Red RC » Oisin O’Briain

August 19, 2017

Kurzbuch on point with ENS Austria TQ

Simon Kurzbuch is the Top Qualifier at Round 3 of the Euro Nitro Series in Austria. The Shepherd driver secured his third TQ start of the season when, after a delayed start to Day 2 of qualifying at Aigen, due to overnight rain, he was fastest for a third time in Q5. An important bonus championship point for the reigning champion, starting behind him on the grid for the 45-minute A-Main tomorrow will be points leader Bruno Coelho who took Q4. The only other driver to TQ one of the five qualifying rounds, the return of rain causing the cancellation of Q6, Robert Pietsch will line up third ahead of a competitive looking Silvio Hächler. Qualifying fifth, Toni Gruber makes it five different manufacturers at the front end of the grid with Lars Hoppe completing the Top 6.

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August 18, 2017

Kurzbuch tops seeding at ENS Austria

With the newly resurfaced MAV Aigen-Schlägl the venue for the third round of the Euro Nitro Series, it is Simon Kurzbuch who leads a competitive 1:8 field at the end of practice. The Shepherd driver was fastest in both rounds of controlled practice and will go into a busy evening of qualifying as the top seed. With five different manufacturers in the Top 5, Kurzbuch was fastest over 3-consecutive laps from Robert Pietsch, Toni Gruber, Bruno Coelho and Merlin Depta. While a perfect summer day in Aigen, unfortunately the forecast in particular for tomorrow morning is less favourable so the decision has been made to run late and ensure 4 of the 6 scheduled qualifiers get run today in dry conditions.

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August 4, 2017

Batlle takes Q4, 4-way TQ battle to be decided in final qualifier

Robert Batlle has opened the final day of qualifying at the European Championship with a TQ run, the Mugen driver becoming the fourth different driver to top the times to set the stage for a four way shoot out for the overall TQ in Sweden in the fifth & final round of qualifying. After overnight rain, it was Ronnefalk who looked on target to set down the early benchmark but a near perfect run from the Swede would come undone on his last lap as he suffered a broken screw in his steering, handing Juan Carlos Canas the provisional TQ time after the first heat. Riccardo Berton would better that time in Heat 2 but Batlle, even with a 44 second lap, would finally hit the top of the times for the first time at the Gröndal Ring. Just 3/10ths behind the Spaniard, Berton would end up second with reigning champion Elliott Boots completing the Top 3 ahead of Canas, Darren Bloomfield and Martin Wollanka.

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August 2, 2017

Ronnefalk is Top Seed at 1:8 Euros

David Ronnefalk is the top seed at this year’s European Championships in Sweden, the HB Racing driver topping controlled practice with his time from the first of today’s two runs. Also topping the second 9-minute run, the Swede would end Day 2 of the event fastest from reigning Champion Elliott Boots. Second fastest in CP1, like Ronnefalk, the British driver would also fail to better that time posting third fastest time for the final practice. After a troubled opening seeding run, Robert Batlle would be the only driver in the Top 6 to set their in CP2 posting the 2nd fastest time for the round which was good enough to seed the Mugen driver third. Batlle’s improvement would demote fellow Spaniard Juan Carlos Canas Carrasco from third to fourth with Portuguese duo João Figueiredo and Carlos Durães completing the Top 6 ahead of French driver Rayan Medjoubi.

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August 1, 2017

Boots fastest on Day 1 of Euros

Elliott Boots is fastest at the end of the opening day of the 1:8 Offroad European Championships in Sweden. The Kyosho driver eventually beat David Ronnefalk’s FP2 time in the fourth & final practice with the European and the World Champion separated by a little more than 4/10ths of a second over their fastest 3-consecutive laps. Making it an all European Champions Top 3, Darren Bloomfield would close the day with an improved time to remain third quickest. Knocking almost 3-seconds off his time, young Spanish talent Juan Carlos Canas Carrasco would be one of the key improvers in FP4 with his time putting him fourth fastest ahead of Yannick Aigoin and Robert Batlle who both failed to better their FP3 times.

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July 27, 2017

ETS waves chequered flag on 10th season with first visit to Ettlingen

The chequered flag will be waved on the 10th season of the Yokomo Euro Touring Series this weekend (28-30 July) as the championship travels for the first time to the Ettlingen track in Germany. A regular host venue of the Euro Nitro Series, Ettlingen will become the 10th different outdoor circuit to feature on the ETS calendar over its hugely successful 10 seasons of existence. The 57th race to be put on by Uwe Rheinard and Scotty Ernst since creating the championship in 2007, the Ettlingen entry includes all four of the drivers who have lifted the prestigious ETS title in that period. While Bruno Coelho already wrapped up his second consecutive Volante Modified title last month at the Hudy Arena, the racing will be no less competitive with teams looking to end their campaigns on a high note.

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June 18, 2017

Coelho wraps up title with TQ at ETS Slovakia

Bruno Coelho has wrapped up his second Euro Touring Series title after the Xray driver claimed the overall TQ this morning in Slovakia. The reigning champion secured his fourth TQ of the season when he again topped the times in the second of the qualifiers at the rain effected 5th round with the bonus championship for the TQ putting amends to his only remaining title rival coming into the weekend, Ronald Volker. Behind Coelho, Alexander Hagberg made it an Xray 1-2 line up for the triple A-Mains as he managed to better the Q1 time of Naoto Matsukura to move ahead of the Infinity driver. Behind Matsukura, team-mate Marc Rheinard will line up 4th with Volker completing the top half of the grid.

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June 17, 2017

2nd qualifier deferred to final day at ETS Slovakia

Despite efforts to get the track dry to allow for a second round of qualifying today at ETS Slovakia, the decision has been made to defer Q2 to the tomorrow’s final day at the penultimate round of the championship. Having just managed to get the first round of qualifying completed after a wet start to the day and Friday having been a washout, the rain returned to the Hudy Arena as Q2 got underway stopping the action once again. Starting as a light drizzle it worsened and while many drivers took to sweeping and drying the track once the rain stopped, the evening drop in temperature and lack of sunshine mean’t it never completely dried. Opened for free practice, cars struggling to get around, the decision was then made to call it a day. With Sunday’s forecast showing a nice dry day in Trencin, the organisers have set a 07:00 start time so as to get a second round of qualifying in ahead of running the finals. With just two rounds of qualifying, drivers will count their best round with the fastest time the tie breaker leaving overnight Top Qualifier Bruno Coelho in a strong position to take the overall TQ. Such an outcome would secure the Xray driver back to back ETS titles.

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