Official HUDY Arena statement regarding complaints of the recent European Championships 1/10 TC. There´s been a lot of misinformation and outright lies being posted on social media about the European Championships recently, the weeks leading up to it, and about some of the decisions taken. We would, as a race organizer, like to clear up some of these points. Track availability – the Hudy Arena outdoor track has been open to the public every Tuesday during the springtime, regardless of car brand used. The official European Championships warm-up race was held at our track during the last weekend of May, which also featured 3 full days of open track for anyone that wished to attend. The attendance at this event was very poor, so we can assume that the major teams (apart from XRAY) had no interest to come and test in preparation for this event. Finally the Hudy Arena has been also available all the time for private renting option which many times several brands and teams have used for their private testing. As such anyone interested to test had plenty and unlimited options to do so. Tire issues - At the 1/10 TC warm-up race, there were no issues with the belting of the subscribed HUDY A1-36 tire. However, the ambient and track temperature was low. At the XRS Grand Final, which was run two weeks later, we did see a few blowouts (belt failures) of the tires on the 2nd and 3rd run, but never on brand new tires. The failures occurred in the afternoon when the track temperatures were above 45 degrees C and only in modified class at full speeds. We were very concerned and took these problems very seriously. But we were short of time since the European Championships event was coming up within only two weeks’ time. Our options were very limited. No tire manufacturer that we contacted could supply the number of tires needed for the modified class at the European Championships. Nor could we be sure that another brand of tires would have no failures. In recent years, with increased speeds and increased downforce levels in modern TC racing, the stress on the tires is higher than ever. The Japanese rubber tire supplier for HUDY tires is one of the most famous and most high-end brands in the business yet, no product is perfect or problem free in these days. The damage limitation that was attempted was, to give the option to the drivers to use a new set of tires for every run. We want to highlight the fact that the additional tires were offered to the drivers FREE of charge, as an action of goodwill to the event. All matters were informed about at the team managers meeting on the first day of the European Championships event. The team managers for each country should have informed their drivers of the risks of tire failures, with appropriate changes to reduce the risk of such failures, for instance, a reduction in the ESC turbo setting. Just like in real racing, such as F1, tire failures are not uncommon, and it´s often up to the teams to adapt where the tire has a known issue, which can´t be rectified on the spot by the organizer and/or tire manufacturer. The top drivers that had several tire failures, were also driving cars that the highest recorded top speeds on the straightaway. This can´t be a coincidence, nor is it an excuse. The A3 final was the hottest that the track was all weekend, and it was evident that most drivers had slowed down the top speed of their cars, which contributed to them being able to finish the final without any tire issues or failures. On another note, a few professional drivers should seriously consider their conduct at these events. These drivers were shouting, cursing, and were walking off the rostrum before races had finished – showing no respect to their competitors. No matter how disappointed you are, there´s no excuse for this kind of behaviour. Hudy Arena will stand up against profanity, bullying and unsportsmanlike behaviour of any kind. There are kids around, and professional drivers are supposed to be role models. Finally, these drivers have a responsibility to their sponsors. We don´t accept and will not validate personal attacks, especially from people that did not take part in the European Championship event. Furthermore, don´t disrespect the work of the winners. The European Championships winning drivers this year have proven themselves time and time again, whether it being at the Hudy Arena track, or at other tracks, at ETS, or other EFRA and IFMAR events. The championships won last weekend must be respected and acknowledged just like any other championships. The championships have been won fairly, under supervision and direction of the EFRA delegates. Everything has been run according to the EFRA handbook. Hudy Arena officially apologize about the issues and damage caused by the tires at the European Championships. During our frustration, we do feel that we´ve done everything in our power to minimize the risks and provide the best and fairest racing conditions for all participants. Unfortunately, this time, it was not enough to save the credibility of the event, and for that, we are very sorry. Let´s not forget that the TC stock and FWD categories were completed without any complaints or issues at all. We have really enjoyed organizing 7x EFRA European Championships, 1x IFMAR World Championships, and several ETS races very successfully until today. The Hudy Arena tracks were built, and these events were hosted with no expectations of getting the money invested back, we simply did it for the sake of the hobby that we all love so much.