ENS drivers compliment Stöhr-Ring track
Race 2 of the Euro Nitro Series ‘Pilot Series’ got underway today in Kirchberg, Austria, with drivers very complimentary of the Stöhr-Ring after open practice. Set to host the 1:10 200mm European Championships in August, the ENS encounter has attracted a high quality touring car entry with many of the factory drivers taking the opportunity to use this weekend as important practice for the Euros having never been to the track before. While no official timing was published for the open practice Mugen’s Robert Pietsch appears to be fastest but so too are ENS Hockenheim race winner Eric Dankel and former European Champion Dirk Wischnewski. With two rounds of controlled practice set to bring Day 1 of the event to close, with each drivers 3-consecutive fastest laps being recorded, we should have a better indication of where everyone is at later today but as Wischnewski put it ‘the competition is very high’.
Pietsch, who only raced 1:8 at Race 1 of the series in Hockenheim, said his focus in open practice was on his 1:10 car. ‘Quite happy’ with how everything went the 2011 European Champion said his main concentration today was on learning the track rather than on working on set-up. One of the drivers to instigate the creation of the ENS, Pietsch said this weekend he is racing 1:10 as preparations for the Euros. Expecting to have a number of chassis updates for his Mugen for the Euros and expecting the conditions in August to be quiet different the German said for this reason he is working more on his driving than on the car set-up which he said is so far working extremely well. More a 1:8 racer than 200mm, this is the former World Championship Top Qualifier’s first time running on a controlled spec tyres which comes pre-trued. Although he is familiar with this weekend’s handout tyre which is being supplied by his main tyre sponsor Contact, he said having set the car up for the bigger diameter it worked fine helped by the fact the low traction means there is no issue with grip roll. Commenting on his 1:8, the World Champion said it was ‘all good’.
Dankel, who dominated Race 1 of the ENS earlier this month, said having struggled a little to match Pietsch’s pace, a lowering of the roll centre positions on his Novarossi powered Capricorn made a big improved and he was able to match his fellow German’s pace. One of many Stöhr-Ring debutants, he described the track as ‘very good’ adding he much preferred it over Hockenheim as it was a lot more challenging. Having run without a team-mate at Race 1 he said having Francesco Tironi here, along with the car’s designer Patrizio Rossi, would be very beneficial as they could try a lot of set-ups on the cars. Having driven 700km from Italy this morning, leaving home at 06:30 and only arriving at the track at lunch time, World Championship podium finisher Tironi managed just two runs in open practice. Really liking the track, the fast Italian said having not raced without tyre additive for over 2-years it takes a bit of getting used to but he is confident that with a little more track time he should find his way ok.
Heading an expanded Xray challenge this weekend, being joined by Alexander Hagberg and Martin Hudy, Wischnewski spent the open practice trying different set-ups and while the set-up he tried in his final run was not very good he thinks he is on a similar pace to both Pietsch and Dankel. Hagberg who spent most of practice choosing which Orcan engine and pipe combo to run, said it had been a pretty good day so far. Getting used to the handout Contact tyre, the Swede was happy with the set-up he has found for his NT1 but added with the tyre wear this strategy for the final was going to be very important with tyre stops almost certain but he said first he needs to work on getting into the final. Hudy, who has previous experience of the track having raced here last year, albeit prior to the recent polishing of the asphalt which has greatly increased tyre wear, declared himself happy with how things are going so far.
Starting his European Summer tour this weekend Thailand based Dutch driver Jilles Groskamp declared himself happy with his early practice runs. Focused more on 1:8 Onroad this year as this is a World Championship year for the class, the Electric Touring Car World Champion said this is his first 1:10 nitro race since last November’s World Championship in Bangkok. Racing for Capricorn then, this year the former 200mm Worlds Top Qualifier has rejoined Shepherd and driving the recently released Velox V10 PRO he said the car is proving really easy to drive. Having raced here back in 2003 at the European Electric Touring Car Championships missing out on the title to Juho Levanen on a tie break, said he is happy with his lap times which are on a similar pace to the main contenders. Team boss Patrick Schafer, who qualified 3rd at Race 1, said he was very happy with his car in the morning but is now struggling. Having initially thought it was a bad set-up, he reverted to the set-up he ran when the car was at its best but the problem still exists and he now thinks something on the car is broken. Former European B Champion Patrick Nahr said while he improved his car over the day the rear end is still loose. The German also said he is struggling to get good consistency from his engine, something he is putting down to his choice of exhaust.
One of the title sponsors of the series along with Xray, Serpent, Novarossi and Shepherd, KM Racing make their official factory debut this weekend with all round r/c veteran Adrien Bertin. The only driver to win both a 1:8 and a 1:10 World Championship title, the French ace, who in recent times has been seen more at 1:8 Offroad events doing engine development for Orion, summed up his early practice runs by saying ‘the other guys are fast!’. Admitting he has lost his 1:10 driving style he said he needs to ‘concentrate on being more smooth’. Running the new Meen version of the HK-1, he said the car is running well and he just needs to get more track time with which the speed should come back.
Another welcome face in the pits this weekend is former 1:8 European Champion Jernej Vuga. The Slovenian driver who is racing in 1:8, said he is here to enjoy himself adding he hasn’t set himself any big expectations. A big part of the international 1:8 scene a few years ago, he said after the 2009 World Championships when tyre additive became a part of the sport he said he lost interest and has since focused his interested on his Toprc.eu business and a racing in a number of trophy races he organises through the business. Liking the ENS’ controlled and additive free tyre concept he said this what attracted him back to have an go at international racing again and so far he is enjoying the experience.
View our complete event image gallery here.
