100 FA EUROPEAN Championship
Hemkemeyer unexpectedly dominates

With his double success under Mariembourg’s torrential rain, Hemkemeyer becomes European champion. D’Ambrosio is the best Birel driver.

During their first debuts for the season, Birel frames proved they could be very competitive. Davide Gaggianesi dominated the Margutti Trophey and Salvatore Gatto also had great expectations from his continental efforts. And the Sicilian started off the season in the best possible way, winning the pole in the first trial at Ampfing. Wassermann won the first race trial, and Cyndie Allemann from Switzerland won race 2. Gatto ended in 3rd place in the first trial and 4th in the second, while Gaggianesi, unlucky in the first trial, finished second in race 2. In Sarno for the second round of the season, Birel drivers Charpilienne, Lammers and Sebastiani competed for victory in race 1. The Birel driver would finish second behind Lammers. In race 2, Lammers had to struggle much less to win over Sanden, Guignet and Gaggianesi. At the final race in Mariembourg, the rain affected the race. The German Hemkemeyer won both races, while Davide Gaggianesi had problems with his rain tires, after he had shown he could win on a dry track. Lammers also had a difficult weekend, and due to a technical problem was unable to start in race 1, his hopes for victory abandoned. Second and third place finishes in the championship went to Sanden and Abreu.