Track Focus – Minidrom Ettlingen

Track Name – Minidrom Ettlingen
Club – Mini Car Club Ettlingen
Country – Germany
Location – Ettlingen (SW of the country)
Direction – Anti-clockwise
Surface – Asphalt
No. of ENS Races hosted – 0

Round 3 of the Euro Nitro Touring Series takes place at Minidrom Ettlingen with the German round attracting a record 157 entries. Walking around the busy pit area, drivers having travelled from 22 countries including for the first time Brazil, the big talk is how nice it is to see so many drivers at a nitro race again. Built on land owned by the local city, which has a population of almost 40,000, the track that has been in existence for 25-years and is run by Mini Car Club Ettlingen,  a club of around 60 mainly nitro racing members. Having previously hosted the 2001 1:5 World Championships and four European Championships, the ENS marks the first international race since the track underwent a resurfacing last year.  During the resurfacing, the asphalt used been very fine, the club also used the opportunity to change the layout adding a new 25-metre section that brings the total track length to 265-metres.  In open practice 1:8 cars are doing a lap in late 12-seconds while a fast 1:10 lap time is a low 14-seconds.

Racing this weekend in both classes, 1:10 title front runner Jilles Groskamp described Minidrom Ettlingen as ‘not an easy track’.  The HB/HPI Racing driver said normally when you have a good basic balance for a car it works at everything but ‘for some reason the front bites more than the rear (of the car) can handle’ and it takes a completely different set-up to get the cars to work.  Having previously raced here at the 2011 1:10 200mm European Championships, he said the old surface was very tough with 2 tyres stops required in the Main but with the new surface the wear is very low and he predicts the Sunday’s main will be completed without the need for a tyre change.  Asked about the extra infield added to the right side of the track he said layout was better describing the track as ‘quite open’ which will be ‘good for racing’.

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