HPI Racing - 2001 HPI Challenge World Finals

2001 HPI Challenge

Friday morning started with another petit dejeuner, this time even earlier than the day before, because this was the official pratice day. Before noon, no cars were allowed on the track so all drivers had an equal chance to set up their car and practice.


Racers check out the American's cars	The booking-in line went on and on...	...and on and on.	Booking-in was done by staff from HPI Europe

A wide variety of countries were represented - from Greece to Russia, Hungary to the U.K. and Scotland, not to forget Germany, Spain, the US, France, Switzerland and Austria. About 140 racers were pre-entered, and with the large number of racers representing their countries, it was guaranteed to be an interesting weekend of close racing while making lots of new friends from around the world.

In the pits...
Just one Austrian was entered, but you wouldn't have known it from the amount of equipment he lent the American racers! Werner (pronounced like the city of Vienna) was quite a bit of fun and helped the Americans in the pits and in the pubs, along with his trusty Swiss mechanic.

Patrick of Avio & Tiger lent the Americans a power supply, extension cord, and even a Pro 3 kit to Rodney Clemente when his cars and tools didn't arrive from UPS!

Stories of the bus trip made by the 47 German racers (all, it should be mentioned, on the same bus) made their way to the UK HPI staff, who could only shake their heads.


USA racer Rusty Wigley's concours car	The driver stand was quite busy!	The Germans! They were a force to be reckoned with	The Scots and Werner from Austria (seated)

The language barrier isn't a tough a problem as you would think, since so many racers have learned English or basic English terms in school. However, a phrase book does come in handy at times, especially when at a restaurant. The best bet is to sit at the same table as someone who speaks French!

The HPI Challenge 2001 World Finals shirt, designed by Porl of HPI Europe, looked wonderful.

Nice longsleeve polo shirts, provided to the race staff by the local club and Avio & Tiger, were a great help in keeping the chill away during the "mistral" winds of the Provence area.

Of course the French contingent of racers (more than 20 racers) was very large, exceeded only by the Germans with 44 racers.

The Track
The building the track was located in was on piece of land that contained a very large 1/8 scale track, however because of the cold "mistral" winds that could come up at any time the event was held indoors in a building that could hold a huge track, accomodate up to 200 racers and had an asphalt floor. For the purposes of fairness, no R/C car was driven on the track before practice started, because the white track lines were painted the week of the race! Full-size car tires were used to hold 4" thick ropes that racers quickly realized could grab hold of a car and cause a spin or flip. Any dust on the surface was kept between the asphalt rocks, and in the first rounds of practice dust plumes could be seen behind some of the cars. However, conditions were the same for everyone and grip did improve during the weekend.


Concentration was important on the stand	The track had a couple of tight sections	It also had a lot of fast sections!	The USA racers brought plenty of flags to represent

Practice
Practice started soon after the handout equipment was passed out and "booking in" was completed. The Nitro classes were the first to go, to give the Electric class racers a chance to mount their handout LRP Quantum Super Sport (for Mini and Sport drivers) and Quantum Pro Sport speedos (for Pro class drivers), plus Team Orion RC3000 V-Max batteries and motors. Orbital 17 turn double wind motors were used for the Mini and Sport classes, while the Pro class received Mach Mod 12 turn triple wind motors.

Drivers were given four rounds for practice, driving with the same racers they would be running qualification rounds with. With no driver having an advantage by being able to run the course or even set their car on the track before practice began, it was a very professional way to start the weekend. If only championship races were run this same way!


Marshalls had marked spots and orange vests	The Greek racers had a lot of speed	American Jon Sterling readies his car for practice	The Germans came prepared!

Spectators had a chance to watch from bleachers set up around the track, and local club volunteers kept out of the pit areas anyone who wasn't a racer or mechanic. Only authorized people could enter the pit area, either racers with hand stamps or race officials with the black longsleeve T-shirts. The overall setup was very professional, certainly above the level of many top-level races in other parts of the world.

The third round of practice finished, the team managers for each country were told to ask their racers if they wanted a fourth round. The resounding answer: yes! More practice allowed more setup changes and track time, and the practice was finished at around 6 PM.