Euro Touring Series

November 28, 2010

Volker gets job done in Leg 2

Ronald Volker

Ronald Volker is looking like a very serious bet for the 2010/11 Yokomo Euro Touring Series title after victory in the second leg of the A-Main here in the Czech Republic saw him wrap up the overall win early, just like he did at the season opener in Kastellaun, Germany, last month. Having led Leg 1 this morning from start to finish the German ace looked on target to repeat that in the Leg 2 but with just over a minute left three cars disappeared under the carpet forcing the race to be halted. Unfortunately for former ETS race winner Yannick Prumper he was enjoying a great run having worked his way from ninth on the grid to third behind Volker and Marc Rheinard but race director Scotty Ernst had no choice but call for a full re-run of the encounter. The 10 drivers were given an hour to re-prepare their cars for a second attempt at Leg 2.

Elliot Harper

In the re-run Volker lead from Rheinard like in Leg 1 but on lap 5 the World Champion tried a pass on the Top Qualifier causing the Yokomo to flip. Rheinard waited but the incident was enough to allow Xray’s Alexander Hagberg into the lead. Hagberg withstood intense pressure from Volker, who in turn had to contend with Rheinard, but three corners from the finish the Swede flipped his T3’11. This allowed Volker, followed by Rheinard, back through to take the leg and the overall victory as Hagberg recovered for 3rd with Freddy Sudhoff 4th and Elliot Harper, who started at the back of the grid claiming 5th. Volker will sit out the final race of the day and let Rheinard, Hagberg and Sudhoff battle it out for the runners-up spot.

Eric Dankel

In the second leg of the Xray Pro-Stock A-Main, there was a less dramatic first lap allowing Eric Dankel to lead from start to finish. The winner of the opening leg Alexander Stocker was fourth after he and Martin Hofer touched while battling for second. Hofer, who set the fastest lap of the race, held the spot with Stocker’s out of shape Hot Bodies loosing a place to Denmark’s Martin Lissau who held on for 3rd.

Xenon Modified A-main leg 2 results
1. Völker Ronald – 26 Laps in 5:03.290
2. Rheinard Marc – 26 Laps in 5:03.486
3. Hagberg Alexander – 26 Laps in 5:04.197
4. Südhoff Frederik – 26 Laps in 5:07.064
5. Harper Elliott – 26 Laps in 5:08.337
6. Leino Teemu – 26 Laps in 5:09.663
7. Wilck Viktor – 26 Laps in 5:10.602
8. Fleischmann Dominik – 26 Laps in 5:11.940
9. Levanen Juho – 26 Laps in 5:12.475
10.Prümper Yannic – 25 Laps in 5:07.498

Xray Pro Stock A-main leg 2 results
1. Dankel Eric – 25 Laps in 5:06.194
2. Hofer Martin – 25 Laps in 5:06.916
3. Lissau Martin – 25 Laps in 5:09.763
4. Stocker Alexander – 25 Laps in 5:10.287
5. Streit Tony – 25 Laps in 5:11.597
6. Rajki Balint – 24 Laps in 5:01.740
7. Tschupp Philip – 24 Laps in 5:02.348
8. Wohlgemuth Daniel – 24 Laps in 5:05.168
9. Wiessmann Felix – 24 Laps in 5:05.330
10.Kuriger Sandro – 24 Laps in 5:12.048

Full results can be found here.

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November 28, 2010

Video – Mod & Pro Stock A-main Leg 1

November 28, 2010

Volker takes first Leg

Ronald Volker

Top Qualifier Ronald Volker has won the opening leg of the Xenon Modified A Mains in what was a pretty uneventful race. The Yokomo driver got out of shape over the dots at the first corner but managed to stay in front despite Marc Rheinard’s best efforts throughout the race, the pair finishing well clear of third placed Freddy Sudhoff.

Volker said he gave himself a scare at the first corner and paid tribute to Rheinard for being so patient over the opening few laps as he got back into his rhythm, his BD5 having a lot more side traction than he had expected. Rheinard said even though Volker was slow through the first corner there was no room to get by without causing a crash so he opted out of attempting a pass. Running Tamiya’s new TRF417 the World Champion said his car was better than Volker’s BD5 through the fast corners but the European Champion had the advantage in the slow section making it very hard to set-up for a pass.

Freddy Sudhoff

With Volker and Rheinard in a different league, the other battle of the race was for third spot. Xray’s Alexander Hagberg was looking strong until lap 10 when he made a mistake and flipped his T3’11 off a corner dot which benefited Freddy Sudhoff and Team Associated’s Juho Levanen. Trying to find a way passed Sudhoff’s Hot Bodies, Levanen said German was slower than him in the early part of the race and this allowed the pack to catch up forcing him to switch to a defensive driving style to protect his fourth position. The track in Hrotovice is proving very difficult to pass on and Hagberg, frustrated by his own mistake, was further frustrated at being faster than Levanen but unable to get passed the Finn’s TC6.

Alexander Stocker

In Pro-Stock Alexander Stocker took the opening leg of the A-Main from Martin Lissau. The current ETS champion said his plan was to just wait and see what happened over the opening laps but the German didn’t have to wait long. At the third corner Martin Hofer hit the back of Top Qualifier Eric Dankel. Having been hit by the Yokomo driver at the very same corner in the final qualifier Dankel felt the contact was intentional but Hofer said it was a racing accident as Dankel was very slow out of the second corner. Hofer was made wait to allow Dankel back through, the Xray driver recovering to finish third.

Xenon Modified A-main leg 1 results
1. Völker Ronald – 26 Laps in 5:02.114
2. Rheinard Marc – 26 Laps in 5:02.384
3. Südhoff Frederik – 26 Laps in 5:06.874
4. Levanen Juho – 26 Laps in 5:07.387
5. Hagberg Alexander – 26 Laps in 5:07.560
6. Leino Teemu – 26 Laps in 5:08.282
7. Wilck Viktor – 26 Laps in 5:10.390
8. Harper Elliott – 26 Laps in 5:11.261
9. Prümper Yannic – 26 Laps in 5:11.750
10.Fleischmann Dominik – 25 Laps in 5:00.270

Xray Pro Stock A-main leg 1 results
1. Stocker Alexander – 25 Laps in 5:08.684
2. Lissau Martin – 25 Laps in 5:10.100
3. Dankel Eric – 25 Laps in 5:10.409
4. Hofer Martin – 24 Laps in 5:03.112
5. Rajki Balint – 24 Laps in 5:03.411
6. Tschupp Philip – 24 Laps in 5:04.547
7. Streit Tony – 24 Laps in 5:06.957
8. Wohlgemuth Daniel – 6 Laps in 1:21.758
9. Kuriger Sandro – 0 Laps in 0:00.000
10.Wiessmann Felix – 0 Laps in 0:00.000

Full results can be found here.

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November 27, 2010

Dankel is Pro-Stock Top Qualifier

Eric Dankel

Xray team driver Eric Dankel is the Top Qualifier for Round 2 of the 2010/11 Yokomo Euro Touring Series here in the Czech Republic. The winner of the season opener in Kastellaun last month from pole position, the German will once again carry number 1 on his car for tomorrow’s Xray Pro-Stock A final after claiming the honour on tie break from Martin Hofer.

The fifth & final round of qualifying saw defending Champion Alexander Stocker top the time sheets for the first time this season. The Hot Bodies driver said he had finally found a set-up that suited his driving and declared he was now ready to put a disappointing Kastellaun performance behind him. Starting from third on the grid Stocker is confident he can challenge Dankel and Hofer for the top step on podium tomorrow.

Modified Heat 20

In the Xenon Modified class the final round of qualifying was the first time in two days that Ronald Volker wasn’t fastest. Having already secured the overall TQ honours in Q4 the Yokomo driver flipped his LRP powered BD5 allowing Marc Rheinard to top the round from Freddy Sudhoff. Taking 3rd for the round despite his moment, Volker produced the fastest lap and still remains very much the man to beat here this weekend. Fourth fastest was Andy Moore but unfortunately for the factory Hot Bodies driver his form comes too late and he finds himself 2nd on the grid in the B Final.

Xenon Modified Top 10 qualifiers
1. Völker Ronald (DE) – 310pts – Yokomo/LRP
2. Rheinard Marc (DE) – 308pts – Tamiya/Speed Passion
3. Hagberg Alexander (SE) – 305pts – Xray/LRP
4. Südhoff Frederik (DE) – 305pts – Hot Bodies/LRP
5. Levanen Juho (FI) – 300pts – Associated/LRP
6. Leino Teemu (FI) – 300pts – Xray/Orion
7. Wilck Viktor (SE) – 300pts – Tamiya/Speed Passion
8. Fleischmann Dominik (DE) – 299pts – Hot Bodies/LRP
9. Prümper Yannic (DE) – 298pts – Yokomo/Speed Passion
10.Harper Elliott (GB) – 296pts – Tamiya/Speed Passion

Xray Pro Stock Top 10 qualifiers
1. Dankel Eric (DE) – 310pts – Xray
2. Hofer Martin (DE) – 310pts – Yokomo
3. Stocker Alexander (DE) – 307pts – Hot Bodies
4. Lissau Martin (DK) – 306pts – Tamiya
5. Streit Tony (DE) – 303pts – Xray
6. Wohlgemuth Daniel (DE) – 302pts – Xray
7. Tschupp Philip (CH) – 300pts – TOP
8. Kuriger Sandro (CH) – 299pts – Tamiya
9. Wiessmann Felix (DE) – 298pts – Hot Bodies
10.Rajki Balint (HU) – 296pts – Hot Bodies

Full results can be found here.

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November 27, 2010

Volker wraps up pole position in Czech Republic

Ronald Volker will start tomorrow’s Xenon Modified A Final from pole position after putting the overall TQ honours beyond the reach of his rivals. Making it four out of four, the Team Yokomo driver topped the penultimate round of qualifying here in Hrotovice despite a valiant effort from defending ETS champion Marc Rheinard who missed out by just 3/100ths on knocking the Kastellaun winner off the top for the first time this weekend.

Marc Rheinard

Rheinard said while he did not beat his arch rival he was encouraged by the run as its the closest he has been to the European Champion in this season’s Yokomo Euro Touring Series. Suffering a broken rear diff at the end of the run, the World Champion said he is starting to get to grips with the new Tamiya TRF417 and plans to use the final qualifier to run in a fresh set of the Xenon controlled tyres for tomorrow’s finals.

Alexander Hagberg

Putting a below par Kastellaun performance behind him, Alexander Hagberg is enjoying a very competitive weekend in the Czech Republic so far, with him producing another Top 3 run. A number of small changes to his new Xray T3’11 have made him more confident with the car. Loosing a little time with traffic and a mistake of his own making, the Swede now plans to go all out for a TQ run in the final run of the day.

Steven Weiss

Fourth fastest for the round was Freddy Sudhoff despite his Hot Bodies not being perfect followed by Team Yokomo’s Yannic Prumper. The German teenager has struggled with traction roll and too many driver errors but managed a clean Q4 to post his best qualifier. Despite clashing with TRF driver Viktor Wilck for the second heat in succession Steven Weiss was happy with his 7th fastest time just behind Dominik Fleischmann. Running a TOP chassis he said he is very happy with how it has been running and hopes with another good round he can claim himself a place in the A Final.

Eric Dankel

In the Xray Pro-Stock class Q1 Top Qualifier Eric Dankel took the round from Q2 & 3 pace setter Martin Hofer. Having run a gear diff in the front of his Xray T3’11 this morning, the German reverted to a spool which gave the car a better feeling allowing him to return to the top of the time sheets. Asked about the slightly shortened track layout, the ETS Kastellaun winner said he preferred it as it had a better rythm to it. Hofer said he made an error with his tyre additive for the round and this resulted in his Yokomo going off at the end of the run. He said once he does not make the ‘stupid’ mistake again he is confident he can outpace Dankel in the final qualifier to wrap up overall TQ honours for tomorrow’s finals. ‘Heading in the right direction’ was how Alexander Stocker described his run to third. The Pro-Stock Champion set the fastest lap for the round and could have place higher but a mistake on his final lap cost the Hot Bodies driver almost 2 seconds.

Full results can be found here.

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November 27, 2010

Q3 Update

Ronald Volker

Once again it is Ronald Volker and Team Yokomo who continue to dominate proceedings here in Hrotovice topping the third round of qualifying. The German took the round from Xray’s Alexander Hargberg and a much improved Juho Levanen claiming his first competitive run with the third fastest time. Fifth behind Teemu Leino, Elliot Harper was the best of the Tamiya Racing Factory squad after both Marc Rheinard and Viktor Wilck opted to test a new tyre additive sample which they both said was ‘really bad’. Kyosho’s Christopher Krapp completed the Top 6 for the third of the five scheduled qualifiers.

Martin Hofer

It was a double TQ run for Team Yokomo as Martin Hofer backed up his Q2 run to top the Xray Pro Stock class. The German outpaced early pace setter Eric Dankel by 17/100th of a second as the pair both broke 24 laps for the first time. Recording 23 laps defending champion Alexander Stocker had his best run with the third fastest time.

For the penultimate round of qualifying drivers will run a slightly altered track after race director Scotty Ernst was forced to change one corner of the track during the lunch break due to a leak in the roof of the hall.

Full results can be found here.

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November 27, 2010

Volker ups the pace in Q2

Ronald Volker

Ronald Volker continued his reign at the top of the times sheets here in the Czech Republic getting Day 2 underway with another TQ run. The Yokomo lead driver set a new fastest heat of 25 laps in 5:07.984 knocking 3.5 seconds off yesterday’s Q1 topping run. The European Champion, who will defend his Indoor title here next February, said his BD5 felt the the same on the last lap as it did on the first. Volker said his mechanic Yukijiro Umino changed the timing of the tyre additive based on the feedback he gave him from Q1 and this made the car super consistent.

Marc Rheinard

Defending Champion Marc Rheinard once again had to settle for the second spot with a time that was 2 seconds off his big rival. The Tamiya Racing Factory team leader said the new TRF417 was ok but he did not drive very well catching the corner dots a number of times. Despite the front of his bodyshell rubbing, the German, who is busy testing a range of additives in preparation for the launch of his own indoor additive, was able to post the fastest lap of the weekend so far with a 12.143. His team-mate Viktor Wilck, who struggled badly in the opening qualifier, looked more competitive in Q2 managing fifth. The Swede went back to the basic set-up for the new car this morning which helped a little but says he needs to find something big as the car is still too slow.

Hot Bodies driver Freddy Sudhoff was third for the round after swapping times with Team Xray’s Alexander Hagberg. Happier with his driving today, the German changed the timing of the additive on the controlled Xenon tyres which improved the overall feel of his TCX but at the cost of creating a litte understeer. He plans to make a slight adjustment to his set-up for Q3 to give himself a little steering back.

Alexander Hagberg

Making it four different manufacturers at the top of the time sheets Hagberg was again happy with his LRP powered T3’11. The newly crowned Nordic Champion described his car as very easy to drive but a small mistake on lap 15 cost him a place. The Swede plans to make a few small changes for his next outing to see if they can get a little more corner speed. Team-mate Teem Leino matched his opening run with another sixth fastest run.

Former European Championship Top Qualifier Steven Weiss had another strong showing at the controls of his TOP Racing Photon setting the eight fastest time behind the Yokomo of team driver Yannic Prumper. Making his first ETS appearance of the new season Kyosho factory driver Christopher Krapp completed the Top 10.

Martin Hofer

In the Xray Pro-Stock class Team Yokomo’s Martin Hofer posted a TQ run ahead of Martin Lissau while Q1 pace setter Eric Dankel put his Xray on its roof. Hofer said a change from CS to LRP additive made his BD5 much better and it was now down to him to make the most of the package by driving it. Lissau was also happier with his car saying he was ‘starting to get there now’. Switching back to a ball diff in the rear of his Tamiya and swapping the spool for a gear diff, the Danish racer found it much more consistent and says the one second margin between him and Hofer was simply down to less than perfect driving.

Daniel Wohlgemuth

The winner here in Hrotovice last season Daniel Wohlgemuth, like Hofer, switched additive along with running harder shock oil which gave him a ‘very good’ car. After a poor opening qualifier the German’s start order for the heat meant he had to pass a number of cars which he feels cost him time but he was still able for the third fastest time which will help him in Q3. 11th fastest for the Round Eric Dankel said his roll was a silly mistake, the Xray driver running too hard over a corner and launching his T3’11 on to its roof. Once on four wheels the championship leader posted a new fastest lap for the track of 12.977.

Full results can be found here.

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November 26, 2010

No surprises in Czech Republic as Volker takes Q1

Ronald Volker

The first qualifier for the second round of the 2010/11 ETS has been run and to no ones great surprise it is Ronald Volker who remains the man to beat. The Yokomo driver was the only person to break 25 laps with a time of 5:11.417 with Marc Rheinard second fastest on 24 laps in 5:00.231.

Ronald Volker

Describing his LRP powered BD5 Worlds Spec as easy to drive and well balanced, Volker said as he had expected Rheinard was able to match his pace, a roll by the World Champion on lap 6 hampering his chances of knocking his fellow German off the top of the time sheets. Rheinard said his new TRF417 felt strange on fresh rubber but after a few laps he was able to run same pace as Volker and that the key to taking the challenge to his arch rival is getting his car to work as well as Volker’s from lap 1.

Alexander Hagberg

This morning he said testing at Xray’s private indoor track in Slovakia had been very productive and Alexander Hagberg backed that statement up by setting the third fastest time. Having to drive from a different position on the rostrum following the reseed for qualifying the Swedish ace said it took a few laps to adjust to this but his T3’11 was really good and he has no plans to change anything for the morning. Overall it was a much better start to the event for Xray than at Round 1 with Teemu Leino, Adrian Bernsten and Zdenko Kunak all making the Top 10 in Q1 setting the 6th, 8th and 9th fastest times respectively.

Freddy Sudhoff was fourth fastest but the Hot Bodies driver was not so happy with his driving at the beginning of the run. The German also found his TCX to be a little loose at the rear, something he hopes to cure for the morning by changing additive and the timing of its application. Right behind Sudhoff was his team-mate Dominik Fleischmann but the Kastellaun finalist was also not entirely pleased with his driving either.

Viktor Wilck

Sandwiched in between the Tamiya and Hot Bodies of factory drivers Viktor Wilck and Andy Moore, former team driver Steven Weiss put in a strong showing with his privately entered Top Racing Photon setting the 11th fastest time.

Erik Dankel

In the Xray Pro-Stock class Eric Dankel took the opening qualifier with ease, his pace being a massive 5 seconds clear of the second fastest driver Martin Lissau. Dankel flipped his Xray at the end of the run but luckily his time had already expired. With a new set of Xenon controlled tyres on his T3’11 the German suffered understeer for the opening part of the 5-minute run but once the tyres came in the car was back to how it was in practice. Fellow Xray driver Tony Streit, who finished 7th overall in Kastellaun, reported the same issue but the 21-year-old was pleased with his run to the third fastest time.

Making his ETS debut former 1:5 World Champion Martin Lissau said his run to second was a little lucky as a number of the championship regulars made mistakes. The Danish driver, who is running a Tamiya TRF416WE fitted with a rear gear diff, found his car very inconsistent and for Q2 tomorrow morning plans to change the spool for a front gear diff.

Former ETS Pro-Stock Champion Balint Raijki said his Hot Bodies TCX was good and stable allowing him to easily ride the dots but felt like it lacked punch out of the corners. The Hungarian driver thinks he may need to adjust his driving style for the next qualifier rather than go changing the set-up. The Top 6 was completed by current Champion Alexander Stocker and Round 1 podium finisher Martin Hofer.

Xenon Modified Qualifying – Round 1 Top 10
1. Völker Ronald (DE) – 25 5:11.417 [Yokomo/LRP]
2. Rheinard Marc (DE) – 24 5:00.231 [Tamiya/Speedpassion]
3. Hagberg Alexander (SE) – 24 5:01.859 [Xray/LRP]
4. Südhoff Frederik (DE) – 24 5:02.823 [Hot Bodies/LRP]
5. Fleischmann Dominik (DE) – 24 5:04.707 [Hot Bodies/LRP]
6. Leino Teemu (FI) – 24 5:04.806 [Xray/Orion]
7. Levanen Juho (FI) – 24 5:05.083 [Associated/LRP]
8. Berntsen Adrian (NO) – 24 5:05.090 [Xray/LRP]
9. Kunak Zdenko (SK) – 24 5:05.526 [Xray/LRP]
10.Wilck Viktor (SE) – 24 5:06.353 [Tamiya/Speedpassion]

Xray Pro Stock Qualifying – Round 1 Top 10
1. Dankel Eric (DE) – 23 5:02.742 [Xray]
2. Lissau Martin (DK) – 23 5:07.878 [Tamiya]
3. Streit Tony (DE) – 23 5:08.775 [Xray]
4. Rajki Balint (HU) – 23 5:09.943 [Hot Bodies]
5. Stocker Alexander (DE) – 23 5:10.041 [Hot Bodies]
6. Hofer Martin (DE) – 23 5:11.429 [Yokomo]
7. Tschupp Philip (CH) – 23 5:13.764 [TOP]
8. Klöckner René (DE) – 23 5:13.872 [Tamiya]
9. Kuriger Sandro (CH) – 22 5:00.080 [Tamiya]
10.Wohlgemuth Daniel (DE) – 22 5:00.333 [Xray]

Full results can be found here.

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