12R5.1 Wins 2010 EFRA 1/12 Scale European Championships

The 2010 EFRA 1/12 Scale European Championship took place March 4-7 in Hinckley, England. A highly competitive field of drivers was on hand to compete for the coveted title in the prestigious 1/12 Modified class. The introduction of 1S LiPo batteries to the relatively simple, yet high-tech racing chassis has fueled new interest in the class.

Although Team Associated competed with a small team, the impact they had on the competition was enormous. Factory team drivers Juho Levänen, Ronald Völker, and Olly Jeffries dominated qualifying and completed the 1-2-3 sweep! Never split by more than a few seconds over the course of qualifying, these three drivers impressively displayed the superior handling and drivability of the 12R5.1.
 
As the A-finals began, it was clear that the fight would be between two drivers, Levänen and Völker. In leg 1, Ronald and Juho ran nose to tail until the last lap when Juho made a late charge and passed Ronald two corners from the finish line. In leg 2, Levänen made a mistake and relinquished the lead to Völker who maintained the advantage and crossed the line with a 1.5-second margin of victory.

A split result in the first two legs meant that the third and final leg would determine the champion. 

After the excitement of the first two finals, the third was relatively uneventful. Juho Levänen leapt into the lead from the pole position and never looked back, leading from start to finish becoming the 2010 1/12 European Champion. Ronald Völker fished second overall while Olly Jeffries overcame some bad luck to finish fifth overall.