2024 ENS ROUND 1

2024 ENS ROUND 1
ETTLINGEN (DE)
24/26 May, 2024

he eleventh season of ENS, the most popular nitro model championship in Europe, finally resumed on the last weekend of May at the splendid Ettlingen track, south of Frankfurt. A very challenging layout, winding but fast, with various difficulties and some slopes that make it one of the most interesting tracks currently available.

An impressive number of participants, around 160, competed within the park hosting the club to secure the first victory of the year in various classes… The INF1NITY group was very large (we believe it was the largest) and the presence of several of our official drivers allowed all our customers to receive help and advices to improve their setup and overall fun.

The formula has been tested and successful for years with free practice, controlled practice, qualifications, and finals for all participants. As often happens, the weather is never too kind to modelers and even on this occasion, the program had to be adapted to the climatic conditions.

In the qualifications, we saw many great battles in the 1/10 scale with Jilles and Milan having to bow to reigning champion Diekmann despite both being very fast. In the 1/8 scale, a stellar Teemu gave Simon and Toni a hard time, challenging often for the TQ round. In the Master 40+, Luca and Arie qualified directly for the A-main with good speed.

On Sunday, the weather finally turned nice and stable, and all participants were able to express their full potential in the quest for the highest podium. In the Sport class, Dave De Baar finished just off the podium in fourth place… In the 40+, Alain Levy climbed back from the lower finals to place his IF18-3 in sixth position, with Martinelli and Manten having to deal with too many issues.

In the 1/10 scale, Milan was hit by bad luck early on, while Jilles delivered a strong performance, finishing second… Viktor Wilck also had a solid performance, returning to drive the IF15-2 after some time and finishing fourth. Patrick Frankhauser closed in a good six position as Gerhard Kandelhart made it directly to the final but unfortunately he finished twelfth due to numerous problems;  In the 1/8 scale, Simon reaffirmed his supremacy, staying focused in the early stages of the race when he managed to build a small lead that he maintained until the end; Teemu gave his best, consistently hitting near “low 13” lap times, but an unfortunate accident halfway through prevented him from fighting for the win until the end. Lamberto always surprises us, having to earn his way to the final by winning both the C and B finals; a remarkable performance that was further enhanced in the final thanks to careful driving and a precisely planned strategy, rising from eleventh place to secure a well-deserved podium 3rd step.

Now we head to Aigen in mid-July… don't miss it… see you there!