Christian Schuschke (14) is Germany’s fastest race car driver

Tamyia Fighter Cup

TAMIYA FIGHTER CUP 2008

A 14-year-old is Germany’s new Tamiya Fighter Cup champion: Christian Schuschke from Obermichelbach near Fürth beat 180 other racers in today’s German final in the Thuringian town of Sonneberg. More than 2,000 youngsters up to 14 years old took part in the preliminary heats of the Tamiya Fighter Cup 2008 between April and July to find Germany’s fastest drivers for remote-controlled racing buggies.

It was a dramatic finale in two acts: on the very first day of racing, the soon-to-be overall winner set the course for victory with an excellent third place in the on-road ranking (tarred course). With another very good sixth place in the off-road ranking (sand course) he secured the overall title on Sunday. In second place was 13-year-old Simon Lauter from Mering near Augsburg.

The fastest girl was Sabrina Fischer from Würzburg. The 14-year-old headed the “ladies field” of 20 up-and-coming female drivers and in the overall ranking enjoyed 33rd place (on-road 20th place, off-road 54th place).

This year saw the 12th German final of the traditional event, which lived up to its reputation as a spectator magnet. More than 1000 onlookers were captivated by the thrilling races and daring maneuvers. A buggy can, after all, reach speeds of up to 50km/h.

The Tamiya Fighter Cup is the world’s largest youth racing series for remote-controlled electric cars. Kristian Kasper, Marketing Manager of Dickie-Tamiya, feels validated because of its enormous popularity among children and teenagers: “We consider our dedication a kind of youth work as well as a popular sport. The young racers demonstrate passion and creativity. Today in Sonneberg it was wonderful to see once again how enthusiastic young people can be.”