Race 4 at EVMC Velp

We were really happy that the COVID-19 regulations for the Netherlands were finally approved. This meant that nothing stood in the way of our fourth race of the Race Car Series at our friends' club, EVMC Velp. The weather did play a few tricks on us, but Friday was almost entirely dry, as was Sunday. So, apart from one heat, we were able to run all the races in dry conditions.

57 participants registered, of whom 53 ultimately started the race. And let me tell you, I've been involved in organizing the Race Car Series for three years now. The weekend in Velp has been like a really good thriller so far. Excitement in all classes right to the very end. And all at a very fair level. Absolutely top-class!

Let's continue with our trucks.

I'd like to say something here. I think this class is absolutely fantastic. The guys are in great form, and it's a joy to watch them drive. Unfortunately, it's always a struggle to fill this class. On Saturday, only Andre Spaan was at the starting line. Being alone on the track isn't much fun. But now back to the racing action on Sunday in the heats. Mr. "Fast Truck" Thomas Dammer once again demonstrated his excellent truck driving skills. He was closely followed by Andre and Daniel.

Preliminary ranking

final

Well, there he was again. Thomas impressively demonstrated just how fast you can drive a truck. A start-to-finish victory for him. The resurgent Markus Schneider deservedly took second place ahead of Olli in third. It's a shame Andre had an unfortunate collision right at the beginning that forced him to retire. Otherwise, it might have been a bit more exciting.

Let's move on to the all-wheel drive guys.

Unfortunately, only 9 cars in this interesting entry-level class were on the starting grid. But that didn't make it any less exciting. This time we also had a woman competing. Hopefully, Vanessa will be able to participate more often next year. After the heats, the experienced Marc secured pole position ahead of Marcel and Mirco. But this wasn't as easy as the standings suggested and promised plenty of action for the final.

Yes, as I said, it wasn't easy. Marc was in a commanding lead right from the start. Gogol was caught up in several battles and lost contact after going off the track. But then came Gogol's moment of glory. In a sensational comeback, he managed to get back behind Marc just before the finish and then overtake him at the very end. Hats off to him!

Great races from everyone! Super clean and fair driving, it was a real pleasure to watch you all.

The semifinals determined who would advance to the coveted A-final and who would compete in the B-final. The competition remained exciting until the very end, with the positions for fourth through sixth constantly changing hands. Oppi managed to find another tenth or two of a second or two, demonstrating once again his claim to a podium finish. It's great to see our newcomer, Bas Aalders, make it to the A-final.

Although the C final only had 6 drivers, it was no less exciting than the other finals. Holger secured the victory in this final thanks to an almost flawless performance.

The B final also featured a top-class field. Unfortunately, Tobias Bosse once again suffered technical difficulties and had to retire after lap 6. Curt and Stephan battled it out for the win, with Curt ultimately taking first place.

A Final

From the start, four drivers pulled away bumper to bumper like a high-speed train. In lap 7, Oppi had to retire from the race early due to a carburetor failure. What a shame, the excitement was gone. However, the remaining three at the front managed to maintain the tension. After 30 minutes, the top three were still on the same lap. The gap between Michael and Dennis was a mere 8 seconds, and between him and Günter, only about four-tenths of a second. Incredible...

Weekend summary:

Mixed weather, fantastic atmosphere, sensational club... races that couldn't be more exciting. What more could you want?

Here is the overall ranking:

Race 2 at the MCC Rhein Ahr

or instead of Days of Thunder, Days of Rain

That's roughly how you could describe the weekend at the MCC Rhein Ahr. But anyone who thinks everyone was downcast and no cars were on the track because of the weather doesn't know the guys from the Race Car Series. In true German Championship style, everyone who had entered was out on the track, putting on some fantastic battles in the rain. A truly goosebump-inducing experience.

And the MCC Rhein Ahr did everything to ensure that the 39 registered drivers had a great time. Thank you for that! 39 participants – you could say a record low! But honestly, 39 drivers with that weather forecast, and as already mentioned, everyone actually raced, is an absolute record for a normal racing event!

Thank you to all participants!

I think our 4WD guys in the XR5 Rallycross class had the most fun. The drifts around the corners were fantastic to watch. Everyone was really on point, and the heats and finals were driven according to the motto "If you go sideways, you see more." After the heats, the standings were as follows: Marcel showed that he is one of the most experienced drivers of the XR5 and took pole position for the semi-finals. He was followed by Mirko, who was competing for the first time.

In the semi-finals, Marcel and Mirko were able to underline this once again. Unfortunately, Gogol also had technical problems and was relegated to the bottom of the standings. The semi-final results were as follows:

In the final, the cards were reshuffled. Marcel encountered technical problems in lap 10 and had to retire from the race. Gogol also suffered another technical issue. Tobias Keller, also competing in his first race with a rental car, seemed to have gradually adapted to the XR5's handling characteristics and managed to climb to second place. Thomas Decker finished third, completing the podium. The final standings were as follows:

In the semi-finals, our Guy reappeared at the top. A sensational performance for the second time from him, and it wouldn't be the last. Markus Streicher showed that he, too, is a force to be reckoned with in the rain. And Tobi Bosse also drove very confidently to second place. It was great to see the roulette wheel spinning. This promised that the main finals could be very exciting.

Despite the relatively large differences in the total lap times, it remained exciting. You could tell that driving a rain final requires an incredible amount of concentration. Unfortunately, five drivers were unable to start due to technical issues. Rain isn't good for our cars... Holger won the B-final, ahead of Dirk and Steve. HP finished just behind, narrowly missing the podium.

A-Final:

And what can I say, Guy Stephany took third place. I can only say chapeau! His final had one small blemish: he overtook Günter in the early stages. Günter had to let the whole field pull away. But here he showed once again that with all his experience and his calm, fast driving style, anything is possible. Second place was more than deserved in the end. Behind the two leaders, there was a trio whose excitement was unbeatable. Tobi, Marcus, and Markus battled for the entire 30 minutes for the last spot on the podium. It was absolutely fantastic. A big "chapeau" to all three of you as well. Pure entertainment value. Feel free to watch it again on pullstart.tv.

Here is the overall ranking:

Race 3 at MCK Dormagen

A big compliment to this racing series is that, despite the holiday season, 54 drivers registered. Of these, 52 then went in pursuit of the best times and the most laps. The weather gods were very kind to us that weekend. Not too hot and a bit of sunshine. Perfect RC weather! However, one realization quickly became apparent: too little grip is just as bad as too much. The more people drove on "Little Monaco," the slower the lap times actually became. The grip level was so high that you had to adjust the car to prevent it from tipping over. This impacted performance. Another lesson learned: with very high grip, "stay away from the curbs and barriers." Unfortunately, a few drivers had to learn this the hard way. Otherwise, the atmosphere was great, and there was consistently fair play on the track.

Let's move on to our heavy haulage class. We're really pleased that we had five trucks registered again. Unfortunately, due to entry restrictions, one Dutchman had to withdraw, so only four tractor units started. But both the spectators and the drivers had a great time. Here are the results of the Truck Grand Prix class.

Preliminary ranking

Finale

The semifinals determined who would advance to the coveted A-final and who would land in the B-final. The competition remained exciting until the very end, with the positions for fourth through sixth constantly changing hands. At the end of the 15-minute round, the standings were as follows:

The long-distance duel between Günter Honert and Michael Donovan was once again impressive. Oppi struggled with technical problems but still managed to secure his place in the A-final.

In the C-final, Marcus Radeke secured the victory ahead of Ralf Voiges and Tobias Bosse, who again had to contend with technical issues with his FG on his home track this weekend. Encouragingly, Ralf and Marcus contested their first GT Series race, and I think they enjoyed themselves.

The B-final was also incredibly exciting. Sven Rodewald, competing in his first 2WD 1:5 race (and with a new car, the MCD Duox), showed what he and his car were capable of, winning narrowly ahead of Oliver Osygus and Reiner Bosse. I believe this was the first race where father Reiner finished higher than his son. Congratulations!

And so the A-Final got underway. From the starting line, three drivers pulled away from the pack. This trio was so tightly packed that you couldn't have squeezed a €10 note between them. Unfortunately, after 25 laps, Marcus Oppenhorst had to retire, as a broken insulator screw had already brought his race to an end. Michael consistently led the way, still closely followed by Günter. Günter then made an unplanned pit stop shortly before the finish when a rear wheel came off his car. This allowed Curt to secure second place. The results of the A-Final were as follows:

Weekend summary:

Great weather, great atmosphere, fantastic evening events, mostly fair racing, and pure excitement. That's what the GT Series is all about. Simply fantastic...

Here is the overall ranking:

The semifinals followed. The top five finishers from each final advanced to the main A final, while those finishing 6th through 10th automatically qualified for the B final. Both semifinals were extremely close, and with such a high-caliber field of competitors, even the slightest deviation from the rules could result in a driver, despite maintaining the same pace, finding themselves relegated to the B final after just 20 minutes. Here are the semifinal results:

The C final was fantastic. Tobias Keller secured a very convincing victory ahead of Stefan Müller and Mark Coenen. However, it must be said that many drivers didn't make it to the end of the 30-minute race due to fuel shortages.

The B-final was very similar. At least three drivers had enough fuel for the 30-minute race. A great achievement for the two newcomers to the GT class, Guy Stephany and Sascha Siegert. They won the B-final in their very first race, and this wouldn't be the end of their success.

Let's move on to the A-Final. I think it was the strongest and fastest in the history of the Race Car Series. Absolutely insane and exciting right down to the last minute. Even our "Iceman" Oppi had a tough time and couldn't afford to make a single mistake. But he managed it again... Well done, Oppi! Behind him, things were really heating up, and it remained exciting until the very end. After 30 minutes, the results of the A-Final were as follows:

All the finals were exciting until almost the very end. They were also generally extremely fair, thanks in part to a competent race director. Hans-Jörg Stier intervened where necessary and handed out penalties. This was a good thing, as it meant we had pure racing action.

Here is the overall ranking: