HPI European Challenge:
The winners are announced!

Ashby race report | Letters from UK racers | Results after 5 Rounds | Race Six: Bedworth Report

 HPI Challenge European Championships 1999 

September in the UK, hot sunny days? 28 degrees? Sunshine for three days? Surely there must be some mistake! No, these were the conditions that greeted the HPI European Challenge at the magnificent Ashby circuit. We had anticipated the usual type of weather that had greeted the HPI Challenge at Ashby back in March.  We were pleasantly surprised to see that the misty mornings gave way to fantastic weather and scorching heat. 

The Europeans had sent over their best drivers to take on the best of the British who had been competing in the UK HPI Challenge. Make no mistake about the HPI Challenge in the UK for it not only catered for the top pro's but also for novice racers who were delighted to have qualified for an international event with other classes they could only have dreamed about.

Drivers from the UK, Germany and Switzerland drivers made up the bulk of the entrants with Italy, Spain, Hungary, Holland, Greece and even Russia also sending over a large numbers making up busy race meeting with 12 heats and just short of 120 drivers.

Friday was open practice and most of the foreign drivers took the advantage to get to know the Ashby track. Some of the quick foreign drivers gave the Brits some cause for concern as to how quickly they were on the pace!

A quick glance at the weather forecast showed that it was going to be a hot weekend and the conditions on the track - perfect!

Saturday started with a heavy mist but the sun soon broke through and the open practice lasted for two hours prior to the driver's briefing and concours competition. The President of HPI, Tatsuro Watanabe, came over from America to see what we were up to.  Also present were Stefan Kohler, Kevin Moore and Andy Kramer from LRP, plus Philippe Neidhart, Oscar Jansen and Jean Marc Bettinger from Team Orion, and we cannot forget the huge efforts of Race Organiser Greg Hill and Alan Fernihough on behalf of HPI Europe.

To make the racing more even, the competitors were "Handed Out" two sets of Orion 2000 cells, a Team Orion motor and LRP speed controllers. These items were available for the drivers to purchase at the end of the meeting for an incredibly discounted price.

After the driver's briefing the concours was a very close call and was eventually won by our very own Chris Kapp from the UK. His stunning paint job would have made even Terry Atkinson proud!

LET THE RACING BEGIN...

ROUND 1

Racing started with the first of five rounds of qualifying at 11.00am and first out was the Nitro Sport class. British Champion, Peter Sergeant soon set the pace and had a fairly easy win over Alain Gaillard and Chris Gonos. British drivers Brodie Gardias and Nick Bruty came home 4th and 5th.

Big problems for British champion, Alex Fernihough, as his drive belt came off in the warm up so the race was won by the Greek duo of Phillipe Louis and John Arkoymanis. Swiss drivers Pierre Mieville and Alain Gaillard kept out the other Brits who also encountered starting problems.

Electric Sport driver, Sebastien Leuenberger from Switzerland took one heat win whilst the other heat win went to fellow countryman Phillipe Peyer. British champion, Allen Wong and Stephen Wheeler had to make do with second places.

With 34 entries in the Pro class the competition was going to be close and Robin Hammett soon showed he had the speed to take on the best by posting a 17 301. Other heat wins went to the Italian youngster, Alberto Maschio, The Germans, Patrick Beck and Frank Hattisch took the other two heat wins. Other Brits doing well were Adam Read and Darren Styles whilst Fred Wing, the "Worlds Fastest Model Car Driver" was struggling after falling victim to food poisoning from Friday evening.

In the RS4 Rally class, British champion, Dominic Carter could only manage a third place behind Martin Kowalsk, but the win in this first 'final' went to the Swiss driver Sven Zund.

The British drivers had no answer to the incredibly quick Marc Pfemmiger in the mini class and Pete Winton who was the only driver to come close and he was almost a lap down! British champion, Lee Groves could only manage a 3^rd place finish. Germany's Brian Olbrich took the other heat win from Michael Creasey.

ROUND 2

There was no stopping Peter Sergeant in the Nitro Sport class but an improving Brodie Gardias moved up to third overall. Alex Fernihough came back with a vengeance when he took the win in the Nitro Racer class with a 31 lapper in the ten-minute race, from the Greek duo. John Dobney was the next best Brit in 5th place.

Little change in the Sport class with most drivers improving their times, particularly Stephen Wheeler and Gereon Schafer who also took a heat win.

Robin Hammett held on to top spot in the Pro class, but lower down in the rankings there was a heat win for the UK's Dave Herridge.

Dominic Carter improved in the Rally class but again it was Sven Zund from Switzerland who took the win. First time out for the Russian driver, German Simakov saw him finish in 6th place to take his first point.

Alex Seibel took a heat win in the Mini class but once again Marc Pfemmiger was the driver to beat. Germany's Michael Maisch improved and there was also an appearance for a young Russian driver, Sergey Dodonov.

The Invitational heat saw Holland's Oscar Jansen give a demonstration of driving with an 18 313 from Andy Kramer, Jean Marc Bettinger and Stefan Kholer.

ROUND 3

By now the temperatures were well into the 80's and the Nitro cars were really getting warmed up as Peter Sergeant made it three wins out of three in the Nitro Sport class. Nick Bruty improved as all the drivers completed their ten-minute stints.

Thanks to a remarkably quick fuel stop, Alex Fernihough took the win by just two seconds in the Racer class from John Arkoymanis from Greece.

Gereon Schafer took a heat win in the Sport class with Chris Kapp getting a 2nd place and Jon Emery improving by two laps to move up the leader board.

It was still Robin Hammett who held on to FTD (Fastest Time of the Day) at the end of round two in the Pro class from Nicolas Pasini and Derren Styles. Chris Smith was the next best Brit down in 9th spot. Fred Wing felt a little better and moved up to 20th.

Sven Zund made it a hat trick of wins to hold onto top spot in the Rally class with Dominic Carter improving from Martin Kowalski and Jon Withington.

No change in the Mini class as the British drivers tried everything to match the pace of the very smooth driving of Marc Pfenniger on these 'straight out of the box' cars using identical equipment.  Where does he get his speed?

ROUND 4

David Kapp was the only driver to improve in the Nitro Sport class but his time still kept him in 6th position. It was different in the Racer class as Alex Fernihough really went for it with a 32 lapper as Jon Dobney now moved up to 3rd spot.

Chris Kapp's 2nd place in one of the heats of the Sport class moved him up to 3rd overall with Ben Jaggerd also moving up a couple of places.

Nicolas Pasini was really putting the pressure on Robin Hammett and moved to within one second on the overall leader board. Reto Dobler from Germany also improved a couple of places up the leader board whilst lower down in the placings, Paul Truelove also moved up three places.

There was no catching Zven Zund in the rally class as he took win number 4 whilst there was little change in the minis with the exception of Lee Groves improving to 5th spot. Your editor Peter Emery who was trying a mini for the first time found the Mercedes A Class somewhat tricky to handle yet he still managed a respectable 14 laps.

So as day one came to an end the drivers looked forward to finals day and they very quickly went back to their hotels to make fine adjustments to their cars...However it's not quite what the "very quiet" British contingent thought though.  Get the BBQ's out, followed closely by gallons (it seemed) of alcohol and a ready-made night of entertainment!  Let's just say it's a good job no one had to drive anywhere that night.  Now hand me some paractamol...pleeeaasse.

DAY 2

ROUND 5

Early morning mist once again greeted the drivers and the early start time of 8.30 AM caught some of the drivers by surprise as the hangovers were fairly common amongst the caravaners and campers.

Peter Sergeant booked his place to California with yet another win in the Nitro Sport class on a cold track surface where no driver improved. The track must have warmed up in the Nitro Racer class, for we saw Alex Fernihough improve with a 32 6:10 after a confrontation with a back marker which almost took out the Greek driver, John Arkoymanis. The top three drivers were covered by just 5 seconds after their ten-minute racing.

Gereon Schafer improved his time in the Sport class but not his position, whilst Allen Wong's 2nd heat place improved his time.  Boris Herzog from Germany sneaked into the A Final in this last qualifying round.

Nicolas Pasini left it to the last round of qualifying to take FTD ahead of the British pair of Robin Hammett and Darren Styles. Chris Smith would be the only other UK driver to compete in the finals. Fred Wing was bumped into the C Final after his best run so far.

No improvements in the Rally class meant that Zven Zund booked his place in California with his fifth win. The hand out motors were beginning to show their age as no drivers improved in the Mini class and it could have been that they were saving their motors for the finals.

FINALS

With the Nitro cars using the best 6 from 8 finals for their scoring along with the rally class this was their 6th final of the weekend but this time they started on the main grid.

Peter Sergeant confirmed his status with yet another 30 lap win from Nick Bruty who was two laps down in 2nd spot. Chris Gonos from Greece managed third from Brodie Gardias and Alain Gaillard.

It was time for Alex Fernihough to book his place in California in the Nitro Racer class with yet another win with 32 laps from his main rival John Arkoymanis and Jon Dobney.

Dominic Carter finally got into winning ways with a first place from another British driver, Jon Withington. Arpad Kocsis from Hungary was a good third with the Russian, Simakov in fourth.

The B Final for the RS4 Sport saw the Hungarian, Laszio Stefka take the win from Nick Bruty who was just 3 seconds down. Nick beat off the challenge of the two German drivers whilst Jon Emery finished a close 5th.

In the A Final, Sebastien Leuenberger stamped his authority to take the win by 5 seconds from Geren Schafer. Chris Kapp was the top Brit in 5^th place.

The D Final for the RS4 Pro Class saw Germany's Frank Bauer take an easy win from Barry Yeend and Ivan Laptev.

Fred Wing's mistake on the first corner saw him climb back to second but it wasn't enough to stop Matt Truelove taking the win. Attila Svajda from Hungary was third with the rest of the British drivers trailing behind.

The B Final saw Adam Read retire on lap 3 after collision damage. This left the Italian, Alberto Maschio to take the win from Frank Strasser and Phillipe Peyer.

In the A final Nicolas Pasini ran out the winner by just two seconds from Robin Hammett and Darren Styles.

A win from Michael Creasey in the B Final for the Mini was hard earned as he won by just 4 seconds from Sergio Leung and Kevin 'Spanner' Davis. Marc Pfemmiger ran out the easy winner in the A Final from Michael Maisch and Alex Seibel. Lee Groves could only manage 4th place after being lapped by the winner on the five-minute mark.

Despite improvements from Alain Gaillard and Chris Gonos they couldn’t catch Peter Sergeant in the Nitro Sport class final. Likewise in the Nitro Racer it was Alex again from John Arkoymanis and Jon Dobney.

Domonic Carter took his second win of the day from Sven Zund by just 4 seconds. Arpad Kocsis finished third with Jon Withington in fourth place.

In the B Final of the Sport class, Roland Knopfel improved on a 16 315 to take the win from Laszio Stefka and Nick Bruty. Jon Emery was a very close fourth.

In the A Final Gereon Schafer crossed the line just 6/10ths of a second ahead of Sebastien Leunenberger to make it one win each.

Frank Bauer again took the victory in the D final for the Pro cars, whilst Fred Wing took the win in the C final after race leader Attila Svajda ran out of power on the last lap.

A close race in the B final saw Adam Read lead for most of the race until his cells gave way on the last corner to hand the win to Alberto Maschio by just 1 second.

Despite an attack on his lead by both Darren Styles and Robin Hammett, young Nicolas Pasini drove superbly well to hold off both drivers to book his ticket to California by taking the A Final win.

Michael Creasey and Sergio Leung were the best of the drivers in the B final for Minis and in the A Final Marc Pfemmiger made it three out of three to take the win in the A final from Michael Maisch.

FINAL 3

Peter Sergeant rounded off a successful day with yet another win despite improvements from Alain Gailard and Nick Bruty who all finished on 29 laps.

John Arkoymanis would at last go back to Greece with a win in the Racer class after Alex's 2nd gear went and he was hauled in and eventually passed by John. Consistent driving by Jon Dobney saw him finish third despite also losing his 2nd gear.

Third win in a row for Dominic Carter in the rally class after a good challenge from martin Kowalski and Jon Withington making it a British 1-2-3.

Nick Bruty finally got his first win of the day in the B final for the electric Sport class but only just from Roland Knopfel and Laszio Stefka who were both within four seconds of him at the finish.

Gereon Schafer booked his place to the states with a win in the A final by two seconds over Sebastien Leunenberger and Allen Wong.

Scott Murray managed a win at the expense of Frank Bauer who retired in the D final for the Pro class.

There was no stopping the flying Fred Wing who won the C final from Attila Svajda and David Wright who put in his best performance of the day.

Alberto Maschio made certain of his B final win by holding off the German, Frank Strasser. Dave Herridge improved but it still left him in 4th place.

Despite the brave efforts of Darren Styles and Robin Hammett they could not catch Nicolas Pasini in the A final, who made it three wins out of three.

Kevin Davis gained his best position of the day finishing second the Michael Creasey in the B final for the Minis whilst Michael Maisch also gained a win in the A final.

As the presentations got underway the drivers reflected on what had been a very successful first HPI European Challenge Championships. Britain will be sending two young drivers, Peter Sergeant and Alex Fernihough to California to take part in a two day HPI National meeting where they will take on the best of the Americans. Thanks must go to Radio Race Car Magazine for supporting the event and to LRP and Team Orion for the loan of the equipment. Finally, thanks also go to HPI Europe for their insight in organising the event and to the staff of Ashby Woulds Model Car Club for putting on an excellent three day meeting.

The event will definitely be run again next year in another country, possibly Barcelona in Spain, or in Germany or Switzerland, HPI has yet to decide, but we are assured the European Series will be improved for next year and the series in the UK will once again take place at the best tracks in the UK.  Hopefully the series will again attract some top drivers and new faces alike. From a personal point of view the series has been very successful particularly as Alex has done so well. Even so we have had some great days out and met many new friends. We hope we have helped some new drivers along the way as this is surely the way these one make series must be. Anyone thinking of trying this sport could not go far wrong by trying a 'one make' series as it provides hours fun and has a class to suit everyone.

RESULTS

Race Six: Bedworth

Our report from Bedworth, the last race of 1999 for the HPI UK Challenge! The winners of this series are eligible to compete in the HPI European Championships, to be held later this year. The winners of the Championships will then be flown to California to race at the final HPI Challenge race of the year, in sunny Southern California!

The final round of the 1999 HPI Challenge was staged at the midlands Bedworth circuit, and as dawn broke the skies looked ominously grey. The drivers arrived at the track to find the surface damp but with a drying wind. Although three championships had been decided there was still
plenty to play for, not only the British Championship but also a qualifying place for this years European Challenge and with just a few places up for grabs it looked like most drivers had something at least to drive for. Bob Burr gave us his usual driver's briefing before racing got underway.

Round 1
First out onto the damp slippery track were the Nitro Sports who found that the grip levels were at their worst because it was neither dry or completely wet. As the cars slithered around it was series leader Peter Sergeant who posted 14 laps ahead of Nick Bruty and David Kapp. With 10 RS4 Nitro Racers booked in it looked like there was going to be a lot of activity on the track, not just for the drivers but also for the marshalls as the rain came down making the track into the proverbial 'ice rink'. Jon Dobney managed to keep his car on the black stuff to record 12 laps from Stuart Tennant and Mark Jackson. Allen Wong was the fastest of the bunch of RS4 Sport cars and managed 14 laps of the circuit after the nitro's had kindly laid down a concoction of fuel and water! Nick Bruty was just 1 lap down with Chris Kapp and Jon Emery next over the line. Sam Groves, the only lady driver at the meeting also improved and is now getting the hang of these excellent starter class cars.

Robin Hammett topped the leader board for the RS4 Pro class with Norwich's Darren Styles just a few seconds behind. John Parsons and Syd Evans were the next best with some drivers having problems keeping the water out of the electrics.

The conditions were ideal for the RS4 Rally class and because of the sealed trays on these cars the water didn't affect them too much as they slid around the Bedworth circuit. 'Guest' driver, Mike Leavesley decided that he was going out on slicks as the others opted for the 'x pattern tyres'. This proved to be the right choice as Mike topped the leader board with an excellent 15 laps from Jon Withington and Andy Benson. A couple of non -HPI cars joined in the fun in the mini class and it was Lee Devey who came out the winner from Michael Creasey and Lee Groves.

Round 2
The wind was now drying the track in parts and with the forecast of more rain this was going to be the round to post the best times. Sheffield driver, Peter Stefanski moved up to third in the RS4 Nitro Sport class and amongst the other improvers were Brodie Gardias and Michael Stefanski. Alex Fernihough took the opportunity of a drying track to take FTD in the Nitro Racer class using very old, soft tyres as Mark Jackson moved up to third and Luke Lloyd up to 5th in his first Nitro race. The 'Out of the box' RS4 Sports took to the track with Ben Jaggerd topping the times with a 14.305 from an improving Chris Kapp. New to the class, James Lovell surprised everyone by outgunning the series regulars to top the table in the RS4 Pro Class. He finished a fraction in front of Robin Hammett and Allen Wong.

Martin Kowalski made a challenge for top spot in the Rally class but couldn't beat Mike Leavesley's round 1 time. Dominic carter improved as did Les Mainwaring. Michael Creasey took FTD in the Mini class as Lee Groves moved up a place.

Round 3
Up and coming Nitro Sport driver, Brodie Gardias gave Peter Sergeant a fright as he took second spot on the leader board with an excellent 14 laps. Brother, Dexter was not so fortunate as he hit the barrier which took off his rear wheel.

Wet conditions for the Nitro Racer class meant no improvements except for Adam Read driving the car he won in the previous round raffle. He put in 11 laps with Martin Stretton also improving.
Allen Wong moved to FTD spot with a 15 lapper as Chris Kapp demoted Ben Jaggerd to third.
Greg Hill, the series co-ordinator, decided to take to the track and immediately took second spot, but not before Darren Styles posted FTD. No change in the Rally class apart from your Ed. Peter Emery who was finally getting to grips with the conditions despite a scraping bodywork.  The Minis again mixed it with the guest cars and there was no change here either.

Round 4
After a few consultations and a quick look at the sky it was decided to run another round, just as it started the rain came down again. No real surprises as the track was really wet, but in the Nitro racer class, Stuart Tennant came within 4 seconds of FTD. Allen Wong improved in the Sport class as did Fred Wing in the Pro's but could not make that A Final place he was so desperate for!

FINALS
RS4 Nitro Sport
The rain didn't stop for the finals so they got underway with the RS4 Nitro Sports. Polesitter Peter Sergeant didn't make the start so it was Brodie Gardias heading the field for the first time. Nick Bruty followed Brodie for a couple of laps before taking the lead for the remainder of the race. Andy Knowlton retired on lap 6 as did Michael Stefanski on lap 7 as the other driver tip-toed around the circuit. Some drivers were even tempted to go the distance on one tank of fuel but were persuaded to do a 'splash and dash' shortly before the end.

RS4 Nitro Racer
Alex Fernihough starting from his fifth pole position of the season got a good start and headed the field for the first half of the race as Stuart Tennant followed closely. Stuart took the lead during the fuel stops and Alex lost time in spins as he attempted to take the lead back. Luke Lloyd in his first Nitro final picked up third place as Martin Stretton came home fourth from Jon Dobney and Mark Jackson who retired on lap 7. Adam Read's first nitro final ended on lap four after some problems with a mixture of fuel and water.

RS4 Sport
Allen Wong made no mistakes in the Sport class to take a fairly easy win from Ben Jaggerd and Nick Bruty. Jon Emery improved to fourth as the others found the conditions a little too slippery.

RS4 Pro
B Final
Despite his disappointment at being in the B Final, Fred Wing made no mistakes to clock up another win as his closest rivals, Andy Lloyd, who didn't make the start and Sean White who retired on lap 2. Barry Yeend came up from 7th on the grid to take an excellent 2nd from Mike Rollinson and Steve Chau.Tom Garnham made sure of his European place with a 6th position.

A Final
Greg Hill and Syd Evans decided to sit this one out and leave it to Robin Hammett, Darren Styles and Chris Smith, to see who would be British champion. A mistake by Chris Smith allowed Robin and Darren to pull out a good lead on lap one as John Parsons took third spot. These positions were held until the finish, with Robin taking the win by 3 seconds but Darren Styles taking the championship.

RS4 Rally
Mike Leavesley took an early lead but after a couple of spins it was Martin Kowalski who came out the winner. Jon Withington was third despite having a 10 second penalty. Peter Emery lost over a minute on his first lap and found it difficult to make up the time lost.

RS4 Mini
Kevin Davis drove consistantly to take the win from third place on the grid from series champion Lee Groves and Michael Creasey as the rain was now at its worst of the day.

The points were calculated, and after the presentation the announcement that some drivers automatically qualify for the European Championships was greeted with delight from some and for others the possibility of a chance from the reserve list.

The British Champions are as follows:

So this years series has come to an end except for the European Championships. As a 'one-make' series it has proved to be a great success. It has meant that drivers from all over the country were able to choose a class which best suited them wether they were complete novices or regular racers. The rules meant that for some classes the cars were completely standard and so close racing was guaranteed. The series also gave the opportunity to race at venues where other one make cars do not go, and this year there have been six different tracks, all of which have tested the drivers to the limit. 112 drivers took part in this year's innaugral series, and next year looks to be even better by introducing things learnt from this year. So as the drivers look forward to taking on the best in Europe at the European Challenge at Ashby, they reflected on what has been an excellent series with lots of new friends made and the prospect of doing it all over again next year. Thanks must go to all the drivers who took part  this year and for travelling to circuits such as Tiverton in the south and Tibshelf in the north. Thanks also to the race directors at Ashby, West London, Aldershot, Tibshelf, Tiverton and Bedworth for their help, and finally to HPI Europe for the foresight in introducing these six classes of racing and for providing the free race entries, vouchers and excellent free raffle prizes.

See you all at the Euro's and for those who didn't quite make it, better luck in 2000!

Report and pictures from our first race at Ashby:

Racers in England and the United Kingdom (UK) have been enjoying HPI/Team Orion-sponsored races since early April, with our offices in HPI Europe holding the HPI Challenge series of races. The first race was at an old BMX track (complete with banked turns and flattened jumps) in overcast rainy weather. However, this is a normal racing condition in the UK and the racing went on anyway! Peter Emery of Radio Race Car International (a UK R/C publication) has been attending the races since the very first race in Ashby and even wrote an article to get more HPI racers interested in racing their kits! The Ashby track is just around the corner from the HPI Europe main offices, so we were able to provide a lot of technical support from HPI Racers!

These pictures are from the first race in Ashby:

HPI General Managers Shawn Ireland and Jason Dearden	Nitro RS4 racers getting their cars ready in the pits	The indoor pit spaces filled up quickly!	A full field of drivers for racing gets ready
Racers prepping their cars for the races	A sharp looking Subaru Impreza WRC on an RS4 Rally	Shawn Ireland (HPI USA GM) gets ready to run an RTR Nitro RS4	Racers have fun getting ready.
Qualifying just about ready to get under way	Marshalling duties come with racing	Supercross-style starts are the norm	A damp track made for tricky running - but the rain was far worse!
The final turn of the course, dominated by the scoring tower	Nitro racers get ready to go, their mechanics ready to se the cars down	The start for one of the mains - the track is just starting to dry out!	More nitro racers prepare to go
A field behind the stand let the cold wind blow right up to the drivers	At the end of the day, happy racers!

Excerpts from letters that racers sent us after the first round (in Ashby):

"I would like to take a minute to write to you to praise the way that the first round of the Radio Race Car/HPI Challenge was handled and arranged.

The event, despite being held on a very wet day, was in my opinion an excellent success, I know everyone that I spoke to felt the same. The racing itself was very well organised and the technical back up available from the HPI staff was second to none. I would particularly like to thank Greg Hill and Jamie Booth, without their help I would have been driving back home to Manchester with a waterlogged HPI Subaru! Once again thank you to HPI for an excellent first event and thanks to your staff for their help, I look forward to future events.

Yours faithfully,

J. Withington
(signed)
Ashton Under Lyne"

And another letter from a racer and his girlfriend:

"I just wanted to write and thank you all at HPI for a great day last Sunday.

Myself and my girlfriend were really impressed with the whole event.

Despite the wet weather it was brilliant fun. Everybody was very friendly and there was a fantastic atmosphere.

We are looking forward to taking part in the next challenges.

Thanks again,

Pat Piesley & Wendy Hill
(signed)
Asfordby Hill"

Great comments from real racers! Thanks to everyone who attended all the races!

Current Overall Standings (after Ashby, West London, Tiverton, Aldershot and Tibshelf races):

There are 6 total races during the year in the HPI Challenge UK, the best 4 races will count towards the final standings. 101 points are gained for the fastest time of the day, then 99 points, 98, etc. The winner of the final gets 100 points, 99 for second, 98 for third, etc. Drivers have to complete one lap in the final to score points.

The last race of the series is August 8th in Bedworth, with the European Finals on September 4th and 5th at Ashby. HPI Racers from all over Europe will be there, and the champions that are listed below are already qualified to race in the HPI Challenge Finals!

RS4 Mini

RS4 Pro

RS4 Pro 2, RS4 Pro and modified RS4 Sport cars

RS4 Sport

Stock RS4 and RS4 Sport cars (bearings okay)

RS4 Rally

Stock RS4 Rally cars

Nitro RS4 Racer

Nitro RS4 kits, any HPI modifications

Nitro RS4 Sport

Stock Nitro RS4, RTR Nitro RS4 kits (bearings okay, stock engine, no tuned pipes)