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Simon Kurzbuch is the top seed for qualifying at the season finale of the Euro Nitro Series in Fiorano, Italy.  The defending champion was fastest after the two rounds of controlled practice from Francesco Tironi. Tironi headed a group of 5 Infinity cars that would fill out the Top 6 seeding times with Alberto Picco third ahead of Jesse Davis, Naoto Matsukura and Dario Balestri. Kurzbuch’s only title threat, Bruno Coelho’s would end practice down in P7, the Xray driver struggling so far in Italy to match the form he showed against the Shepherd over the 3 previous championship encounters this season.

Continue reading this report here or view our complete event coverage here.

Simon Kurzbuch is the top seed for qualifying at the season finale of the Euro Nitro Series in Fiorano, Italy.  The defending champion was fastest after the two rounds of controlled practice from Francesco Tironi. Tironi headed a group of 5 Infinity cars that would fill out the Top 6 seeding times with Alberto Picco third ahead of Jesse Davis, Naoto Matsukura and Dario Balestri. Kurzbuch’s only title threat, Bruno Coelho’s would end practice down in P7, the Xray driver struggling so far in Italy to match the form he showed against the Shepherd over the 3 previous championship encounters this season.

Winner here last year despite qualifying P4, Kurzbuch was pleased that he has finally pieced together a good package the rest of the weekend.  Summing up CP1 pace as ‘2 good laps and 1 ok lap’ which put him P3 behind Matsukura and Balestri, he added his second attempt ‘was not only 3-good laps but a good (entire) run’.  The Swiss driver put his improvement down to having ‘found an engine for this track’.  The factory Novarossi driver tried three different engines over the day and having tried various venturi combinations yesterday he now had an engine for qualifying that suited the track layout and also gave him a good feeling at the controls.

Making a marked improvement on his free practice pace, Tironi said his car ‘works really well’ adding ‘the set-up is close to the Worlds, just with some camber changes’.  With his CP1 time outside the Top 10, a front roll bar change and further camber change for the second run made ‘a big difference to the corner speed’ allowing the Italian to improve his pace by 8/10ths. He concluded, ‘the feeling of the car is good so I think we are good for the qualifying’.

On the Fiorano podium last year, Picco said having tried ‘a few different set-ups’ they were ‘finally going in one direction’ to achieve the best solution for the track.  Describing it as ‘not easy’, the veteran racer said, ‘after the 1:5 race the track is a little strange.  It feels like understeer but it is easy to control out of the corner because of the traction’.  Fresh from making the final at the Worlds in France, he concluded, ‘we miss a little bit to the others but we can not really complain’.

Having solved his engine issues by replacing both the fuel tubing and fuel tank, Davis was happy with his Infinity/OS package describing the car as having a ‘good and consistent 4-minute set-up’.  Looking to qualifying the Aussie said, ‘we just needed to finalise the front and rear cambers and then we should be ok for (qualifying) tomorrow’.  Team-mate Matsukura who was fastest in CP1 said his ‘car was ok’ but his engine was too rich and that was why he couldn’t maintain the top spot when the track was faster for CP2.  Asked about changes for qualifying, 1:8 Onroad’s new star on the block said, they will ‘just open it up (the engine tuning) for tomorrow so we can go faster’.

‘We still need to find the optimal balance’ was Balestri’s summary of controlled practice.  The World Champion said the rear tyre this weekend for qualifying is softer and they need to find the right adjustment for the shore adding, we will work on it for tomorrow’.  Originally Q1 for 1:8 was to bring today’s action to a close but with drivers discovering the shore difference between the practice batch and the race batch of tyres the organisers added an extra round of free practice for drivers to adjust their set-ups with Q1 moved to tomorrow morning alongside that of the opening 1:10 qualifier.  Over a 1/10th of a second off Balestri,  Coelho believes part of his problem is the tyres.  The Xray driver said, ‘the car is not perfect but it now feels like no traction. Maybe the issue is with the tyres.  We need to find out something’.

View our event image gallery here.

Dominic Greiner looks to be having no issue picking up where he left off in the Euro Nitro Series, with 1:10 class returnee topping seeding at the season finale in Italy.  The Serpent driver, whose last ENS outing in 1:10 was at the same venue 12-months ago when he took the TQ and victory, set the fastest 3-consecutive laps in the second of the two controlled practices.  As in free practice Bruno Coelho, who was quickest after CP1, was his closest rival with Alessio Mazzeo completing the Top 3.  Returning to racing after a 5-month break, Italian David Loppini made it three Xrays in the Top 6, seeding P4 ahead of WRC’s Toni Gruber and Mugen’s Dirk Wischnewski.

Continue reading this report here or view our complete event coverage here.

Dominic Greiner looks to be having no issue picking up where he left off in the Euro Nitro Series, with 1:10 class returnee topping seeding at the season finale in Italy.  The Serpent driver, whose last ENS outing in 1:10 was at the same venue 12-months ago when he took the TQ and victory, set the fastest 3-consecutive laps in the second of the two controlled practices.  As in free practice Bruno Coelho, who was quickest after CP1, was his closest rival with Alessio Mazzeo completing the Top 3.  Returning to racing after a 5-month break, Italian David Loppini made it three Xrays in the Top 6, seeding P4 ahead of WRC’s Toni Gruber and Mugen’s Dirk Wischnewski.

Having struggled with his car in the first controlled practice, ending up second fastest between Coelho and Mazzeo, Greiner said, ‘we changed completely the set-up between rounds.  In the first one it was not easy to drive so we went back to a set-up from yesterday and went harder in the shock oil.  With this it was stable and easy to drive.  The only thing that could have been better was the engine tuning. It was a bit too rich but overall I am happy, we are good now for qualifying tomorrow’.

‘We still need to work a little in the car’ was how Coelho reacted to finishing up second fastest.  The Championship leader adding, ‘it is missing steering off power but we found a problem afterwards so that should fix this and improve the corner speed’.  Chasing his first ENS title to complete the E triple crown having already become ETS and EOS Champion, the Portuguese driver wasn’t happy with his registered time which was 2/10ths off Greiner’s pace, saying ‘I didn’t get three good laps because I was always making mistakes but with better steering I think tomorrow will be better’.

With the track proving quicker for CP2, Mazzeo would end up 3rd with his opening time after an early mistake in the second run left him with a chunked rear right tyre causing his car to be loose in the rear.  The Italian said, ‘The car is very good once the tyre is not broken and it is very consistent so we are looking good for qualifying’.

Loppini was pleased with his P4 seeding saying having not raced for 5 months his main focus so far was on getting back the feeling for driving.  Having made the final of the ENS Season Finale on all three previous occasions, the 23-year-old said his car is now good after they did a lot of work with the rear diff to find a good solution to giving him a safe but fast car.  Looking to further fine tune his 2017 NT1, he will switch from the traditional front anti-roll bar to the blade set-up for the first qualifier as well as change to a harder clutch spring to get more initial punch from his engine.

‘Now it works better’, was European Champion Gruber’s reaction after seeding.  The German said changing to a softer rear diff had made his car more stable contributing to a better overall balance. Focusing now on improving the steering, he will adjust the top chassis flex, move the chassis weight from the front to the rear position as well as make a caster change.

View our event image gallery here.

Mirko Salemi was a somewhat surprise name at the top of the time sheets at the end of free practice.  The Mugen driver set the fastest 5-consecutive laps over first time track visitor Naoto Matsukura with reigning champion Simon Kurzbuch completing the Top 3.  With the main focus in Fiorano, Italy, on the title battle between Kurzbuch and Bruno Coelho, the latter would only post the 16th fastest time.  The Xray driver said, ‘yesterday was very good but today is not going as well.  We changed a lot on the car to try go faster but we need to back to our previous set-up. I think once we do it will be ok’.  Making his first appearance since being crowned World Champion in France, a very under the weather Dario Balestri would end up only 8th quickest.

Continue reading this report here or view our complete event coverage here.

Mirko Salemi was a somewhat surprise name at the top of the time sheets at the end of free practice.  The Mugen driver set the fastest 5-consecutive laps over first time track visitor Naoto Matsukura with reigning champion Simon Kurzbuch completing the Top 3.  With the main focus in Fiorano, Italy, on the title battle between Kurzbuch and Bruno Coelho, the latter would only post the 16th fastest time.  The Xray driver said, ‘yesterday was very good but today is not going as well.  We changed a lot on the car to try go faster but we need to back to our previous set-up. I think once we do it will be ok’.  Making his first appearance since being crowned World Champion in France, a very under the weather Dario Balestri would end up only 8th quickest.

‘Good until now’, was how Salemi summed up his Free Practice form.  Admitting the Fiorano track was one where he does most of his testing, the Italian posted his fastest time in yesterday’s penultimate run feeling track conditions where better then.  A finalist on all three previous ENS Italy encounters, he said, ‘the track is different to yesterday, there is less traction today and now the tyre wear is higher’.  In terms of his ‘original kit’ spec MRX6, he said the aim going into controlled practice was to try and get a little more steering through a caster change.

Another driver not in the best of health but not quite as ill as Balestri, Matsukura summed up practice as having gone ‘not too bad’.  Asked his first opinion of the track layout, the Japanese ace replied, ‘It’s fun but it is not so difficult’.  Only 1/10 off Salemi, describing the time as ‘very close’, the Infinity driver said his car has ‘good balance’ adding ‘the steering and traction have been good from the start’.  With little adjustment needed to his car set-up, the World Championship Super Pole winner spent much of yesterday’s seven rounds of practice trying different OS engines and he is happy he has a good one picked out for qualifying.  For 1:8 today’s action will conclude with the first of their four rounds of qualifying.

Commenting on practice Kurzbuch said, ‘We arrived yesterday morning and the car was good so we worked on engines to improve what we have and we have ended up with something better than before’.  Winner on 2 of the 3 ENS visits to the famed Italian track, the Shepherd driver is predicting things are ‘going to be close’ adding ‘every time someone different is fastest’.  Asked about the track following its cleaning after the recent 1:5 race meeting, the Swiss driver said while wear is a quite high, after starting out a bit different yesterday, today conditions are ‘already back to normal’.

Fifth fastest in between team-mates Alberto Picco and Teemu Leino, Jesse Davis is struggling with finding a consistent tune on his engine.  The Australian said, ‘after six or seven laps the engine is going slightly lean and we don’t know why. We even took out rear camber in case it was putting load on the engine but it is still the same so we will change the fuel tubing and the fuel tank for the next one’.  In terms of his car, he said, ‘the car is fine. It’s the same car from the Worlds with the same set-up still on it’.

Looking like he would rather be in bed rather than at a race track, Balestri said he has been feeling sick since returning home after France. Running a new car this weekend, his Worlds winning car and the trophy proudly on display together at his house, he said, ‘you can build the cars the same way but they are always different (to drive) so we are still working on the set-up to get the right balance’.  Behind Balestri, Lamberto Collari and Francesco Tironi completed the Top 10 for Free Practice.

View our event image gallery here.

After a two month break, round 5 of the Speed King Tour 2017 took place at Twin Ring Honguu outdoor tarmac track in the Aichi prefecture. Open to Modified and Stock touring as well as Oval class racing, in the Modified class qualifying was very close with a number of drivers finishing within 0.1 seconds of each but it was Yokomo driver Yugo Nagashima who took TQ. Naito won the Oval class while local driver Tsuboi, who started on pole, would go on to win in the Stock class and then it was time for the 7 minutes Modified class final. Yugo made a good start as Yusuke Goto and Sota Goto chased him down but the chasing pair got into each other and dropped out of contention at the three minutes mark. Yugo would go on to win the round while track owner Masayuki Oyaizu finished second with his Yokomo BD8. TRF driver Takayuki Kono driving the new TRF419XR rounded out the podium in 3rd. The next and final round of the Speed King tour 2017 will be held at Sagamido racing track in the Kanagawa prefecture on the 12th of November.

Source: Speed King Tour [facebook.com]

Dominic Greiner has marked his return to 1:10 in the Euro Nitro Series with the fastest time in free practice at the Mini Autodromo Jody Scheckter track in Fiorano, Italy.  The Serpent driver was quickest over the 10 rounds of free practice with his fastest 5-consecutive laps recorded in yesterday’s closing run.  Also setting his best time in FP7, championship leader Bruno Coelho would be the closest to Greiner with Xray team-mate Alessio Mazzeo completing the Top 3.  Of the three free practice rounds run today, it was Mazzeo who had the advantage, topping 2 of the rounds with FP9 leaving him 3rd quickest overall ahead of Dirk Wischnewski and Toni Gruber.

Continue reading this report here or view our complete event coverage here.

Dominic Greiner has marked his return to 1:10 in the Euro Nitro Series with the fastest time in free practice at the Mini Autodromo Jody Scheckter track in Fiorano, Italy.  The Serpent driver was quickest over the 10 rounds of free practice with his fastest 5-consecutive laps recorded in yesterday’s closing run.  Also setting his best time in FP7, championship leader Bruno Coelho would be the closest to Greiner with Xray team-mate Alessio Mazzeo completing the Top 3.  Of the three free practice rounds run today, it was Mazzeo who had the advantage, topping 2 of the rounds with FP9 leaving him 3rd quickest overall ahead of Dirk Wischnewski and Toni Gruber.

‘Ok so far’ was how Greiner summed up Free Practice.  The 1:10 World Champion, who has contested all previous ENS encounters this year in 1:8 as part of his 1:8 Worlds preparations, continued, ‘the car is fast but it is not easy to drive so we still need to find the perfect set-up’.  The victor here last year, the German added, ‘it is a little difficult to drive over a full run but there is more in the set-up and we will try to find that over the 2 rounds of controlled practice’.

Coelho summed up his performance so far as ‘not perfect yet but it is going well’.  The winner in France and Germany, he continued, ‘the track looks easy but it is very specific’.  He added, ‘they had a 1:5 race here recently and I think this is why the track feels strange. There is a lot of grip which makes it completely different to the other races but we are getting it figured out’.

Mazzeo, winner here in 2015, declared free practice as having gone ‘very good’.  The Italian continued, ‘I have a good feeling in the car. For sure we can improve but for the start of a race weekend it is very good’.  Asked what specific details he would like to improve in his NT1 set-up he said, ‘I would like it to be faster in the change of the direction’.  For CP1 he plans to run a softer roll bar in the front to try achieve this.

Keen to highlight he has taken a step back from his days as a professional driver, Wischnewski summed up his P4 pace with, ‘so far it is ok’.  The Mugen supported driver continued, ‘I am lacking a little steering and I have tried many things.  Finding the best compromise between being fast and easy to drive is hard to find. Its a very narrow line to find’.  He concluded, ‘there is definitely more in the car from getting that right set-up balance’.

Posting the 5th fastest time ahead of Italian David Loppini, Gruber said his WRC is ‘not bad but we are working still to find the best set-up’.  The European Champion, who normally only races 1:8 in the ENS, said he is not yet happy with the balance of the car as he tried to find the best compromise between the right amount of steering the the right amount of rear end traction.  While a fan of the track, the German is finding running both 1:10 & 1:8 for the first time as ‘busy’ adding his 1:8 practice was ‘not good’.

View our event image gallery here.

Capricorn RC  have introduced their new premium screws brand, One Threads. Claiming to be different from other aluminium screws on the market, One Threads screws are CNC machined starting with 8mm 7075 Ergal bars. Featuring a tool groove that is 14% deeper than the competition this means the threads are precisely machined and increased in depth for maximum reliability. Available in button head (3x4mm, 3×6, 3×8, 3×10, 3×12, 3×14, 3×16, 4×8, 4×12, 4x14mm), cylindric head (3x8mm) and flat head (3x6mm).

Source: Capricorn [capricornrc.com]

After Guanzhou and Shanghai, the Arrowmax Asia Race Cup travelled to the capital city of China, Beijing. Hosted by INCOM Arena, the beautiful indoor facility would feature high traction black carpet and with the control AM tires being very different with what those at the track were using, it provided a big challenge for all attending drivers. As with the Shanghai and Guanzhou rounds, the Beijing League would also earning a ticket to Japan for AARC grand final. Three classes were run including the Arrowmax 1/10th EP Modified touring class, Dash 13.5T Stock touring Class and the Dash 21.5T Formula class, both Stock and Formula classes would use control motors supplied by Dash.

With a brand new track layout，the race proved to be difficult but fair. In the Arrowmax Modified touring class, local Beijing ace Yunan Liu would TQ the race, and go on to win the finals and became the winner of the round. Second place would go Shen Long with Da Chen rounding out the podium.

Arrowmax Modified A-main Final result:
1. Yunan Liu (China)
2. Shen Long (China)
3. Da Chen (China)

In the hotly contest Dash 13.5T stock class, TQ would go to Hong Kong driver Ka Chun and would also go on to claim victory for the race. Second place belonged to Hao Hao from DaiLeng, the youngster certainly set to become a force to reckon with. Third place went to local driver Fei Yu.

Dash 13.5T Stock A-main final result:
1. Ka Chun (Hong Kong)
2. Had Hao (China)
3. Fei Yu (China)

In the Dash 21.5T Formula class, Hao Hao would edge out the other drivers and claim TQ for the class, however he would again lose out to Ka Chun in the final and have to settle for another second place. Third place went to another youngster, all the way from Ha Er Bin, Wang Shan.

Dash 21.5T Formula A-main final result:
1. Ka Chun (Hong Kong)
2. Had Hao (China)
3. Wan Shan (China)

Source: Arrowmax [arrowmax-rc.com]

Protoform have announced that their range of VTA tires now come premounted on white or black rims. Utilising a super long-lasting compound and moulding technology perfected by Protoform’s partners at Pro-Line Racing. On high-grip CRC carpet, the tyres have been tested to provide an easy-to-drive handling feel and comparable lap times to previous VTA tires, all without the need for superglued sidewalls while on asphalt, the tyres grip well with additives and provide realistic tyre screeching sounds for an ultra-scale effect.

Source: Protoform [racepf.com]

Track Name – Mini Autodromo Jody Scheckter
Club – Racing Minicar Fiorano
Country – Italy
Location – Fiorano (20km South-West of Modena)
Direction – Anti-clockwise
Surface – Asphalt
Previous ENS hosted – 2014, 2015 & 2016

Mini Autodromo Jody Scheckter once again brings the curtains down on another season of the Euro Nitro Series with the famous Italian track having featured on the calendar of all four seasons of the championship. Built in 1996, the track is situated in the heartland of Italian passion for speed with Ferrari’s Fiorano test track only 500 metres away and the Ferrari factory a 5-minute drive. Official named after 1979 Formula 1 World Champion Jody Scheckter, who at the time of getting the land from the local government to build the track was Ferrari’s last World Champion, the track covers a total area of 13,000 square metres.  Having such space available the track has built a very spacious pit area with the facilities very popular with racers.  The track also has one of the best track side restaurants of any RC track in the world with a special atmosphere to match.  Over the end of season ENS weekend it is the location for some interesting meetings between drivers and manufacturers.

With a lap of the track covering 297 metres, the fast and technical track is popular with racers with most saying it looks easier than it is.  One slight change to conditions this year is that having recently hosted a large 1:5 meeting, they washed the track in preparation for the ENS and in practice drivers have reported the track to have high traction but also as being more abrasive. Interestingly, given the high esteem in which the track is held by drivers, apart from hosting the ENS the track’s only other international race to be held was the 1:8 European B Championship 13-years ago and was won by newly crowned World Champion Dario Balestri.

Image Gallery

Making their debut this week at the Tokyo Hobby Show, OS Speed have introduced a number of new items to their range. First up is the Max R21 1/8 on-road racing engine aimed at club racers, the spec of which can be found below, to be released in December. Next up a pair of OS Speed piston clip pliers to remove and set in piston clips. The tips of the pliers are curved and the inner side of the tip is grooved to hold a piston clip tightly. Finally there is OS Speed maintenance oil, available in 30ml bottles, an after-run oil to help increase the life of your engine.

Max R21 Specifications
Displacement: 3.49cc/0.213 cu.in
Bore: 16.08mm/0.633in
Stroke: 17.2mm/0.677in
Output: 2.75ps/2.71hp
Practical rpm range: 4,000 – 44,000 rpm

Source: O.S. Engines [osspeed.com]

Pro-Line have a number of new items beginning with a pair of Class 1 Hyrax 1.9″ Rock Crawling Tires. Designed from the ground up for maximum grip on the toughest terrain, the Class 1 legal Hyrax tire is ready for anything your Scale Adventure might throw at you. Featuring an aggressive and open tread pattern with each tread block containing multiple Sipes for incredible tread flex while still looking great on a Scale Rig. The highly detailed connected tread on the sidewall of the Hyrax extends out for unmatched side-hilling performance and the futuristic stepped tread blocks create even more forward gripping edges that dig into slick rock.

Next up is the all-new 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor truck body for the X-Maxx, which is now available Pre-Painted, Pre-Cut and Pre-Stickered. Pro-Line has included all the aggressive scale detail into the body and sticker sheet for a highly detailed replica. The 2017 Raptor has a bold and tough body style that is the most cutting edge look available.

Finally there is a pair of Fugitive 1:5 truck tires. Based on the tire that Ty Tessmann used to win the 1:8 Buggy World Championships, the all-new Fugitive race tire was developed to be the longest lasting race tire ever produced while still being quick and agile. Featuring small, tightly packed pins that can handle the abuse of being run by heavy 1:5 machines, when combined with Pro-Line’s incredible X-Compounds, the Fugitive has the best performance to cost ratio making it perfect for long 1:5 Mains

Source: Pro-Line [prolineracing.com]

The fourth season of the Euro Nitro Series concludes this weekend in Italy where all eyes will be on the 1:8 title show down between reigning champion Simon Kurzbuch and Bruno Coelho, the latter also vying for his first ENS title in 1:10.  Since the creation of the ENS in 2014, the world famous nitro circuit of Fiorano once again hosts the season finale and for Kurzbuch the trip this year presents a very different senario to 12-months ago when he went there already crowned the champion and chasing the record of a perfect season, something the Shepherd driver duly achieved when he took his fourth win of the four race calendar.  This time round he faces a new title rival in Coelho, the rc all round star having surprised everyone with a genuine first 1:8 win at the season opener in France.  Backing that up with second place finishes at Round 2 & 3, pushing Kurzbuch for the win at both rounds, it will now all come down to Sunday’s final – 3 from 4 rounds to count.

While the title contenders focus on their battles, there are a number of drivers who come to Fiorano with the aim of capping off their 2017 season on a high note and have no points scenarios to consider. Newly crowned 1:8 World Champion Dario Balestri had a challenging start to his ENS campaign but having finally claimed the sport’s top prize the former champion will be looking to set that right for his home round. The only Italian winner in Fiorano is Lamberto Collari, Kurzbuch winning on the other two visits, although Balestri has enjoyed a victory there in 1:10. With the season opener in Mulhouse his first competitive 1:8 onroad outing, Infinity team-mate Naoto Matsukura has shown he is unquestionably one of the world’s fastest drivers.  Making a lot of new fans with his performance at the World Championships in France, he will be hoping to finally convert his raw speed into a first victory.  In terms of the overall championship, Jilles Groskamp carries the best hopes for Infinity with the former 1:10 Champion in contention for an overall Top 3 in the championship.

That batte for third overall is wide open. Currently sitting third in the points is Mugen’s Robert Pietsch but he is far from guaranteed keeping the position in which he also finished up the 2016 championship. Behind him is Lars Hoppe who is excelling since joining the Shepherd team this season and having made the Worlds final in France the quiet German’s confidence will be high. On the podium in Fiorano last year to secure third overall in the championship, Toni Gruber has a chance of the overall podium again. The WRC driver had a good start to the season with second at the opening round but things haven’t gone as well since. Of course being Fiorano there are sure to be a some very quick Italians in the mix.

In 1:10 Coelho comes into the deciding round with 2 wins and with ENS Germany winner Erik Dankel not making the trip to Fiorano, the Portuguese driver is clear favourite for title honours. An ENS title win would complete the triple crown for Coelho who has already lifted the Euro Touring Series and Euro Offroad Series titles this year. Holding second and third in the points stadings Thilo Todtmann and Marco Kaufmann could clinch the title should things not go Coelho’s way.  With Dankel’s abscence, Dirk Wischnewski is heading the Mugen charge, the big news for Fiorano is the return of World Champion Dominic Greiner. The Serpent driver had been focused on 1:8 this year for the Worlds, qualifying 6th, but has openly declared his excitment about returning to 1:10. The German won the season finale last year just ahead of Dankel with Alessio Mazzeo, winner a year earlier, completing the podium. Mazzeo of course will be aiming for a return to the top step of the podium this weekend.

Another interesting boost for the touring car class is that of Toni Gruber. While he is the reigning European Champion in 1:10, his ENS focus has always been 1:8 but this weekend he will compete in both classes adding to the competitiveness of the Round 4 entry. For reigning champion Teemu Leino a DNF at the season opener left him the back foot. Fourth at Round 2 was an improvement but with testing for the 1:8 Worlds forcing him to miss the third round, his title chances were over. As a result the Finn, who claimed Infinity’s first ever major title last year when he won the 1:10 championship in Fiorano, will only race 1:8 this weekend. In addition to looking to Todtmann for a strong championship finish, Shepherd will have high hopes their quick new for 2017 Spanish recruit Eduardo Escandon can go one better on the competitive 2nd place he took in Ettlingen.