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The 2007 European Championships in the 1/10 electric touring car category has wrapped up and the results have now become part of history - Team XRAY & Steven Weiss TQed the Euros and achieved the title of European Vice-Champion while young local French XRAY driver Jeremy Limoges captured the title of European Junior Champion.
XRAY has provided live reports from the Euros, keeping everybody updated about racing action and stories. As the final word XRAY would like to make some last comments and evaluations.
XRAY reports from the European Championship 2007 links:
First day report
Results after 2nd qualifiers
Results after qualifications
Final results of European Championship 2007 |
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Race Event
The event was very well organised and despite a few delays the schedule flowed well and the organisers were very friendly and helpful. Generally the event was very successful and it was clear that everybody was enjoying the race.
Racing Facility
The racing facility was one of the best on-road tracks and the entire facility was excellent. The club really deserved to be organiser for the Euros and we would not be surprised to see a World Championship event at
this track one day.
Main Sponsor
For the 7th year in a row, XRAY was the principal sponsor of the European Championship, helping organisers realise the event and thus supporting the hobby and RC car racing.
Weather
After several years of running the European Championship in rain, it was very nice to have this event rain-less, but on the other hand at some times the very high temperatures were really too much. But it is still better than rain.
Race Teams
All factory race teams participated at the Euros to try their very best to win the prestigious title of European Champion. Everybody worked very hard for the whole week, being very professional and dedicated. Team XRAY was definitely the strongest team and one of the most successful teams.
Team Support
Without exception, Team XRAY provided the very best support to all XRAY drivers. The XRAY Service Van was fully stocked with all spare parts, options and everything else needed to keep the team running. The Support Team was taking personal care of every XRAY driver, ensuring that nothing was missing by anyone at anytime.
The event was very well organised and despite a few delays the schedule flowed well and the organisers were very friendly and helpful. Generally the event was very successful and it was clear that everybody was enjoying the race. |
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Practice Days
Team XRAY was doing excellently from Day 1 of practice, setting the fastest lap times and their chances looked very promising. In timed practice it was Steven Weiss who shocked everyone with his performance, putting this XRAY at the top of the list.
Qualifiers
Using the new rule of combining the results of the two best runs, and also allowing only 2 sets of tires for 5 qualifying heats, the qualifiers were all about tactics. Steven proved his skill and performance rather than luck in the practice heats made an unbeatable combination, proved out by his setting TQ. The remaining 3 qualifying rounds were left over for practice.
Finals
The finals were some of the most thrilling and equal finals of any Euros in the last few years. After Steven won the first final and coming in 2nd behind Ronald in second final, it was all about the 3rd final where
unfortunately Steven drove too cautiously and left space open for an overtaking, claiming the overall 2nd place position and the title of European Vice-Champion.
Unluckiest Finalist
Jilles was one of the most unlucky guys at this event. In the first final he was taken out in the first lap, and in the second final was again taken out even before the first corner. With this bad luck Jilles still managed to
finish in a remarkable final 4th position.
Biggest Surprise of the Euros
Without doubt, Steven Weiss was the biggest surprise of the Euros. Being a relatively unknown driver, he immediately jumped in and became the worst nightmare for all the other teams. He also became the best weapon for Team XRAY to break the bad luck suffered in previous Euros where the title has always eluded its grasp.
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Most Successful Team
Team XRAY was the most successful team at the Euros. XRAY was not only the most represented brand on the track but out of the top 20 there were 10 XRAY cars; out of the 10 A-main finalists, XRAY was represented by 4 cars.
Best French Driver
With the Euros taking place at the French track, it was expected that some of the local French drivers would be doing well but nobody expected them to be so exceptionally good! Young local French driver Jeremy Limoges from Team XRAY won the European Junior Championship, and there were 2 French drivers in the A-main final.
Most Dedicated Team
Team XRAY was probably the most dedicated team at the event, working very hard together not only before the event at warm-up races but especially during the entire European Championship. They were the team to beat at the Euros, without question.
Most Admired Car
The new XRAY prototype received the highest attention from the crowd. With 10 prototypes handed to the team right before the Euros, all XRAY drivers qualified in the top 20 and 4 of the new prototypes made it into the A-main with Steven Weiss taking the final 2nd position. The new XRAY car was the best-performing car during the whole week in all different conditions, whether grip was low or high, track temperature hot or cold. Simply put, the new XRAY car was the car to beat the whole event.
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A few final words from Dipl. Eng. Juraj Hudy, chief designer of XRAY:
With the very good results of our XRAY USA team at races in the USA, winning the national races a few years in a row, we all worked very hard to achieve the very best result at the Euros. With preparation for the Euros I knew the areas of the car that needed improvement when it comes to high-competition racing with rubber tires, and as such after several months of very hard work and daily testing I am very happy that we have achieved the goal we set. The new prototype has showed to outperform the rest and we have not only closed the gap for performance on rubber tires but now I know we have raised the bar higher again. The team will continue its intensive testing and analysis under all different track conditions around the world, and we will make some final conclusions and decisions shortly.
I would like to thank each and every member of Team XRAY, who without exception did such an excellent work during the whole week. We all are very proud to have such professional, dedicated, yet very friendly and helpful team members. Thanks for Steven Weiss for showcasing that any driver who is dedicated to the work and drives with heart can beat the European and World Champions, and a big thanks for the excellent showcase by taking home the TQ and title of European Vice-Champion. And also a big thanks goes to young Jeremy Limoges for the same showcasing, showing that a young driver who follows his dream can beat some of the best and finest European drivers with an out-of-the-box car with the dedicated practice. Big thanks go to the organisers for having such a great race and thanks to all the teams for definitely a very exciting race! Thanks to all XRAY fans and customers for the ongoing trust and support.
Enjoy the ride and 'till the next time.
Dipl. Eng. Juraj Hudy |
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Photo gallery from European Championship 2007 |
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