Photos - Rotax Euro Challenge Final

Above: Truly international!  
pic - Bas Kiligis

Above: Senior Max podium: (L-R) Luke Varley 2nd, Joseph Reilly 1st & Ross Whylie 3rd
pic - Bas Kiligis

Above: Highest ranked drivers in the points following Saturday’s qualifying heats – DD2: Damien Vuillaume (F), Jnr Max: Edward Brand (GB), Snr Max: Tom Fawcett & Max Masters: Colin Davis (GB)
pic - Bas Kiligis

Above: Junior Max podium: (L-R) Matthew Parry 2nd, Ed Brand 1st & Josh Webster 3rd
pic - Bas Kiligis

Above: Max Masters podium: (L-R) Christophe Adams 2nd, Jerome Bourquard 1st & Nuno Santos 3rd
pic - Bas Kiligis

Above: ROTAX DD2 podium: (L-R) Ian Young 2nd, Denis Thum 1st & Patrick Pearce 3rd
pic - Bas Kiligis

Above: Ed Brand gave his all in France to win the round 4 event and guarantee himself the best chance to challenge series leader Josh Webster for the title, but he would miss out on becoming the European Junior Max champ by only 3 points. The HRS Motorsport driver was quickest in qualifying, as he was at round 3, then victorious in all three qualifying heats and both finals Sunday.
pic - Bas Kiligis

Above: The first rows of the Junior Max grid were made up of the possible podium drivers who were at the top of the championship points table, so the racing was very competitive, as it has been all season
pic - Bas Kiligis

Above: Matthew Parry won the previous round of the Rotax Euro Challenge in the Czech Republic, but was unable to prevent his friend and rival Edward Brand from securing the win this time
pic - Bas Kiligis

Above: With one Euro win up his sleeve already at the Italian round, Rotax Winter Cup winner Joseph Reilly claimed the final edition of the series at Salbris as well. However, it was his Strawberry Racing team-mate Luke Varley who claimed the 2009 crown in Senior Max.
pic - Bas Kiligis

Above: The Senior Max class at the Euro Challenge has remained the largest grid on the Euro circuit for many years, with an ever-changing line-up of budding young karters, as well as some regular entries to the series. Portugal’s Eduardo Moriera (#268) has been impressive this season and is tipped to be one of the hot-shot favourites coming into 2010.
pic - Bas Kiligis

Above: Joey van Splunteren seen on the final grid with his farewell salute “Ciao Thomas” to fellow Dutch driver Thomas Knopper, who was a past Euro Challenge winner that lost his life in a karting accident recently. The DFK Gillard Belgium team driver was fastest on track in the Senior pre-final, but had some bad luck in the last lap of the race that saw him lose 3rd place, which he made up for in the final to finish 4th and take 3rd overall in the Euro Challenge for 2009.
pic - Bas Kiligis

Above: Luke Varley was almost assured of the championship win starting from pole position in the Senior Max final next to fellow British team-mate Joseph Reilly, who won the race on the day. Varley had used his tyres in the pre-final having started on P6.
pic - Bas Kiligis

Above: Masters Jerome Bourquard – The Frenchman celebrated his Masters round 4 victory and sealed the 2009 title in the pre-final at the Salbris event
pic - Bas Kiligis

Above: Although it has the least number of competitors, the Rotax Masters has provided some extremely close racing this year with the top 3 drivers receiving an invitation to compete in the Max class at the Rotax Grand Finals in December
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Above: Finishing 3rd overall in the Max Masters category for the championship, Loures is one of three drivers to have been given his entry complimentary for the ’09 season by Euro organisers and promoters RGMMC Establishment, after never missing a round of the series in the previous 5 years since the event began. He’ll now join Bourquard and Adams in Egypt at the Rotax Grand Finals.
pic - Bas Kiligis

Above: Damien Vuillaume stamped his French authority on his home round of the Euro Challenge at Sologne Karting, unbeatable in every session on track for the Rotax DD2 class. Unfortunately his win was taken away after receiving a time penalty in the final for a passing move made on eventual winner Denis Thum.
pic - Bas Kiligis

Above: Wildkart Germany driver Denis Thum moved up one step on the podium in 2009 to take the vice champions trophy in the 2-speed gearbox class. Euro Challenge Round 4 winner Thum became the German Rotax DD2 champion the weekend before the Salbris event and knew it was all going to come down to Sunday’s finals for this title, with every point crucial seeing that the front-runners were so close in the series
pic - Bas Kiligis

Above: Patrick Pearce missed the last round in Sosnova due to an injury, but made up for it in France by giving PCR Italy a podium finish for the 2009 season
pic - Bas Kiligis

Above: The Rotax DD2 class is the fastest of all the Euro categories on the softer MOJO D3 tyre and continuously attracting a wider scope of drivers. It’s been pretty spectacular racing in 2009!
pic - Bas Kiligis

Above: 2009 ROTAX DD2 podium: (L-R) Denis Thum 2nd, Ralph Odendaal 1st & Maik Barten 3rd  
pic - Bas Kiligis

Above: 2009 Senior Max podium: (L-R) Joseph Reilly 2nd, Luke Varley 1st & Joey van Splunteren 3rd
pic - Bas Kiligis

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