This was a tough race for me as well as for my teammate Freddy because just before going into this race; we were informed that the rest of the team (Hiro, Andy, Jilles) would not be joining us due to a last minute decision to pull out. Since I had planned my trip early, Freddy and I decided we would still race. Team HB was gong through an uncertain time and the mood was not great.
Freddy and I initially had real problems finding grip on the carpet but once the organizers announced that they had the wrong carpet, we understood. After a very impressive and professional carpet replacement effort, the standard ETS carpet provided the grip we expected but I was still unable to find the right setting for my car and simply ran out of time before qualifying. I did not qualify well, only made it into the C Main (with Viktor, Naoto, Martin), and in the finals had some serious bad luck getting taken out by a marshal and body tucking all the time. But you know, this is racing and its good to get these bad days out of the way early in the year.
I did enjoy the overall atmosphere and want to thank fellow HB Driver Pelle Culmsee for helping me set my car down. Haratune could not make the trip due to a foot operation. I also want to thank Ales from LRP for his support at the race.
After ETS, I had a short Chinese New Year holiday with my parents visiting Switzerland and other German cities, it was very enjoyable!
I want to wish everyone a Happy Chinese New Year of the Monkey!
