Euro Touring Series

February 5, 2016

Chassis Focus – Patrick Schaefer

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Chassis – Shepherd Velox F1
Motor – Hobbywing (handout)
ESC – Hobbywing (handout)
Batteries – LRP 2900 mah “LCG”
Tires – Ride (handout)
Radio/Servo – KO Propo/Futaba
Bodyshell – Kit body
Remarks – Shepherd designer Patrick Schafer is running in the ETS Formula class debuting their latest project, called the Velox F1. The car features adjustable wheelbase, a ball diff which is adjustable from the outside and its clean design includes a symmetric chassis and centre mount for the shock and the body posts.

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February 4, 2016

Rheinard targets repeat win at ETS Germany

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Having made the perfect start to Season #9 of the Yokomo Euro Touring Series with the TQ and win in the Czech Republic, Marc Rheinard will be targeting a repeat performance as the championship travels to Germany this weekend (5-7 February). Attracting a record 440 plus entries, Round 2 takes place in Muelheim-Kaerlich where the Tamiya driver has enjoyed two key successes in the past 12-months. Last season the 4-time onroad World Champion ended a 5-year drought of ETS victories on carpet at the event and having claimed his first ever Euro Offroad Series win at the same venue just last weekend, the ETS’ most winning driver’s confidence couldn’t be higher. Racking up his 13th ETS win in Hrotovice, Rheinard’s biggest competition is again set to come from Yokomo in reigning champion Ronald Volker and Xray in both Bruno Coelho & 2014 Mulheim winner Alexander Hagberg.

The first time in 6 seasons that he will arrive at the second round not leading the championship, Volker is ready to resume control of the championship and get his quest for a sixth consecutive title on target. Finishing second to Rheinard at Round 1 back in December, winning the opening A-Main with a great last lap pass on his arch rival, Volker believes having kicked off 2016 with a dominant victory at the DHI Cup that they have found what they lacked. Three years since Yokomo has won the important German round, Volker’s team-mates Yannick Prumper, who has been a podium finisher at the event the last three years, and Meen Vejrak will also be aiming to be in the mix to give the champion manufacturer it’s first win of their 2015/2016 campaign.

Having turned around his 2014 ETS debut performance at Hrotovice, when he just scrapped into the A-Main, to being in contention on his second attempt, Coelho is determined to add a first carpet win to his increasingly impressive CV. Winner of the closing two rounds of last season’s championship on asphalt, the Portuguese star took over the lead of the EOS title race with his second 4WD win of the season in Muelheim last weekend, the location a good proving ground for Xray. Hagberg was dominant 2-years ago topping all four qualifiers and wrapping up the win in A2. The Swede hasn’t won an ETS encounter since but coming into the event fresh from victory at the Snowbirds in the US that could be about to change.

With travel restrictions forcing him to miss the season opener, reigning World Champion Naoto Matsukura returns for Round 2. The Japanese driver’s first visit to the venue, it will also be his first ETS carpet outing with Tamiya and he would very much like to mark the occasion with a first win of the championship, his previous outings not even netting him a podium finish. With the event last year marking his final outing with Kyosho, TRF team-mate Christopher Krapp will be hoping for a better Round 2 having missed out on the A-Main at the season opener. A race where he has been on the podium, the popular former ETS race winner would like to mark his first full season with Tamiya with a strong showing.

One driver who could provide a surprise this weekend is Viljami Kutvonen. While the Awesomatix lead driver made the A-Main in Czech, the Finn was disappointed with his 10th place finish. The only one to challenge Volker at the DHI Cup, he is out to make amends and show the true potential of the new belt drive A800. Kutvonen’s former Awesomatix team-mate Freddy Sudhoff will lead the HB charge this weekend. The German who had a character building first round will be joined by team-mate JJ Wang, the American/Chinese driver making his ETS carpet debut.

In the Xray Pro Stock and Serpent Formula class it is the same driver that the combined 249 entries of the two classes will be out to beat. Double Top Qualifier and race winner at Round 1, the reigning Formula Champion Jan Ratheisky fresh from success at the Snowbirds will get the opportunity to race against one of the greatest legends of the sport. Coming out of retirement for the event, 14 time World Champion Masami Hirosaka will make his ETS debut when he races in Formula at the controls of a Yokomo YR-10. In Pro Stock, Ratheisky’s main challenge will come from his Xray team-mate & reigning champion Marek Cerny. The Czech driver has been Top Qualifier and race winner in Germany for the past 2-years.

January 21, 2016

Masami to come out of retirement for ETS debut

Legend of the sport Masami Hirosaka is to come out of international racing retirement to make his debut in the World famous Yokomo Euro Touring Series. Having officially retired from top flight competition after the 2008 Touring Car World Championships in Thailand, the same year the first season of ETS was completed, the 14-time World Champion will compete in the German round in two weeks time (Feb 5-7). Having last raced in Europe during the 2006 World Championships in Italy, the multiple onroad & offroad World Champion will be one of 8 World Champions who make up the record entry in Muelheim-Kaerlich.

Having spent recent years giving something back to the sport through his work as a TV personality and as a JMRCA official, being the Assistant Race Director of last October’s 1:10 Offroad World Championship at the Yatabe Arena in Japan, Masami’s return to competition will come at the controls of a Formula car. A class that is enjoying strong growth within the ETS and around the world, the second race of Season #9 attracting 130 entries, he will race a Yokomo YR-10 in his signature green, pink & white colour scheme.

December 13, 2015

Video – Modified, Pro Stock & Formula A3

December 13, 2015

Rheinard opens new ETS season with Czech win

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Marc Rheinard has won the opening round of the Yokomo Euro Touring Series in the Czech Republic. The Tamiya driver claimed the victory with a win in the third A-Main over Ronald Volker and Bruno Coelho, that also being the final order they would step on the podium in Hrotovice. After the thrilling last lap finish to A1, in which reigning champion Volker snatched the win from the Top Qualifier, A2 & 3 would be more straight forward for Rheinard despite Volker’s best efforts. An event that has been won each season by the champion elect, the win is a major boost for Rheinard and Tamiya in their ongoing quest to win back the title. Last winning the race in 2009/10, the race has since been the reign of Volker & Yokomo in their run of five consecutive championship titles. With the bonus point for TQ and his 14th ETS win, Rheinard travels to Round 2 in German in February, where he took his only win last year, with maximum Championship points.

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‘Last year I TQ’d but only finished 4th, this year got the TQ & win so it couldn’t be a better start to the season’, was Rheinard’s reaction to his first big win since winning last year’s Reedy Race. Asked about the importance of the race in terms of it always having been won by that season’s champion he replied with a smile ‘so we need to keep it going’. Commenting on A3, he said ‘it started good and (he) got small gap again, then when Ronald had a small crash I hoped Bruno would hold onto second but Ronald pushed even harder. Then I had one silly lap and he was able to close but luckily he crashed again’. Commenting on the performance of his Much More powered TRF419 which set the fastest lap of A3, the 4-time World Champion said, ‘It looks like we are going in the right direction but we still have more work to do to’.

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‘One of the better second place finishes I have had’, that was how Volker summed up his weekend. He continued ‘it was clear I always lose time at the beginning to Marc and always have to fight back. I was catching him but then lost it in the chicane. While I was still not out of the win this was probably the moment that cost us the win’. Falling behind Coelho as a result of a roll over coming onto the straight as the race reached the final minute, he again complimented his rival’s ‘great sportmanship’ as the Portuguese ace didn’t force a block on his pass to retake position on the next lap. The debut for the BD7 2016, Volker said ‘the car was always fast over the weekend but the balance and rear end traction hurt us in terms of getting the TQ and win and is something we need to work on but overall it is a step up on the old car and there is a lot more to come from all the team’.

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Making his ETS debut at this event last year when he qualified 8th and finished 6th, Coelho was happy to claim his first podium finish on carpet. The Offroad World Champion’s goal going into A3 was to secure 3rd overall. He said ‘that is why I opened up for Volker and let him retake me as it would have made no difference to my final position but if we crashed Alex (Hagberg) could have passed us and finish third (overall).’ Admitting asphalt is a surface he is stronger on, backed up by the fact he won the final two races of Season #8 on that surface, he said he needs to make the best result possible on carpet. With it ‘super hard to overtake on such a (carpet) track’ the 22-year-old said ‘you need to make a good job in qualifying and that is something I must work on’. Outside the podium, the Top 6 would finish as they qualified with Hagberg fourth ahead of Yannic Prumper and Dionys Stadler. Starting 9th, Olly Jefferies would be the biggest mover finishing up his first ETS A-Main appearance in 7th.

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With Jan Ratheisky wrapping up the Pro Stock and Formula wins in A2, the third finals were about deciding who would join the popular German on the podiums. In the Xray Pro Stock class, reigning champion Marek Cerny took a tone to tone win over Tom Krägefski, and that is how they would line up behind Ratheisky to make it an all Xray podium. In the Serpent formula class joining the champion on the podium would be Christian Donath, winner of A3 with his Tamiya, and Belgian VBC team driver Olivier Bultynck.

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View the complete event results here.

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December 13, 2015

Euro Touring Series Rd1 – Sunday Action

Live results from be found on MyRCM here.

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December 13, 2015

Chassis Focus – Jan Ratheisky

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Chassis – Xray X1 ’16
Motor – Hobbywing (handout)
ESC –Hobbywing (handout)
Batteries – LRP 4700 mah
Tires – Ride (handout)
Radio/Servo – Sanwa/Savox
Bodyshell – Kit body
Remarks – Reigning Champion Jan Ratheisky kicked off his title defense dominating the formula class here in Czech Republic running the new X1 ’16 from the Slovakian company. With the new platform featuring a floating steering system, for this race Jan decided to screw his servo down on the chassis while leaving the rest of the steering floating. He was also using an optional aluminium chassis.

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December 13, 2015

Chassis Focus – Elliott Harper

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Chassis – Schumacher Mi5 Evo
Motor – G-Force 4.5T
ESC – G-Force TS 160
Batteries – Intellect 6000 mah
Tires – Volante (handout)
Radio/Servo – Sanwa
Bodyshell – Protoform LTC-R
Remarks – Top Schumacher driver here in Hrotovice, reigning British champion Elliott Harper is running the Evo version of the Mi5 equipped with a new upgraded aluminium chassis. The car also features a Pro bearing set, front double joint driveshafts and a twin point steering system.

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