The ENS was the first major nitro championship in Europe to introduce hand-out tyres. This keeps the racing perfectly fair, as the tyres are always in control of the ENS team, with drivers collecting them just before their race and returning them immediately after.
Quality is key
With the responsibility for producing so many tyres for each event being so important, the ENS team looked for the best possible tyre partner. It is important that the tyres are perfectly consistent so that a driver has confidence each set he fits will work the same. Therefore, it was an easy choice to work with Matrix for the last few years. The well known Italian brand provides us with tyres for both 1/10 and 1/8 scale classes. With over 5000 individual tyres expected to be used throughout the weekend practice, qualifying and finals, Matrix has shown us that they can keep producing the high quality tyres we need for an event like this.
All about setup
With the tyres being the same for everyone, it comes down to how each driver can develop their cars setup. With all the major teams being represented at the race, advice for a base line is usually easy to find, but it’s the fine tuning by each driver to get the most out of the tyres that will decide who can stand on the podium.
Long finals – a different approach
With the ENS running 20 minute lower finals, and up to 45 minutes for the A Finals, using the Matrix tyres differently in the 4 minute qualifying rounds and long finals is critical. Drivers will use the free practice on Thursday to try to work on both these aspects of setup, perhaps using one set over multiple runs to try to simulate the wear of the long finals on Sunday.