Savoya takes Semi B but Batlle on pole

Renaud Savoya has won the second Semi final of the 2010 Euros despite his car flaming out on the last lap.  The defending Champion was on target for a 29 lap run but his RB powered Mugen came to a stop a third of the way around the final lap. A marshal got the car but then ran across the loop giving him a faster run than Batlle but the time keepers removed the rapid 36 second lap and he will now start second in the final.  Pole sitter Jerome Aigoin took second ahead of 14-year-old Kyosho team-mate David Ronnefalk who makes his first Euros Main and has already secured some silverware as he is the only Junior in the Top 12 meaning he is the new European Junior Champion.  Xray’s Jerome Sartel is back in the final for the first time since 2007 after he finished fourth ahead of Rodrigo Luis who is on a real roll having started out the day in the 1/8 final.  The final driver to make it into the 30th European Championship final is Alberto Garcia.  The Spaniard called time delaying the start of the Semi B but still managed to bump up for a second time today.  We lost another three of last years finalist with Daniel Vega, Teemu Leino and British Champion Neil Cragg not making the cut.

Semi Final B results
1. Renaud Savoya – 28 Laps in 19:48.702
2. Jérôme Aigoin – 28 Laps in 20:11.912
3. David Ronnefalk – 28 Laps in 20:25.987
4. Jérôme Sartel – 28 Laps in 20:28.868
5. Rodrigo Luis – 28 Laps in 20:29.401
6. Alberto Garcia – 28 Laps in 20:41.493
7. Javier Puche – 27 Laps in 20:00.929
8. Daniel Vega – 27 Laps in 20:04.212
9. Bruno Coelho – 27 Laps in 20:36.168
10.Teemu Leino – 26 Laps in 20:02.022
11.Carlos Duraes – 26 Laps in 20:04.969
12.Neil Cragg – 24 Laps in 20:26.819

Final starting order
1. Robert Batlle (ES) – Associated/Novarossi
2. Renaud Savoya (FR) – Mugen/RB
3. Yannick Aigoin (FR) – Losi/Novarossi
4. Jérôme Aigoin (FR) – Kyosho/Novarossi
5. Elliott Boots (GB) – Mugen/RB
6. David Ronnefalk (SE) – Kyosho/Team Orion
7. Martin Bayer (CZ) – Losi/Novarossi
8. Jérôme Sartel (FR) – Xray/RB
9. Rodrigo Luis (PT) – Mugen/OS
10.Miguel Matias (PT) – Losi/RB
11.Lee Martin (GB) – Losi/Novarossi
12.Alberto Garcia (ES) – Mugen/Reds

Full results can be found online here.

View our event image gallery here.

Big come back from Batlle

Robert Battle has made a huge comeback in the the first of the Semi finals, the Associated driver getting the better of Top Qualifier Yannick Aigoin who made a number of mistakes during the 20-minute encounter. Aigoin set the fastest lap of the race but Batlle, who started 6th, was really on form and was the only one to record 29 laps which means he now holds provisional pole for the 45-minute title deciding race which is due to start at 16:00.  Having bumped up from the 1/4 finals, outgoing Junior Champion Elliot Boots has secured himself a place in the Main for the first time finishing third ahead of 2009 podium finisher Martin Bayer. After a disastrous opening few laps to the race which saw him fall right back down the order, No.2 starter Miguel Matias worked his way back up to 5th, with massive encouragement from the local crowd, to ensure Portugal’s only European champion is still in the game here in Guarda.  The final driver of this Semi to book himself a place in the final is British driver Lee Martin.  The race saw the demise of two more of last year’s finalists with Darren Bloomfield finishing only 8th while Daniel Reckward failed to finish.

Semi Final A results
1. Robert Batlle – 29 Laps in 20:40.247
2. Yannick Aigoin – 28 Laps in 20:04.621
3. Elliott Boots – 28 Laps in 20:16.459
4. Martin Bayer – 28 Laps in 20:28.177
5. Miguel Matias – 28 Laps in 20:31.740
6. Lee Martin – 28 Laps in 20:32.273
7. Linus Thern – 28 Laps in 20:36.607
8. Jörn Neumann – 28 Laps in 20:41.007
9. Darren Bloomfield – 28 Laps in 20:44.182
10.Antonio Jesus Gomez – 27 Laps in 20:11.684
11.Daniel Reckward – 25 Laps in 18:34.027
12.Borja Hernandez – 25 Laps in 20:05.208

Full results can be found online here.

View our event image gallery here.

1/4 Final B Update

The second 1/4 Final has been run and it is Alberto Garcia, Rodrigo Luis, Javier Puche and Carlos Duraes who progress.  A slower race than the 1/4 A Final, Garcia headed a Mugen 1-2 taking the win by just over a second from local driver Rodrigo Lusi who started 11th having bumped up from the 1/8 final. Driving a Bergonzi, Puche took third followed by Euro B Championship Runner-up Duraes who is driving an Xray.  The big casualties of the 1/4 B were two times Champion Davide Tortorici, 2009 finalist Riccardo Rabitti and former World Champion Guillaume Vray.

Semi Final B Lineup
1. Jérôme Aigoin (FR)
2. Renaud Savoya (FR)
3. Jérôme Sartel (FR)
4. David Ronnefalk (SE)
5. Daniel Vega (ES)
6. Teemu Leino (FI)
7. Neil Cragg (GB)
8. Bruno Coelho (PT)
9. Alberto Garcia (ES)
10.Rodrigo Luis (PT)
11.Javier Puche (ES)
12.Carlos Duraes (PT)

Full results can be found online here.

View our event image gallery here.

1/4 Final A Update

The first of the 1/4 Finals is just over and the four driving moving up to the Semi A are British duo Darren Bloomfield and Elliot Boots along with Antonio Jesus Gomez, who came through from the 1/8 final, and Jörn Neumann.  Starting from pole, Losi driver Bloomfield took the 20-minute encounter heading home the Mugen of fellow countryman Elliot Boots by 2.5 seconds.  In the earlier 1/8 Finals we lost the first of our 2009 Finalists with Hupo Honigl exiting the event as he could only managed 8th position.  In the same race, Touring Car World Champion Marc Rheinard just managed to pip Federico Ruggeri for the last bump up position after he got by the Italian for fourth with 1:20 left on the clock.

Semi Final A Lineup
1. Yannick Aigoin (FR)
2. Miguel Matias (PT)
3. Martin Bayer (CZ)
4. Borja Hernadez (ES)
5. Lee Martin (GB)
6. Robert Batlle (ES)
7. Daniel Reckward (DE)
8. Linus Thern (SE)
9. Darren Bloomfield (GB)
10.Elliot Boots (GB)
11.Antonio Jesus Gomez (ES)
12.Jörn Neumann (DE)

Full results can be found online here.

View our event image gallery here.

Yannick Aigoin Top Qualifier in Portugal

Yannick Aigoin is the Top Qualifier here in Portugal and going on the form of the previous four European Championships, is on target to lift his third EFRA title.  Since 2006, when Aigoin last won the Euros, the Top Qualifier has gone on to take the overall victory.  The factory Losi driver secured the No.1 spot after recording his third TQ run of the five rounds in the last qualifier of the event, much to the delight of Losi top man Bill Jeric who has traveled over from the US to support his drivers.

Commenting on his Q5 run, Aigoin said he made a stupid mistake in the chicane but otherwise the run was good following the change of oil in the centre diff of his Novarossi powered 8ight 2.0EU. Reminded by David Spashett of the fact that the Top Qualifier has gone on to win the previous 4 championships, the French ace said he was just ‘very happy’ to have stage 1 of his campaign complete.

Second at the end of qualifying was Yannick’s twin brother Jerome. The Kyosho team driver was fourth fastest in the last qualifier but thanks to his Q2 TQ run will start pole in the Semi B Final.  The brothers achieved the same 1-2 qualifying result in 2006 in Spain where Yannick took his second title but on that occasion Jerome didn’t make it passed the Semi’s, something he hopes will not befall him again tomorrow.  Jerome is very happy with the set-up on his MP9 saying it may be lacking a little speed but its easy to drive which is going to be important for what he expects are going to be very difficult conditions in tomorrow’s finals.

The only driver to deny the Aigoin’s total domination of qualifying with his Q4 TQ run, Miguel Matias took third overall.  Carrying all the hopes of a home win here in Guarda, the 2003 Champion did not have a good last round when he collided with a back marker who crashed ahead of him.  The Losi/RB driver said he is very happy with third and his goal for tomorrow is to bump up to the Main.  He said if that is successful he can then start to think about achieving a dream result.

For defending Champion Renaud Savoya he is obviously disappointed with fourth having been the Top Qualifier for the past two years but the Frenchman hasn’t given up on taking his third consecutive title just yet.  Having looked at the qualification ranking after four rounds he said he was unable to improve his position and so used the round to test a cut Proline Caliper M2 tyre. Very happy with his MBX-6 he has struggled to get a tyre to his liking and his latest attempt also didn’t work, the car lacking traction and steering.  Summing up his day the ‘Shark’ said ‘I would prefer not to TQ and instead take the win.  Tomorrow is another day so let’s see what happens’.

The final qualifier saw Jerome Sartel put in a very competitive run finishing second just one second adrift of Yannick Aigoin.  The French Xray driver said his 808 has been really good all week but this was his cleanest run of the event and he was very happy with it.  Changing to a harder front insert and adjusting the rear shocks to a more upright position, he said he had more steering and the car was better over the bumps.  Having not made the final since 2007 Sartel, who ended up 6th overall behind Martin Bayer, said he hopes he can end that run of bad luck tomorrow.

Q5 signalled a big turn around of fortunes for Darren Bloomfield and outgoing European Junior Champion Elliot Boots, the British pair setting the 3rd and 5th fastest times for the round.  Losi driver Bloomfield, who finished 7th last year, finally found some grip and a more controllable car and declared after the run that his Euros campaign could really start now.  After terrible runs in the opening four heats the 21-year-old just missed making the Semis securing pole for the 1/4 A Final but with a good car now he is confident he can progress.  For Boots the first four qualifiers also proved difficult but taking a totally different approach for the final qualifier the 17-year-old produced his first competitive 5 minute run.  Changing to a more ‘relaxed’ RB engine in his Mugen MBX-6 he also backed off from his attacking driving style and the combination worked.  Describing this as his worst Euros so far he said making the 1/4 is not such a bad thing as it will give him extra needed track time.

While Day 4 of the 30th running of the European Championships is over for the big names its the start of the lower finals from which 8 lucky drivers will get to progress to the big day here in Portugal tomorrow.  Our coverage which has been made possible thanks to Team Durango, LRP and Mugen, will continue with news from the 1/4 finals right through to the deciding race of the 2010 Championships.

Top 16 qualifiers
1. Yannick Aigoin (FR) – 474pts (Losi/Novarossi)
2. Jérôme Aigoin (FR) – 466pts (Kyosho/Novarossi)
3. Miguel Matias (PT) – 465pts (Losi/RB)
4. Renaud Savoya (FR) – 460pts (Mugen/RB)
5. Martin Bayer (CZ) – 459pts (Losi/Novarossi)
6. Jérôme Sartel (FR) – 458pts (Xray/RB)
7. Borja Hernandez (ES) – 456pts (Mugen/RB)
8. David Ronnefalk (SE) – 449pts (Kyosho/Team Orion)
9. Lee Martin (GB) – 448pts (Losi/Novarossi)
10.Daniel Vega (ES) – 444pts (Agama/Team Orion)
11.Robert Batlle (ES) – 441pts (Associated/Novarossi)
12.Teemu Leino (FI) – 439pts (Xray/Team Orion)
13.Daniel Reckward (DE) – 437pts (Mugen/RB)
14.Neil Cragg (GB) – 437pts (Associated/Reedy)
15.Linus Thern (SE) – 435pts (Kyosho/Novarossi)
16.Bruno Coelho (PT) – 434pts (Mugen/Sirio)

Full results can be found online here.

View our event image gallery here.