Track Focus – ERT Steyregg

Name/Club – ERT Steyregg
Country – Austria
Location – Steyregg (10km South East of Linz)
Direction – Anti-Clockwise
Surface – Astro
Previous key events hosted – 0

Season #8 of the EOS comes to a conclusion this weekend with a first visit to the ERT Steyregg in Austria.  Built in 1997, the track is the home of the ERT Steyregg club which was founded 10-years earlier at different location nearby until the land was required for housing.  Coming to an arrangement to rent a plot of land from a local Earl, the club originally built a dirt track which after a few years was then converted to a concrete surface.  Due to the freezing conditions of the Austrian winters, which destroyed the top surface, this meant a lot of work each year as the surface had to be redone annually.  Three years ago the decision was then made to convert the track to full astro turf, and with the club which once had a membership of 100 but is now just 20, this means a huge reduction in the amount of track work needed and if the weather is fine means they can even resume racing as early as February.  Unfortunately an on-road track built to the rear of the drivers stand is no longer in use as the result of the high dust levels generated by a nearby gravel plant.

Having already successfully secured his 3rd consecutive 2WD title at the previous round in Arena 33, Michal Orlowski described the ERT Steyregg track as ‘tough’.  Arriving to a wet track this morning after overnight rain, with more unfortunately on the forecast for Saturday & Sunday, he added ‘the layout is quite difficult’ with its mixture of uphill and downhill chicanes.  With the warm weather making for ever changing tracks conditions as it dries out, this has meant the main focus has been on chasing the conditions but he is happy with how it’s been going so far.

Winner of the season opener, Joona Haatanen described the track as ‘different’ but added, ‘I like it’.  The young Finn said ‘where you stand on the drivers stand completely transforms how the track is to drive’. Having ran free practice on the left side, he moved to the right side of the drivers stand for timed practice and ‘it was like a completely different track’.  Like Orlowski, he said the track has felt different each run but added ‘if it stays like it is now is it is going to make for good racing’.

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