Figueiredo claims first European title in Estonia

João Figueiredo has claimed his first European Championship title, the personable Portuguese driver also giving his Tekno team its first EFRA title with victory at the eBuggy Euros in Estonia. Attracting 118 drivers to the RC Rakvere Racetrack, four rounds of qualifying would see Figueiredo take his Hobbywing powered EB48 2.2 to the overall TQ after topping Q2 & 4. With the second fastest times in Q3 & 4, Mugen Seiki’s Berkan Kilic secured the second spot on the grid ahead of Sparko’s Noha Ben Mohamed who opened qualifying with TQ run but struggled to repeat that form over the remaining three rounds. Travelling to the 10th running of the 1:8 Electric Buggy Euros chasing a third consecutive title, Team Associated’s Davide Ongaro qualified fourth ahead of Spain’s David Todd who took his Mugen Seiki to a TQ run in the third qualifier. As the reigning eBuggy World Champion, Marcus Kaerup struggled with the mixed conditions and would just scrap into the A-Main with P13. In the triple finals, A1 saw Figueiredo lead home Kilic as former double Champion David Ronnefalk came through from 9th to 3rd with his Xray. In A2, with Kilic in tow Figueiredo had a bobble at the 2 & a half minute mark that handed the lead to the Turkish racer. Holding that lead for 3-minutes it was Kilic’s turn to have a bobble handing the lead back to the pole sitter but on lap 12 Figueiredo would jump badly and on landing catch a track post that would break his buggy allowing Kilic to cruise to the win ahead of Ongaro and newly crowned European Nitro Buggy Champion Juan Carlos Canas who qualified his Sworkz in P11. In A3 an early mistake from Figueiredo handed Kilic the lead briefly, but touching in the air shortly after, the Tekno driver was back in front from where he took control of the race to win and claim his first European title. With Kilic in second, Ongaro completed the podium ahead of Ronnefalk and Kaerup.
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