Red RC » ETS

May 11, 2018

Matsukura loses TQ to Coelho on final lap

Naoto Matsukura lost out on a TQ run in the second round of qualifying at the ETS in Germany this evening, a moment on the curbing on the last lap enough to allow Bruno Coelho secure his second TQ of the day by 5/100ths of a second. With the benefit of the cooler evening conditions, the Q2 TQ could prove crucial to Coelho’s title hopes with tomorrow’s remaining two qualifiers set to take place in warmer, therefore slower, track conditions. After crashing out of Q1, Viktor Wilck would complete the Top 3 albeit 2.5-seconds off the TQ pace while top seed Marc Rheinard struggled to match his Q1 form posting a P6 for the round.

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May 11, 2018

Coelho from Rheinard in Q1

Bruno Coelho has taken the opening round of qualifying at the Yokomo Euro Touring Series in Germany. Only 6th quickest in practice, the Xray driver topped the first of weather condensed timetable’s four qualifiers from top seed Marc Rheinard. Coelho came back from an early moment, when he lost the rear of his car, to TQ by 3/10ths from Rheinard. Less than 2/10ths further back, Naoto Matsukura completed the Top 3 while Infinity team-mate Akio Sobue improved on his practice form to post the fourth fastest time. Having seeded 3rd quickest, Viktor Wilck would crash and break on his third lap while Ronald Volker opted to pull off after a losing almost 4-seconds due to ‘a bobble’ on his opening lap.

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May 11, 2018

Rheinard top seed on ETS’ Andernach return

With a winning rate of 75% over the four years Motodrom Andernach previously hosted the Yokomo Euro Touring Series, Marc Rheinard has picked up where he left off in 2011 to top seeding on the track return to the championship. The German, for whom the town of Andernach is home, would lead an Infinity 1-2 from team-mate Naoto Matsukura with a very closely matched Top 12 covered by less than a second. A tight & technical track layout, something that is quite different to the outdoor tracks on the championship’s calendar of the past few seasons, the track’s challenge was made even greater due to yesterday’s practice being hit with rain. With further rain forecast for Sunday, organisers are now running to a condensed timetable to get the race done by tomorrow night. The change means today’s action started with 1 round of untimed practice followed by two timed seeding runs and that lack of running appears to have championship leader Bruno Coelho playing catch-up with him 6th in seeding albeit one place ahead of Ronald Volker who has been here before.

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May 10, 2018

ETS returns to Andernach

This weekend (11-13 May), the Yokomo Euro Touring Series will return to Andernach in Germany, the track having last hosted the championship seven years ago. The fourth & final round of the inaugural ETS season, with the 2008 victory going to Atsushi Hara, the event was famed for it’s party atmosphere due to Andernach being the hometown of 4-time World Champion Marc Rheinard and ETS organisers Uwe Rheinard. After four years of being the season finale, the ETS expanding to 5 races in the second season and to its current six rounds in Season #3, the track was dropped from the calendar. On that last visit, the race would see Ronald Volker claim the first of his record 5 consecutive ETS titles. Rheinard won the race but second was enough for Volker to wrap up the overall championship. Following the unfortunate news of the closure of the Mulhouse track in France, Andernach was a late addition to the Season #11 calendar with another of the town’s famed names of RC racing Tonisport putting all hands on deck to prepare the track for its ETS return.

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April 16, 2018

Hagberg ends 4-year ETS drought to reign in Spain

Alexander Hagberg has ended a four year drought in the Yokomo Euro Touring Series, the Xray driver taking victory at the first outdoor race of the season in Spain today. Claiming the last of his ETS wins in Germany in 2014 on carpet, the Swede got his third ETS career win after the result went to a tie break when Christopher Krapp won an eventful A3. With the overall result coming down to times, Hagberg’s quicker A2 win sealed his first win on asphalt ahead of Krapp and Bruno Coelho. For Top Qualifier Coelho it would be a fraught end to a day that started out so well. Having taken a very straight forward win in A1, a mistake in A2 dropped him behind Ronald Volker before the pair clashed handing Hagberg the win. Leading away the field in A3, another mistake on the curbing, this time on the opposite side of the track, put an end to what could have been a weekend that put his rivals well on the back foot, especially given season opening winner Marc Rheinard was having a tough weekend. Despite the result, Coelho still leaves Spain now with a 5-points advantage over Rheinard who came into the weekend as joint leader. Hagberg’s win moves him up to third pushing Volker, who gave up his A3 lead to try help Krapp get the overall win, back to fourth.

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April 15, 2018

Hagberg wins A2 as Coelho & Volker clash

Alexander Hagberg has won the second A-Main at the ETS in Spain, the Xray driver the benefactor of A1 winner Bruno Coelho clashing with Ronald Volker as the latter led the race. Starting on pole, just as the field came around to complete the first lap Coelho would get his Xray on two wheels over the curbing allowing Volker through just before the loop. Pushed hard by Coelho, the pair pulled clear of Hagberg but on lap 6 they clashed as Coelho tried a pass. With Volker taking a long time to find his composure as Coelho waited for the Yokomo driver to resume the lead they were quickly swallowed up by most of the grid. With Christopher Krapp, now running 2nd, struggling with a damaged car after he was collected by Volker in the warm-up, Hagberg could control the race for an easy 4-second win. Krapp would come under pressure from Awesomatix’s Freddy Südhoff, with Marc Rheinard joining the battle for a brief time before the Infinity driver outbraked himself trying a pass for second, but the Yokomo driver held on for 2nd.

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April 15, 2018

Coelho takes easy A1 win

Bruno Coelho took and easy win in the opening A-Main of the Yokomo Euro Touring Series in Spain this morning, the Top Qualifier taking full advantage of the 2nd place battle between Alexander Hagberg and Ronald Volker. Off the start Volker’s Yokomo would get loose from 2nd on the grid allowing 3rd position starter Hagberg to slip through to second at the first corner. While Volker would put the Xray driver under pressure looking to take back the position he couldn’t and in the second half the race the pair were evenly matched with Hagberg leading Volker to the finish line but that wasn’t how they would finish. Just metres from the loop, Volker’s car would stop with an electric problem leaving the World Champion as a non-finisher. The main benefactor would be his team-mate Christopher Krapp would would complete the Top 3 having held off Freddy Südhoff.

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April 14, 2018

Coelho confirmed Top Qualifier as Hagberg takes final qualifier

Bruno Coelho is the Top Qualifier for the first outdoor race of this season’s Yokomo Euro Touring Series, the fourth & final qualifier in Spain just a formality in confirming what was already decided in Q3. With drivers reduced to just two sets of tyres for qualifying this weekend, it effectively meant each driver had two chances with Coelho delivering TQ runs on both his attempts and Ronald Volker only get a TQ and a P2 from his new tyre runs. Q4 did however throw up one big surprise as Alexander Hagberg took advantage of holding out on running his second set of tyres to post a TQ run ahead of Coelho, who was on used tyres, and jump from the back of the A-Main grid to third behind behind his Xray team-mate and Volker while demoting Christopher Krapp to fourth. Freddy Südhoff will complete the top half of the grid while, having come into the weekend sharing the points lead with Coelho, Marc Rheinard is going to have his work cut out for himself to get a good result from 8th on the grid.

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