Round 5 of the Federal Tyres King of Europe Series would see the drivers shred their tyres at a brand new circuit on the calendar - Lignières, Switzerland, which would see the location host its first ever competitive drift event.
With the fans and drivers welcoming the return of Japanese drift legend Keiichi Tsuchiya for the second of three trips to the European series this year, he was to be greeted by one of the largest crowds of the season as thousands of fans took the opportunity to meet the Drift King.
The disappointing weather conditions which dominated the first three rounds of the season were starting to become a distant memory as the fans once again took the opportunity to bathe in the summer sun.
Saturday morning would see the drivers lay down their best lines as they quickly got to grips with the brand new challenge set out for them. With no previous events being held here, it was a completely blank canvas for the Drift King to decide which line the drivers would choose, naturally opting for the fastest approach which would allowed for intense battles.
The Saturday afternoon would see the qualification sessions taking place. With the drivers having had plenty of opportunity to get to grips with the layout, it would be Andras Molnar who proved that he’s fighting harder than ever for the title, taking pole position with 96.62 points.
Nicolas Maunoir impressed with his first re-appearance in the series in his brand new V8 S15 build, taking second place with 94.30 points.
Adam Frank and Adam Kerenyi took third and fourth, with Alois Pamper and Remmo Niezen taking fifth and sixth.
In the Pro2 series qualifications, it would take a last minute gearbox change before Simon Wuthrich managed to make it to the track at the last minute. The hard work paid off as he stunned the crowd and judges with a great run, taking top of the rankings.
Anthony Rocci followed closely behind second place, and Michael Brugger in third.
In the Queen of Europe series qualification, it would be Corinna Graff who took the top spot, with Denise Ritzmann in second and Sandra Junginger in third. After an unlikely spin in her first lap, current Champion Danielle Murphy would lay a safe lap to secure fourth place in a borrowed car.
As Sunday got underway, the fans lined the track once again for the main event, as the drivers went head-to-head in the battles. With the immaculate weather conditions shining down on the track once again, there was undoubtedly an incredible spectacle ahead.
After the morning’s battle practice, it was time for the Pro2 drivers to head to the track. The early upsets included Danielle Murphy, who would go out to Jan Blaser in her Top 32 battle. Australian visitor Brendan Cullen would impress the crowd, winning both his Top 32 and Top 16 battles in a borrowed BMW-powered S13.
Despite taking the win in Anneau du Rhin, Denise Ritzmann would fail to beat Anthony Rocci in their Top 16 battle, allowing Rocci to progress. The Top 8 would see Corinna Graff make a critical error in her chase run, despite taking an early advantage whilst leading. Meanwhile, Arnaud Emery, Brendan Cullen and Silvano Moreira advanced to the Top 4.
Silvano Moreira went up against Arnaud Emery in the Top 4, and after a one-more-time battle it would be Emery who took his spot in the final. In the other Top 4 battle, Anthony Rocci faced Australian Brendan Cullen, and despite a one-more-time and a good fight from Cullen, Rocci landed his place in the final.
Brendan Cullen took the early advantage in his battle against Silvano Moreira in the small final, but the Australian pushed too hard in his chase run which forced him off track, handing third place on the podium to Moreira. Moreira also now takes the top spot in the Pro2 West rankings, just 20 points above Denise Ritzmann.
Anthony Rocci pushed as hard as he could in the final against Arnaud Emery, but the 6-4, 6-4 score went in Arnaud Emery’s favour after extremely impressive driving throughout the weekend handing him the top spot on the podium.
In the Queen of Europe series, Danielle Murphy’s unfortunate luck would continue as the current Champion lost to Corinna Graff in her Top 4 battle. A mistake from Sandra Junginger would see Denise Ritzmann also land her place in the final.
Danielle Murphy would make no mistakes in the small final, ensuring that she once again earns her spot on the podium. In the main final, Corinna Graff would take the early advantage but an unfortunate spin in her lead run would allow Denise Ritzmann the win and to push her way to the top of the overall series rankings.
As the ever-growing crowd took their positions for the main event, they would witness a rare early exit from current Champion and Round 4 winner Norbert Kovacik as BMW Z4 driver Roland Redl knocked him out in the Top 16.
Andras Molnar would continue his fine form for the weekend, progressing to the Top 8 past Danielle Murphy who had just won her Top 32 battle against Flo Zimmermann. Adam Kerenyi and Alois Pamper would also seal their spots in the Top 8.
Mike Kauffman found himself up against Remmo Niezen in his Top 16 battle, two drivers who have shown great form this year. After an initial 5-5 tie, it would be Remmo who edged past with a 6-4 score on his chase run.
Despite the early advantage, Nicolas Maunoir’s fine form over the weekend came to an abrupt end after a mistake during his battle against Denise Ritzmann, allowing her to progress to the Top 8 alongside Raffaele Rusca who knocked out Gerson Junginger.
Despite taking the top spot in qualifying and once again showing impressive driving throughout the weekend, mistakes from Andras Molnar would allow Roland Redl to progress. Alois Pamper would also fall victim to the tricky layout, allowing Adam Kerenyi to face Redl in the Top 4.
An initial 0-0 scoring was issued in the battle between Adam Frank and Remmo Niezen after mistakes from both drivers, but Remmo would ensure that he collected the points in his lead run in his continued pursuit for the top spot. Denise Ritzmann would force a one-more-time against Raffaele Rusca, with Rusca taking the advantage to face Niezen in the Top 4.
Roland Redl put his best efforts in to try and defy the odds, but Adam Kerenyi stopped him in his tracks, marking his spot in the final to make up for a disappointing previous round at Lydden Hill.
Remmo Niezen would once again prove that he was here to settle for nothing less than a win this weekend, passing Raffele Rusca to face Adam Kerenyi in the final.
As the small final got underway, Raffaele Rusca would take a 7-3 advantage, and despite clawing back the points in his lead run, the 6-4 score wouldn’t be enough for Roland Redl as Raffaele Rusca lands the third spot on the podium.
As Adam Kerenyi took the initial lead run, Remmo Niezen would stick to his door throughout the track, handing him a 6-4 advantage. As Kerenyi fought to make up the points, Remmo wasn’t willing to take the second spot on the podium for the fourth consecutive time, and with level points, it would be Remmo who finally took his first ever Federal Tyres King of Europe Pro Series win!
Click here for the official event video
Click here for the ProSeries photo gallery
Click here for the Pro2/QOE photo gallery
Next up we head to Barcelona, Spain to visit another brand new track in the calendar. This time, Circuit de Can Padró, also known as the ‘Spanish Ebisu’ will play host to what should be another incredible round!
