The annual Custom Chrome Europe Dealer Show once again played host to the prestigious AMD Official European Championship of Custom Bike Building at the Phoenixhalle, at Mainz, near Frankfurt in Germany on March 27th and 28th.

In an event that saw some 119 custom bikes from 20 different countries (making this the most international AMD European Championship yet!), Italian builders continued to confirm their emergence onto the international scene by scooping most of the top honors.

Garage 65 from near Pisa in Italy followed up their Verona, Zuerich and London successes by taking the win in the Freestyle class, claiming the title of European Champion, with their hub-center steered, radically styled 'KCosmoDrive' lowrider.

Headbanger Motorcycles of Milan were second with 'Morning Sunrise' by Luciano Andreoli, which features a radical rigid fork and pivot frame, down-tube shocks chassis concept.

The top three was rounded out by 'One Eyed King' by the Japanese/US based Cycle Kraft operation.

Affiliate event pre-qualifications meant that the three builders who won the World Championship 'Sturgis' bike freight vouchers, courtesy of DHL and Custom Chrome, were Luciano Andreoli of Italy for 'Morning Sunrise', Blech & Drüber of Austria for their Norton engined 'Walton' (5th in the European Championship) and Hungary's Mücechoppers, whose much admired communist-era East German made Simson two-stroke single- powered styling masterpiece scooped sixth in the European Championship.

Fourth place was taken by Speed Dept/Mayhem Kustomz with the 'Energicer' lowrider that won them the domestic 'Sturgis' prize at Swiss Performance at Zurich in February.

Fine Custom Mechanics (FCM) of Moscow, Russia (7th), Bertrand Dubet's Odyssey Motorcycles, France (8th), Hogtech of Sweden in collaboration with Dutchman Paul Funk (9th) and A.T. American Cycles of Germany completed the top ten for this year's AMD Official European Championship 'FreeStyle' Class.

FCM's top ten finish backed up their top-twenty at last year's World Championship, and Bertrand Dubet and Hogtech both have fine track records of success in AMD's Affiliate, European and World Championship events.

A.T. took tenth with 'Osmane', another bike that had already pre-qualified for this year's World Championship, with a win at the Arneitz/CCE/Bikers Power World Championship Affiliate custom show at the Faak Rally in Austria last year.

In an extension to Harley-Davidsons' burgeoning sponsorship and support for the AMD World Championship program, Harley-Davidson Europe sponsored the AMD European Championship Modified Harley Class first place with a brand new 120ci big bore kit engine.

The Modified Harley-Davidson class win was taken by Abnormal Cycles of Italy, with their FL '48.

Second was 'Forsaken' by Unique Custom Cycles of Sweden, winning them a ThunderMax EFi kit; third place was taken by Germany's Sasse van Essen with 'Skull Racer'. Their prize was a Daytona TwinTec kit, and further reward in the shape of a SCS wide rear end swingarm kit for winning Sunday's Public Choice award.

The Custom Chrome Motorcycles class saw a clean sweep for German builders with 'Coppster 36' by Kraftwerk Customs taking first place and a SuperTrapp/Paul Yaffe 'Phantom' exhaust system; second place and a Performance Machine brake system went to Deathfield-Choppers for 'Gold Nugget'; third place saw Tobias Guckel (TGS Motorcycles) win a Progressive Suspension 430 series shocks kit.

The defining character of this year's show was diversity. The 119 bikes included American V-twin power plants alongside Italian V-twins, a Norton, a Yamaha single, a pair of single cylinder Simsons and a pair of Japanese in-line fours. Bike styles ranged from traditional Choppers through board trackers and Bobbers to streetfighters and beyond to machinery that gloriously defies conventional categorization as the European custom industry continues to maintain its reputation for creativity, individuality, originality and craftsmanship.

Additional class wins and prizes included a RevTech 100ci engine for Spain's Sbay Motorcycles, an Autometer speedo/tacho unit for Waka's Bikes in Italy, and a stylish Thunderbike Germany air filter kit to Marcus Walz of Germany for the one, two and three in the Custom Chrome RevTech awards, and CCE/Jammer and KB Piston prizes for Arno Schmitz of Germany (first), B.C.C., Italy (second), and Oskar's Chopper of Germany (third) in the Jammer 'Old School' awards.

Additional 'FreeStyle' prizes were generously awarded by Legend Air Suspension, Belt Drives Ltd., Fred Kodlin Motorcycles, Daytona TwinTec, BSL Exhausts of Austria and LePera custom seats.

Full results details will appear as soon as possible at www.amdchampionship.com. Additional news releases will be sent in the next few days, with press releases, press photography CDs, and AMD Magazine, event program FaceBook, Newsletter and Blog reports all currently in preparation. Italian Text