Greiner again in Q2

With 1:10 running 2 of the their 5 scheduled qualifiers on the first official day of ENS Round 3, Serpent’s lead driver Dominic Greiner completed the perfect day by making it two from two.  As he did in the first qualifier, Greiner again topped the times from Dirk Wischnewski.  Behind the two Germans, Teemu Leino made a significant improvement on his Q1 pace to set the third fastest time reducing the deficit down from over 4 to 2.6-seconds. With this his home race, ENS Round 1 & 2 Finalist Thilo Tödtmann took his Capricorn to the fourth fastest time followed by Rene Püpke.

Again completing the Top 6 was Jilles Groskamp’s Maxima powered HB, the Bangkok based Dutchman 1.1-seconds faster than title rival Bruno Coelho who after a poor first round posted the 7th quickest time. Behind the joint championship leaders, reigning champion Eric Dankel managed to run the full heat, having flamed out in Q1, his P8 time 6-seconds off that of Greiner.

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Kurzbuch tops Q1 from Pietsch in Germany

Simon Kurzbuch has TQ’d the opening round of qualifying at Round 3 of the ENS in Germany.  A very closely fought 4-minute qualifier, the Shepherd driver would top the times just ahead of Mugen’s Robert Pietsch by 0.38 of a second.  A bit of a gap back, Capricorn’s Dario Balestri would complete the Top 3 ahead of Shepherd team-mates Rick Vrielijnck, Oliver Mack and Francesco Tironi.

‘A perfect start’ was Kurzbuch’s reaction to his Q1 performance.  The Swiss ace said he got a really good run with no traffic and starting behind top seed Robert Pietsch he was able to gauge his pace throughout the heat adding he knew it was close between them for the TQ.  Describing his Velox V8 as ‘a little loose on the rear’ he said he would ‘perhaps change something to try make it more stable’ but overall it was nothing too major.

Pietsch said I can make excuses but I don’t think they make any difference to the fact he (Kurzbuch) was just faster’.  On the opening lap, the German said his engine was too lean due to the fuel tank being too full but this cleared itself. Losing his racing line on a lap in the middle of the qualifier, he said other than those two things he said the run was good run with his MRX-5 ‘really safe’ to drive and going up against Kurzbuch was ‘fun’.

‘All OK, only problem is Robert and Simon are too fast’, that was how a surprisingly upbeat Balestri viewed Q1.  The Italian added, ‘they test too much and are two of the best drivers’ so considering this and having some traffic issues ‘I am happy’. Pleased with how both his car and Tesla engine ran and he said with his limited testing he was happy with where he has ended the day in terms of set-up.

The number 2 seed after practice, Vrielijnck said his Velox V8 was good but engine issues stoped him from pushing the Velox V8 to its full potential.  Having his engine go lean but able to get it going again he said this cost him time.  Feeling things were still not right at the end of the run he is putting this down to a clutch problem.  Starting to come in early, he feels this caused the engine to get hot and go off tune but he hopes to have everything back good again for Q2 in the morning.

Fifth fastest, Mack said ‘for me I am happy with the result but the performance was only ok’.  Describing the engine he was running as ‘not the best’ he said ‘I was not fast in terms of lap times but I was very consistent’.  A Top Qualifier in last season’s ENS, ahead of tomorrow’s four scheduled qualifiers he will change engine.

Completing the Top 6, Tironi said the run ‘was OK’ pointing out it was very close between 4th to 6th, the three drivers separated by just 2/10ths of a second.  With his XRD engine running a bit rich at the start of the run, he said he could have pushed a little harder but instead opted to stay safe and ‘for today the result was OK’.  He said he was looking for ‘more rear traction and stability but that is the same problem as everyone else’ and he needs to think about what he can change to improve that.

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Greiner takes opening qualifier at ENS

Dominic Greiner has taken the first round of qualifying at the Euro Nitro Series in Germany.  The Serpent driver topped the times from Shepherd’s Dirk Wischnewski, the two Germans considerable faster than their rivals over the 4-minute qualifier around the Ettlingen track.  Behind them Patrick Nahr would post the third fastest time just ahead of Teemu Leino. After a good showing in practice when he posted the fourth fastest time, unfortunately for reigning champion Eric Dankel an engine cut 1-minute in would ruin his qualifier.

‘It was a good run’, that was how Greiner summed up outpacing Wischnewski by 1.3-seconds.  Top Qualifier at the previous ENS encounter in Austria, he said the run didn’t start off so well. Running a new set of the handout pre-trued Shepherd tyres, while trying to get as many laps on them as possible for the qualifier he would flip his Max powered 747 damaging one of the tyres.  Needing to change it for the qualifier, he was only able to run one lap on it before the start off the qualifier.  Making the car ‘a little difficult’ for the first 2 to 3-minutes he said it got better towards the end.  Describing his car and engine as ‘very good especially for the high temperatures’ in which they are having to work, his only plan for Q2, which should be cooler, was to again fit new tyres.

Summing up his opening attempt as ‘a solid run’, Wischnewski said traffic cost him a few tenths.  Also feeling his Orcan engine was set slightly too rich he said overall it was a good run and it was ‘good’ having a speed advantage over the others.  Last season’s championship runner-up he said his Velox V10 is good and the only thing that needs improving for Q2 is the tune on the engine.

Former European B Champion Nahr was most happy that he finally completed a run without flipping his Novarossi powered example of the Velox V10.  Making a front anti-roll bar change for Q1 he said this improved the car with Wischnewski joking about the change that his team-mate finally listened to him.  Happy to leave the car unchanged for his next run, he said the only thing he needs to do is rebuilt his rear diff which developed a leak over the final 2-minutes of the heat.

Asked how he thought his opening qualifier went, Leino replied ‘not so well’.  The ENS Round 2 winner felt he was off the pace and he was ‘not sure why’.  With his car ‘sometimes fast, sometimes not’, the Finn plans to run a new tyres the next one to see if that improves things. A double ENS Top Qualifier the HB driver added ‘the Germans are fast here so its not so easy’.

Making it a good showing for Shepherd Rene Pupke would post the 5th fastest time.  The German said his Orcan powered example of the V10 was ‘perfect’ and the only issue was that the driver ‘missed the lines a few times’.  Describing the track as difficult but liking the layout he will continue with the car as is and aim for ‘a second clean run’.

Completing the Top 6 ahead of the Capricorns of Thilo Tödtmann and Leo Arnold, Jilles Groskamp declared Q1 as ‘just a steady run’.  The joint championship leader said with his ‘car not the fastest’ his aim now is first to just make the Main.  Having got lost with his set-up and ‘struggling’, he has started over with the set-up for Q1 and while it was ‘safe’ it was ‘too slow’.  He continued ‘the local guys are super fast and obviously know some tricks for what he repeated is ‘a difficult track’.  With good points from Q1, he added ‘we have four more rounds to get the car right for the final and with the heat causing a number of drivers issues it is still all to play for’.

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Piestch and Greiner top seeds for qualifying

Robert Pietsch and Dominic Greiner are top seeds for qualifying after setting the fastest time in practice at the German ENS.  The second of the timed practice sessions at the Ettlingen track would see no change at the top of the 1:8 time sheets with Pietsch’s TP1 time standing while in 1:10 all the leading drivers would improve, with Greiner going fastest.

Defending champion Simon Kurzbuch, who had issues that left him 21st in TP1, would set the pace in the second but slower session that saw the Top 6 fail to improve.  With his time, the Shepherd driver would end practice third overall behind Pietsch and Rick Vrielijnck, the Dutch driver closest to Kurzbuch in TP2. The other key improvement of the second practice would also come from a Swiss driver with ARC’s Silvio Hächler ending up 8th behind Picco, Balestri, Mack and Tironi.

Benefiting from the reducing tyre diameter of the pre-trued handout Shepherd Tyres being used at Round 3, having run them in TP1, Greiner knocked 6/10ths off his earlier time.  Wischnewski would only improve his pace by 1/10th over the 3-consecutive laps with Leino managing a similar improvement.  Finding the most time among the championship’s title contenders was Jilles Groskamp, his HB R10 going almost 1-second faster to move him into the top heat for qualifying just in front of the man he shares the championship lead with, Bruno Coelho.

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Pietsch leads the way in Ettlingen

Robert Pietsch appears to be the man to beat at Round 3 of the Euro Nitro Series, setting the pace in the first timed practice at Ettlingen.  The Mugen driver was 2/10th faster than new Shepherd signing Rick Vrielijnck who in turn was 2/10ths faster than Alberto Picco, the top three all using Picco engines.  Almost matching Picco’s pace fellow Italian Dario Balestri was fourth fastest ahead of championship returnee Oliver Mack.  For defending champion Simon Kurzbuch his run was hampered by the loss of a front shock spring retainer and he would post the 21st fastest time.

Describing his MRX-5 as ‘the best it’s been’ throughout all the practices, Pietsch said the car is ‘really really good’ adding that while there is always room for improvement he feels they are on top of the set-up for the track’s ‘unique asphalt’.  Having suffered a thrust bearing failure in the final open practice, he said the rebuilt clutch was slipping a little and that is the only thing he needs to sort for the final timed practice, each driver’s fastest 3-consecutive laps counting towards the seeding of the qualifying heats.  Chasing his first win of season #2 of the ENS having finished runner-up last year, the German is liking the new track layout despite the ‘really different’ track conditions the resurfacing has brought.

Having made the switch from Mugen to Shepherd ahead of the race, Vreilijnck has looked very impressive on his debut for the German manufacturer.  Asked about the switch the Dutch driver said ‘the Mugen is a very good car but it was too stable for my driving style’.  Pleased to be able to work a deal to join Shepherd half way through the racing season, he said working alongside Mack he has been able to get the Velox V8 to his liking very quickly.  With both drivers now running very similar set-ups, the multiple Worlds finalist is also enjoying the track, he said the car is fast allowing him to focus for the final practice on scrubbing in tyres for this evening’s opening qualifier.

While describing the track as ‘really nice’, Picco said he was not used to what for him was ‘such low traction’, the Italian National Championship running tyre additive. Feeling they are ‘struggling a bit to find the right set-up’ he continued ‘we are  ‘improving step by step’.  Running a Mugen chassis he said, ‘I can’t complain as we are close but still not 100% yet’.

Balestri didn’t have a good start to his first timed run, chunking a rear tyre on only his third lap.  Having only got to run 30-minutes of testing yesterday, the Round 1 Top Qualifier feels he is still playing catch-up to his rivals. He said ‘for sure’ his C802 was getting better each run adding he hoped they were now going in the right direction in terms of a set-up for qualifying.

Mack was very happy with his early pace on what is his first ENS outing of the season.  While suffering from a broken clutch, the German said his ‘lap times are pretty good’ and with the target being just to make the Main he was ‘happy’ with how things had started off.  Having found working with Vrielijnck in testing yesterday very beneficial he said his Picco powered Velox V8 was ‘pretty easy to drive’ and while he could make it faster it would take away its consistency so he will leave it unchanged.  Behind Mack, team-mate Francesco Tironi completed the Top 6.

While he couldn’t get a good time due to his shock issue, Kurzbuch was happy how the early practices had gone adding he felt everything was ‘ok’ for qualifying.  Having ran a spare engine today, the Novarossi driver will switch to his race engine for the final practice to ensure everything is ready for Q1.

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Wischnewski tops first timed practice at ENS

Dirk Wischnewski has topped the first timed practice at Round 3 of the Euro Nitro Series in Germany.  Mastering the Minidrom Ettlingen’s ‘strange’ track conditions the best, the Shepherd driver set the fastest 3-laps ahead of the HB of Round 2 winner Teemu Leino.  Top Qualifier in Austria, Serpent’s Dominc Greiner completed the Top 3 ahead of Capricorn team-mates Thilo Tödtmann and Eric Dankel.  Joint championship leaders Bruno Coelho and Jilles Groskamp would post only the 9th and 14th fastest times respectively.

Having struggled at the opening two rounds of the championship, Wischnewski was pleased to get the weekend ‘off to a better start’.  Describing the newly resurfaced track as being’ completely different to any other track’ he has been too and requiring a ‘completely different set-up’ he said the extra front traction suited his Orcan powered Velox V10.  Although he previously tested at the track, the German said it has changed a lot and even the clouds that covered the sun for his run made a difference, with his adding ‘you need to adapt all the time’.

‘OK’, that was how Leino summed up his pace.  The Finn would use most of the 6-minute session to tune his Novarossi engine adding ‘no power, no chance’.  Looking to get as much power without overheating the engine he said with the track’s high speed layout combined with the high traction and high temperatures, having the engine right was so important here.   In terms of his R10 set-up he said it was good but stopping so much to adjust the engine he didn’t get to scrub in the tyre as well as his rivals and this cost him pace also.

Dominic Greiner was more positive than usual about his car saying it was ‘going very well’ adding ‘the times are very close’.  The German said traffic towards the end of the run cost him a better three lap time adding the controlled Shepherd tyre took some time to come in.  Describing the traction as ‘very strange’, the German is running the same front end weight in his 747 that he used when when he TQ’d last November’s World Championships in Thailand he said without it it was not possible to drive. He said while the nature of the track made for a ‘strange corner feeling’ his car was very easy but feeling it is maybe a bit too easy he will make some changes for the second of the two timed practices.

‘If I am between 3 and 7 everything is good’ was how Tödtmann summed up his time. While this is his home track, he said the traction is completely different to a regional race he contested earlier in the year due to the record entry the event has attracted.  Already 0.7 of a second a lap quicker than that event, he is running a very different set-up on his LAB-C03 which has shorter gearing, softer suspension and is running a solid axle.  Looking to tweak the cars set-up for the final practice he will run less front camber to try reduce the steering.

Winner of the season opener Coelho described the track as ‘quite difficult’ but said overall his NT1 was ‘not bad’.  The Portuguese ace struggled a little in open practice yesterday due to running old engines but with Massimo Fantini arriving this morning with a new batch of Max engine he said things were now much better.  Using the first timed practice to scrub in tyres for qualifying later today, he said on big tyres it was easy to traction roll so he didn’t push hard to avoid the risk of damaging the tyres.

Suffering a problem with something getting stuck in his R10’s drive train leading him to roll and at the end of the straight and damage his tyres, Groskamp said it wasn’t a good first timed run.  In the morning’s free practice however he said his pace was ok as he was not so far off but added he would like to be a bit faster.  Running in both classes this weekend, the Dutch ace said they are too busy and this is leaving them always one step behind with silly things going wrong.  Predicting a ‘hard weekend’ he hopes they can get on top of things in time for qualifying.

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