Tough 2012 Euros comes to an end for Reckward
Former World Champion Daniel Reckward’s 2012 European Championship campaign is over after the Mugen team driver went out in the 1/4 Finals when his throttle servo feel foul of muddy conditions in Fehring, Austria. A three time European Champion and a podium finisher in Germany last year, Reckward endured a tough qualifying. Despite breaking into the Top 10 for the first time with the seventh fastest time in the final round of qualifying he finished up 25th overall to line up 5th on the grid for the 1/4 Final-A. Waking to an overcast morning in Fehring the rain finally arrived just as the first of 1/8 finals was coming to an end continuing for the second 1/8 and leaving the track very slippery for the 1/4 finals.
In the first of the 1/4 Finals, Spain’s Daniel Bernabe having won his 1/8 final from pole position came through the field to take a 4-second win over former Champion Daniel Vega to secure his third bump up and a place in the Semi Finals along with young German talent Dominic Bauer and Finland’s Ari Heinonen.
The other 20-minute 1/4 Final saw 2-time champion Davide Tortorici take his Bliss powered Mugen to a narrow victory over 2010 podium finisher Martin Bayer who will join his factory Xray team-mate Renaud Savoya in the Semi Final-B. Securing the final two bump up positions to the Semi finals were British pairing Lee Martin, who only recently retained his 2WD Electric Buggy European title at the Fehring track, and Simon Willetts.
With the cloud cover having cleared allowing the sun to come out, the track is set to have at least a dry racing line for the running of the Semi Finals.
Semi-A Grid
1. Darren Bloomfield (GB) – TLR/Novarossi
2. Robert Batlle (ES) – Mugen/Novarossi
3. Miguel Matias (PT) – TLR/RB
4. Jérôme Aigoin (FR) – Kyosho/Novarossi
5. Jörn Neumann (DE) – Durango/Picco
6. Yannick Aigoin (FR) – Associated/Novarossi
7. Christoffer Svensson (SE) – Kyosho/OS
8. Jérôme Sartel (FR) – Agama/Bullit
9. Daniel Bernabe (ES) – S-Workz/RB
10.Daniel Vega (ES) – Agama/Reds
11.Dominic Bauer (AT) – Mugen/Novarossi
12.Ari Heinonen (FI) – Kyosho/Alpha
Semi-B Grid
1. David Ronnefalk (SE) – Kyosho/Orion
2. Renaud Savoya (FR) – Xray/RB
3. Elliot Boots (GB) – Kyosho/Novarossi
4. Joseph Quagraine (FI) – JQ/JQ
5. Borja Hernandez (ES) – LRP/Alpha
6. Neil Cragg (GB) – Associated/LRP
7. Teemu Leino (FI) – HB/LRP
8. Ignacio Candel (ES) – Mugen/RB
9. Davide Tortorici (IT) – Mugen/Bliss
10.Martin Bayer (CZ) – Xray/nVision
11.Lee Martin (GB) – Mugen/OS
12.Simon Willetts (GB) – Mugen/Novarossi
View complete event results here.
View our event image gallery here.