiya team-mate Akio Sobue with both drivers running the SMJ prototype chassis.

Elsewhere, after opening the season by putting his Schumacher into the A-Main, Elliott Harper will have his sights set on representing the British brand again in the main event come Sunday. Last year, the mutiple Worlds finalist claimed a season equalling best for the small factory team with 8th place in Muelheim. Leading the Serpent challenge, Viktor Wilck had a tough Round 1 finishing 18th, but at the same venue he made a strong debut for his current team in 2015, the World Championship podium finisher will be targeting a significantly better result this weekend. For VBC Racing pairing Yannic Prumper and Marc Fischer Round 2 is a home race and both will be out to secure the Hong Kong manufacturer a place in the A-Main. For Fischer it is his first ETS outing with the team, the arrival of his first child stopping him on his travels to the season opener.

December 1, 2016

Coelho ready to defend as ETS celebrates 10th season

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This weekend (2-4 December), the Yokomo Euro Touring Series will celebrate the start of its 10th season when over 300 racers from 29 countries travel to Hrotovice in the Czech Republic for the opening race of the six round championship. From small beginnings when the first ETS race was held in Vejle, Denmark in March 2008, over the 51 races that made up the subsequent 9 seasons the championship has established itself as one of touring cars’ most coveted titles with both drivers and manufacturers. Only 4 drivers have achieved the top prize and defending that title in Season #10 will be Bruno Coelho.

The only multiple race winner last season, the only other race winners being the three champions that had come before him, Coelho will be looking to open his title defence with a win at the very same venue he made his debut. Having held more ETS races than any other venue, this being it’s seventh appearance on the calendar, Coelho made his carpet racing debut here in 2014. Just scraping into the A-Main qualifying 8th, next time round he made the podium behind Marc Rheinard and Ronald Volker but third time round, having since registered his first win on carpet, Coelho will be looking to reverse that result come Sunday evening.

Having enjoyed reigning over the ETS as champion for 5-consecutive seasons, Ronald Volker wants his title back and as the newly crowned World Champion the Yokomo driver is in confident form. Interestingly each season the German went onto become champion he did so by winning the season opener with last year the first time he didn’t win Round 1 or in Hrotovice. Sharing the top spot in the statistics for the most race wins with long time arch rival Marc Rheinard, a Czech win would see him overtake Rheinard for the first time as the championship’s most winning driver.

Kicking off his season perfectly in Hrotovice 12-months ago when he took the TQ and win, unfortunately the end result would turn out the same for Rheinard as he again finished runner-up in the championship. Champion in Season #3, the Tamiya driver has been Vice-champion ever since and with talk that this may possibly be the last ETS outing for Tamiya’s TRF race team, the loyal 4-time World Champion will be determined to win once more with them and extend Tamiya’s tally as the most winning manufacturer in the ETS’ premiere Modified class. Winning the inaugural ETS title with Jilles Groskamp, the iconic Japanese model manufacturer has enjoyed 21 races wins and 3 titles.

Outside of the three title favourites, Coelho’s team-mate Alexander Hagberg should be in the mix as well as Rheinard’s team-mate Christopher Krapp, both drivers among the ETS’ exclusive list of race winners. Multiple race winner Yannic Prumper begins his second season with VBC Racing and will be looking to put what was learnt last season to good use. Team-mate Lucas Urbain showed strong promise with the car in Japan last weekend so both drivers together with new signing Marc Fisher will be aiming a strong showing. The first ETS encounter since the World Championships in China in August, Serpent’s Viktor Wilck will try to continue on from his impressive podium finish and try for a similar result, something that eluded the 2 time winner & 4 time Top Qualifier last season. On the back of his best ETS campaign, finishing 5th in the standings, Awesomatix’ Viljami Kutvonen wants more podium finishes having done so twice last season.

In Pro Stock and Formula, Jan Ratheisky is the man to beat as champion of both classes. Wrapping up a 4th consecutive Formula title early last year having won the season opener, he would also become the first driver to do the double when he claimed the Pro Stock title as well making it a clean sweep of the ETS for Xray. A big change for Formula this season is the switch to new handout electrics from Scorpion Power who have created a high quality motor featuring a rev limiter. Ratheisky won both A-Mains in Hrotovice last season but his rivals will be trying even harder to topple his reign in particular of Formula.

July 21, 2016

New champion(s) to be crowned at ETS Finale

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Following five years of having the same champion in Ronald Volker, the Yokomo Euro Touring Series will crown a new champion or champions this weekend (22-24 July) at the Season #9 finale at the Hudy Arena in Slovakia. In a season that has produced 4 different winners in the Volante Modified class over the five rounds to-date, Volker’s quest for a sixth consecutive title came to an end last time out in Luxembourg when the Yokomo driver missed out on an essential podium finish. With championship returnee & former champion Jilles Groskamp taking the win it was the two that joined him on the podium that are left to battle for the title. Finishing 2nd behind Groskamp and ahead of Bruno Coelho, former champion Marc Rheinard needs a perfect weekend in order get back the title he last held in 2010 but even if he does he will have to share it. Third in Luxembourg, Coelho is so far the season’s only double winner and if Rheinard was able to equal that feat at what is the home track of the Xray driver it would mean that for the first time in ETS history there would be joint champions. One of the most competitive seasons with no single driver or manufacturer dominating, the reason the top prize may have to be shared is that both drivers counting rounds including the number of TQ’s are identical in all tie break scenarios.

A driver who burst onto the scene once last season’s ETS moved outdoors, Coelho has the advantage of the fact he will be champion no matter how Rheinard performs. However as this will be Xray’s first time to win the title in the premiere class, the Portuguese star will want the Slovakian manufacturer to enjoy the full title glory and not have to share it with 3 time champion manufacturer Tamiya. Having already given Xray its first Euro Offroad Series title this year when he took the 4WD crown, Coelho also has the benefit of home advantage although that didn’t prevent Volker from taking the Hudy Arena hosted European Championships title recently. Another feat Xray will like to have all to themselves is the fact that Coelho’s crown will make them the first manufacturer to hold all three ETS titles in one season with Jan Ratheisky having already got the job done in both the Xray Pro Stock and Serpent Formula classes.

A driver who normally excels when the odds are stacked against him, for Rheinard the weekend needs to go his way from the start as the bonus championship point for the TQ is essential to the ETS’ most winning driver’s chances of what would surprisingly be only his second ETS title.

Outside of the title chase, Volker is not travelling to Slovakia to make up the numbers and clearly frustrated by driving standards in Luxembourg will be out looking for nothing less than victory as a warning to his rivals that he means business for the upcoming World Championships in China. Relishing the environment of his new surroundings at Team Infinity and having claimed his first ETS win in 7-years, Groskamp is another driver who will be out to make a statement at the Hudy Arena ahead of the World Championships. The 2012 World Champion also has the benefit of running an Xray at the very same track on which it was largely developed. Concluding a season in which he was overshadowed by his team-mate Coelho, Alexander Hagberg would like to finish off a campaign that has produced Top 4 finishes in 4 of the 5 races by claiming the top step on the podium. Another former ETS race winner looking to end the season on a high and boost his World Championship prospects is Christopher Krapp. Having missed Riound 5 this will be the Tamiya driver’s first outing since his podium finish at the Reedy Race of Champions. With Groskamp a very welcomed ETS returnee in Luxembourg, this weekend will see another returning World Champion in Atsushi Hara, this being the iconic Japanese driver’s first ETS outing in two years

June 23, 2016

ETS hits 50 as Coelho LUX for title success

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The penultimate round of the Euro Touring Series travels to Luxembourg this weekend (23-25 June) and to one of the most unique circuits in the world. With its famous Laguna Seca corkscrew section, Mini Circuit ‘Ville de Luxembourg’, plays host to the ETS for a third time as the race marks the 50th race in the world famous championship’s history. While marking a significant milestone for series founders Uwe Rehinard and Scotty Ernst, on track all the attention will be on the three way driver/manufacturer on track battle for the Season #9 Volante Modified title. Securing victory at the previous round which marked the start of the outdoor half of the season, it is Bruno Coelho who leads the way coming into the weekend. Last year the large track proved a very happy hunting ground for the Xray star as it was where he would claim his first ever win of the high profile championship and a win this Sunday evening would see him crowned only the fourth different champion of the ETS.

Behind Coelho, the only double winner so far this season, Marc Rheinard is the closest title challenger, 5-points off his Portuguese rival. Losing out on the win in Luxembourg last year on the tie break, Rheinard will be hopeful that full factory support from Japan for the weekend will give him a fighting chance of taking the title battle to the season finale in Slovakia next month. In Italy the championship runner-up for the last 5 seasons, was without the full TRF squad managing to get a third having not really been a match for Coelho and second placed Viljami Kutvonen. While he missed the A-Main at Round 4, Rheinard’s German team-mate Christopher Krapp appears to have found his way with the TRF419X taking a podium at the recent Reedy Race of Champions alongside Rheinard and winner Ronald Volker.

Having to work much harder this year than in any of his previous 5-consecutive title winning seasons, reigning champion Volker comes into the 5th round with a new air of confidence. With the first asphalt race proving a disappointment after a first win of the season on carpet a race earlier, the Yokomo driver feels his team have made progress with getting the BD7 2016 to his liking with his Reedy Race victory validation of that. A track where the Volker/Umino partnership have celebrated titles in the past with a 7-point deficit to Coelho, they will be hoping come Sunday that they can celebrate that they have a shot at retaining their ETS crown going to Coelho’s home track, the Hudy Arena.

Without the worries of being in title contention and on the back of a very promising result at Round 4, Kutvonen will be looking to go one better and join the elite list of ETS race winners. The Finn and his Awesomatix A800 have shown great promise on asphalt and together with Freddy Sudhoff, who put his example in the A-Main in Italy, they should be a formidable force in Luxembourg.

An exciting addition to the ETS entry list this weekend is the first appearance of the new Infinity team. A major force in the Euro Nitro Series with their driver Teemu Leino claiming the 1:10 win in Germany last weekend at Round 2, this weekend the team brings back two ETS stalwarts to the championship in Jilles Groskamp and Andy Moore. Groskamp was very strong in Luxembourg last year, then as a HB driver finishing on the podium, and with Infinity still to develop an electric touring car he has picked what he feels is the best car for the weekend with both himself & Moore running Xray chassis.

While Jan Ratheisky has already put to bed the Serpent Formula title with four straight wins the Xray driver is not in Luxembourg due to illness meaning the popular class will have a new name at the top of the result sheets. In Pro Stock, Ratheisky is on target for that title too, there will also be a new winner this weekend as all three winners from this season are absent.

May 12, 2016

Italy marks ETS switch to asphalt

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Following one of it’s most competitive season openings, the first three rounds all producing different winners, the Yokomo Euro Touring Series switches to asphalt this weekend May 13-15) with a trip to Italy. With the country’s long awaited return to the ETS calendar finally made a reality last year, once again it is the beautiful Road Race Riccione RC Circuit Marco Simoncelli track that will host the close on 290 entries that make up the fourth round of the championship. While last year’s race would result in the end of a 15-race, 3-year run of podium finishes for reigning champion Ronald Volker, the Yokomo driver rates the track as one of the best in the world. Having finally registered his first win of Season #9 at Round 3 in Austria, last year’s Italian encounter would see the German finish only fourth despite being Top Qualifier as himself and Bruno Coelho had the first of a number of clashes that created tension between the rival factory drivers. With relations since improved, the tension now between Coelho and Marc Rheinard after an exchange of words in Austria last month, Volker will be looking to carry the momentum of his first ETS win in 5-races and make amends for his 2015 result by kicking off outdoor proceedings with a victory.

With second ahead of Rheinard giving him the lead in the Volante Modified class standings leaving Wels, Coelho is relishing the switch to asphalt. Winner of 2 of the 3 outdoor races last year, Riccione marked a major turning point for the Portuguese driver after a disappointing showing at the indoor races. Having struggled on carpet in his debut season of ETS the championship’s arrival in Italy immediately marked him as a title contender. Claiming his first podium there, despite his clashes with Volker, the World Championship runner-up hasn’t looked back making the podium the last 5 races including taking a carpet win earlier this year at Round 2 in Germany. With a one point advantage over joint second placed Rheinard and Volker, Coelho wants to extend that by taking what will be an important psychological victory as the race will gauge the various teams competitiveness on asphalt.

Winner of the season opener in the Czech Republic, Rheinard struggled last year in Italy compared to his rivals but with a new car the Tamiya driver is more confident of improving on his 5th in qualifying and the race. Without his regular factory staff support from Japan this weekend, it will be interesting to see what effect, if any, this will have on the reduced TRF line-up with just Christopher Krapp joining him in Italy. Last year the race marked Krapp’s debut for TRF with the German qualifying & finishing 10th.

Ending a 3-year winning hiatus in Italy, 2015 Riccione winner Yannic Prumper returns to the site of his 3rd ever ETS win with a different package. Heading a Yokomo 1-2 last year ahead of Meen Vejrak, the 22-year-old is now leading up VBC Racing’s efforts to compete for success in the premiere class. Debuting the car on carpet in Austria but missing the cut for the A-Main due to errors in each of his qualifiers, the German has since been busy asphalt testing including doing a day at the Luxembourg track which will host the next round of the championship on June 24-26. Elsewhere Awesomatix team-mates Viljami Kutvonen and Freddy Sudhoff give the A800 it’s first asphalt ETS outing with high hopes for the now belt drive car. Kutvonen has had a solid start to the season on carpet with all A-Main results leaving him 5th in the standings behind Xray’s Alexander Hagberg.

In the biggest class of the ETS, Pro Stock, Xray’s Jan Ratheisky leads the standings after the indoor half of the season. Holding a 13-point lead over ARC’s Helge Johannessen, Ratheisky has the disadvantage of having not raced the event last year when team-mate and reigning champion Marek Cerny took the win. The reigning champion in the Serpent sponsored Formula class, which has attracted over 80 entries for the weekend, Ratheisky could once again become the first ETS champion of the season. Winner & Top Qualifier of the opening three races another win this weekend would see him claim a fourth consecutive title.