2009 European Champion !

Hupo Hönigl – 2009 European Champion!

after years of being on the podium at the Euro’s, the Austrian CRC driver nails down the T.Q. and the win!

 

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An awesome facility  for the 2009 European Championships in Italy.

It is not often you can get a sun tan while racing indoors on carpet!

The 2009 European Championships took place in Italy, with the AF Models team that hosted the 2006 World Championships also hosting this event at a new venue. Originally scheduled for Spain in the traditional late March date, the European Championships was significantly altered from years before. For 2009, Touring cars and 1:12th would compete during the same weekend. And speaking of weekends, the race was moved to the exact same weekend of the Snowbirds, a large indoor race in the USA that typically sees a number of European drivers. With such a prestigious event, most all the top European drivers elected to support their home race. And with names like Rheinard, Hönigl, Levanen, Groskamp, Volker, Moore, Ahoniemi and Leino; this meant many of the very best road racers in the world would be competing  in Europe.

Going into this years European Championships (EC), there were some drivers that were on a roll. Always a threat was UK driver Andy Moore. Juho Levanen with a vice-champion at the recent World Championships and a strong run in Vegas was a hot 1:12th scale prospect. Last Year’s Snowbirds winner Teemu Leino, while not able to defend in the U.S.A., would the Fin take the EC as his prize.

The CRC teammates of Hupo Hönigl and Jilles Groskamp have also been on a hot streak as well. Hupo and Jilles took the front row at the IIC with their CRC Gen-X 12 cars. Hupo went on to win the A-main with Jilles 4th. Then, on to the World Championships where Hupo found his way on the podium, scoring another impressive result with his teammate Jilles placing A-final as well. Going into the 2009 EC in Italy, the two Tamiya/CRC pilots were red hot and a good bet to take the championship.

Equipment:

Chassis:     For the 2009 EC, both Hupo and Jilles chose the production CRC Generation-X  kit #3200. For the entire 2008/2009 racing season, the 3200 Generation-X car kit has been shipping with the Brushless rear pod (3349) and narrow diff hub (4227) included in the kit. The car was run with very few option parts, with only the graphite front end brace (3277) being added to the stock kit.

Tires:    CRC Pro Cut tires with Magenta front (2172) and Pink rear (2175) compounds offering the best grip for the conditions. CRC was the first to bring ”High Roller” 38 mm wheels to the 12th racing market. They say imitation is the purest form of flattery and all the tire makers have now followed along.

Body shell:    The Black Art Pacemaker BA003, (4166). While the World Champion, Cleveland Champion and Snowbird Champion Black Art R8C was not legal for this EFRA event, the Black Art Pacemaker was approved and soon the world would know that the CRC/Black Art combination was a strong force under any regulations.

The Results

The EC 2009 would consist of 6 qualifying rounds and triple mains with a practice main as well. The Champion at the Euros is truly the best that weekend; the best combination of driver, car and power. Unlike many single main championships where luck plays a major part, the triple main format leaves little room for a lucky victory. In the end, a special congratulations to our hard working team driver, Hupo Hönigl. After coming so close in many European Championships before, Hupo is the winner of the 2009 European Championship. After 6 rounds of qualifying,  Hupo was the Top Qualifier with his LRP powered CRC machine. Joining Hupo in the A-main, the Speed Passion powered Gen-X of Jilles Groskamp. In addition, Ronald Volker used CRC tires to also place in an A-Final position.

Hupo went on to win 2 of the A-mains, clinching the victory. In a strange twist, poor Jilles Groskamp finished 2nd in all 3 A-mains and it seemed like a lock for 2nd place result. However, Levanen’s 3,1 tied Jilles 2,2 result with the tie breaker giving Juho the 2nd position. A great podium for Groskamp from 6th on the grid and double podium for the CRC teammates. Congratulations to all the drivers!

3rd – Jilles Groskamp, T.Q. + 1st Hupo Hönigl, 2nd Juho Levanen