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July 7, 2019

Dario Balestri takes EFRA 1/8th IC Track title

The 2019 EFRA 1/8th IC Track European Championships were held in Montbonnot-Saint-Martin, France this past weekend. In the EC-A category it was Infinity’s Dario Balestri with the overall TQ, after winning two of the five qualifying rounds from Shepherd’s Simon Kurzbuch, who also scored to round TQ as Carmine Raiola (Infinity) came in 3rd, winning a single qualifier. The Super Pole race then went in Simon’s favour who took the win to start from 2nd into the 45-minute A-main encounter with Simon being able to build up pressure on his rival Dario right from the start. The lead changed several times and the fair duel between the permanent rivals lasted until the very last lap. After 45 minutes Dario won by just a few car lengths in front of Simon making this European Championship final one of the most exciting ones. In 3rd it was Infinity’s Jilles Groskamp with the final podium spot, coming from 10th on the grid.

Source: Shepherd [team-shepherd.com]

July 1, 2019

Coelho wins ETS Netherlands

Bruno Coelho has won ETS Netherlands for the second year in succession, the Xray driver taking maximum points at the Apeldoorn track to move a step closer to retaining his Modified title for the fourth season straight. Securing the TQ, he claimed his third victory of the season with a win over Christopher Krapp in A2, the Yokomo driver looking for a time like he might force things to go to A3 after getting by Freddy Sudhoff in the opening laps. At the end however Coelho, as in A1 last night, was able to maintain a save advantage at the front crossing the line 7/10th in front of Krapp with Sudhoff a further 1-second back, the Top 3 having quickly broke away from of the rest of the 11 car field with Yannic Prümper finishing a distant 4th.

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July 1, 2019

Morganti & Krägefski win at GT International Race

The 1/8th GT International Race was held at the MRC Leipzig track in Germany this past weekend. In the shaft-driven GTS class it was Gimar driver, Thilo Tödtmann with the overall TQ from teammate, David Loppini on the 2 spot as Xray’s Martin Bayer and Juraj Hudy rounded out the top 4 results. The final then saw US racer Paolo Morganti (IGT8) taking the win in the 45-minute main final from Thilo on the 2 spot, some two laps down. Thilo had the hole shot at the start of the main, however he would later have a small mishap when he hit a back marker and flipped his car on the roof. However he was able to bring home the runner-up spot in front of David Loppini as Martin Bayer and Juraj Hudy came in 2nd and 3rd respectively.

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June 30, 2019

Krapp secures first podium at Apeldoorn with A3 win

Christopher Krapp has secured his first podium of the current ETS season after taking the win in the concluding final of a hot weekend of racing at the beautiful Apeldoorn track in the Netherlands. Having challenged Top Qualifier Bruno Coelho for a time in A2 but unable to find a way by the reigning Champion, allowing him to celebrate his third win of the season early, Krapp came good in A3. Getting by second place starter Freddy Sudhoff early on as the Awesomatix driver struggled with a lack of traction, Krapp would pulled clear before coming under the attention of a very racy looking Alexander Hagberg in the closing stages. Setting down almost identical lap times, 1/1000th separating them, Krapp kept control of the race crossing the line 3/10th in front of Hagberg with Ronald Volker only 2/10 off him. The win with the P2 from the previous final would see the German equal his best ETS result with Yokomo with Sudhoff completing the podium. Having come into the weekend as the Championship leader, unfortunately 5th overall behind Hagberg means Volker relinquishes that lead to Coelho with one round to go.

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June 29, 2019

Coelho wins opening A-Main at ETS Netherlands

Bruno Coelho took a tone to tone win in a hot opening A-Main at ETS Netherlands but the Xray driver was shadowed throughout the race by Freddy Sudhoff. While the Top Qualifier looked in full control of proceedings early on, Sudhoff would come back at him reducing the gap to 5/10ths of a second which is how it remained to the finish. Behind, having put pressure on Sudhoff for the opening minute, Christopher Krapp would finish as he started with third place but dropping back 1.3-seconds behind. Krapp’s team-mate Ronald Volker would be highest finisher to make a pass during the race as he, to the cheer of onlookers, found a way around the outside of fourth place qualifier Alexander Hagberg.

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June 29, 2019

Coelho to start ETS Netherlands from TQ

Bruno Coelho will for the second year running start from the TQ at ETS Netherlands. Where the Xray driver last year claimed his third championship title in succession, he secured this year’s overall TQ at Apeldoorn when topped the times for a third time in the fourth & final qualifier which took place in very hot conditions. The only one who could have denied Coelho the TQ, Sudhoff was always going to be up against the conditions as not only did he need to TQ the round but he also needed to beat Coelho’s Q2 time which was held in much cooler conditions. At the end of the 5-minute Coelho would have 1.5-seconds in hand over the Awesomatix driver who starts second. Behind it will be Christopher Krapp who will line up followed by Alexander Hagberg and Championship points leader Ronald Volker.

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June 29, 2019

Sudhoff hits the top in Q3 at ETS Netherlands

Having set the benchmark high with his pace in practice, top seed Freddy Sudhoff finally hit the top in qualifying at ETS Netherlands as he TQ’d the third round. The Awesomatix driver would be the only one to make 21-laps as the temperatures rose at the Apeldoorn track, the German’s gamble to not run new tyres in the morning’s Q2 not paying off. One used tyres for Q3, Bruno Coelho is the man on target to take the overall TQ due to his Q2 time which was over 5-seconds quicker and with the track going to be super hot again for the fourth and final qualifier it looks a big ask for Sudhoff to deny the champion from start on pole for the second year in succession. Behind Sudhoff, Christopher Krapp was second fastest from Alexander Hagberg and Nicolas Lee with Swiss driver Carl Friedrich Groessel surprising everyone with P6 for the round ahead of Marc Rheinard and Ronald Volker.

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June 29, 2019

Coelho again in Q2

Bruno Coelho claimed another TQ run in the second round of qualifying at the Dutch ETS in Apeldoorn this morning, this time the Xray driver topping the times from Awesomatix’s Lucas Urbain. Having taken yesterday evening’s opening qualifier, Coelho quickly pulled clear of Freddy Sudhoff, the top seed gambling to begin the day on used tyres which after 5-minutes left him P4. On new tyres, the main challenger to Coelho on the clock would come from Urbain and Alexander Hagberg but with a fastest lap 2/10ths up on everyone else the reigning Champion always had a decent margin in hand. For a time Ronald Volker looked on target for another Top 3 until he suffered a mechanical just after the 2-minute mark while on his second set of tyres. It would be Hagberg who would complete the Top 3 5/100th off Urbain after he got stuck behind Jilles Groskamp for a number of laps towards the end of the heat.

Continue reading this report here or view our complete event coverage here.