Serpent opens ENS#3 with strong 1:10 practice

Serpent have opened the 2016 Euro Nitro Series season with a strong show of force as their drivers locked out the Top 3 in controlled practice in Bologna, Italy, this morning.  With drivers getting two rounds of controlled practice which will determine the heat seeding, it was last year’s season finale winner Alessio Mazzeo who set the pace around the high speed L.Collari RC Raceway.  Behind the Italian it was Mark Green, just 0.049 of a second off over 3-laps, with Serpent’s 2015 title contender Dominic Greiner on a further 0.075 adrift.  Best of the rest would be Erik Dankel, the 2014 ENS Champion making a good start to his Mugen debut with only 0.029 his deficit to Greiner.

With Serpent’s factory drivers running first samples of a soon to be released new internal transmission for the Natrix 748, Mazzeo declared, ‘we are happy’.  Setting his fastest time in the first of the two practices, he said having tried a different set-up in CP2, he will revert back to his previous set-up for the first of qualifiers.  With rain forecast for tomorrow, organisers have brought forward qualifying with all 4 rounds now scheduled to run today.  Also new on his Gimar Speed 2016 powered 748 is a Novarossi clutch, the unit the first centax system to be released by the Italian engine manufacturer.

‘Very good’ was Green’s reaction to the practice.  Describing his car as ‘really consistent’, the British driver added that the new transmission ‘allows the car to run more free’ resulting in ‘smooth acceleration’.  Also running big bore shocks on his car he said having left his car unchanged over the two practices he would continue with it that way for Q1, the car’s designer Michael Salven joking on that because he doesn’t need to change anything and ‘actually he is bored’.  Having made the switch to XRD engines, a strong engine key to track’s fast layout, he declared ‘my new engines are fantastic’.

A drivers who is known for determination to be P1, Greiner described his P3 in practice as ‘ok’.  Describing the new transmission as ‘a lot better’, the German said his car is actually ‘too easy to drive’ and he is ‘looking for more steering’.  Another driver to switch engines over the winter going in the opposite direction to team-mate Green by joining Novarossi, he said his new engines have been running ‘very good’.

‘Good so far’ was Dankel’s summary of practice.  Having endured a torrid start to his title defence in Bologna last year failing to make the final, he said it was ‘good to make first race without problems’.  In the second practice, he did have a problem with his car going straight on and across the grass – a loose battery connector suspected as causing the glitch.  Working very closely with the car’s designer Robert PIetsch he said ‘Robert is helping a lot and I really appreciate that’.  Making a change to his Orcan powered MTX-6 for CP2 when he ran a softer rear anti roll bar, as it didn’t improve the car he will revert to a set-up he ran in free practice yesterday.

A driver who showed strong at the final round in Fiorano last year, Spanish KM driver Eduardo Escandon looks to have picked up where he left off by laying down the 5th fastest time. Behind him Bruno Coelho completed the Top 6.  Winner here in Bologna last year, the Xray driver set his time in the second of the practice runs having topped the times on the slower track.  The Portuguese ace said his ‘car was very good in the last run but the track was slower.  We improved the car a lot so we are on a good way’.  Looking for more steering, admitting ‘everyone has the same problem’, he said ‘we have some more things to run through but it looks good for qualifying’.  Coelho’s World Champion team-mate Alexander Hagberg would post the 8th fastest time.

Heading Team Shepherd’s 1:10 campaign with the 7th fastest time, Dirk Wischnewski hinted that this weekend was  about damage limitation in terms of championship points.  Describing practice as ‘so so’, the German continued ‘we improved compared to yesterday when we struggled a lot’.  Suffering from understeer, he conceded that ‘normally (these) conditions are not on my side’ and ‘I hope for good run over the 4-minutes’, the ENS running 4-minutes qualifier.

Posting the 9th fastest time ahead of the similar car of Britain’s Kyle Branson,  reigning champion Jilles Groskamp said ‘its not so bad, it (his pace) is very close to the other guys’.  Having joined the Infinity team over the winter, the former HB driver said his focus so far this weekend has been on his 1:8 programme.  With Infinity not yet having a 1:10 car, the Dutch ace is running a Capricorn adding he has ‘not put much effort into 1:10 yet’.  Doing one race with the car in Singapore, where he said track conditions where very different, he said he would like to dial out some understeer and will go through the set-up a bit more now that is 1:8 is running well.

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