PETR KYSELA DIED FROM CANCER

July 5, 2010 - Last week Jiri Karlik (CZ) mailed me that Petr Kysela is no longer. He passed away already on November 21, 2009, but none of the Czech racers informed us. During several years I was unhappy that such a good scale racer as Petr Kysela didn't figure in the IOC-list. It as as if the IOC-list was not complete. I remember that last year, mid-August, I was happy as a child that Petr won at least his first IOC-points: 6 in total. Now the list was eventually complete. Indeed at the Atvidaberg G12 12 hour race he finished with his Bohemia Sekt Team with friends Stanislav Polic and Jan Zemlicka as sixth.
Petr was one of the best European G12 racers. That was clearly proven on January 26, 2008, when he finished as runner up to Klaus Wickert in the G12 race on the Plzen Blue King, letting even Heiko Thinschmidt behind. Unfortunately this was not an IOC-race, so that Petr failed to score his first IOC points. That happened already earlier, at the F1 on July 28, 2006 at the AMC Nova Paká, where he finished fifth overall (with Zdenek Chleborad as winner). But that race too didn't go after IOC points.
Petr Kysela was not one of those Czechs who were regulary travelling to race. (style Horky, Korec, Krcil, Vojtik, Benes, Karlik, etc.) His first international appearance was at the 2003 ISRA Worlds in Brno, and returned to it in 2007 at Revuca, where he teamed with friend Stanislav Polic.  Kysela was member of the SRC Bitouchov (where he was one of the founders) and was mostly seen in regional or national races, only rarely in international events. He always let note excellent results at the Honda Accord races, where he was a regular top-10 finisher in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.
Only 39 years old Petr Kysela died from cancer. He lets behind a lovely spouse and two young children, a daughter of five and a son of 8. Only six months before his death he introduced his young son in slot-racing. We present our condolences to his wife, his children and his family. [JPVR]

ALEXANDRE RIBERIO IS NO MORE

February 16, 2010 - Today we received an e-mail by "Gugu" Bernardino with sad news. He informed us that in Brazil Alexandre "Gordo" Riberio passed away. "Gordo" was an excellent wing car racer and one of the best in Brazil. In 1995 he caused a stir by winning the Wing Car World Championship, beating Vlado Okali and the world's best wing car racers.  In 1997 he finished as runner-up to Paul Ciccarello at the Open G7 Campeo-nato Brasileiro. In 2000 "Gordo" finished as runner-up to Lasse Äberg at the Wing Car World Championship, missing his second world title for just a couple of laps. At the end of the same year he finished third in the Open G7 Campeonato Brasileiro behind Mario "MSP" Schöne.

Suffering in a high degree from diabetes he was only sporadically seen in competition after 2000. He was ranked as #164 in the IOC list, although that number doesn't reflect his great talents as excellent wing car racer. His disease made that he was nearly never seen in competition outside Brazil. "Gordo" passed away from diabetes at the age of 46 years. He was the dad of three daughters. To his wife and his daughters IMCA present its condolences.

"Gordo" is already the fourth slot-racing world champion who passed away. In 2002 we lost Franco Gianotti from Italy, last year Martin Gramann from Austria and Jon Laster from the States. "Gordo" will be missed by all of us, especially by the wing car racers. [JPVR]

HROAR OLSEN PASSES AWAY

September 30, 2009 - When I was making the work sheet for the 2010 PENC (Plafit European Nations Cup) for national teams, to be raced with the famous DAVIC system, I put a picture of Hroar Olsen on the sheet, as one of the members of team Denmark. That was last Saturday. Shortly after I received a mail by Paal Hanson telling: "Dear JP, Please note that Hroar Olsen is terminally ill with cancer, and will probably not be with us next year. I write this for your information as I think you should include another Dane in the proposal for the Danish team. Best regards. Pål Hanson."  Two days later Paal wrote me: Hallo JP. Hroar Olsen unfortunately passed away last night.

I never met Hroar Olsen in my life. I remember that he finished 10th, thus in the IOC points, at the 2009 DKPM in March at Roedovre. I found the left picture on the racefun.dk web site of Keld Høfler. I don't know how old Hroar was. Cancer remains a terrible disease. It's hard to realise that Hroar was still among us six months ago, that he was laughing, racing, making fun, and that six months later, at once, he's no longer there. I present my sincere condolences to his family and I hope that someone, who know Hroar much better than I, can write as memorial an article on him and his life. [JPVR]

THE WORLD LOOSES ONE OF ITS GODS

JON LASTER PASSES AWAY

August 23, 2009 - Yesterday the slot-racing world lost one of its very Gods: Jon Laster is no more. He was one of the real icons in slot-racing: a monument. One day before his death we were corresponding via email as I wanted him at the start of the Battle with the Gods on October 31. In his typical style he wrote: I see on your web site I'm wanted, if I turn myself in voluntarily you won't shoot? How are you doing? By all rights you should be a wreck by now......Jon. I answered him that we needed him as one of the 8 Gods invited at the 21st IMCA Sprint Worlds where, just for fun, we'll organise a battle of the ordinary mortals with the Gods. On Saturday morning, 0.17am GMT he answered: Jean-Pierre, it's unlikely I'll be in a travelling mood then, but I
appreciate all the trips you made possible, and all the connections that resulted! Of course you'll find as always the correct words to convince me to show. Fine that you published a new book on the economic crisis. The crash was very interesting; here the most fascinating part was watching the Republicans oppose every effort to mitigate it, without exception; this was actually good politics for them, people instinctively think you should tighten up in a depression....I'd like to know more about the Fed's efforts, as far as I can gather, they have been holding the world's most extensive investment portfolio, but my knowledge is sketchy at best! Anyway, I'm glad to hear from you, and hope for all the best.  Jon. Probably he didn't receive my long answer no more. He died the same night.

Jon Laster was a superb racer, a typical all-rounder, as competitive with wing cars as with scale cars and model cars. He played a crucial role in the develop-ment of slot-racing of the last 30 years. It's good to know that without Jon Laster there should never have been ISRA-like scale racing in the States. Although he was one of the Camen boys, he entered in 1988 as first American the UES European Cham-pionship for scale cars, where, together with Jan Limpach he tested the brand new ... Proslot MkIIB with the open can. He just pulverised the OPP and 1-0-1 cars having dominated ES32 up to then. Shortly after Laster developed a Camen ES32 car. The use of open can motors in scale racing was the work of Dan Debella for ProSlot and Jon Laster for Camen. IUp from 1988 Laster insisted that at the USRA Nats there should be also a race for ES32 scale cars. Although the USRA Div II Nats didn't exist he won 7 of the 9 ES32 races at the USRA Nats from 1988 to 1996. Laster was also the first American to develop the ES24 car. All actual ES24 cars use principles for chassis and motor originated by Jon Laster.
Jon Laster (USA) stopped active racing more than 10 years ago, but will remain always the Camen legend in American racing. Although he was no winner he won once the Wing Car G7 Worlds and once the USRA G7 Pro Nats (where he finished 8 times on the podium). From 1985 to 1989 he was seen regularly in Europe, as well in wing car racing as in scale racing and in model car racing. It was on European soil, at John Ford's Blue King, in Toulouse, that he improved for the third time the Open G7 world record. He won several races with model cars and finished in 1986 as fourth at the famous Pinky Point Series where the first prize was a 1/1 Ferrari 308 GTB.

In 1985 Jon Laster was my team mate at the Uden 24 hours. Together we were leading the race with dozens of laps in advance over all other teams. During the 15th hour, however, I crashed at full speed with Paul Pfeiffer's car in the banking. Our chassis was completely bent, just as Pfeiffer's. Whilst Pfeiffer (teaming with Henri Pena) decided to retire, Jon Laster restored our chassis, loosing more than 30 minutes. We dropped into last position, but thanks to Jon's superb driving talent we finished still third overall.
One year later Laster and I were involved in a gruelling combat at the old-timer race on the Engleman track of Châtenay-Malabry. Jon drove a lexan Porsche 908-1 Spider, I a lexan Lotus-Ford 40. Halfway we were first and second. During the sixth segment I tried to pass him on the inner lane but could not avoid to crash. Big smile on his face. He won the race and I dropped into fifth position. Jon Laster was always smiling when he was racing. For him having fun was much more important than winning.
Jon Laster was suffering from cancer since more than ten years. Fred Hood informs me that it was not cancer what got him. He was coughing when at once his aorta ruptured. Jon Laster was following chemo and wrote me that he had not the problems that other God of slot-racing, John Cukras - also suffering from cancer - had. In his mail he wrote me that coughing was his only problem. He wrote the same to Fred Hood. How prophetic were his words!
With Paul Pfeiffer, P-A Watson and "Beuf" Pedersen, Jon Laster belongs to the greatest wing car racers on earth. At Profondville, in 1988, he was coaching me in a wing car race, where I missed the Semis by less than one lap. In wing car racing he prepaired always wonderfully my cars. Unfortunately I had in wing car racing not the unbelie-vable great talent he had. With Jon Laster we loose the slot-racer I admired above all in the world. [JPVR]

IMCA FOUNDER J-P ROOS PASSED AWAY

January 31, 2009 - This night Jean Pierre Roos (63), one of the IMCA founders in 1985 passed away in an hospital in Bruges (B). During his youth Roos was probably the best Belgian racer and one of the real first to race internationally up from the early 1960s. With his famous Ferrari Dino 206S at scale 1/24th het contested from 1966 thru 1969 no less than 349 races, having won 198 of them. In 21 of those races I was his team mate. When in 1966 the SRC Saint-Dénis (Paris) organised a race with a 1/1 Matra Djet as first prize. There were more than 10,000 entrants, but J-P Roos reached the main final. In that final he wes leading with his famous Ferrari Dino 166P (on a Cox chassis) since the first segment. With two segments to go he had an advance of four laps over the second and seemed on his way to victory. In the seventh segment however he was victim of the French connection. In the banking of the Blue King one of the French deslotted intentionally at top steed knocking the Ferrari 166P off. The car of J-P Roos suf-fered a plied rear axle. I did what I could, mounted a new rear axle, put the original rear wheels and the original crown wheel on that axle - as was obliged by the rulebook. J-P Roos rejoined the race in fifth position, eleven laps back. During the last segment he was racing like a devil, lapping all his concurrents one by one. When he was back in second position, only three laps down to the leader the French connection knocked his car again out, now over the border. Complaining was of no avail.

By the end of 1970 J-P Roos stopped active racing, but all those years he followed intensively what was going on in the world of slot-racing. In 1985 he made his come-back in international racing, but was no longer the superb racer he was in the 1960s. Since years he had an alcohol problem and he was a palfium addict. At the first rounds of the Pinky Pont Trophy Roos and I raced together. We finished fifth at the first Pinky Point round in Antwerp,. At Thoiry in France we were fourth at round #4 and 3rd at round #5.   It was his very last race.
 From 1985 thru 1989 J-P Roos wrote several articles for the EuroSlot Magazine. One finds an interview with him in #5 of Autumn 1986, pp. 20-21.  Best known is his history of slot-racing  to be found at http://www.imca-slotracing.com/SLOTHISTORY.htm. He was a shy person, suffering from the fact that he didn't spoke English. He wrote all his articles in Dutch, being translated by one of my personnel members in English.

Jean-Pierre Roos was one of the advocates of interna-tional slot-racing with hard-bodied cars. Already in 1981 he tried to create an International Model Car Federation (IMCF), but was not followed by his French and Swiss friends who were mainly interested by 1/32rd racing, not by 1/24th racing . Up from 1984 he insisted to create the International Model Car Association (IMCA), which was founded one year later. Roos was also the father of the famous IOC-list (International Overall Classification). In 1994 he proposed a better ranking based upon an equal number of races for wing cars, scale cars and model cars. That year he planned a come back at the first rounds of the IMCA Sprint Worlds, but after a disastrous qualification he decided that any successful combat was excluded. Up from now he was writing some slot-racing articles which he let being translated in English. [In 2005 I was terribly upset when Tamar Nelwan suggested that J-P Roos did not exist and was just a pseudonym of JPVR].
The last years Jean-Pierre Roos, who had stopped drinking, suffered from a complicated lung disease. The two last months he was in hospital in Bruges where he received daily visits of his three sisters and their husband. He was very depressed and aware of the fact that he had reached the ultimate period of his life. His role in international racing can hardly be overestimated. He was also the author of the first IMCA Rule Books. He hazd a son (Vincent Roos) and a daughter (Chantal Roos, living in the States). He will be cremated on Friday February 6 in Bruges.

G27 King Martin Gramann is no more ...

January 18, 2009 - This week-end  we lost one of the best wing car racers in history: Martin Gramann from Vienna in Austria. He was a former F3 racer, having had a serious accident in the late 1970s. Due to this accident he was paralysed. Although he had to continue his life in a wheelchair and that he could no longer use his fingers, he was extremely courageous and learned to build and to dive wing cars. In G27 racing he was as well as unbeatable in Europe.  Gramann won the ESROC European Wing Car Cham-pionship in 1989 and in 1994. He was the first Euro-pean racer to beat the Americans at the USRA Div I Nats in 1995 ahead over Paul Ciccarello and Mario "MSP" Schöne. In 1994 he won the Wing Car World Championship ahead over Lasse Aberg and Mario Schöne.

Martin Gramann was - despite his handicap - one of the best all-rounders of the World. In 1985 he was one of the 96 entrants at the IMCA Model Car World Cup at the Antwerp Crest Hotel. Together with the triple European wing car champion Bernd Möbus he finished then second, despite the fact that he had to drive the car as should it have been a wing car. Martin could only put the trigger down with instep of his hand. We saw him also at the 1994 Model Car Worlds at the Darmstadt round. He was an extremely friendly man, always optimistic and never depressed. In 1997 he stopped racing and entered competition with RC Helicopters. We present our condolences to his family.  A special report on Martin Gramann can be found here. [JPVR]

Porcelain artist Uwe Geißler dies in Japan

December 6, 2008 - Last week-end the first rumour went that Uwe Geißler (1957-2008) passed away during a business stay in Japan.  The sad rumour became yesterday the naked truth. Much more than an good model car racer and an excellent modeller, Uwe was in the first place a famous porcelain painter, having made school in Germany. Of all racers who passed away since Franco Gianotti in 2002 he was the highest ranked on the IOC-list. He collected 75 points, finished 7 times in the top-8 of an international race and was ranked 132nd. I know Uwe since more than 25 years as I am an art collectionner. Initially I even didn't know he was a slot-racer. Porcelain painting came on the first place in his life, but when he assembled a model car it was nearly always a piece of art. I couldn't find out what was the cause of his death in Japan. I hope that someone (Dieter Jens perhaps) can inform us.  

Most racers were not aware what was the place of Uwe Geißler in arts. Edited by Schiller Press the book Porcelain Painting with Uwe Geissler gives a good idea how unique his talent was. As porcelain painter he had a world wide reputation and was considered as the upper best of his generation. We present our condolences to his family, especially his daughter. [JPVR]

Bruno Novarese dies from cancer

October 18, 2008 - Yesterday Italy lost one of its greatest slot-racers: Bruno Novarese (55). He was one of the first Italian racers to go internationally, up from the late 1970s. At the famous Pinky Point Series of the mid-1980s he was one of the Italians helping his younger country mate Sergio Maresca to win the first prize, the 1/1 Ferrari 308 GTB. Unfortunately for him and the Italians Canada's Chuck Ingram won the 52nd and last round ahead over the Italians, so that the first prize went for 5 little points of difference to Belgium's Willy Heer-wegh, beating Maresca.
Bruno Novarese was several times Italian champion. In 1978 he won the European Championship ahead over Pietro Razzano and Giovanni Montiglio. In 1987 he finished as third at the European Nats, preceded by Alberto Capra and Paolo Trigilio. At the 1986 Scale Racing World Championship in Valkenburg - on the pic we see him with America's Jon Laster - he finished third behind Sergio Maresca and Giovanni Montiglio. At the IMCA Worlds of the same year he finished fourth. One year later, at the IMCA Worlds in Toulouse he reached the main final. In 132F1 he was runner-up to Sergio Maresca. At IMCA's Canam series of 1986 he was one of the eye catchers. Up from the 1990s he was a regular entrant at the Vintage Races of Bordeaux, where he won several times. He was an excellent car builder and was one of the most sportmanslike racers in the international circuit. For me it was a honour to have welcomed him at the many international competitions I orga-nised.
Bruno suffered since years from a generalised cancer. He even organised a charity race to support the Cancer Study Foundation. With Perry Dekker and Dawie van Rooyen he is already the third top racer to die from cancer this year. To his wife and his son IMCA presents its most sincere condolences.

Dawie van Rooyen is no more

October 10, 2008 - For the rest of the world South-Africa, as a slot-racing nation, held on four names: Gustav Heymann (their best racer), Anthony Bithrey (always Heymann's best rival), Russell Sheldon (their best model car assembler) and Dawie van Rooyen (their best chassis maker and an excellent racer). This week South-African slot-racing lost one of its pillars: David van Rooyen. He was not only one of the best ES24 & ES32 chassis inventors in the world, he was also an excellent racer, having beaten Heymann and Bithrey more than once. I met him only once, at the 2002 Worlds in Ostend, at the good old days the RSA sent us still its best drivers. I had a long talk with him about African racing. He was a very enjoyable man, too humble despite his excel-lent capacities both as racer and as chassis builder. He started his career in the early 1970s at the Pretoria Model Car Club. Then he disappeared more than a decade and came back at the 1997 ISRA Worlds. In August we were informed that he suffered from a very aggressive liver cancer. This week he lost the very unequal fight for live. He'll always be remembered as the father of the best ES24 chassis in the world: the famous DVR chassis.
IMCA presents its most sincere condolences to his family. [JPVR]

TThis is the last DVR chassis Dawie developed, shortly before passing away. It hurts me that Al Paterson even not mentioned Dawie's death, but that he found it more interesting to write an article telling the rest of the world what a farce was the RSA entry at the 2008 IMCA Worlds.

Adieu, Perry Dekker

July 28, 2008 - Holland's Perry Dekker (49) passed away on Wednesday evening. He was one of the leading figures in slot-racing and one of the founders of both IMCA and ISRA. He was not only an excellent racer in the mid 1980s, but was one of the great promoters of slot-racing in the Benelux. In 1985 he succeeded to show with no less than 32 young Dutch racers at the international meeting of Châtenay-Malabray in France. In 1987 he was co-organiser of the IMCA World Championship at Valkenburg (NL). He made several slot-racing tracks. One of them is the circuit of Speedlines Diepenbeek having served for the 2001 IMCA Worlds.
Having always had an open eye for international racing he was one of the first to find an alternative for scale racing when the UES finished to exist. In 1992 he organised in Holland the first ISRA Worlf Championship where the great Sergio Maresca was (once more) disqualified.
His hobby - slot-racing - became his job. He was the importer of Ninco, Parma, NSR, BRM, GS Racing, Novarossi, Motonica, Runner Time, BP Racing and AR Racing. His firm, PDS, was known in the whole world, and had always an excellent reputation.
Perry Dekker suffered from an aggressive cancer. With the strong support of his wife Monique Tonelli he followed a series of painful medications, but eventually the therapy failed.
Perry passed away the first day of the 20th IMCA Nats. On behalf of IMCA Marcel Oosterling brought a last visit on Perry's coffin. The funerals were hold the same day of the 20th World Championship for Model Cars. Perry will be terribly missed by all of us. IMCA presents its condolences to his wife Monique and to all who loved him. [JPVR]

Stephan Wiesel is no longer

December 16, 2007 - Fola Osu informed us that Stephan Wiesel passed away, due to a heart attack. He died when he was racing in a round of the DSC. As far as I know he's the first racer dying with the controller still in his hands.  Wiesel was an icon in German model car racing. He was for German racing what Franco Gianotti was for international racing. He built himself hundreds of resin slot-cars is famous for his Wiesel tyres, and was a good racer.  In his career he collected 67 slot-racing points and won two IOC-races. In 2004 and 2005 he built several cars for the Franco Gianotti Trophy. With his #3 Porsche 917LH he won 20 concourse points. Famous too is the decoration of the track at Neumünster.  Wiesel was a passionate and excitable racer. He restricted his entries to German races were he was extremely popular. He was one of the founders of the DSC racing which originated in North-Germany. He also co-operated at the organisation of several editions of the Dieter Jens Le Mans Challenge. There can be no doubt that the last cars he built will become true collector's items.  Hereunter the car, a Corvair Chevrolet #57, which Stephan was driving for his run into heaven.[JPVR] 

         For Relexions on Stephan's death click here.

Canada's Tim Murphy passed away

 He was one of the funniest racers on earth

November 21, 2007 - We were informed  by Dan Debella that Canada's Tim Murphy passed away after a fatal heart attack. We got the following info:

Tim Murphy introduced wing car racing in Canada. Since his show at the 1987 IMCA Valkenburg Worlds he had a great interest in real scale model cars. Together with Dan Debella he introduced Canada's Chuck Ingram in the Pinky Point Trophy. Ingram caused a stir by winning the real last Pinky Point round, ahead over Sergio Maresca, so that Willy Heerwegh - and not Maresca - could win the Ferrari 308 GTB (first prize at PP). During twenty years Tim Murphy was IMCA'ss correspondent in Canada. He came as visitor to several IMCA Worlds, without racing himself. He came essentially to help other racers and to make fun. I think that Tim was somewhat the funniest racer I met during the last quarter century. He had a well developed social conscience. Several nights we caused together aabout the state of affairs in the world. Tim was convinced that a more social world was absolutely necessary if one wanted to contribute to a greater hapiness of its inhabitants.

I received his last mail shortly before the 19th IMCA Worlds, after I wrote him that David Campbell seemed to me my best successor. I didn't find the time to bring Tim and Mark together. Kim's death is a great loss for Canadian  slot-racing. Brad Friesner is one of his disciples. [JPVR]

Long disease fatal for Craig Landry

He developed several Worlds winning ZAP chassis

July 17, 2007 - The micro cosmos of slot-racers lost yesterday one of its most respected members: Craig Landry of Houston Texas. It was Andy Wasserman who conacd us by mail. Landry was one of the best 1/24th chassis builders in the world. He himself was an excellent racer before the weakness of his eyes prevented him to continue his career as a good wing car racer. In 1993 he TQ-ed at the USRA Div I Nats where he finished third behind P-A Watson and Austria's Martin Gramann. By clocking 1"850 he realised a World Record (at once more than 0.1" second faster than the official WR by Petteri Pirhonen and also better than the real 1"853 WR by Wasser-man).  In 1995 he reached again the Main of the USRA Div I Nats, but finished 8th due to a bent chassis. That day he has sworn that he should develop one day an non destructible  wing car chassis.  It was the start of ZAP, worldwide famous as chassis manufac-turer. It's well known that Mario "MSP" Schöne won in 2001 the USRA Nats with a ZAP chassis. Earlier, in 1999, and later in 2003 Schöne  won the Wing Car World Championship with a ZAP chassis.
When IMCA decided earlier this year to contest the 124 Le Mans 24 hours at the Peugeot show room at the Champs Élysées and when it appeared that the actual LMP1 and LMP2 prototypes are so low that an in-line chassis could be necessary, IMCA USA con-tacted Craig to develop such chassis. Craig had an immense knowledge of all types of slot cars - and not exclusively wing cars as always was believed - and, despite his disease, he accepted the deal. Unfortu-nately he could no more materialise his ideas.
After he stopped active racing, Craig Landry helped hundreds racers at all places where he showed.  But even earlier he was always extremely helpful. I remember the 1988 Chicago Worlds, where one of the European wing car racers had nobody as helper. Craig was the first to do the job. We'll miss him terribly. Condolences to his family on behalf of IMCA. 

Juanma Torres killed in motor-accident

He was the second best all-time Spanish slot-racer!

October 31, 2006 - Late this night we received on the IMCA mailbox a very sad message, both from Francesc Reyes as from world champion Daniel Gonzalez that Juanma de Torres Perez was killed yesterday with his motor bike in a road accident. Juanma was one of the best Spanish racers and entered this year the top-100 of the all-time ranking of the best slot-racers. At the recent IMCA Worlds in Barcelona he finished three times on the podium at the FIA GT races: he was 2nd at the Benelux Cup, 3rd at the Race of the Champions and in the Team Race.
At the eventual Worlds he was the first victim of Tamar's strange behaviour to do a technical control after only 18 minutes of racing. A bad crash at the end of the preselection race made him loosing his 1mm clearance: instead of moving up he lost 12 laps and was out.
Juanma came to international racing in 2003 where he immediately caused a stir by his spectacular driving style. At the X-Mas Races of the same year he finished as first ama-teur. Together with Francesc Reyes he won also the Plafit EuroCup at Le Mans.
In his own country he won several times the Spanish Cham-pionship, both in model car racing and in ES24. He was a typical all-rounder and one of the biggest hopes in Spanish racing.
Normally he should have been one of the starters in the LMS Farewell Race for Tamar Nelwan at Alsdorf (D) on November 18-19. He was an excellent endurance racer and a regular team mate of Francesc Reyes, Daniel Gonzalez and Jordi Borras.
He was present at all IMCA Model Car World Champion-ships from 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006. His best result was a 15th (2005) and an 18th (2003).
Juanma was a born "bon vivant" who was always in for fun. He was everybody's friend and came regularly up with refreshing ideas in model car racing. This year he was the 15th best racer of the world as can be seen at our Latest News web page.
His passion were fast cars and fast motor bikes and with 1/1 cars he was an extremely good driver. For 2007 he was selected for the SARA GT3 Euro Championship with an Aston Martin DBSR9 which he was expected to share with Jordi Gerald.
It's unrealistic to realise that we'll see him never back. To his family IMCA expresses its deep feelings of regret and its very sincere condolences. [J.R.]

Juanma could compete with the best model car racers in the world. Here a picture of the 2003 X-Mas races where we see Juanma (left) together with the winner "Piki" and with runner-up Nick de Wachter. It's hard to realise that we'll see him never back.

Werner Grund & R. Fellauto passed away

Sons of Reggie Coram and of Jeff Mack  were assasinated

October 3, 2006 - We were only informed recently about the dramatic end of two slot-racers and two sons of slot-racers. In Germany Werner Grund, father of Norman, died from a heart attack during a slot-racing contest. The Grunds belonged to the best slot-racers in Central-Germany.  In 2000 they were present with the German team at the World Cup in Roeselare. Werner finished with Manfred Stork 8th at the 2000 Model Car European Championship. He was a regular visitor of the races orga-nised by the FNS, but also a regular entrant of DSC races in the Frankfurt area.  At the DSC Mitte he was always one of the most difficult racers to beat.  About him Onno Tiemens wrote in a report on a DSC race at Bishofsheim: "Dennoch war die Truppe unvollständig und wird es leider auch bleiben müssen. Nicht nur die Scaleracingszene hat den Tod von Werner Grund zu beklagen, an den hier erinnert sei. Werner gehörte zu den Stammfahrern der DSC und besonders der DSC-Mitte. Mit seinem vollem Einsatz für seinen Club SRT Frankfurt und seiner aktiven und immer hilfsbereiten Teilnahme an vielen Rennen prägte Werner das Bild der Veranstaltungen mit, und zwar auf gelassen humorvolle Art. Er war ein begeisterter Racer und konnte herrlich fachsimpeln, ließ es sich auch nicht nehmen, unermüdlich immer wieder an Organisation und Rennabwicklung mitzuwirken. Mich persönlich bestürzt dieser Verlust, wir waren uns gerade näher gekommen. Werner erlag am vergangenen Mittwoch den Folgen eines Herzinfar-ktes. Die DSC gedachte Werner mit einer Schweigeminute." I have to apologize that I missed this text.

End of January - it was on the OWH but I forgot to read it - the son of G7 racer Reggie Coram was killed by a shooting on Sint-Maarten. Reggie and his son are from that lovely island where, in 1991, the Worlds were organised. We got no details on the dramatic circumstances having contributed to the tragic death of the young man.
In January too James C.  Hollabaugh, better known under the first name "Jim" passed away in his sleep. He, a former organiser of the USRA Nats, was owner of Roller City and Pit Stop Raceway.
Early August 2006, Ricardo Felauto, the best wing car racer of Argentine, was killed with 10 bullits in his head. Felauto was a police man fighting against corruption and the maffiosi in his country. He was killed in front of his door. In police ciercles there seems to be no doubt that Ricardo was victim of a cowardly attack by a local gang of crimi-nals. Ricardo was a regular visitor of the IMCA web site and sent us several reports of wing car racing in his country.

Killed too by bullits was the son of Jeff Mack. "Mack" won in 2003 Semi-Pro at the USRA Nats. Since December last year he served in the military in Iraq. It was "Gugu" Bernardino who informed us about the tragic death of his son. We have no further information.
In name of all IMCA racers I present their sincere condolences to the family of each of them.

Picture of Werner Grund as released by Onno Tiemens. Below Werner Grund with the German team at the 2000 World Cup (left of Manfred Stork)

"Mister Proslot" does it for Franco!

Dan Debella (USA) comes to IMCA Worlds & F. Gianotti Trophy

January 15 - His last international race dates from 1988 when at the Chicago Worlds he won the prestigious Pinky Point Cup as award for the best racer of the meeting. He was always an all-rounder, driving as well G7 wing cars as ES24 scale cars or 124 model cars. He's world famous as the best balancer of armatures in the world. Everybody knows his company: ProSlot. His name? Dan Debella. But racers call him "Mister ProSlot". He has Italian roots but lives his life long in the States. In his last year as international racer he was my team mate at the Endurance Worlds for model cars over 5 rounds: 4 of 3 hours and one of 12 hours. All the best racers of the world were present and with one last round to go Dan and I were leading the standings, 3 points ahead over the late Franco Gianotti and his lovely wife Corinna. How we lost from Franco will be told below. More important now is that Dan Debella will be present as racer at the 2005 IMCA Worlds and at the three rounds of the Franco Gianotti Trophy. After his career as slot-racer Dan Debella started competitive Billfishing. With his friend David Lawrence of New York City he won in 1996 Rock n' Reel Blue Marlin Tournament in Kona Hawaii. He also landed a double grand slam in Venezuela in October of 1999. Two Sailfish, two Blue Marlin and two White Marlin.  Dan is in the IGFA World Record Book for this.
Since 1995 Dan is a close friend of Capt. Ron Hamlin, originally from Florida, but living in Guatemala where he is a charterboat captain. Dan republished a book, half fiction, half faction, written in the 1980s by Ron. He has a contract with a Hollywood movie producer to let make a movie of the book.
Last year Dan finally decided it was time to make a great 16D motor and tooled on from the ground up in China.  18 months of work and he has now the best 16D motor ever made. You can see some pictures of it at the ProSlot websibe and details. www.proslot.com   It will be followed by a chassis for entry level RTR cars and ultimately a full line of inexpensive but excellent C-Can motors most of which will be sealed.At the Worlds he'll drive a 1/24th Mercedes C-Klasse Original Teile assembled by the reigning triple world champion Nick de Wachter. At the three rounds of the Franco Gianotti Trophy he will be my team mate once more, driving the superb Porsches 917K assembled by the 2004 Constructor's world champion Matthias Parke. Four other Americans will show: Fred Hood, Alan Ohren, Jeff Chambler and John Emmons. Since Dan is a perfectionist, so he comes to do what he always did: winning! [JPVR] 

On October 20, 2002, the international world of slot-racers lost one of its most beloved racers: Franco Gianotti (I). He was a self-made business man running in Brescia an enterprise specialised in the production of parts for scooters. That day he discovered a small leak in the roof of his factory and climbed on that roof to see what was wrong. Unfortunately, under his weight the roof cracked, and made Franco falling 8 metres down just a few meters aside a pile of carton boxes where he could have landed safely. After his fall Franco was perfectly conscious and showed no external injuries. Shortly after noon he was brought to hospital and seemed to be out of danger until deeper analyses let expect an internal haemorrhage at both lungs. Franco lost consciousness and died at 13h47. His wife Corinna - undoubtedly the best female slot-racer in the world - found just the time to see him still alive, arriving from home. Franco (47) had two young daughters: Arianna and Silvia.
Last year IMCA decided to organise an annual Franco Gianotti Trophy in commemoration of the Italian ace. Franco won lots of international races in scale racing and model car racing. His most beautiful win, undoubtedly, was the 1988 Endurance World Championship in Chicago. There he and Corinna had to fight during 24 full hours against America's Dan Debella and team mate JPVR to conquer in extremis the title.
Dan Debella is the founder of ProSlot, specialised in the production of motors and armatures for wing car racers and scale racers. He himself was an excellent all-rounder having driven with success wing cars, scale cars and model cars. In 1990 he quit active racing and let use the name ProSlot and its logo for mass-manufacturing of RTR model cars for home racers at scale 1/32nd: the Italo-American counterpart of Ninco and Fly. Earlier, in 1988 he developed a new stamped chassis for model cars, the famous EuroToy. Debella, having Italian roots, lives at Grand Rapids (MI). His hobby is fishing. Fifteen years after having abandoned active slot-racing Dan Debella decided to show at the 2005 Franco Gianotti Trophy where he will have, just as in 1988, JPVR as team mate. Both will drive at the meeting cars manufactured by the 2004 Constructor's World Champion: Matthias Parke (D). Several other racers, involved in the 1988 Chicago Endurance World Championship, will be present. Among them Dieter Jens (D) who won two of the five rounds, "Gugu" Bernardino (BR) [who won the last round with Clithio van Buggenhout and Dieter Jens as team mates], Lasse Åberg (S), Georges Baikry (B), Anders Gustafson (S), and perhaps also Clithio van Buggenhout (BR) and Giovanni Montiglio (I). In the past Dan Debella was famous for his extremely precise preparation of races. Now his cars will be prepaired by nothing but reigning world champions. We may expect that now also we'll find a very motivated Dan at the start.

Franco Gianotti and his lovely wife Corinna in 1985

Dan Debella res. at the 1987 Toulouse IMCA Worlds and at the 1983 USRA G7 Pro Nats

Dan Debella, JPVR, Franco and Corinna Gianotti at the 1986 last Pinky Point Race where the first prize was a 1/1 Ferrari 308 GTB. On the above pic Semi A with f.l.t.r. Dan Debella (USA), Chuck Ingram (CND), Corinna Gianotti (I), Sergio Maresca (I), Dominique Bellenger (F) and Silvio Giacobbi (I). On the pic below Semi B with as racers f.l.t.r. Alberto Capra (I), Willy Heerwegh (B), Scarpato (I), JPVR (B), Franco Gianotti (I) and Laurent Cardin (F). Ingram won the race, but the Ferrari went to Willy Heerwegh, 5 points ahead over Sergio Maresca after more than ...50 rounds. With 5 minutes to go Maresca was still the winner. It was the most dramatic race in the history of slot-racing. Maresca won a Peugeot 205GTI as consolation price. But nearly so full of drama was the Chicago Endurance Worlds of 1988 where Franco Gianotti had to fight until the last minute to win the title (cf. the right-side story).