| The weekend
16.-18.April 2004 was set for the 1:12
scale European Championship in the city of Kapfenberg near
Graz in
Austria. All of the top 1:12 scale drivers from across
Europe are gathered to battle it out during this 3 day event.
Outside the weather conditions are great, one could expect
chilly conditions inside as the track is situated in an ice
skate ring, but of course there's no ice during the race.
The track itself has a good and challenging layout. The
track was brought and build by the german rc-car club SLR
Ingolstadt, who had the Euro 1:12 in 2001. They had done
this for the friends in Austria like CRC Euromanager Robert
Bachofner and the tsa speedfreaks. Friday was set for practice
rounds and one round of qualifying. Qualifying:  After 2 rounds of practice runs it was Finlands Sakke Ahoniemi who set the pace and made 32 laps with Great Britains David Spashett in second position, 2 seconds behind during the 8 minute practice run. When qualifying began Spashett had found more speed and was now on a 33 lap pace while in second place Sakke was one lap down. The remainning qualifying rounds were to be run Saturday, while finals were run Sunday. In the second round of qualifying David again improved and remained in the lead with Sakke in second position also improving. The Oriondriver Bernhard Bopp has not found his best speed and was on ranking 12, but Thomas Pumpler has a good start and runs on place 6. In the following rounds it was again a battle between David and Sakke, but also Simo Ahoniemi was on a fast pace, actually the Ahoniemi brothers managed to beat David's pace while David himself had difficulties getting the perfect car/tire balance. In round 3 Bernhard had a good run and goes behind Spashett and Hupo on place 5. So after the third round all later A-final drivers was gathered in the first ten of qualifying ranking. Still in round 4 was Sakke in front of Simo and David. The german champion Markus Mobers had a very good run and come up on place 5 - 0,35 sec before the german vice-champion Bernhard Bopp. But in round 5 Oriondriver Bernhard finished with his CRC carpet knife in 32 8.00.49 and goes up on place 4. And David was after round 5 with a fantastic run again on top setting the pace but with the Ahoniemi brothers quite close on his tail. At the end of the six rounds of qualifyings it was David Spashett with his CEFX car who TQ'ed and would be the one starting from the front row of the grid during tomorrow's finals racing. In round 6 it was CRC-driver Hubert Hönigl / Austria who can come up to 33 rounds and fight the final starting place 4 back from his CRC teamdriver Bernhard. A very strong run has had Teemu Saarinen in the last round and goes on place 6. Thomas Pumpler with his orion V2 fired Yokomo was from round 3 to 6 in ten´s position and made his best run in round 4.
The Orion / Peak - Team-Drivers of the A-Final
Final qualifying results:
The chassis pictures show the CEFX from David Spashett
and under the Orion fired Yokomo of Thomas Pumpler.
Orion powered CRC of Bernhard Bopp
Final results:
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| Start of the B-final. The price giving ceremony A-Final
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Startaufstellung A-Finale
Right - the CRC Chassis
