The [championships] was organized by the Groupement National de Modélisme Automobile Radiocommandée (GNMARC) on behalf of European Federation of Radio Operated Model Automobiles (EFRA) and hosted by Radio Automobile Club de Grenoble (RACG). The championship took place at Mini Circuit de Montbonnot in Montbonnot-Saint-Martin in Grenoble, France. The inaugural championship was won by RG 34 Modelisme (a hobby store in Montpellier) and Yankee's Frédéric Veysseyre of France, who also won the European Championship in the same year.

The event became retrospectively notable for the appearance of Pedro Martinez (de la Rosa), who was the first double European Champion in 1983 and 1984; he finished 2nd in one of the last of his radio-controlled racing career. He would switch to full-sized automobile racing afterward, becoming a Formula One driver in 2000. Maurizio Monesi, who later became the championship's only multiple winner, finished in 3rd. Additionally Yuichi Kanai, who became a key member of Kyosho with his design and development work on it's influential Inferno series of buggies, is the only remaining driver of it's original entrants to compete at every 1:8 Off-Road Worlds since it's inauguration as of 2024.

Of the 117 drivers who competed, 85% (99) of those were Europeans and 17 Japanese (the most represented nation) and only one American (Gil Losi, Jr.) in contrast to events of recent years since 2000, he finished 36th.

A then record of seven French drivers made it to the A-main (the championship winning final), equaled by Japan in 1990 and 1992 and surpassed by the United States in 2008 when the grid was expanded to the present 12 car grid.

Gilbert Dognon acted as the Race Director. Off-road brands back then were Kyosho, Yankee, Siccom, Garbo, PB (Mustang) and as said we were there with the Serpent Spirit