Euro Nitro Series » Oisin O Briain

May 4, 2018

Kurzbuch in control at ENS season opener

Reigning back to back champion Simon Kurzbuch is in control of proceedings at the season opener of the Infinity Euro Nitro Series in the Netherlands. Fastest in free practice from World Champion Dario Balestri, the Team Shepherd driver again topped in the first of the two timed practice runs, this time ahead of Infinity’s Naoto Matsukura while Balestri posted the 6th fastest time. Mugen’s Steven Cuypers completed the Top 3 ahead of team-mate Robert Pietsch, while the Capricorn of Robin D’hondt rounded out the Top 5 seeding times.

Just 5/100ths quicker over three laps from Matsukura, Kurzbuch said, ‘that was a difficult run, it was difficult to drive’. The Swiss ace continued, ‘I just spoke with Robert and we think maybe its pollen that has changed the track. It was a bit more wind for that run. Everyone found it more difficult that earlier’. Asked about his car set-up, his advantage in free practice 1/10th of a second, he said, ‘the difficulty now seems to be the track. I think the is car very good and so is my new Novarossi engine but maybe we will make some changes to the car to make it more stable for the final practice but I would say we are ready to go racing’.

‘This track looks easy but it is difficult when you want to find more time’, was Matsukura’s reaction when asked how he was enjoying the track. Unlike his rivals, the Japanese driver said he noticed less of an issue with lower traction for TP1 but report his car had a little understeer. Admitting ‘laps time were a little slower’ he said the ‘track was ok and I was able to run more consistent now’.

‘Fine again’, was how Cuyper’s summed up his run. The Belgian who admitted he has ‘raced here a lot in the past’ said, ‘Yesterday my car and engine was super but then I had a big crash with someone and the engine was broken and we found things broken in the car but finally we are ready in time for qualifying’. Describing today’s track conditions as ‘completely different to yesterday’, he said, ‘finding a good balance between the front & rear is hard but now we are getting there again’.

Pietsch summed up his P3 pace with, ‘It was ok. I feel pretty good’. The Mugen designer continued, ‘timed practice was not as good as before. The wind is carrying pollen onto the track. That’s my thoughts anyway. When there was no wind the cars cleared the pollen away but with the wind it just keeps falling’. Pleased with how his car has been working he said based on the track conditions of TP1 he will just adjust the weight distribution adding he will change ‘nothing more as he feels good and the times are super close’.

Admitting ‘I drive here a lot’, D’hondt said, ‘with a fast engine this is an easy track for everyone’. Happy with his car now he said they had to search for steering in early practice and achieved this by making the car narrower. The former European Champion has also played around a lot with bodyshell going between the B909 and R19 before trying the older R18 which he said ‘is the best for him’. Planning to make the car even narrower for the final practice he will also cut the rear arms to get more flex for the traction.

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May 4, 2018

Greiner tops first time practice at ENS Season opener

Coming in the the fifth season of the Infinity Euro Nitro Series as the clear title favourite, Dominic Greiner has lived up to expectations by setting the fastest time in the first of the timed practice runs at the season opener in the Netherlands. Having been fastest in practice, the Serpent driver continued that form setting the fastest three laps from former champion Teemu Leino by 3/10th of a second around the De Baanbrekers. The first time the majority of drivers have been to the Dutch track, it was a good showing for Serpent with Mark Green completing the Top 3 ahead of Jilles Groskamp. Interestingly a driver synonyms with 1:8 racing, Lamberto Collari is making his 1:10 race debut stopping the clocks in the 5th fastest time.

Summing up his first time practice run Greiner wasn’t overly pleased with the performance. The German said, ‘we made a little change on the car and it was completely different to drive. It was loose in the rear. We changed it back to what it was before during the run but it was still different. I don’t know if the track changed or the tyre’. Not sure what way to react to the change for 2nd & final timed practice he said, ‘we need to see if its the tyre or track that is the problem’. Asked how much worse the car felt compared to earlier he concluded, ‘Its not super bad but it was a lot better earlier’.

‘Ok’ was Leino’s reaction to his run. The Finn added, ‘before I was looking for steering but now it is loose in the rear but I think it was the same for everyone. I could see other cars were more loose that time. The track changed probably because of the opening ceremony (held between final free practice and 1st timed run)’. Regarding changes to his IF14, he said, ‘I will wait and see how the track is’. Asked what he thought of the track, he replied, ‘its nice but looks boring until you drive it and see that you can start to make time out there’.

Describing the track as ‘easy’, adding, ‘it the type of track that you do four laps and you have learnt it, well for 1:10 anyway’, Green was very happy with his P3 pace. The British driver said, ‘it is going very good. The car is working awesome so I have no complaints. Car, engine, driver are good and the weather is very good’. Asked about changes to his 748, he replied, ‘the car has been very good from the get go and we just made a few rollbar and caster adjustment so we will keep it as is and just drive around’.

A driver who has raced here previously, albeit in 2003 and racing an electric touring car, Groskamp was quietly pleased with his pace. The Infinity driver said, ‘Dominic is the benchmark and the gap to him is not to big so I’m happy’. The Dutch driver who now lives in Thailand, continued about TP1, ‘the track was different, it is more warm now and most cars had less traction. This is good for me because I was trying to make more steering but now I can just make the rear more stable’.

‘For my first time is not going too bad’ was Collari’s reaction to his P5 time. The 9-time 1:8 World Champion said the biggest challenge is changing between 1:10 and 1:8 saying it takes about a minute for him to switch back to the driving style needed for each car. Finding the 1:10 needs a smoother driving style, when asked about set-up he replied with a smile, ‘I didn’t build the car, someone in the team did that for me, Francesco (Tironi) made the set-up and I borrowed the bodyshell’.

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May 4, 2018

Track Focus – De Baanbrekers

Track Name – De Baanbrekers
Club – M.A.C. de Baanbrekers
Country – Netherlands
Location – Rucphen
Direction – Anti-Clockwise
No. of ENS Races hosted – 0

Season #5 of the Infinity Euro Nitro Series opens with the championship making it’s first visit to the Netherlands and the De Baanbrekers track in Rucphen in the southern part of the country. Built in 1987 and subsequently resurfaced 15 years ago, a lap of the track covers 257 metres with a banked corner at the end of the straight. In 1:10 the lead cars are running a lap time of mid 14 seconds while 1:8 car covering the lap in a late 12-seconds. As a club, M.A.C. de Baanbrekers has 100 members racing both EP and nitro classes. A long standing fixture on both the Dutch and Belgian National Championship calendar the club has previously host the 1:8 Onroad European B Championships, 1:10 40+ and a 1:5 GP event. Annually the club’s biggest race is the Benelux+ race which is an electric event.

With this being the first time many of the ENS regulars have been to De Baanbrekers, 1:10 World Champion Dominic Greiner said, ‘It not so big and when you first look at it it seems not so difficult but to be fast here it is very difficult’. The Serpent driver said the biggest challenge of the track is the first corner leading onto the straight. Causing a number of drivers to spectacularly crash in practice when they hit the curb, he said you need to get it right and but also carry enough speed to give you a good run down the straight. Asked about tyre wear, the German said, ‘it is pretty high’ and in terms of the surface he added, the surface is ok. It is not super flat but it is not super bumpy. The curbs are risky because they are old and are not so flat’. He concluded, ‘the track is not easy but its fun. I like it’.

Also on his first visit, reigning 1:8 Champion Simon Kurzbuch described the track as ‘a short but fast track. It’s a cool location’. The Shepherd driver continued, ‘it has a lot of fast corners and has good flow. It’s fun to drive’. Asked the main challenge of the track he replied, ‘It has a dangerous curb before the straight where you can risk more and maybe getting a missing 1/10th (of a second). On the track’s surface the Swiss driver said, ‘the tyre wear is high but the grip is good’.

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May 3, 2018

ENS Season #5 kicks off with first ever Dutch encounter

The fifth season of the Infinity Euro Nitro Series kicks off this weekend with the high profile Onroad Nitro championship travelling to the Netherlands for the first time in its 16 race history. Rucphen is the venue for the first of the four events over which the World’s best drivers will do battle to become the overall champion, with reigning champion Simon Kurzbuch going after a third 1:8 title in a row. In 1:10, a class that has crowned a new champion at the end of every ENS season, that pattern looks set to continue. Last year Bruno Coelho added the ENS title his ETS and EOS titles but, as one of the most versatile and therefore busiest drivers in the sport, his schedule prevents him from defending his title. The competition will still be fierce however, given it is a World Championship year for 1:10, and with the ENS a title that has eluded current World Champion Dominic Greiner he goes into Season #5 as the firm title favourite.

For Kurzbuch, the main challenge for the Shepherd driver is expected to come from World Champion Dario Balestri. The Infinity driver took the World title from his great Swiss rival in France last year and is the only other driver apart from Kurzbuch to have been crowned 1:8 ENS Champion. Despite this, Balestri has only once taken an ENS victory in 1:8 compared to Kurzbuch’s impressive tally of 9 wins. Next best on the championship’s roll of honour is Balestri’s team-mate Lamberto Collari, who has been on the top step of the podium three times.

Third in the championship standings last season, behind Round 1 winner Coelho, Robert Pietsch will be aiming to put Mugen in this year’s title hunt. The former World Champion is one of only 6 drivers to enjoy an ENS win in R/C racing’s premiere class and can always be counted on to be in the mix for the podium. For the only other 1:8 race winner in attendance, this weekend is a home race with ARC’s John Ermen hoping he can put local track knowledge to good use and give himself an extra reason to put on a party come Sunday evening.

Having debuted in 1:8 Onroad last season and shown he clearly has the outright speed, Naoto Matsukura will be aiming to translate that pace into a maiden victory. The multiple electric World Champion is spectacular to watch and now that he has more experience of running longer, strategy based nitro finals, he should be able to mix it with Kurzbuch and Balestri for the full 45-minutes. Another Japanese driver to debut in the ENS last season was Matsukura’s team-mate Takaaki Shimo. The highly respected onroad nitro driver just missed the podium at the Season #4 opener and will be looking to get his second season with Infinity underway with at least a podium result.

While racing the first 3 rounds of last year’s championship in the 1:8 class as preparations for the World Championships, Greiner returned to his favourite class in style winning the season finale in Fiorano from the TQ. The Serpent driver is full-on 1:10 again for 2018 and starts out as the clear title favourite. While sharing the honour of the greatest number of 1:10 ENS wins, with 3, but holding a clear lead in his TQ tally, 6, the German’s main rival is going to be one of those with whom he shares the same number of wins. Champion in 2016, Teemu Leino leads a strong Infinity challenge that also includes 2015 Champion Jilles Groskamp. Interestingly, Rucphen will mark 9-time 1:8 World Champion Collari’s 1:10 race debut. Without Coelho in the ENS, Xray will be pinning their hopes on Alessio Mazzeo. The Italian is a former ENS race winner, finishing runner-up to his team-mate last season, and will relish the opportunity to lead the team in the 2018 title fight.

Elsewhere in 1:10, Shepherd’s efforts will be led by Thilo Tödtmann and Eduardo Escandon who finished 3rd & 4th respectively in last year’s points standings. Spaniard Escandon was one of the revelations of last season on joining Shepherd and he’ll be hoping continuity will help him reap the rewards in the season ahead.

October 1, 2017

Kurzbuch retains title with Fiorano win

Simon Kurzbuch has retained his Euro Nitro Series title, the Shepherd driver becoming champion for a third time with his third win at the World famous Fiorano track in Italy. Coming into the final round of the season going up against Bruno Coelho for the title, the Swiss ace drew the first strike when he claimed the overall TQ moving him a step closer to the top prize. In the final despite a sterling effort from Coelho, who kept him honest throughout the 45-minutes decider, Kurzbuch continued his form claiming win number three of the season by half a lap to take the 2017 title. A surprise challenger to Kurzbuch, winning the season opener having not been a 1:8 contender previously, Coelho would have to settle for second in the standings on this occasion but finishing all four race in no lower than second place the Portuguese driver has already set out his stall for next season’s ENS. Making his first A-Main of the season, Jesse Davis would complete the podium at Round 4 with a hugely popular third place, which where it not for a crash with Lamberto Collari while closing down Kurzbuch, could have seen the Aussie end the season on an even higher note. One can only expect Davis will be another driver taking the challenge to Kurzbuch in Season #5 of the ENS. Unfortunately for newly crowned World Champion Dario Balestri his chances of a good result ended at the first corner after the start. With second place qualifier Andrea Pirani making a very slow start Balestri would run into the back of him, the impact lifting the body off his car and it needing to be returned by marshal to the pits for repairs. Rejoining the race to finish 10th of the 12 starters, Balestri joked afterwards, ‘your luck can change completely in a week’.

‘To TQ and win makes me very happy’, was Kurzbuch’s reaction after the race. With a 9th ENS race win from the championship’s 16 race history, he said, ‘It was a very good final. The tactic for the race was to win the championship and I knew fifth place was enough for this so we played safe with the fuel and tyre stops’. He continued, ‘Alex and my father did a perfect job as always in the pits but when you are leading you want to try to take home the championship with a win’. Making 2 stops for fresh tyres all round each time, he said today’s win, the race the official last major international race of the nitro season, has made him ‘confident for next year’, adding, ‘this is revenge for the Worlds’.

While missing out on the 1:8 title Coelho still described his efforts as ‘impressive’. Having claimed the 1:10 ENS title an hour earlier, he continued, ‘I think the result in 1:8 is even more impressive than 1:10. Last season in 1:8 we could not arrive in all the finals and now this year we finished all races in 1st and 2nd place’. He added, ‘Everything worked perfect. It was our mistakes, not problems with the car that prevented us from winning other races’. On today’s final, the Portuguese driver, ‘I pushed Simon hard but Collari would not open and when I try to pass him I flip and lost 5 or 6 seconds. This cost me the chance to beat Simon’. Running the same 2 stop tyre strategy as Kurzbuch, he would later have an off of his own doing at the end of the straight saying, ‘I just was pushing hard and got it wrong but even without this I could not have caught him, the time was gone after my crash with Collari’.

‘Finally a good race, it was not perfect but my first A-Main this year and I got a podium so I’m more than happy’, was how Davis summed up the race. Making Super Pole at the World Championship two weeks ago but having problems in his Semi Final denying him from making the Main, the unquestionably talented Infinity driver today took advantage of a single tyre stop strategy. This put him right in the mix with him running behind and in close proximity to Kurzbuch but with around 7-minute to go he crashed into Collari, the 9-time World Champion coming across on him as he went to lap the Italian. Asked about the incident Davis said, ‘Our strategy was going really good but then I had a crash with Lamberto. After that the car was tweaked but it doesn’t matter because I’m really happy with third. It’s a perfect end to the season’.

Coming from the B-main, which he finished second behind team-mate Andy Moore, Teemu Leino would finish 4th from 12th on the grid. Describing the result as ‘pretty good’, the outgoing 1:10 ENS Champion said, ‘It been a very long time since I have had no problems in a final. Today I had not one problem’. He continued, ‘before the final I discuss with Jesse that I think I will do just 1 tyre stop but after 18-minutes I need to change tyres so I ended up doing two stops. Maybe this was wrong and it cost me a podium but maybe it was right because I would have had no tyres but after qualifying in the B to finish 4th in a nice way to finish the season’. With team-mate Naoto Matsukura the final direct qualifier lining up 10th for the start, the Japanese driver would made a blistering start helped by the first corner incident to run in the Top 3. Unfortunately however the electric World Champion was again dealt cruel luck as during the 3rd fuel stop the INS box came off and released without it his car came to a halt 3/4 of a lap later forcing him to eventually retire with engine damage caused by the missing INS box.

View the complete event results here.

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October 1, 2017

Greiner takes dominant Italian win, Coelho crowned Champion

Dominic Greiner has taken a dominant 1:10 win at the season finale of the Euro Nitro Series, the Serpent driver completing the perfect return to the class in Italy showing just why he is the reigning World Champion. Having secured the TQ for the 45-minute final, the German drove a near perfect race with his rivals lacking the pace to mount any kind of serious challenge. While Finals day in Fiorano would start out damp, organisers would delay the start of the A-Mains by an hour so drivers could battle it out for the final major nitro race of the season in dry conditions. While Geiner quickly established control of the race, behind him the battle for second was between Xray’s champion elect Bruno Coelho and Alessio Mazzeo. With that battle really hotting up over the final minutes of the race, it was Mazzeo who would take second with Coelho just 3/10ths behind. Finishing 2nd or 3rd mattered little to Coelho because either way he had secured his first ENS title a feat that would see the great all round driver do the triple crown – the Portuguese driver having already been crowned ETS and EOS champion earlier in the year. Off the podium David Loppini would finish 4th after a good battle with Jakub Rozycki while Thilo Tödtmann completed the Top 6 to finish the championship 3rd overall behind Coelho and Mazzeo.

‘Everything was perfect, this is a good start to our preparations next year’, was Greiner’s reaction to his 3rd ENS career win, next year being the 1:10 World Championship in Miami. He continued, ‘We changed the set-up to what we ran in Q2 and also used the engine we tested in the last qualifier. The longer warm-up allowed us to set the engine perfect and I drove the whole race at 95%. When you have the car and engine working this good you can do this. I also told Thomas (his pitman) to take his time’. With just one blotch on his copybook for the race when he went off at the second corner following the first fuel stop, he explained, ‘I think maybe the tyres got wet from the pitlane and it caught me out but apart from this small mistake it was a perfect race’.

‘I’m very happy with this year. We put more focus into working on our nitro cars and winning the championship is the reward for this’ was how Coelho summed up his title win. Also contributing Xray’s competitiveness this season down to working with Alessio Mazzeo on car development, he continued, ‘The most important thing going into the final was to be in front of Thilo because he was the biggest challenger for the championship. I didn’t need to fight anyone else and when Alessio was behind me I opened for him. I didn’t need to battle with him’. Becoming the ENS’ fourth different 1:10 champion, Coelho’s campaign has been the most successful of a champion with him winning from the TQ spot in both France and Austria and also TQ’ing in Germany only to suffer a mechanical retirement in the final, a result he could drop with his podium finish today.

Finishing second as he once again came strong towards the end of the race, he previously won in 2015 in the dying moments from then champion Jilles Groskamp, Mazzeo was delighted with his race. Becoming the Vice-Champion with today’s result having missed Round 3 in Austria, he said it was, ‘One of the best race of my life racing with Bruno and Dominic, no mistake for the entire 45-minutes’. He continued, ‘Dominic deserves the win for sure but the result also is a message that we must work hard to improve for sure’. On his own race he said his only issue was that the idle on his engine was high and this caused the car to run on under braking. Asked about his battle at the end with Coelho he replied, ‘Always in the last minutes of this race I arrive in a battle. It was fun to race against Bruno.’

Having made the final on each of the ENS’ four visits to Fiorani, Loppini was ‘quite satisfied’ with his P4 result. His best ENS result, he was more pleased to achieve it given the fact that he hasn’t raced for 5-months. Commenting on his performance in the race and his battle with Rozycki, the 23-year-old Xray driver said, ‘Alessio and Bruno were too fast for me. I couldn’t match their pace. I had a good battle for the 4th place and I’m happy for my return to racing to get my best result’. In the end Rozycki’s Xray would finish 2-seconds back from the Italian.

View the complete event results here.

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