| James Wharton | |
|---|---|
 Wharton in 2024 | |
| Nationality |  Australian |
| Born | James Anthony Wharton (2006-07-08)8 July 2006 (age 19) Bundoora, Victoria, Australia |
| FIA Formula 3 Championship career | |
| Debut season | 2024 |
| Current team | Prema Racing |
| Car number | TBA |
| Former teams | Hitech TGR,ART Grand Prix |
| Starts | 21 |
| Wins | 1 |
| Podiums | 1 |
| Poles | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| Best finish | 18th in2025 |
| Previous series | |
| 2024 2024 2024 2023 2022–2023 2022 2022–2023 | FR European Championship GB3 Championship FR Middle East Championship Euro 4 Championship Italian F4 Championship ADAC Formula 4 Formula 4 UAE Championship |
| Championship titles | |
| 2023 | Formula 4 UAE Championship |
James Anthony Wharton (born 8 July 2006) is an Australianracing driver who is set to compete in theFIA Formula 3 Championship forPrema Racing, having last raced forART Grand Prix in2025.
Wharton was the runner-up for the2024 Formula Regional European Championship, driving forPrema Racing. He was a race winner inItalian F4, finishing fourth in2023. He was a member of theFerrari Driver Academy between 2021 and 2023.
Wharton began karting at the age of eight in his homeland of Australia. Following two years in Mini and Cadet karting, he won eight out of ten races in his 2017 season, winning the Australian Championship in the process.[1] Following that, he and his father moved to Europe to progress his career, where he spent four years contracted to Parolin, competing in various continental championships.[2] At the end of 2020, Wharton was added to the All Road Management stable managed byNicolas Todt.[3]
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Starting his single-seater at the beginning of 2022, Wharton would compete in theFormula 4 UAE Championship with Abu Dhabi Racing, a team operated byPrema Racing.[4] He took a third-place rostrum on his debut, during the opening round inYas Marina.[5] He proceeded to dominate the firstDubai event, scoring three victories out of the four races.[6] He was only expected to compete in the opening two rounds,[7] but returned for the final two rounds.[8] He would end the season with one more win during the final race in Yas Marina, finishing fifth in the standings with 168 points.[9]
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Wharton remained with Prema for the European racing season, driving in theItalian F4 andADAC F4 championships.[10] In ADAC F4, Wharton earned his first podium during the openingSpa-Francorchamps round,[11] He then took a double podium during the second Nürburgring round, finishing fifth in the standings.[12][13] but waited until the firstNürburgring round to stand on the rostrum again, this time being his only victory from both campaigns.[14] In Italian F4, Wharton took a podium during each of the first five rounds, in a season dominated by teammateAndrea Kimi Antonelli; he also finished fifth in the standings.[15]
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Wharton once again partook inF4 UAE at the beginning of 2023, being part of theMumbai Falcons.[16] He opened the season with a podium inDubai,[17] before taking his first win of the year during the first race inKuwait.[18] He proceeded to lock out the podium during the second Kuwait round, which included winning the third race.[19] He again repeated this feat in the second Dubai round despite not winning a race, but still gained the standings lead.[20] Having taken triumphed the first two races during theYas Marina finale,[21][22] Wharton clinched the title as a result of a collision with title rival and teammateTuukka Taponen during the final race; overall, he achieved four wins and eleven podiums throughout his campaign.[23][24]
Wharton remained withPrema Racing for theItalian F4 Championship.[25] He scored his first podiums of the campaign in round 2 atMisano,[26] before following it up with a double victory inSpa-Francorchamps.[27][28] He again took a double rostrum inPaul Ricard which included a pole position,[29] but a fuel pump issue handed the win toKacper Sztuka with a few corners to go.[30] One more podium followed inMugello followed, as Wharton would end the year fourth in the standings with two wins and eight podiums.[31]
Wharton also competed in the newly-formedEuro 4 Championship with Prema.[32] He placed on the podium during the first round in Mugello, which included a win from pole during the final race.[33] After a third place inMonza,[34] He ended the campaign with a further win inBarcelona,[35] which placed him runner-up with two wins and three further podiums, missing out on the title to teammateUgo Ugochukwu.[36]
In the 2024 pre-season, Wharton partook in theFormula Regional Middle East Championship withMumbai Falcons.[37] He took his first Formula Regional podium in the fourth round atYas Marina Circuit, finishing second behindTuukka Taponen.[38] With an additional podium in the penultimate race atDubai Autodrome, he finished sixth overall in the standings.[39]
For his main campaign, Wharton moved up to theFormula Regional European Championship, once again driving forPrema Racing, alongside former Italian F4 rivalsRafael Câmara andUgo Ugochukwu.[40] He finished on the podium in the opening race of the season atHockenheim[41] Before the season, he stated that he had "even more motivation to prove myself" after being dropped from theFerrari Driver Academy.[42] He started on pole position for the second race, but an incident withPedro Clerot led to him retiring from the race.[43] Similar misfortune would befall him inSpa andZandvoort, with a crash in qualifying at the former leading to a DNS in race one followed by another podium in race two, and a pole position at the latter leading to two non-points finishes.[44][45][46]
However, Wharton's season began to turn around atMugello, where he took his maiden Formula Regional win in race two.[47][48] InPaul Ricard, he started 24th for race 2 following a puncture in qualifying, but made up fifteen positions to finish ninth.[49] He followed it up with a pair of third places inImola,[50] and another win atRed Bull Ring, this time from pole position.[51] A perfect weekend inBarcelona, where he won both races from pole position, propelled him to second overall in the standings.[52] Another double third place in theMonza finale solidified himself as runner-up in the championship, having taken four wins, four poles, ten podiums and 234 points.[53]
Wharton also participated in the2024 Macau Grand Prix withART Grand Prix.[54] On lap 1 of the main race, Wharton crashed into the barriers at Lisboa, which caused a pileup that took him and several others out of the race.[55]
Wharton was signed byFortec Motorsports to participate in the twoSilverstone rounds of the2024 GB3 Championship.[56] Across the those rounds, Wharton recorded a best finish of eleventh twice.[57][58]
AfterMartinius Stenshorne was banned from theSilverstone round, Wharton was drafted byHitech Pulse-Eight to make a one-off appearance there in the2024 FIA Formula 3 Championship.[59] Despite the weekend being affected by wet weather, Wharton finished the races in a respectable 18th and 20th.[60]
In October 2024,ART Grand Prix announced that Wharton would be racing for them in the2025 FIA Formula 3 Championship, alongsideLaurens van Hoepen andFerrari Driver Academy memberTuukka Taponen.[61] He had a tough start to the season as he failed to score points during the first four rounds, having taken a best finish of 11th during theMonaco feature race.[62][63] He broke his duck and scored his first points next time out during theBarcelona sprint race, having capitalised on a first-lap incident.[64] His momentum continued intoAustria, where he secured his first victory of the year from reverse pole in the sprint race, having fended offAlessandro Giusti throughout the race.[65] In theSilverstone feature race, Wharton gambled by starting on wet tyres on a progressively wetter track, which paid off as he finished in sixth.[66] He qualified a season-best tenth and started third for theBudapest sprint race,[67] converting this into a fifth place finish.[68] This would be his final points finish of the season, as Wharton finished eighteenth in the standings with 25 points, notably behind teammates Taponen and Van Hoepen.[69]
Wharton reunited toPrema Racing to contest his second season of Formula 3 in2026, partneringEnzo Deligny andLouis Sharp.[70]
At the end of 2025, Wharton joinedTrident to make hisFormula 2 debut in theQatar round, partneringLaurens van Hoepen.[71]
At the end of 2020 Wharton was chosen byMotorsport Australia to be one of its representatives for the FDA 2020 Scouting World Finals. He ended up winning the shootout, therefore gaining a place in theFerrari Driver Academy.[72]
In December 2023, it was announced that Wharton would be leaving the FDA going into the 2024 season.[73]
| Season | Series | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | SKUSA SuperNationals — TaG Cadet | 43rd | |
| 2016 | Australian Kart Championship — Cadet 12 | 4th | |
| SKUSA SuperNationals — Mini Swift | Kartsport North America | 26th | |
| Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals — Mini MAX | International Karting Distribution | 15th | |
| 2017 | Australian Kart Championship — Cadet 12 | 1st | |
| ROK Cup International Final — Mini ROK | Parolin Racing Team | 7th | |
| SKUSA SuperNationals — Mini Swift | KartSport North America | 14th | |
| Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals — Mini MAX | Int Karting Distributors | 3rd | |
| 2018 | South Garda Winter Cup — OKJ | Parolin Racing Kart | 32nd |
| Victorian Kart Championship — KA3 Junior | 2nd | ||
| Rotax Max Challenge Euro Trophy — Junior | 2nd | ||
| CIK-FIA European Championship — OKJ | Parolin Racing Kart | NC | |
| CIK-FIA World Championship — OKJ | 13th | ||
| WSK Final Cup — OKJ | 7th | ||
| SKUSA SuperNationals — KA100 Junior | KartSport North America | 1st | |
| SKUSA SuperNationals — X30 Junior | 18th | ||
| 2019 | WSK Champions Cup — OKJ | Ricky Flynn Motorsport | 5th |
| South Garda Winter Cup — OKJ | 2nd | ||
| WSK Super Master Series — OKJ | 9th | ||
| WSK Euro Series — OKJ | 9th | ||
| IAME Euro Series — X30 Junior | Piers Sexton Racing | 49th | |
| Italian Championship — OKJ | 4th | ||
| Coupe de France — OKJ | 11th | ||
| German Karting Championship — Junior | Ricky Flynn Motorsport | 12th | |
| CIK-FIA European Championship — OKJ | 9th | ||
| CIK-FIA World Championship — OKJ | Parolin Racing Kart | 31st | |
| Trofeo delle Industrie — OKJ | 4th | ||
| IAME International Final — X30 Junior | 13th | ||
| WSK Open Cup — OKJ | 13th | ||
| WSK Final Cup — OKJ | 7th | ||
| SKUSA SuperNationals — KA100 Junior | 3rd | ||
| SKUSA SuperNationals — X30 Junior | 1st | ||
| 2020 | WSK Champions Cup — OK | Parolin Racing Kart | 31st |
| South Garda Winter Cup — OK | 11th | ||
| WSK Super Master Series — OK | 18th | ||
| CIK-FIA European Championship — OK | 20th | ||
| WSK Euro Series — OK | 7th | ||
| Champions of the Future — OK | 32nd | ||
| CIK-FIA World Championship — OK | 17th | ||
| 2021 | WSK Champions Cup — OK | Parolin Motorsport | 33rd |
| WSK Super Master Series — KZ2 | 34th | ||
| WSK Super Master Series — OK | 36th | ||
| WSK Euro Series — OK | 25th | ||
| Champions of the Future — OK | 29th | ||
| CIK-FIA European Championship — OK | 23rd | ||
| CIK-FIA European Championship — KZ2 | 15th | ||
| CIK-FIA Karting International Super Cup — KZ2 | 5th | ||
| Sources:[74][75] | |||
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Parolin Racing Kart | OKJ | SAR QH | SAR R | PFI QH 41 | PFI R DNQ | AMP QH | AMP R | LEM QH | LEM R | NC | 0 |
| 2019 | Ricky Flynn Motorsport | OKJ | ANG QH 2 | ANG R DNS | GEN QH 47 | GEN R DNQ | KRI QH 14 | KRI R 9 | LEM QH 4 | LEM R 5 | 9th | 34 |
| 2020 | Parolin Racing Kart | OK | ZUE QH 39 | ZUE R DNQ | SAR QH 27 | SAR R 12 | WAC QH 33 | WAC R 26 | 20th | 4 | ||
| 2021 | Parolin Motorsport | OK | GEN QH 14 | GEN R 14 | AUB QH 38 | AUB R DNQ | SAR QH 21 | SAR R 12 | ZUE QH 34 | ZUE R 20 | 23rd | 7 |
| KZ2 | WAC QH 26 | WAC R 8 | GEN QH 42 | GEN R DNQ | 15th | 8 | ||||||
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Formula 4 UAE Championship | Abu Dhabi Racing by Prema | 16 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 168 | 5th |
| Italian F4 Championship | Prema Racing | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 166 | 5th | |
| ADAC Formula 4 Championship | 15 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 146 | 5th | ||
| 2023 | Formula 4 UAE Championship | Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited | 15 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 232 | 1st |
| Italian F4 Championship | Prema Racing | 21 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 205.5 | 4th | |
| Euro 4 Championship | 9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 169 | 2nd | ||
| 2024 | Formula Regional Middle East Championship | Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 111 | 6th |
| Formula Regional European Championship | Prema Racing | 19 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 10 | 236 | 2nd | |
| GB3 Championship | Fortec Motorsports | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 25th | |
| FIA Formula 3 Championship | Hitech Pulse-Eight | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33rd | |
| Macau Grand Prix | ART Grand Prix | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | DNF | |
| 2025 | FIA Formula 3 Championship | ART Grand Prix | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 25 | 18th |
| FIA Formula 2 Championship | Trident | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | TBD* | |
| 2026 | FIA Formula 3 Championship | Prema Racing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | TBD |
* Season still in progress.
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Prema Racing | YMC1 1 3 | YMC1 2 5 | YMC1 3 24 | YMC1 4 9 | DUB1 1 1 | DUB1 2 1 | DUB1 3 1 | DUB1 4 6 | DUB2 1 | DUB2 2 | DUB2 3 | DUB2 4 | DUB3 1 8 | DUB3 2 11 | DUB3 3 10 | DUB3 4 4 | YMC2 1 Ret | YMC2 2 14 | YMC2 3 4 | YMC2 4 1 | 5th | 168 |
| 2023 | Mumbai Falcons | DUB1 1 3 | DUB1 2 17 | DUB1 3 4 | KMT1 1 1 | KMT1 2 2 | KMT1 3 13 | KMT2 1 2 | KMT2 2 2 | KMT2 3 1 | DUB2 1 2 | DUB2 2 2 | DUB2 3 3 | YMC 1 1 | YMC 2 1 | YMC 3 Ret | 1st | 232 | |||||
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Prema Racing | SPA 1 Ret | SPA 2 3 | SPA 3 9 | HOC 1 18 | HOC 2 6 | HOC 3 Ret | ZAN 1 5 | ZAN 2 4 | ZAN 3 6 | NÜR1 1 4 | NÜR1 2 5 | NÜR1 3 1 | LAU 1 | LAU 2 | LAU 3 | NÜR2 1 3 | NÜR2 2 5 | NÜR2 3 4 | 5th | 146 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Prema Racing | IMO 1 4 | IMO 2 3 | IMO 3 9 | MIS 1 5 | MIS 2 3 | MIS 3 29† | SPA 1 3 | SPA 2 5 | SPA 3 Ret | VLL 1 3 | VLL 2 7 | VLL 3 4 | RBR 1 2 | RBR 2 6 | RBR 3 | RBR 4 4 | MNZ 1 30† | MNZ 2 15 | MNZ 3 C | MUG 1 Ret | MUG 2 7 | MUG 3 5 | 5th | 166 |
| 2023 | Prema Racing | IMO 1 23† | IMO 2 | IMO 3 5 | IMO 4 12 | MIS 1 3 | MIS 2 2 | MIS 3 28 | SPA 1 1 | SPA 2 1 | SPA 3 3 | MNZ 1 6 | MNZ 2 5 | MNZ 3 5 | LEC 1 3 | LEC 2 Ret | LEC 3 2 | MUG 1 8 | MUG 2 9 | MUG 3 3 | VLL 1 5 | VLL 2 6 | VLL 3 4 | 4th | 205.5 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Prema Racing | MUG 1 6 | MUG 2 3 | MUG 3 1 | MNZ 1 3 | MNZ 2 8 | MNZ 3 Ret | CAT 1 3 | CAT 2 1 | CAT 3 4 | 2nd | 169 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited | YMC1 1 4 | YMC1 2 24 | YMC1 3 7 | YMC2 1 5 | YMC2 2 Ret | YMC2 3 5 | DUB1 1 28† | DUB1 2 12 | DUB1 3 5 | YMC3 1 5 | YMC3 2 4 | YMC3 3 2 | DUB2 1 6 | DUB2 2 3 | DUB2 3 11 | 6th | 111 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Prema Racing | HOC 1 3 | HOC 2 Ret | SPA 1 DNS | SPA 2 3 | ZAN 1 13 | ZAN 2 14 | HUN 1 6 | HUN 2 4 | MUG 1 7 | MUG 2 1 | LEC 1 6 | LEC 2 9 | IMO 1 3 | IMO 2 3 | RBR 1 1 | RBR 2 5 | CAT 1 1 | CAT 2 1 | MNZ 1 3 | MNZ 2 3 | 2nd | 236 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Fortec Motorsports | OUL 1 | OUL 2 | OUL 3 | SIL1 1 20 | SIL1 2 11 | SIL1 3 C | SPA 1 | SPA 2 | SPA 3 | HUN 1 | HUN 2 | HUN 3 | ZAN 1 | ZAN 2 | ZAN 3 | SIL2 1 11 | SIL2 2 15 | SIL2 3 15 | DON 1 | DON 2 | DON 3 | BRH 1 | BRH 2 | BRH 3 | 25th | 30 |
| Year | Team | Car | Qualifying | Quali Race | Main race |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 |  ART Grand Prix | Tatuus F3 T-318 | 11th | 7th | DNF |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Hitech Pulse-Eight | BHR SPR | BHR FEA | MEL SPR | MEL FEA | IMO SPR | IMO FEA | MON SPR | MON FEA | CAT SPR | CAT FEA | RBR SPR | RBR FEA | SIL SPR 18 | SIL FEA 21 | HUN SPR | HUN FEA | SPA SPR | SPA FEA | MNZ SPR | MNZ FEA | 33rd | 0 |
| 2025 | ART Grand Prix | MEL SPR Ret | MEL FEA 21 | BHR SPR 13 | BHR FEA 28 | IMO SPR 22 | IMO FEA 13 | MON SPR 21 | MON FEA 11 | CAT SPR 8 | CAT FEA 16 | RBR SPR 1 | RBR FEA 14 | SIL SPR 16 | SIL FEA 6 | SPA SPR 20 | SPA FEA C | HUN SPR 5 | HUN FEA 27† | MNZ SPR 16 | MNZ FEA 16 | 18th | 25 |
| 2026 | Prema Racing | MEL SPR | MEL FEA | BHR SPR | BHR FEA | MON SPR | MON FEA | CAT SPR | CAT FEA | RBR SPR | RBR FEA | SIL SPR | SIL FEA | SPA SPR | SPA FEA | HUN SPR | HUN FEA | MNZ SPR | MNZ FEA | MAD SPR | MAD FEA | TBD | TBD |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Trident | MEL SPR | MEL FEA | BHR SPR | BHR FEA | JED SPR | JED FEA | IMO SPR | IMO FEA | MON SPR | MON FEA | CAT SPR | CAT FEA | RBR SPR | RBR FEA | SIL SPR | SIL FEA | SPA SPR | SPA FEA | HUN SPR | HUN FEA | MNZ SPR | MNZ FEA | BAK SPR | BAK FEA | LSL SPR | LSL FEA | YMC SPR | YMC FEA | TBD* | TBD* |
* Season still in progress.
| FIA Formula 2 Championship |
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| Formula Regional European Championship |
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