Having previously concluded the Federal Tyres King of Desert and King of Asia series’ this year, King of Touge would be the third series of the 2016 calendar to crown its new Champion.
Where better to make the drivers battle for the crown than the legendary street circuit of Les 7 Laux in the French alps? Set in a stunning location with thousands of fans packed in along the banks of the public road featuring huge elevation changes, challenging surfaces and to top it all off – clipping points placed along concrete walls.
While the Touge is definitely not for the feint hearted, it really is the ultimate test for those drivers who dare it face it, and undoubtedly the most intense experience in drifting. This is why some of the best pilots have travelled thousands of kilometres to take part in the unique series - the only one of its kind in Europe.
After a day of practice in the blazing sun, fresh rubber was laid down on the surface as drivers perfected their laps, showing consistent improvement throughout the day. As the pilots got closer than ever to the clipping points, the walls would unsurprisingly claim victims who made mistakes.
This certainly didn’t deter local driver Axel Francois as he navigated the challenging layout near-perfectly, taking the top spot during qualification with 93 points, much to the delight of the home fans.
Returning to the series, Slovakian driver Marko Hucko once again proved his talent, pushing his BMW M5-powered E30 as hard as possible and leaving the narrowest of margins behind Francois with 92.5 points.
Local drivers Gary Gallopin and Nicolas Dufour also had the support of the home crowd as they took 3rd and 4th places. Fifth place would go to British driver Gaz Taylor after an impressive session during his first visit to the series.
As the drivers lined up in the mountains ready to commence the Top 32 battles, local driver Dylan Racine would face Argentinian driver Rodrigo Martin Gallo after he impressed at the ProSeries round in Spain last weekend. A mistake from Racine cost him the win as Gallo scooped up the points and prepared for his Top 16 battle.
Unfortunately, his Top 16 battle would mark the end of his weekend as a vital mistake cost him in his battle against top qualifier Axel Francois.
Meanwhile, series leader Norbert Kovacik would step up against Marin Morier, making his return to the series in a brand new Skyline R34 build after an unfortunate garage fire claimed the BMW E36 he had previously competed in. Both drivers were clearly here for the win after an incredible battle as they blew away the judges, forcing them to a one-more-time battle.
After a 5-5 draw in the first run, it was looking like there would be yet another OMT with amazing driving from both pilots. As Morier pushed harder than ever, he proved that his months in the workshop weren’t for nothing as he outclassed Kovacik, damaging his title hopes, as he forced his way into the Top 8.
Local driver Nicolas Dufour would also end Pro2 West series leader Silvano Moreira’s weekend, with Sebastien Peyre, Jocelyn Janin, Nicolas Jouard and Kevin Feyolle also falling victim of their opponents.
In his battle against Gaz Taylor, Simon Wuthrich would fall victim to the concrete walls in his ex-D1GP Toyota AE86, allowing Taylor to progress.
In the ultimate test, Axel Francois would face in-form Marin Morier. After yet another incredible chase run from Morier, the score sat at 5-5. Just as it looked like he could potentially pull off another incredible win, he came in too hot to the final concrete wall, which would end an unfortunate season for the determined Swiss driver.
As British driver Gaz Taylor faced Nicolas Dufour, his chase run left the score at 7-3 in Dufour’s favour and the 6-4 advantage which he took in his chase run wouldn’t be enough - marking the end of his first event in the series.
Placed second in the series, Rafaelle Rusca would continue his quest to try and steal the Championship from Kovacik after his surprisingly early exit. Gary Gallopin was determined to do everything he could to stop him, but after a one-more-time battle Rusca would take the slight advantage to secure his place in the Top 4.
Slovakian Marko Hucko continued his fine form by knocking out Quentin Regairaz, who had been consistently running the walls to perfection throughout the weekend, meaning that he would face Rusca in the Top 4.
After sweeping his way through the competition throughout the weekend, Axel Francois faced Nicolas Dufour in an intense battle between two local drivers which had the fans chanting for their favourite. A mistake from Dufour would give Francois a 10-0 advantage after the first battle, Francois would make no mistake in the chase run, securing his place in the final!
Rafaelle Rusca faced Marko Hucko as Rusca got closer than ever to the title, meanwhile Hucko would put up the fight for his fellow countryman, Kovacik who could feel the title slipping from his grasp. Hucko would make absolutely no mistake, sealing the fate of Rusca.
As Rusca pushed for his final podium of the year, his ever-impressive consistency surpassed Dufour’s best efforts as he once again took his spot on the podium.
As Axel Francois’s name was chanted out by the crowd, followed by thunderous applause he undoubtedly had the fans backing as both drivers pushed for their first win of the season. Francois led for the first run, making absolutely no mistake, earning a 6-4 score. As Hucko led, he would lay a solid run, but unfortunately for him Francois wasn’t willing to let the win slip from his hands and a 5-5 scoring would give him the win, much to the delight of the home support.
As the final scores for the overall competition were added, with the usual double points being issued for the final round, Rusca hadn’t quite managed to topple Kovacik, as a roar of applause saw him deservedly take his spot at the top. After his win in the Federal Tyres King of Europe ProSeries last year, his hard work paid off for this season as he once again finds himself winning another Championship.
We wave goodbye to what has been an incredible year which has seen the series expanding quicker than ever and we look forward to revealing our 2017 plans for the Championship!
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After two European events back-to-back, we now take the Championship back to the Desert this weekend for the exhibition match in Amman, Jordan. The following weekend we welcome back the Drift King, Keiichi Tsuchiya to the King of Europe ProSeries as the 2016 season gets more intense than ever as we head to Germany for Round 7!
