Drivers once again flocked from across Europe to attend Round 6 of the Federal Tyres King of Europe Pro Series as the competition returned to Spain – this time to a brand new circuit on the calendar.
Regarded by locals as the “Spanish Ebisu”, Circuit de Can Padro is located within the picturesque outskirts of Barcelona. With no shortage of stunning views surrounding the track from the nearby mountains, the Spanish weather would also see temperature rise to the highest point of the season so far.
With Remmo Niezen leading the Championship standings, Adam Kerenyi’s high hopes of using this round as an opportunity to play catch-up were soon squashed as a severe engine problem rendered him unable to make qualification.
Adam Frank would grasp the opportunity to return to form, nailing the top position in qualifying with an impressive 94.23 points.
Series leader Remmo Niezen would continue his ever-impressive consistency, taking second with 91.06 points.
Despite scoring a zero in his initial run, Andras Molnar’s fantastic recent form also continued as he went on to take third place.
Nicolas Maunoir and Benjamin Boulbes impressed throughout the day, handing them fourth and fifth places. Local driver Jonathan Hernandez would land sixth place, however the end of his run sadly ended with a crash which later rendered him out of the battles.
With the summer sun beating down on the track and spectators once again, the atmosphere was incredible as the local drivers faced the best in Europe as we prepared for the Top 32 battles.
First up would be the Pro2 series, where Arnaud Emery had won the qualifications the day before, following on from his win at the previous round in Switzerland.
Hugo Goncalves would take second place in qualification as he eyed up the top spot in the overall rankings, with Finnish driver Marko Paasonen creating huge smoke clouds in his first KOE round, taking third.
In the Top 8 battles, Arnaud Emery, Argentinian Alejandro Radetic and Hugo Goncalves would pass to the Top 4. Marko Paasonen also caused an upset by passing series leader Silvano Moreira.
Arnaud Emery would one again mark his place in the final after knocking out Radetic, and Marko Paasonen would surpass Hugo Goncalves to reach the final of his first ever round.
In what would've undoubtedly been an incredible final, Marko Paasonen would fall victim to car failure, which allowed Arnaud Emery to take his second consecutive win. Hugo Goncalves took third place, also marking his second podium in the series and placing him just 10 points behind Silvano Moreira as we head to the final round in Slovakia - with double points up for grabs it should be an incredible round!
In the Queen of Europe final, current Champion Danielle Murphy would go up against local driver Alicia Rodriguez. Alicia would take the early advantage after a mistake from Murphy, and with a 5-5 draw in the second run...
It would hand Alicia Rodriguez her first ever Queen of Europe win as Danni Murphy takes 2nd place!
Sunday morning would mark disappointment for Nicolas Maunoir, despite his fourth place qualification position, he would be the latest driver to fall victim to car issues as he was unable to fix the car in time for for his battle.
As the Pro Series Top 32 battles got underway, thousands of fans in attendance awaited the opportunity to witness the action, meanwhile over 100,000 viewers on social media platforms alone tuned in to the live coverage online.
It would be Massimo Checchin who would be the first victim of the difficult track in the Top 32, after a mistake in his chase run left a 10-0 score in Rick Van Goethem’s favour, as the Dutch driver made his return to the series.
After progressing straight to the Top 16 after his top spot in qualifying, Adam Frank made no mistakes against Juan Bolanos as he breezed past the local driver.
Marc Baila would give his best shot against Benjamin Boulbes, with Boulbes edging past to mark his spot in the Top 8.
Local driver David Infantes would go up against Andras Molnar, who has been on incredible form throughout the season. A mistake from Infantes in his chase run would allow Molnar to continue his quest for the top spot.
Mike Kauffmann would once again make no mistake against Benoti Artiz, also marking his spot in the Top 8.
Current Champion Norbert Kovacik and current series leader Remmo Niezen would once again prove their consistency as they passed Alberto Canedo and Rodrigo Gallo.
As the battles got increasingly intense, local favourite Joan Caballer faced top qualifier Adam Frank, after an extremely intense close battle, it would be Frank who edged past after taking a 7-3 score in his lead run.
Cezary Checko would put an early end to Benjamin Boulbes weekend, despite a 5-5 draw in Checko’s lead run, an impressive chase run would put the points in his favour.
In a battle of two drivers who have frequently impressed throughout the year, a mistake from Kauffmann in his chase run against Molnar would allow Molnar to once again mark his place in the Top 4.
Remmo Niezen and Norbert Kovacik came face-to-face in their Top 8 battle, and despite Kovacik taking the advantage in his chase run, Remmo knew he had to claw the points back and once again put an incredible run which would see him progress.
Cezary Checko received a roar of applause from the home fans, being the only local driver remaining as we entered the Top 4. After an intense initial battle put the scores at deadlock, a one-more-time would be issued, eventually working in Adam Frank's favour for him to secure his first slot in the final for the 2016 season.
An incredible battle between two of the greatest drivers this season saw an initial 5-5 score between Niezen and Molnar, however Molnar would take a slight 6-4 advantage in his lead run, handing him the opportunity to take his first ever King of Europe victory.
As the small final got underway, Remmo Niezen would ensure that he made no mistake in his quest for his fifth consecutive podium spot, as the Dutch driver fought his way past local driver Cezary Checko.
As the fans gathered for the final, as well as tuning in around the World online, Adam Frank and Andras Molnar would both battle it out for their first win of the season. They certainly didn’t disappoint, and after incredibly close battles from both drivers the judges were forced to call a one-more-time decision. Unfortunately for Adam Frank, after using his time allowance he knew that his car wasn’t able to compete, therefore handing Andras Molnar his first ever King of Europe win!
Click here for the official event video
Click here for the ProSeries photo gallery
Click here for the Pro2/QOE photo gallery
This weekend we crown a new Champion in the Federal Tyres King of Touge Series, as drivers return to the French alps to battle it out at the crazy Les 7 Laux street layout. This will undoubtedly be a round which is not to be missed!
