15th MODEL CAR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 1/24th

AALST, MAY 6, 2006 (B)

SALVATORE NOVIELLO WINS 124 MC WORLDS

MoMo SW2, PlaFit Excel & S24 best chassis - Slotvision nowhere

May 11 - After a race with serious lapcounter bothers, Salvatore Noviello - already world champion in 1999 and 2001 - won his third world championship after a superb combat with previous year's world champion Nick de Wachter (NL). All the beauty of the race, however, was taking away by a permanently failing lap counter. Only at the main final it became obvious that the lapcounter failed seriously at the inner lanes. Organisers could be lucky that their own lapcounter could be used as backup, but consulting of all files of the non-failing IMCA counter - three days after the race - proved that young Youri van Rossem - already in the main final in 2003 and 2004 - was the first victim of the failure of the Dutch counter. Indeed, in the semi-final he totalled 260 laps instead of 258, so that Geert Mertens (the 2000 world championship) could go to the main instead of the very unhappy Youri. Matthias Parke missed also one lap, with 259 as total instead of 258. He, however, should always have finished fourth in his semi, so that at any rate he should have missed the main. Further analysis of the files of the IMCA counter learns that Tamar Nelwan (NL) misses 2 laps, so that normally he and not Antónin Vojtik should have made the move to the semi-finals. 
The continuous failing of the Dutch counter, unfortunately was discovered too late, after all evil was done. It was the main cause of a heavy discussion at the end of the race. On correcting the Dutch counter, during the first segment of the main final, race director Mack de Wachter increased - non intentionally!!! - the total of his son Nick de Wachter with 2 units instead of 1: 55 laps were noted on the results sheet, while the IMCA files gave (3 days later) full evidence that 54 was the correct total. Since at the finish Nick de Wachter finished with a quarter lap advance over Noviello, Nick de Wachter was initially declared the winner. After a long discussion - where JPVR was absolutely sure having seen 54 laps and not 55 - it was admitted by the race director that he committed an error, so that Salvatore Noviello was declared to be the winner of a tumultuous race. Very unlucky was the intervenience of Mack de Wachter when he insulted one of the German racers. At the end of the meeting several racers insisted to bring Bob Demeyer back as race director. Nevertheless Mack did a great job under difficult conditions. Problems with the Dutch counter were not his fault, but due by the fact that the light tunnel could not be used, only leds under the track.

THE ENTRY
Several racers, having confirmed earlier their entrance, were missing at the start. Valid excuses held "Gugu" Bernardino (BR), Vladimir Horky (CZ), Lasse Åberg (S), Stefan Wiesel (D), Anders Gustafson (S) and Stefan Törnfeldt (S) off from the start. Absent with very poor excuses were those of Dennis Vogel (NL). Robbie Cuppens (B) and Michael Phillipaerts (B) were unable to pay the entry fee. Gilles Dohogne (B) and Yves Welter jr (B) did even not the smallest effort to show with an own DTM car [despite the fact that their club would receive € 2500 sponsor money from DTM sponsors!]. Frank Beyerlein (D), who insisted earlier that IMCA should accept his candidatue didn't show without the smallest warning. Vogel, Beyerlein, Gilles Dohogne and Yves Welter jr will no more be invited at IMCA races. And if Frank Beyerlein is that unreliable there can be no question to let him organise the 2005 IMCA EuroNats. So Berlin 2005 will be replaced by another location and another organiser. The € 2,500 DTM sponsoring for the club of Dohogne and Welter will be given to another club having some more respect for DTM racing.
But most stirring was that Thomas Spicker (D) - mister Slotvision! - who was present didn't enter. Already at free practice it became obvious that the Slotvision chassis had problems to follow the speed developed by the other chassis. It's not impossible that Thomas Spicker decided wisely to retire his car in order to avoid a clear defeat. His team mate Uwe Geiβler took the start but was at no moment in competition for a decent place.

THE PREQUALIFICATION RACE
With 12 withdrawals number of racers having to start in the prequalifica-tion race dropped from 24 to 12. They were split in two groups with the winner of each group plus the fastest second making the move to the eventual world championship race. Fastest qualifier of the 12 was Andreas Laufenberg (D) with an Audi TT/PlaFit Excel in 5"5382, ahead of the Audi TT/MoMo SW1 of Miroslav Vadlejch (CZ) and the Mercedes DTM/PlaFit S24 of Michael Krollmann (D).
During the first semi-final Michael Krollmann lost the complete rear axle of his car. When he rejoined the race it appeared that his motor came off. So he dropped from the first to the last place. With Frances Reyes and Marcello Triginelli, both in troubles, America's John Emmons succeeded in finishing as second behind the outstanding Miroslav Vadlejch (CZ) and his Audi TT/MoMo SW1. In the second semi-final the Audi TT/PlaFit Excel of Andreas Laufenberg (D) was pulling away from the rest of the field. Only Chris Radisich (NZ) succeeded to prevent that the gap became not too big. Towards the end of the race, and after some mechanical problems from the Kiwi, driving a Mercedes DTM/ Schoeler with dragging body, there was a serious thrill to know if Chris should still be able to achieve more laps than John Emmons had done on his second place. Eventually Radisich was one full lap faster than Emmons, so that he, as fastest second, made with Laufenberg and Vadlejch the move to the eventual race.

QUALIFICATIONS
24 cars qualified in order to determine the composition of the heats. Juanma de Torres Perez (E) was the first to go under 5"5 with his Audi TT/MoMo SW2: 5"4674. Immediately after Michael Niemas (D) on Opel Astra V8/Plafit S24 went under 5"4, realising a sharp 5"3915. None of the three top favourites - Noviello, De Wachter and "Piki" - succeeded to improve that time, after all others failed. So Niemas was the pole sitter with Nick de Wachter (NL) as second in 5"4284 and Salvatore Noviello (I) in 5"4815. Extremely disappointing was the time realised by "Piki" (B), the triple 2003 IMCA world champion. With his 5"6634 he was only 17th on the grid, a clear proof how 9 months of inactivity had bad influence on his speed.

HEATS
There were no big surprises at the four 6 x 3' heats, except for the fact that Josef Korec (CZ) on Audi TT/MoMo SW1, Tamar Nelwan on Mercedes DTM/PlaFit Excel and Dieter Jens on Mercedes DTM/Schoeler Tigre P missed all three the move. Jens was victim of mechanical problems on the moment he was leading his heat. He rejoined the race in a hopeless position. Out too were Miroslav Vadlejch (CZ), Daniele Malangone (I), Chris Radisich (NZ) and Dan Debella (USA). The last named didn't race since 17 years. He seemed on his way to an easy qualification, since with two segments to go he was still a solid second in his heat. However his race on lanes red and white were a pure disaster, costing him 11 laps! Only 3 days after the race, on consulting the hexadecimal files, sent by the IMCA counter to the computer, it became obvious that Tamar should have made the move.

SEMI-FINALS
Among the twelve semi-finalists we found five cars on a PlaFit Excel chassis (those of Nick de Wachter, "Piki", Laufenberg, Youri van Rossem and JPVR). One car used the PlaFit S24 (Niemas's). Four cars were mounted on MoMo SW2 (Noviello, Borch, Parke and Mertens). Two cars were fitted on a MoMo SW1 chassis (Vojtik's and Kivekäs's). Of the four Schoeler Tigre  chassis, none reached the semis. Of the four Slotvisions none was in the semis. It seems as if the Slotvision is not built for heavier motors than the Fox. Both Metris Mk 2.0 chassis failed also.

The first semi-final was disastrous. Still unaware of the failing of the Dutch counter, Youri van Rossem, who was leading his semi ahead of Andreas Laufenberg and Michael Niemas - three youngsters - dropped without visible reasons and without deslotting from rank 1 to rank 5. Loud protest of Youri - a born revolutionar contesting all the time anything - was ignored, since the figures on the Dutch computer were trusted and since nobody controlled the back-up computer now that JPVR had to race himself in the same semi. However, Youri succeeded to come back in third position. But all at once, again without deslotting, he felt back in fifth position, without having been depassed. The Dutch counter thus failed for a second time. At the finish Youri was two metres behind the deslotting Mercedes of Parke (who missed also a lap), but deslotted himself when the power came off. Officially he finished as 5th behind Laufenberg, Niemas, Mertens and Parke. Since all dates of the IMCA counter in back-up go to the computer in hexadecimal form, and since there was absolutely no time to check all of them, the result was maintained. Towards the end of his semi JPVR himself was more looking to the strange figures on the screen than to his own car. Up from now he returned to the race director's stand to compare continuously the figures on the IMCA counter with this of the Dutch counter. It immediately became obvious that the Dutch counter made errors on the inner lanes. Up from now those errors were scrupulously corrected - and not only for the Dutch or Belgian racers as Matthias Parke wrote on his forum (why?).
In the other semi-final Antonin Vojtik, Martin Borch and Kai Kivekäs did what they could to follow the trio "Piki"-Noviello-De Wachter. At no avail since that trio was pulling away from the rest of the field. At the finish "Piki" finished a half lap ahead over Nick and one over Salvatore.
MAIN-FINAL
In the main final we found three PlaFit Excel chassis (for Nick de Wachter, "Piki" and Andreas Laufenberg), one PlaFit S24 (for Michael Niemas) and two MoMos SW2 (for Noviello and Mertens). Shortly after the start the trio Noviello-De Wachter-"Piki" pulls away from the rest of the field, following Mertens, leading the race on the fastest lane. Nick de Wachter deslots early in the first segment and looses nearly a full lap. Michael Niemas remains with Mertens, Noviello and "Piki" in the lead lap, but the Italian is obviously the fastest. After the first segment Mertens, Noviello, "Piki" and Niemas have all three 55 laps. Nick, who ends 5 metres behind Noviello is given by error 55 laps instead of 54, being the begin of a heavy discussion. Indeed, both for Noviello and De Wachter the Dutch counter missed from one lap. Race director Mack made the error to increase Nick's total by two instead of by one. Noviello continues his protest that he lost one lap. But since the lost lap was corrected there is a confusion: JPVR is not aware that Nick's lap total was increased by 2 instead of 1 lap. The race continues with Nick passing Noviello and holding it until the finish. Meanwhile Mertens has been passed on the slower lanes by all other finalists. So the race direction believes that Nick is the winner. The history of the Dutch counter is then consulted and it appears that Nick received 55 laps for his first segment, while JPVR is affirmative that 54 was to be seen at the back up IMCA counter. Noviello receives his due and is declared the winner. Nick is second one lap behind. All that time "Piki" was in the same lap as Nick, but at his last run on black he looses 4 laps. So he finishes third at 5 laps. Towards the end of the race an excellent Andreas Laufenberg can pass Niemas for the fourth place. [JPVR]

15th 124 MODEL CAR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (May 6)

3rd MODEL CAR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 1/32nd

AALST, MAY 5, 2006 (B)

NICK DE WACHTER WINS 132 MC WORLDS

Excellent performance by Daniel Gonzalez

May 12 - The 132 Model Car Worlds were intended to be a curtain raiser, allowing the racers to become familiar with the track.  Winner was Hollands Nick de Wachter, just as last year.
One hour before the start handout was done of the chassis, motor and tires, to be assembled by the racers. First man to be ready was Kai Kivekäs (SF), the Finnish specialist in 1/32nd racing. Chassis was the nearly undriveable TSRF of Philippe de Lespinay, having been improved on six points by NSR. Thanks to the very special tyres NSR succeeded to give some grip on those strange little cars. It has been written that Nick de Wachter and "Piki" used their old chassis. This is ABSOLUTELY untrue. What they did was comparing their old chassis with the new one, without using the smallest part of the old one. I really don't know why such desinformation has been written down.
During the short practice time before the start Kai Kivekäs (SF) and Yves Welter jr were the two fastest men on the track, but at the qualifications Gilles Dohogne (B) was fastest in 5"5989, followed by Daniele Malango-ne, Nick de Wachter (NL) and Salvatore Noviello (I). The race director discovered that Salvatore Noviello had dipped the motor in a fuel, to make that the brushes adapted them immediately at the collector. So, Salvatore had to replace his motor by a new one, not having been dipped in fuel. At the handout of the cars a mistake was made, so that Michael Niemas received no chassis. Once this was remarked the race was already on.

Thomas Spicker decided not to start, so that 18 racers showed for 3 Quarters of 6 x 4'. Only the two fast of each Quarter made the move to the eventual Main Final. Initially the car of Yves Welter jr went as a rocket, but all at once his car was slowing down, dropping him out of the standings. The three most unlucky guys were Kai Kivekäs, Günther Riehl (D) and Kevin Krollmann (D), all three finishing in their Quarter at the third place. We also lost Dieter Jens (D) and surprisingly Josef Korec (CZ). The six finalists in this extremely fair race with equal weapons for everybody were the six best racers around the track, with the trio Nick de Wachter, Noviello and "Piki" - also the three first of the 124 MC Worlds, contested later - as the three fastest. Towards the end of his Quarter, De Wachter, being sure about his qualification, slowed down (which cost him easily 10 to 12 laps). The 6 finalists were Noviello and Malangone from Italy, "Piki" and Gilles Dohogne from Belgium, Nick de Wachter from Holland and the remarkable Daniel Gonzalez from Spain. In 2003 Gonzalez finished already third at the real first 132 Worlds.
In the Main Noviello was the fastest starter with Gonzalez immediately behind. During the second segment Gonzalez went out at the lead, whilst De Wachter succeeded to pass Noviello. During the two following segments "Piki" passed Gonzalez and the trio De Wachter-Noviello-Piki was pulling away from the rest of the field. Positions didn't change in the two last segments and Nick de Wachter won his fourth world champion-ship.