HPI Racing - 2001 HPI Challenge World Finals

2001 HPI Challenge


It was really dark when we woke up (the hotel courtyard)	The onsite shop was busy!	A display car...	...and a display trophy!

Qualification Rounds
The driver's meeting started with Greg Hill breifing the team managers of each country. The team managers were either racers or helpers from each country who spoke English and would be the liason between Greg and the drivers. Because the information packets and rules were passed out weeks in advance to the drivers who were planning to go, there were virtually no questions that hadn't already been answered. For the driver's meeting involving all of the drivers, it was first conducted in English, then in French by race commentator Richard.


The race organizers get ready for the driver's briefing	Greg Hill introduces the race organizers	Drivers get their hands stamped	Drivers giving their full attention to Greg

The racers who had done their homework were very evident after the first day of racing heading into Sunday's main events:

Races started with the Electric Mini class, a racing class that is still popular in Europe and especially in Germany. Of the almost 20 racers in the class, about 90% were German! However, a Greek racer, Fotis Agelakopoulos, was able to take and hold onto TQ spot, although he had 7 hungry Germans behind him for the 3-leg Final races.


What we would call a "rallied out" Mini!	Dries from HPI Europe announced in English and French all weekend	The first cars going through scrutineering.	Drivers went outside to tune their engines

Electric Sport was next - this class was limited to all "sport-level" chassis, so no Pro 2 or Pro 3 cars were allowed, the newest chassis allowed is the Sport 2, plus racers had to run the LRP Quantum Sport speedo, Team Orion RC3000 stick packs and Team Orion 17 turn double wind motors with spec brushes. Ricky Copsey of the UK definitely showed he had done his homework, moving up in the last couple of rounds to take TQ for the triple-A Final.


A computer screen with the current race showed the times	The French drivers were the second-largest group in attendance	Hungarian racer Peter Major brought an elaborate motor tuning stand	The morning sun about to break over the roof of the race building

With any HPI touring car chassis and option part allowed, the Electric Pro class was a very fast one to watch. Team Orion 12 turn triple wind motors were used, as well as LRP Quantum Pro Sport speedos powered by Team Orion RC3000 stick packs. Kristopher Ritchie from the Scotland took TQ in the end, ahead of several very fast German racers! Kristopher had also TQ'd the Electric Pro class last year in Southern California but had not been able to nab the overall win. His dad Kenny was on hand again to help make sure Kris would do well.


USA's Derek Manchester writes down his race information	Austen Macrow of HPI Europe checks over cars	Rusty Wigley from Texas takes a short break	Race officials told each car when to start, standard for IFMAR starts

Next up was Nitro Stock, featuring basically out-of-the-box kits and allowing very limited option parts. Although the only motor allowed was the stock 15FE engine, the top racers in this class could have qualified as high as 5th in the Nitro Modified class! Nitro Stock racer Rudi Haupert held TQ after four rounds with Konstantin Aagrafiotis of Greece and Maxin Guilin of Russia in second and third, respectively.


"le menu" had several standard French foods - all good!	The dining area for the racers	The flagman pointed at each car when it was its turn to start	Timing and scoring at the end of the straightaway

Allowing any HPI option part, engine and exhaust, the Nitro Modified class made the fastest lap times of all the classes at the track. The body of choice was the CLK DTM body, a great choice for sleek high speed curves plus great front and rear downforce. Another Greek racer, John Sotiropoulos, took the pole with the only 20-lap run in Nitro Modified, with Andy Kraemer of Germany close behind in second. Andy's best run was the only one he was able to finish, since he had lots of trouble in his first three qualifying rounds! Coincidentally, Andy was the only LRP-sponsored driver at the race, the other 43 German racers are just THAT hardcore about racing! Only the Electric Sport and Nitro Stock classes prohibited sponsored drivers.


Skylights (see the shafts of sunlight in the Nitro fumes) provides lots of natural light	Common to all big races, the time sheet board was a popular stress area	That isn't morning fog!	Spectators and racers gather around the track

Although larger in size than any of the other cars, the Super Nitro Modified class cars were able to get around the track very easily. Dominic Carter, an 11-year old from Liverpool (and much more trouble off the track than he looks), held second in Super Nitro Modified, just .17 seconds behind Marko Cannes of Switzerland. The slick Toyota GT-One body was the favored body in this class, with all but 6 of the 28 racers using it.


Three club members handled the transponders and handout fuel	The short one on the stand is Dominic (aka the Little Troublemaker)	Derek and Jon from America relax a bit between races	Werner from Austria was the only one from his country!

At the end of the day all the drivers could see where they had qualified. With no bump-ups it was "do or die" for some racers. Every electric main was a 3-leg Final, meaning even the E Final racers got to race three times during the day to battle it out with the other racers for the coveted spots on the podium. A Final winners would get an HPI kit and a real marble and metal trophy, while the second and third place racers would get great-looking engraved plates! The top three racers in each of the other Finals would also get engraved plates, a great souvenir for a tough, well-fought weekend. For the Nitro racers, every main was a 20-minute finale, while the A Finals for the Nitro Modified and Super Nitro Modified classes were 30 minutes.

European cars
Certainly no visit to Europe by a car fan could be complete without checking out a parking lot full of cars belonging to racers and full-size racing fans. Because the race was held in France it was expected to see a large percentage of Peugeot and Renault cars, however it was interesting to see a few Fords (Contour hatchbacks and even a Probe), a Dodge minivan, a Mercedes minivan, a couple of Alfas and Fiats, as well as an Eagle Talon with current California plates! This one ended up belonging to Daniel Trnka, who recently moved to Switzerland after living in Southern California plates for several years. Among the "cooler" cars seen were the Smart Car, Mercedes A-Class, Peugeot 206 and 305 cars (versions of each race in WRC Rally competition), Peugeot 607 (sleek 2-door), and many others. Fans of foreign movies may recognise the 406 from the "Taxi" and "Taxi 2" movies!


Funky Fiat (not the car's real model name)	The Peugeot 406	Peugeot 206 - very small and popular	The Renault Clio, a Gran Turismo favorite

	Bet you haven't seen this Mercedes van before!	Another view of that Mercedes

Because of very high fuel prices (about $5 US per US gallon), 95% of the cars seen on highways and city streets are very small 2-door hatchbacks. Nearly all cars are diesel because of fuel economy, so the distinctive "tickticktick" sound of diesel engines is very common when walking on the extremely narrow streets. Four-door sedans are very rare and are generally acknowledged to belong to the moderately wealthy, quite a difference from America where sedans and sport-utility vehicles are the most common cars on the street. Pickup trucks, well...just don't exist in Europe for some reason.


The Alfa Romeo 156 was a rare sight	It was the only car ther with ptional ground effects	A real Nissan Primera (popular on the BTCC circuit)	The Renault Megane, another popular WRC car

Small European scooters made by brands such as Aprilia, Peugeot and many others are very popular as well, with riders and passengers risking life and limb by zipping around and between the equally aggressive car drivers. Larger motorcycles like Honda Shadows, Yamaha V-Max and sport bikes are rare but do exist. They just aren't as maneuverable as the scooters, and their high speeds can't be used on the city streets.


Scooters are favorites of teenagers and city dwellers	A dual-purpose bike with fat tires...	...and a dual-purpose bike with street tires

European food
Obviously no visit to anywhere in Europe could exclude a sampling of regional foods. What many Americans would recognize as "French food" in the U.S. is a conglomeration of different tastes that come from different regions. Just as the U.S. has various regions with specific types of foods (the South, the East Coast, New England, etc.), every country in Europe has several regions concentrated in much smaller areas, each with its own style of food, dialect and sometimes even different languages!

The local restaurants in various areas of France and other European countries have the luxury of being able to specialize in the food and tastes of their particular region, and the restaurants in Orange are no exception. Being in an old French town and a heavily trafficked tourist area during the summer also requires restaurants to be small but they all carry several dishes with the distinctive Provence (pronounced "praw-VAWNS") flavor, featuring garlic, tomatoes and thyme. Experiencing dishes of viendes (meat), poissons ("pwa-SONS", or fish), pate, omelette and salade is quite another experience when served by the prototypical French waiter and surrounded by French-speaking people. Of course, the dining experience usually includes a long wait for the actual food and drink, especially if you arrive with a large group - something travelers would take some getting used to! However, the wait lets you talk and laugh with your companions while you down the vin (wine) or beir and glance over the menu, so if you are patient (and you must be), you will have a great time and a good meal.