Maximum points haul for Coelho in Germany
Bruno Coelho has claimed maximum points at Round 2 of the Yokomo Euro Touring Series in Germany, the reigning champion converting his TQ into overall victory. Having to settle for second behind Marc Rheinard at the season opener in Vienna, Coelho was the man to beat from the get go in Daun and duly wrapped things up with another relatively straight forward tone to tone victory in A2 helping by challenger Ronald Volker tapping out during the encounter.
Commenting on his 11th ETS career win, Coelho said, ‘I can’t ask for more. I was using a new 5T motor from Hobbywing and my new BR1 servo for the first time and its also my first race since signing for Sunpadow batteries in January. The quality on the table is there and I’m very happy about that’. On his A2 performance, the Portuguese driver said, ‘It was a very good final for me. Volker pushed a lot behind me but I was still on a safe pace and could have pushed more it I had to. We improved the car a lot from qualifying. Volker’s mistake let me breath easy and then I just controlled the race to the end’. He concluded, ‘It is good to the get a win on the table before we move outdoors for the next race’.
Finishing just under a second behind Coelho in A2, Rheinard said, ‘This time it didn’t start well, I couldn’t find my rhythm for the first minute. I tried to catch Bruno over the last minute be was only closing because he was driving safe’. With second in A2 putting him in with a chance of second overall at his home race which would see him leave as joint leader of the standings with Coelho, he continued, ‘I will try to maybe finish 2nd. I will go for the win but I need to look behind me as Yannic (Prumper) now has a third. I will try to get by Ronald but its important to get at least a podium’.
Crashing on what he thought was both his and Alexander Hagberg’s final lap but Hagberg missing the extra lap by 0.027 of a second, Prumper said, ‘I was lucky Hagberg was already finished. I was fighting with him for position and rolled but only knew afterwards he was already finished and only I got the extra lap’. With Prumper’s return to the front of the pack a welcomed sight this weekend, the Yokomo driver said, ‘I ran less rear toe-in but still the car was understeering but I could still challenge Marc at the start but then fell off. I will go more with the change for the last one. I have a chance of the podium so I go maximum push’.
Ending up sixth after his contact with the boards, Volker said, ‘It started better. I pulled away from Marc and Bruno was just holding the gap at the beginning’. He continued, ‘I tried to catch him and went all or nothing. I took the risk and it didn’t pay off. I hit the board which sent the car tumbling a couple of times. Now I need to win the last one to get second’.
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Video – Pro Stock A-main Leg 2
Video – Formula A-main Leg 2
Video – 40+ Masters A-main Leg 2
Ratheisky & Ehrbar deliver in A2
Having gifted Max Mächler the win in the opening A-Main of Pro Stock when he rolled out of the lead, Jan Ratheisky delivered on his TQ in A2 with a convincing tone to tone victory in A2. The Championship leader quickly pulled clear of the field as second place starter Mächler came under attack from behind. With the race start having to be delayed as a search was made for Mustafa Alp’s mistakenly taken Sanwa radio, this didn’t faze the Turkish driver and he mounted an attack on Mächler until the Awesomatix driver got airborne entering the chicane leading to his retirement from the race. Slightly faster than Ratheisky, Alp couldn’t get close enough to his Xray team-mate and that is how they would finish with Alex Kunkler completing the Top 3. With two different winners, A3 will decide the overall victor in Daun.
In Formula, David Ehrbar also made the race his own to make up for his costly A1 error. The reigning champion took his Serpent to the win over title rival Ratheisky who had to work his way through from 6th on the grid. Having won the first encounter, Shepherd driver Olivier Bultynck didn’t have a good second race rolling out of 2nd on the third lap and finishing 6th. The three drivers will battle it out for the overall win in A3. In the Infinity 40+ Masters class, A1 winner Ozer Yürüm appeared to be on his way to wrapping up things early but with less than 2-minutes to go he made a mistake having had full control of the race. This set up an all new race with contact being made a number of times between the leaders with a delighted Kai-oliver Guttschau from 9th on the grid coming through for the win ahead of Yürüm and ETS Austria Top Qualifier Thomas Oehler.
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Video – Modified A-main Leg 1
Coelho wins uneventful A1
Bruno Coelho won an uneventful first A-Main this morning at the Yokomo Euro Touring Series, the Xray driver making an early break over the pack to build up a gap that even allowed him to have a moment at the chicane. Already with a comfortable lead by the second lap, while the pursuing Ronald Volker and Marc Rheinard would close a little but never had the reigning champion under any pressure. Instead it was Volker who came under pressure from Rheinard but overall the race saw only one position change with Akio Sobue getting by Christopher Krapp for 7th place.
Commenting on his win Coelho said, ‘I made a very good start. The first 6 laps I forced to get a gap and I think Volker overpushed at the beginning which also help me get some space’. He continued, ‘I had one mistake at the chicane but luckily the car stayed straight. Winning by 7/10ths from Volker and looking to add the first win to his title defence having secure his first TQ of the new season here in Daun, he said, ‘I will try to do the same in the second final’.
‘A very intense first final’, was how Volker summed up A1, the Yokomo driver given no breathing space by Rheinard throughout the 5-minutes. The World Champion added, ‘I had too much understeer on the exit of the corners and that’s what allowed Bruno to pull clear. When the gap started to increase I had to drive more aggressive which helped but this track is so tough everyone had some bobble’. Third at the season opener in Vienna, the 5-time ETS champion said, ‘I can’t be unhappy with P2 but I will make some changes for the next one so I can fight from the start’.
Rheinard said, ‘there was nothing I could do. Ronald didn’t have pace the first few laps and I could only sit behind him, there is nowhere to pass’. With a faster lap time than Volker, the Infinity driver continued, ‘I was a little quicker in some spots than Ronald but overall the 3 of us were the same speed. I hope Ronald makes a better start in the next one so we can be more with Bruno.’ He concluded, ‘I hope something happens in the second one’. Behind Rheinard, Yannic Prümper would finish 4th almost 3-seconds back.
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