Leo Arnold tops 1/10th seeding at ENS season opener

Leo Arnold is top seed for the 1/10th scale class at the ENS season opener in Bologna, the Xray driver improving on his CP1 time to go over 2 tenths quicker in his 2nd timed run. The Frenchman put his improvement down to changing to a shorter first gear which improved the drivability of his NT1. His team mate Alessio Mazzeo also improved his time but will stay as 3rd seed, behind Teemu Leino who failed to improve in the 2nd session having tried a different body shell but finding it much slower. Jilles Groskamp who was continuing experimenting with setup took 3rd in CP2 but being slightly slower than his CP1 time he ended practice 4th and will now revert to his setup from the final free practice session. The Shepherd trio of Melvin Diekmann, Eduardo Escandon and Thilo Todtmann complete the top 7 after practice.

View the complete event results here.

View our event image gallery here.

Robert Pietsch heads first timed practice by large margin

In the opening timed practice for the 1/8th scale class it was former world champion Robert Pietsch who was the clear leader, the Mugen driver some 5 tenths up on his nearest rival over 3 laps. Francesco Tironi was the best of the rest, the Italian driver heading another former World Champion Simon Kurzbuch in 3rd, with Andrea Pirani and current World Champion Dario Balestri completing the top 5. Asked about his rather large advantage on his rivals, the German put it down to a number of factors such as his good working relationship with his mechanic and new engines from sponsor OS which he says has more power which together makes for a better overall package. Looking ahead he doesn’t plan to make any changes to his Mugen, instead focusing on his driving saying ‘the track is easy, but it also very easy to push too much and go wide, losing a lot of time’, continuing ‘my main focus is stay calm and drive smoothly’.

Tironi was very pleased with his car and engine combo, the Infinity driver saying the feeling with the car is really good having worked a lot on setup and ending up using a much narrower track width setting which they normally can’t use, but which the current conditions allow. Working closely with Max Fantini, Francesco has been testing a lot of different engines as well as settings and now has to pick the best one before qualifying gets underway this afternoon.

Some 7 tenths back on Pietsch, Kurzbuch was very happy with his Shepherd but will continue to try different things, such as further shock changes. The Swiss driver’s main focus is to select the correct engine, looking for the best balance between outright speed and fuel economy. On that point he has been testing different blends of fuel from fuel sponsor Energy to get the most out of his package.

Andrea Pirani sits in 4th place following CP1 and described practice so far as ‘quite good’. Searching for more steering as well as more traction, the aim is to make the car more safe to drive due to the heavy tire wear. For CP2 he plans to raise the rear shocks on his Shepherd as well as check the run time so that are no surprises when qualifying starts. Completing the top 5 is reigning ENS champion Dario Balestri, who heads two of his Infinity team mates Lamberto Collari and Rick Vrielijnck, with Dominic Greiner, Luca Piromalli and Anthony Abisset rounding out the top 10.

View the complete event results here.

View our event image gallery here.

Teemu Leino tops CP1 in Bologna

Teemu Leino has topped the first of two controlled practice sessions here in Bologna for the 1/10th class, the Infinity driver making up one of a very close trio that was competed by the Xray pairing of Alessio Mazzeo and Leo Arnold. Split by less than 7/100ths, behind the top 3 was reigning class champion Jilles Groskamp, followed by the Shepherd trio of Melvin Diekmann, Thilo Todtmann and Eduardo Escandon completing the top 7 with the difference between first to seventh less than a second over 3-consecutive laps. Asked about how his practice has been so far, Leino simply said ‘good’, before elaborating saying that they have changed the car every run, but now it is the best it has been. Feeling there is still a little bit still to come he said his IF15 is very easy to drive and the setup they have is perfect for the final.

A very close second in the opening round of controlled practice, Alessio Mazzeo was very content with his new Xray NT1. With the 2019 spec being released recently, the likeable Italian was very happy with the changes made, which he said made the car more like the brand’s EP car in terms of adjustability. Very happy with his current setup, he finished up by saying ‘it’s looking good for the race’.

Also very happy with his new Xray ride, Leo Arnold was the final driver in the 50 second range. The Frenchman summed it up by saying ‘ it was easy to drive and consistent over the 6 minutes’ expanding on that by saying ‘the car has more traction so we can go more aggressive on the front’. Asked his opinion on tire wear, he feels that for sure the wear is high but mostly on the right side meaning they will have to manage trim carefully in the race and for sure ‘change the right side tires at least twice in the final’.

Completing the top 4, current ENS Champion, Jilles Groskamp, who is running in his first race with new engine sponsors Max Power and Maxima fuel, commented on how close it was at the front. ‘Power track, more power equals more speed’ the Dutchman felt there is more to come from his engine but said there is no point in finding the limit so soon in the event.

View the complete event results here.

View our event image gallery here.

Track Focus – L.Collari RC Raceway

Track Name – L.Collari RC Raceway
Owner – Lamberto Collari
Country – Italy
Location – Bologna
Direction – Anti-clockwise
Surface – Asphalt
Previous ENS races hosted – 2 (2015, 2016)

Back on the Euro Nitro Series calendar after a 2 year hiatus, Italy’s first ever permanent track is again the venue for the start of the 2019 ENS.  Built in 1978, the Pista Futura track is responsible for starting the career of one of RC racing’s all time greats Lamberto Collari, and in 2013 the 9-time World Champion, together with Luca Rauli, took ownership of the track which has aptly been renamed L.Collari RC Raceway. Retaining its original fast 308 metre long layout over its 40-year existence, it was last resurfaced 10-years ago. Speaking to Simon Kurzbuch, who won the race the last time the track hosted the ENS back in 2016, the Shepherd driver said, ‘the track is the same as always, however the tire wear this year is very high’, the multiple ENS champion quick to lay blame on the surface rather than the handout Matrix foam. With a threat of rain on Sunday, the series organisers have decided as a precaution to run one round of 4-minute qualifying this afternoon, following controlled practice, and make a final decision tomorrow on the remainder of the schedule based on a more accurate forecast outlook for Sunday.

Image Gallery