Balestri European Champion with dominant 200mm win

17-years on from when he last held the title, Dario Balestri is once again the EFRA European 1:10 Nitro Touring Car European Champion after a dominant win in France over the weekend.  Having secured the TQ ahead of Infinity team-mate Jilles Groskamp at the Le Model Club Thionvillois track, the Italian would win the 45-minute final from the Dutch driver by over a lap.  With Balestri’s main challenge in the final coming from the Capricorn of the defending Champion Toni Gruber, the only glitch in the race for Balestri came with just under 10-minutes left on the clock when he had a moment and his car put all four wheels on the grass.  9-seconds up on Gruber at the time, the German couldn’t capitalise because at the same time he would flip his car and on low fuel with a scheduled fuel stop just 2-laps out he suffered a flame out.  Rejoining in fourth behind Carmine Raiola, he would recover and get back passed the Italian Champion to complete the podium behind Groskamp as Balestri took the title for a third time making him the most successful champion of the category.

Image: EFRA [Facebook]