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WHAT WITH MODEL CAR RACING IN A POST-JPVR
ERA? |
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Can we
combine FIA GT Racing with LMS Racing in a double 2009 EEC? |
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THIS ARTICLE SHOULD
BE A TOPIC OF DEMOCRATIC REFLEXION. SEND YOUR VIEW UPON IT
TO
jppro@pandora.be
! |
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May 7, 2008 - My major concern
is what'll happen with IMCA next year, when I am no longer
there. For the Worlds there will be no problem. My successor
Mark Campbell has anything under control for the 2009
Toronto Worlds. But what with the EEC 2009? The EEC must be
continued, but not in such a way that only one person is
responsible for anything. I try to compile some basic
principles.
MAXIMUM NUMBER OF CARS A total
of 24 cars is too much. We should limit the entrance to
16 cars (both in FIA GT as in LMS) with never less than
2 drivers per car, never more than 3 drivers per car. In FIA
GT I propose 8 GT1 cars and 8 GT2 cars (with separate
standings), in LMS 8 LMP1 cars (now: P1) and 8 LMP2
cars (now P2), but without separate standings. GT1, res.
LMP1 cars should in principle go to teams with at last one
racer with more than 50 IOC-points; GT2 cars, res. LMP2
cars, should go to teams with two racers having both
collected less than 50 IOC-points.
NUMBER OF ROUNDS In FIA GT racing number of rounds
can be restricted to 3 per year, in LMS racing to
5 per year. Racers can enter only the FIA GT races or
only the LMS races, but are allowed to enter both series.
The LMS races should be scheduled on Saturday, the FIA GT
races on Sunday. There should thus be 3 "double" meetings
(Saturday and Sunday) and 2 "single meetings" (only on
Saturday).
DURATION OF EACH ROUND Each
round should be limited to 2 heats of 8 x 30 minutes
(4 hours of non-interrupted racing per car). To avoid that
racers should already be in place on Friday (LMS) or
Saturday (FIA GT) time schedule should be restricted.
Doors open at noon on raceday, 2 hours of free practice,
1 hour for scrutineering and 9 hours for 2 heats. So each
round can be closed at mid-night allowing racers to be home
in time.
WHICH TRACKS? If one wishes to
limit the complete duration of a round to 12 hours one has
to race with 16 cars on 8-laner tracks. Number of wooden
8-laners in Europe is restricted as can be seen in the right
column. Based upon the 132 entries at the 3 FIA GT rounds of
the EEC 2008 Germany was good for 23 % of the entries,
Norway for 20 %, Belgium for 14 % [Holland for 14 %, Denmark
for 10 %, etc]. The logic of the situation is thus that the
3 FIA GT rounds are contested in Germany, Norway and
Belgium. Those should be "double rounds" with a FIA GT
race on Sunday, a LMS race on Saturday. The two remaining
LMS rounds - now "single rounds" should go to Holland
and Denmark.
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ABOUT THE CONCRETE
LOCATIONS (1) GERMANY - Here we have the following
wooden 8-laners:
l
Aachen (Aachener Carrera
Rennbahn Center) - They have a 27m wooden 8-laner
l
Brühl (Blue King Club ) -
They have a 48m Steve Ogilvie banked wooden Blue King
l
Darmstadt (Renncenter Rhein-Main
und FNS Darmstadt) - They have a 27m wooden 8-laner
l
Minden (Blue King Minden) -
They have a 51m wooden 8-laner, a flat King (2)
NORWAY - They have only two wooden 8-laners
l
Asker-Oslo (Asker Blue
King) - They have a 48m Egil Aksnes banked wooden Blue
King
l
Trondheim (Trondheim MTT) -
They are building a 42m wooden MTT track. Not ready by
now. (3) BELGIUM - There are 5 wooden 8-laners
l
Herentals (IMCA MTT
Club) - They have a 42m brand new wooden MTT 8-laner
l
Diepenbeek (Speedlines) -
They have a 27m wooden PDS 8-laner in a horrible
location
l
Wezembeek-Oppem (Merlijn) -
They have a 40m wooden Heerwegh 8-laner (not permanent)
l
Nieuwpoort (Op Zolder) -
They have a 33m very old 8-laner in an impossible
location
l
Dison (Colson's) - They
have a 32m wooden ex-Demoget 8-laner in a strange location
(4) HOLLAND - They have one or two wooden 8-laners
l
Uden (M.R.T.U.) -
They have a 48m banked wooden Blue King of own construction
l
Sint-Anna-Kapelle (?) -
They have (perhaps) a wooden 8-laner (more info T.B.A.)
(5) DENMARK - They have at least two wooden 8-laners
l
Roedovre-Copenhagen (Racefun.dk)
- They have an ex-Schietekat wooden 8-laner
l
Copenhagen (Martin Borch) -
He has a private King-style wooden !-laner.
For
the moment Asker-Oslo (N), Roedovre-Copenhagen (DK), Minden
(D), Uden (NL) and Herentals (B) seem the best locations.
However, then we have two rounds on a banked King. By
replacing Asker by Trondheim (if their MTT track will be
ready around Easter 2009) there should only be one banked
King. Minden can be replaced by Darmstadt (if Kurt Petri
agrees). Keld Høfler of Racefun.dk was not enthusiast for
commercial reasons. Perhaps we should better explain the
whole proposal. Alsdorf or Aachen could be alternatives for
Minden or Frankfurt, but then the combination of FIA GT with LMS on one week-end seems impossible, since Alsdorf has only
6 lanes.
ABOUT THE RACERS Once the five
locations and five concrete week-ends are fixed we could
allow the racers to subscribe. Racers with the most
IOC-points should then have the first choice of their car,
racers with the lowest IOC-points the last choice. Racers
should be asked if they wish to combine FIA GT with LMS or
if they prefer to enter only one of both series. There
should thus be 2 European Championships, one for FIA
GT cars with res. 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 points for the top-8 in
both classes (GT1 and GT2) and 20-15-12-10-8-6-4-3-2-1
points for the top-10 scratch for LMS cars. |
 |
|
ABOUT THE RACE DIRECTION
Their should be an independent IMCA race direction under the
lead of Jean-Marie Tillén at all rounds of both FIA
GT 1/24 and LMS 1/24. Tillen should make a choice of his
assistant(s) among persons not involved in one of the
rounds. He's also responsible for the publication of the
results and the standings.
ABOUT THE RESPONSIBLE PERSONS PER ROUND The EEC 2008
- all 3 the rounds - went under the responsibility of one
single person (having made himself the technical rules).
Despite his unlimited enthusiasm and excellent work -
especially for the round at Alsdorf on his beloved track -
it was a wrong decision. Rule making, technical control,
race direction and organising may absolutely not be
centralised in one hand. A better system is to place the two
series (FIA GT and LMS) under co-ordination & supervision
of the IMCA race director. Responsible persons per round
should be the owners of the five selected race tracks [e.g.
Egil Aksnes for Asker, Keld Høfler and
Gorm Nørmgaard for Roedovre, Gerald Barg for
Minden, JPVR for Herentals and the MRTU for
Uden - should that be the 5 selected tracks].
ABOUT THE SELECTION OF 16 CARS
Both for the FIA GT as for the LMS I propose to drive 1/24th
model car versions. The selection process is the same I use
since 1984. I consider the results obtained by each car at
the qualifications and at the finish, giving the top-10 in
both rankings 20, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 3, 2 and 1 points.
The 8 best in each class (GT1 & GT2 in FIA GT, LMP1 & LMP2
in LMS) are the selected cars. I explain it with a concrete
example for LMS cars. It's not the definitive choice since
only 2 of the 5 rounds are already contested up to know. The
8 (provisionally) selected LMP1 cars and 8 (provisionally)
selected LMP2 cars are in bold face. At our knowledge there
exists no model of the Lola B05/60. The two last LMP2 cars
could be replaced by the #32 and #41 Zytek 07S Zytek.
[JPVR]
|
car |
Monza |
Barcelona |
Spa |
Ring |
Silverstone |
pts |
|
#7 Peugeot 908 Hdi-FAP |
20 |
8 |
15 |
20 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
63 pts |
|
#8 Peugeot 908 Hdi-FAP |
3 |
20 |
20 |
15 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
58 pts |
|
#2 Audi R10 TDI |
15 |
15 |
8 |
10 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
48 pts |
|
#1 Audi R10 TDI |
8 |
6 |
15 |
15 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
44 pts |
|
#10 Lola B08/60
Aston-Martin |
12 |
3 |
10 |
8 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
33 pts |
|
#17 Pescarolo-Judd P1 |
6 |
12 |
2 |
0 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
20 pts |
|
#16 Pescarolo-Judd P1 |
10 |
0 |
4 |
2 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
16 pts |
|
#6 Oreca Courage LC70
Judd |
0 |
0 |
6 |
6 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
12 pts |
|
#15 Creation CA07 Aim |
0 |
10 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
10 pts |
|
#18 Pescarolo-Judd P1 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
7 pts |
|
#14 Creation CA07 Aim |
0 |
0 |
3 |
4 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
7 pts |
|
#5 Oreca Courage LC70
Judd |
0 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
4 pts |
|
#19 Chamberlain Lola
B05/60 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
2 pts |
|
#20 Epsilon Euskadi
Judd |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
2 pts |
|
#34 Porsche RS Spyder |
20 |
15 |
20 |
20 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
75 pts |
|
#31 Porsche RS Spyder |
12 |
20 |
10 |
12 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
54 pts |
|
#27 Porsche RS Spyder |
6 |
12 |
12 |
15 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
45 pts |
|
#33 Lola B08/60 Judd
Coupe |
15 |
2 |
15 |
10 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
42 pts |
|
#25 Lola MG EX265 |
10 |
10 |
2 |
6 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
28 pts |
|
#35 Saulnier Pescarolo
Judd |
8 |
8 |
0 |
2 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
18 pts |
|
#40 Quifel Lola B05/60
AER |
2 |
4 |
8 |
3 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
17 pts |
|
#44 Kruse Lola B05/60
Mazda |
0 |
6 |
3 |
0 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
9 pts |
|
#41 Zytek 07S Zytek |
3 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
7 pts |
|
#26 Radical R9 AER |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
4 pts |
|
#45 WF01 Zytek |
3 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
4 pts |
|
#46 WF01 Zytek |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
3 ps |
|
#37 WR Zytek |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
1 pt |
|
|
|
EEC #2 WAS
A FINE RACE BUT
OTHER TRACK WANTED |
|
On track
calls, on the PS motor, on Dutch criticism and on loosing €
6,500 |
|
April 2, 2008 - One week
before the start of the Brussels 24 hours, Tamar Nelwan
asked Nick de Wachter, to publish an article
warning all entrants that a track in extremely poor
condition - hardly driveable - was waiting them at Merlijn.
Tamar even went a step further when he told me that, if he had
the power of Bernie Ecclestone, he should have simply
cancelled the race. What hurts me in this is that typical
Dutch feeling of superiority, based upon an extreme sense
for perfectionism. Sure, the track was not perfect, but despite
that we all witnessed a fine race and a pretty good
organisation. Raymond van Campenhout and his guys
were extremely helpful, catering was good, and there was an
independent race direction being present during 48 non
interrupted hours. After the race I heard nothing than
positive reactions, even by such racers as Fola Osu,
Günther Riehl, Chris Bunenberg, Michael von Bernhem or
Oscar Hernandez, who all had bad luck at the EEC #2.
The lonely ones complaining as old wives were the Dutch:
their cars were ruined, the race direction was not good
(true: we took no time to do the control with the weight
calculator - it will NOT happen again, promised), the braids
of the track were a disaster and Merlijn was an experience
which should no more be renewed. At one point the Dutch were
absolutely right: the track was a disaster for more than
half of the entered cars. It's a body killer in model car
racing. On the other side the
Merlijn track is a technical one, awarding superior racers,
especially in the S-part following the straight. I only saw
four racers going faster than all others through that part
of the track: Michael Niemas, Kai Kivekäs, Willem
Kloppenburg and Fola Osu (when his car was still
alive). The problems with the outer lane - the body destryer
- were perhaps
not at the dimension as predicted in the article by Nick de
Wachter, but if the Brussels 24 hours are to be maintained
on the 2009 calendar, Merlijn should use for the 2009
edition the MTT track instead of Willy Heerweg's.
ON TRACK CALLS - At the
EEC #2 there were countless track calls, just as it was at
the 2002 Ostend Worlds on the track of Salvatore Noviello.
Most of those track calls were absolutely illegal. The rule
book states that track calls are only allowed for
unmarshable cars (e.g. on deslotting in the pit lane, in
front of the racers), when a debris is in the slot and when
two or more cars are in the same slot. For a race director
it's not possible to watch at any second all what's going
on, on the complete track. The worst case is when two cars
are together in the same slot. Here racers have to call "Double!"
Then the race director knows that he has to cut the
power immediately. Model car racers, however, use the word "Track!"
also in cases of a double. As a race director you want
to see first what happens, before you cut the power. [Of
course you can act immediately on all "Tracks!", just as if
it were "Doubles" and sanction after all illegal ones. But
then one ends in endless discussions if the call was legal
or not.] Looking if a track call was legal or not
takes a second or so. I thus COMPLETELY disagree with what
Remco van Waaij wrote on track calls. By refusing to
use the word "Double!" power is not cut immediately in cases
of a double. When three or four cars deslot at the same
moment, that's not a legal track call. The cars are still
marshable. So the two track calls by Remco van Waaij at the
end of the race, in cases of multiple deslotting, were NO
legal calls. Moreover I witnessed the most crazy track
calls. Summit was a guy going too fast in one of the curbs,,
seeing that probably his car will make a roll-over, shouting
already "Track!", and then seeing that his car made it ...
without deslotting. And that without any other car hanging
around!!! At the Woirlds all illegal track calls will,
simply be ignored. That's the lonely way to learn racers how
to behave on imaginary track call situations. |
|
ON PROSLOT'S PS4000-IMCA
MOTORS - Most racers were unhappy with the received
handout motors. Their indignation was only partly justified.
What absolutely was true that the shaft was cut on the
pinion side and that this was poorly done by one of the
ProSlot employees. That caused abnormal spinning with the
pinion. Especially the cars of Afolabi Fola, Chris
Bunenberg, Dirk Baele and Oscar Hernandez
suffered from that poorly cutting of the shaft. As great
sportsmen they never openly complained about this but did
their race as real pros. On
the other side, that seven or eight motors came back, with a
blocked armature was certainly not ProSlot's fault, but that
of the racers themselves. Everybody, being long enough in
slot-racing, knows that model car racers are absolutely no
motorists. How could they be, after having raced during
their whole life with lady shave motors (like the Fox) or
with heavy tank motors (like the Bison). The mistake they
make times by times is that they use the gear press
incorrectly on posing the pinion. That provokes a lot of end
to end play, or, in the worst case, a completely blocked
armature. I even saw one racer using a hammer to put his
pinion, and then complaining that his received motor worked
improperly! For those abuse of motors, ProSlot is certainly
not to be blamed. Much trouble could be avoided if the PS
motors were delivered with the pinion already on the shaft.
So no motors will be any longer destroyed by former lady
shave motor racers. At Merlijn some motors didn't
work properly due to the fact of recessed braids. Some
racers forgot to adjust their guide and braids. Under such
circumstances motors cannot get the potential power.
Of course the PS4000-IMCA is no shit motor - I
apologise having written such stupidity after 72 hours
without sleep - but it
can be improved in several ways. (1) The can is not
thick enough. I understand that this was done to reach
the extremely low weight as on the Fox motors. A heavier can
is wanted, even if this increases the weight of the motor. (2)
As long as there is no sealed version of the
PS4000-IMCA it's not the ideal handout motor. Now an
unbelievable lot of time is wasted by letting the handout
motors being fixed to the chassis under eyes of the race
direction. At the Barcelona Worlds it took more than four
full hours for 42 motors. At Merlijn it took two hours for
only 19 motors. I cannot organise a decent world
championship in July if I need four hours or more to let 64
motors being fixed to the chassis. Without perfectly
sealed motors, which can be handout when racers come to
register, too much valuable time is lost. That is not the
case if we work with the closed Bison Mk3 motor. So I
decided to use the Bison for the sprint races with the
Ferraris F430 and to maintain the PS4000-IMCA for the
Endurance Worlds. I don't know if Dan Debella can
deliver in time 120 PERFECTLY SEALED PS-4000 motors.
Only if we receive such sealed motors early July we can drop
the Bison Mk3 for the sprint races. (3) PS4000-IMCA
motors should arrive with a properly cut shaft and with a 9T
steel pinion already soldered to that shaft.
HOW IT FEELS TO LOOSE €
6,500 SPONSORING MONEY - The last years I try to be as
open as possible on my sponsoring deals. All racers who
subscribed for the EEC 2008 perfectly new what was the deal:
finding the 24 cars having dominated the 2007 Spa 24 hours,
at scale 1/24th at the start of the three EEC rounds. At
Badet Raceway - round #1 - the goal was reached. But at
Merlijn some of the most important cars - among them the
2007 Spa winner - were absent. Francesc Reyes didn't
show, Hugo Dekker mailed 14 days before the race that
he couldn't show, Blondiau & Kühn could enter their
PSI Corvette but refused to do so, André Colson was
not present with the Motorola Ferrari F430 GT2, there was no
SRT Corvette #18, etc. Racers who didn't show knew perfectly
that this could cost IMCA the € 6,500 sponsoring money. They
behaved as pure little egoists, not thinking on the
financial consequences of their late withdrawal. They are
not like Pål Hanson: he was unable to show but found
two substitute drivers (Mark Sander & Henrik Hasager)
to drive his #36 Aston Martin DBR9. That was what Reyes,
Dekker, Colson & Cie had to do. All we can do now is hoping
that the EEC #3 at Alsdorf will be such a success that we
perhaps will not loose all the sponsoring money. There the
24 cars will be at the start: the #6 Corvette C6R will be
driven by Willem Kloppenberg/Ronald Zaal, the #4
Belgian Corvette C5R will be present with Onno Griepink
(THE revelation at Merlijn!) and it's still looking who
will replace the Dekkers on the #98 Porsche 997 and wqho
Colson on the #51 Motorola Ferrari.
|
 |
|
NEW FORMAT 2008 ENDURO
WORLDS - I hate loosing money by the fault of others.
Since it's far from certain that I can recuperate after
Alsdorf the lost € 6,500, I immediately started an attempt
to find new sponsoring money among the sponsors of the 2008
FIA GT cars. That new search after other sponsoring will
cost me at least one or two months. A direct consequence was
that I had to change the format of the 2008 ENDURO WORLDS
since we have to race now FIA GT cars in 2008 specs. In
order to avoid that racers should have troubles with the new
cars, I decided that the GT2 racers will all receive a
professional RTR body (made by Al Paterson and Nick de
Wachter). For the GT1 racers Fola Osu can maintain his
Jetalliance Aston DBR9, Borge Haug bought already the
Maserati MC12 of Nick de Wachter, Ralph Seif will receive a
RTR #3 Corvette and the Slovaks will receive a RTR #4 Saleen
(both made by Al Paterson). So only four new Corvettes have
to be built by those guys who already subscribed with that
specific cars for the 2009 Toronto Worlds.
WHAT IS MAINTAINED FOR THE
2008 ENDURO WORLDS? (1) Article 7 of the Rule Book,
as used at the EEC will be maintained, also the application
of the weight calculator. This time control will effectively
be done by
Bob Demeyer, but WITHOUT racers "helping" at the race
director's stand. We are big enough to need no helpers.
Never more situations as in Barcelona 2006. (2) Of
course we'll maintain the PS4000-IMCA handout motor, even if
not available in sealed form. (3) We maintain the
obliged tyre change
at mid-race.
WHAT
WILL BE CHANGED FOR THE 2008 ENDURO WORLDS? (1) Only
16 cars (8 GT1 and 8 GT2) instead of 24. (2) Three
drivers per car instead of two. (3) FIA GT bodies 2008
instead of 2007. (4) Twice 12 hours non interrupted
racing with night section as third 8 x 30' section.
[JPVR] |
|
|
NEED FOR EXPERIMENTAL MODEL CAR CHASSIS
IS HIGH |
|
EEC Model
Car
Chassis Rules are actually beyond efficient control |
 |
|
March 8, 2008 - Model car
racing is actually completely dominated by the PlaFit SLP
chassis. Domination is so complete that reaching a podium in
serious international racing seems impossible without using
an SLP chassis. Other chassis manufacturers such as MoMo,
Schoeler, Metris, M-Racing C1 and Slotvision don't succeed
in launching a chassis having serious chances to beat the
SLP chassis. It's not good that one specific chassis
dominates all others, because it hurts technological
development. There exist enough model car racers being
clever enough to develop a personal experimental chassis.
Here I think on Afolabi Osu, Nick de Wachter, Jozef
Miskolci, Michael Niemas and so many others. As long as
they are not allowed to enter a personal chassis the SLP
domination will continue. My viewpoint is that if we
allow personal controllers we should allow personal chassis
too. I think there is a possible way out, nl. to allow the
use of experimental chassis at the six warm-up rounds of the
20th IMCA World Championship Sprint. It could be a first
evaluation of the experiment. At the 20th IMCA Model Car
World Championship itself we'll continue with the old rule
that only mass manufactured homologated chassis can be
allowed. It are all the chassis which one finds at our
items page. If the
use of experimental chassis at the warm-up races is a
success we can definitively change the chassis rule for
sprint races by putting that chassis is free. Then it will
be up to Tamar Nelwan & Cie to decide if the rule of
a free chassis can yes or no be introduced for the EEC 2009
and for the 2009 Endurance World Championship.
Introducing free chassis will make scrutineering much more
easily. Now it's impossible to find someone who can control
efficiently if the EEC 2008 chassis rules are expected or
not. There exists so many parts that the EEC chassis rule is
effectively beyond control. Unlike in G7 and G27 wing car
racing (where the chassis is hardly more than one piece) and
in ES24 (where number of pieces of a chassis is low), actual
mass manufactured chassis count so many pieces that nobody
can control if the rule that all chassis parts (except for a
limited list of parts) are all of the same make. That "same
make" principle holds only for EEC rounds and for the
2008 Endurance World Championship, not for the races with
the Ferraris F430 Challenge, where technical control is much
easier. Especially the fact that most manufacturers launch
more and more replacement pieces for their own standard
chassis makes the "same make" principle beyond control.
Let's be honest: contrarily to USRA/ESROC wing car racing
and ISRA scale racing, model car racing is still not mature.
Only by allowing a free chassis (and clear rules concerning
body, weight, dimensions and gearing) the way to adulthood
can be found. Let's work all together on it. [JPVR] |
|
|
CAN WE ALLOW TRACTION CONTROL
IN SLOT-RACING? |
|
Quid if we use at the Worlds
the Revolutionary ACD controller? No obligation! |
|
February 29, 2008
- Since 2005 there is a controller on the market for
all types of slotcars - the ACD Pro - allowing better braking and
better use of power by introducing of the PWM system
(Pulse Wide Modulation). Rumours that it should be
possible to increase the voltage by using such
controller are absolutely false: only on braking the
used power unit of the track receives increased
pulses. In other words: the increase of the voltage
is not used to go faster, but used to brake better.
To understand this one should keep in mind that it
concerns an electronic controller, using no resistor
as in mechanical controllers. On electronic
controllers the trigger/wiper works on induction.
The ACD Pro allows thus regenerative braking
i.e. allows to brake later than on using a
mechanic controller. As soon as
the trigger is released on the average electronic
controller the induction voltage in the motor has no
way out so that the motor brakes. Thanks to the PWM
system the motor functions better, as well on
braking as on acceleration. Indeed, As soon as the
trigger of the ACD Pro is released a bit the in the
motor induced voltage goes back to the power unit
(receiving induction pulses). The slightest reduce
of speed results in much better braking than with
other electronic controllers. Braking is much more
equal. On the other side acceleration is also more
equal so that slipping of the rear tyres (only
frequent with ES24, G12, G27 and G7 cars) is lower. |
|
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 |
|
It has been
written more than once that the use of the ACD Pro
controller causes deficiencies on the power unit
used by the track owner. Never a full proof of this
was received. More interesting is the question of
heating motors. PWM system implies that the motors
receive more pulses so that the heat of the motor
risks to increase. It remains an open question if
such increase of heat is significant or not.
Following Raymond van Campenhout, having
done some tests with the ADL Pro 5 Amp and the new
Proslot Euro Pro motor, the increase of heat on
using the PWM system is negligible. Some first
conclusions. (1) It's bull shit that the ACD Pro
increases the power. If there are verified power
peaks it's only on BRAKING. There is no increase of
speed as compared with any other controller. (2) If
cars driven with an ACD controller go faster around
it's not a question of voltage, but a question of
better and more equal braking and better or more
equal acceleration. There can thus be no reason to
ban the ACD Pro from IMCA racing. Some argued such
ban by telling that using ACD Pro Controllers is
using traction control. I fully agree that we
should forbid traction control but I follow
Philippe Laudet for 100 per cent that the PWM
system is no system of traction control, certainly
not for model cars. So, let ACD controllers being
allowed (just as at the DPM since 2006). |
|
The ACD Pro exists in
several versions and can be used by all voltages in
the range of 7 thru 22 Volt. The ACD Pro 3 Amp can
be used on racing lady shave motors such as the Fox
II. The 5 Amp seems appropriated for motors as the
ProSlot Euro Mk1, the Bison Mk3, the ProSlot Euro
Pro (as raced this year at all IMCA races), etc. The
10 and 12 Amp seem to be enough for Group 12 racing
(with or without wings). For G27 and G7 there exists
the 30 Amp. The ACD Pro is a product of Yatronic
Germany, specialised in the production of robots.
Inventor is engineer Bassem Yahya. The
controller uses the body of the Russkit controller
(1965), later adopted by Parma. Weight of the
controller is 120 gram for the 3 Amp, 105 gram for
the other versions. Those other versions use a
separate unit (kind of small black box). The ACD Pro
is equipped with two knops. The red cap regulates
the break, the black cap regalates the sensitivity.
The cock between the two caps regulates the use of
power. There is a switch for positive and negative
wiring and a switch to change the trigger
characteristic. Price of a ACD controller oscillates
between 169 and 210 euro, exclusive packaging and
shipping costs. The controller can be bought
directly from engineer Bassem Yahya. Phone +
49 2431 6444. E-mail address:
acdpro@yatronic.com. Web site:
http://www.yatronic.de/. For most model car
racers the ACD Pro 5 seems to be the ultimate
controller. The caused problem is not one of
traction control, but a social problem among "haves"
and "haves not". |
|
 |
 |
|
The high price of the
ACD Pro inspired some racers ("haves not") to
require the re-introduction of fixed controllers.
IMCA used this system from 1994 thru 2006. There can
be no question to use this system again. I follow
the argument that a slot-race controller is like a
toothbrush which you lend oinly to your best friend.
In the past there were too much problems with
controllers fixed to the track. Some of those
problems were real, others - most frequently - were
pure emotional (remember the painful Klinge episode
in Barcelona). Since I am
since more than a half century strongly opposed
against social discrepancy I propose the following
solution for the Worlds and for Zolder: IMCA will
buy 12 ACD Pro 5 Amp controllers which can be used
by any racer who wants so. After each run the
controllers should come back to the race direction
stand. Let this close the discussion
among the "haves" and "haves not". At IMCA racing we
always tried to obtain the most fair race conditions
for ALL entrants. By ensuring free use (i.e. at no
extra costs) of the best controller on the market,
there is no longer any reason to insist that we
should go back in time by returning to fixed
controllers on the track. [JPVR] |
|
|
STEPHAN
WIESEL TROPHY TO BE CANCELLED |
|
Another 3 months of hard work &
fund raising for another fucking nothing! |
|
February 16, 2008
- I was seven years old when my little brother of
five died under my eyes, having been knocked down by
a truck. It happened in 1952 a narrow street in
Bruges: the Sulferbergstraat. Never more in
my life, and that since 56 years, I put one foot in
that street. If you love someone you do what you can
to avoid the confrontation with the place where the
beloved person died. Among the Amish of
North-Germany they have another opinion on this -
just like they have another opinion on everything
than normal people have. In December they
witnessed a real drama when suddenly Stephan Wiesel
died when he was racing on their Mickey Mouse wooden
five-laner. Normal people should - out of respect
for Stephan - have replaced their Mickey Mouse track
by something else, in order to avoid the dramatic
confrontation with the past. But not the Amish. Now
at once they wish to organise by the end of December
2008 a Memorial Race for Stephan, at exactly the
same place where ... he died, exactly the same track
where he died. As if this not enough
they let even enter one of their best racers, suffering
from a heart disease, just as if you are Amish, you
have not to learn from your mistakes.
Now that the Amish wish to organise a Stephan Wiesel
Trophy - they needed three full months to decide,
and even after three months they are not sure (I
needed three seconds after Fola told me what
happened) - we cannot organise our own commemoration
race. It's a bare fact that Stephan was much closer
to the Amish than to us, so that it should be a
proof of poor taste if we should insist to have at
the same time our Wiesel Trophy. In their opinion
it's "their Stephan" and strangers have no right to
commemorate him somewhere else than in Amishland.. |
|
I sent a mail to the
leader of the Amish clan to ask him if yes or no the
Amish Wiesel Trophy will go on. Until now I received
no answer. But we cannot wait for ever on their
decision. Our racers should know if they need to buy
the Group 5 and Group 4 cars for the IMCA Wiesel XMas Trophy. So I think that we have no other choice
than to cancel our race, out of respect for Stephan.
The problem with the Amish is that their leader is a
man without brains, set in his ways, refusing any
other contact with the international community of
slot-racers (except if he can do some crude commerce
with them). Not the Amish have to come to the rest
of the world, no, the rest of the world has to come
to Amishland. I think that in respect for Stephan
several international racers are intended to go to
Amishland for their Stephan Wiesel Trophy. Then you
expect that they'll respect the common international
rules, that there will be a handout of rear tyres, a
handout of competitive motors instead of lady shave
motors, that ranking will be done on achieved laps,
not including concourse points. Nothing of that all.
In Amishland they ignore hospitality. As
simple-minded peasants they oblige you to respect
their strange DSC rules (not inspired by the love of
the sport, but inspired by crude commercial
interests). I am involved since more than a half
century in slot-racing. But never I met such a
stubborn person as the Amish leader. Together with
the most of us I believe that in a normal world one
should lock up such person in a special clinic for
mental diseases. But not in Amishland. So, let's
decide to cancel the IMCA Wiesel Trophy and let's go
to Amishland, but only out of respect fpr Stephan [JPVR] |
|
|
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SORRY GERT, BUT IT'S SOMETIMES
TOO MUCH |
|
On the Amish
organising their own Wiesel Trophy and on a missed
sponsoring |
|
February 16, 2008
- On Thursday evening I had a meeting with a
potential Belgian auto sport sponsor. I was not very
pleased with date and hour of the meeting on
Valentine evening. Just before I received a mail
from the Amish telling me that they were planning
their own Stephan Wiesel Trophy at the same date as
IMCA's. On the question if the entry fees of that
meeting should go to Stephan's widow, I received no
answer. All they could confirm that their Wiesel
Trophy should go under DSC rules. I felt myself
completely ridicule by their mail. In their eyes
IMCA is good to collect entry fees for Stephan's
widow, but none of them wishes to show to collect
those fees, we have to bring it to Hamburg
ourselves. So I was furious. What complete nutters
are those Amish from North-Germany? They continue to
refuse all racing under international rules. They
made their own rulebook. Their DSC is hardly
something else than a coalition of slot-race
retailers looking at the first place at fresh income
at any race they organise. Promotion of the sport is
the smallest of their goals. All what they do is
inspired by self-protection. In December I proposed
them to offer for free an MTT track if they could
continue after 2008 the Stephan Wiesel Trophy on an
international track instead of on their small Mickey
Mouse 5-laner. But even that was "'too
international" for them.
So I was not in my best shape when on Thursday
evening I went to the meeting with a potential
sponsor. Instead of starting immediately the
negotiations, they preferred to diner together in a
classy restaurant they already reserved for the
evening. We drunk too much wine and when the real
negotiations started everybody was already tipsy. At
a given moment one of the guys objected that I was
the wrong man to negotiate with, that he knew from
SRO that I was only a minor pinion within IMCA, that
the FIA GT race at the Worlds was a creation by the
Dutch. I believed to die when I heart such nonsense.
The iend of the meeting was that they all three
disappeared without paying the bill, and that I
could pay more than 500 euros. Needless to tell that
I was really pissed off on leaving the restaurant. |
|
Back home - and
still furious - I found on my PC a mail by Gert
Klinge, explaining me that he acted in perfect
co-ordination with Tamar Nelwan. For me it
was enough to explode. I was not aware of their
contacts with the FIA GT PR in Lausanne. Nobody told
me anything. At once I had so enough of anything
that I wrote a furious mail to Gert and that I
decided to stop any further effort to get the 20th
IMCA Worlds financed. When I awake around noon I
realised that it was wrong to attack the poor Gert
Klinge who acted with the best intentions. So, sorry
Gert. Nevertheless let's be clear upon those things.
If IMCA is a ship, I am still the captain of that
ship, waiting that Mark Campbell takes over
the commandment by the end of 2008. A captain need
to be always informed about what's going on on his
ship. That's the only way to avoid
misunderstandings. Since nobody had informed me
about the steps of Gert I heart it from the SRO guys
themselves. That gave the impression that I had no
control over IMCA, that several decisions were token
behind my back. So such a thing should not happen
once more. Contacts with the press are too important
to let them in hands of non-professionals, how good
their intentions may be. That's why I decided
that all reports sent to SRO should go over Tamar
Nelwan, so that we can control the texts.
There can be no question to send them long reports
on what is for them only a marginal happening. I am
a professional journalist and an experienced author,
so I wish to check at least what type of info we are
distributing. Meanwhile I sent Gert a mail to
apologise for my drunk behaviour. I am working since
more than a quarter century to promote slot-racing.
Year after year I take serious financial risks on
organising the Worlds, because it's never sure if
your sponsors will, yes or no, pay the convened
sponsoring money. Let one thing be clear: Unlike
DSC, IMCA never had the smallest commercial
interests. We have NOTHING to sell except fun and
international friendship. And that, at least, should
be respected by all of us. If IMCA wishes to
survive, it will only be if we act as ONE GROUP, not
as a bunch of too big egos. [JPVR] |
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|
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ENTHUSIASM
IS GOOD BUT NEEDS TO HAVE LIMITS |
|
We still
negotiate to have a model car demonstration race at Spa, but
please don't negotiate yourselves in my name!!! You're
killing all my efforts on doing so. |
|
February 14, 2008
- On the unofficial IMCA web site I read reactions
to go with the IMCA Worlds to the Spa circuit, just
like it should be IMCA's due. Persons putting such
threads on the site are asking not one single second
what this will cost. they behave as if IMCA is rich
enough to pay anything. Yes, I am still negotiating
to bring the MTT track over to Spa during the Total
24 hours race, but not to do the Worlds on it!. My
plan is to invite the 8 best model car racers
together with 8 FIA GT 1/1 racers and 8 journalists
for a short race over 8 x 5 minutes with 8 cars
shared each by a model car racer (doing half of the
stints), a journalist (doing 2 stints) and a FIA GT
racer (doing 2 stints). That's the best thinkable
publicity for model car racers. Actually I
negotiate with Publiaplic (of the pagoda and the
lettering on FIA GT cars) to materialise that
project. But what happens? Some of our friends
turned out completely nuts after they saw that the
EEC 2008 is on SRO's web site. One of those
enthusiasts even negotiated behind my back with
officials of the Spa circuit. € 50,000 to bring the
Worlds to Spa was no problem for him: "Mr. Van
Rossem will pay you without the smallest problem."
This stupidities should absolutely stop. Where we go
if a guy without track, without income, without
organising experience feels it useful to negotiate
in my name. First of all IMCA GOES NOT TO SPA WITH
THE 20TH WORLDS. Secundo IMCA will NOT PAY FOR A
DEMONSTATION RACE AT SPA (such must be financed by
sponsors). Tertio one should be crazy to believe
that IMCA SHOULD PAY 50,000 EUROS FOR SOMETHING.
Another point concerns the publication on the SRO
web site. It was my intention to bring the Endurance
Worlds and the three rounds of the EEC 2008 on the
FIA GT web site, but in this I was passed by Gert
Klinge who contacted SRO on his own. This was a
good initiative, but much better should have been if
there should have been any co-ordination. I explain. |
|
(1) In 1985 the
Pinky Point series was regularly in the autosport
press. In those days IMCA's PR was done (extremely
well) by Philippe de Cock. At a given moment, blinded by this success several racers sent own
articles to the press, beyond IMCA's control, News
in those articles was so subjective that most
magazines stopped publication. (2) In 1989 I was
involved in F1 with my Onyx team. At several Grand
Prix - e.g. in the States - we had an own slot-race
track where, on Wednesday and Thursday before the
race we organised races with a couple of slot racers
and several F1 racers. When some of those races for
fun came on TV some racers found it their due to
send all kind of letters to TV stations, resulting
in the fact that the emission were stopped. (3)
In 1995 our competition with 1/24th Nascar cars came regularly in the autosport press and once more
things went wrong when all kind of racers started
sending reports (mostly in poor English or poor
French) to the press, ending in a clear stop of
articles. I don't wish that once more things go
wrong, due to over-enthusiast racers.
So let's
respect a clear rule: if you have an article on the
EEC 2008 send it to Tamar Nelwan who can
co-ordinate everything. If you have some article on
the upcoming Endurance Worlds, send it to me for
co-ordination. Here
you find the text of our first bulletin to the FIA
GT. A last word why the 20th IMCA Worlds will
stay in Mechelen instead of going to Spa.
Irrespective of the extremely high costs to go with
86 racers to Spa (cost nearly 500 euro per racer!)
there is the problem to find hotel rooms at an
affordable price. It's not possible to let pay
entrants €120 per night or more. Apart from that
there are traffic problems to reach in time, day
after day, the race location. So, don't dream of
what is impossible. The 2008 Worlds go to Mechelen,
not to Spa. [JPVR] |
|
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IMCA'S
EEC 2008 ON OFFICIAL FIA GT WEB SITE |
|
Barnburner
USA: Is G7 Racing dying? Only 6 entrants at 18th edition |
|
February 12, 2008
- This afternoon I informed Tamar Nelwan
that his EEC 2008 is now on the official FIA GT
web site of SRO. Gert Klinge was the
first to contact SRO. They accepted nearly
immediately to bring the news of the Oslo 12
hours on their web site. Since the 2008
Endurance Worlds will go exclusively with
FIA GT cars, seen at the 2007 Total Spa 24
hours, a full report on that event may be
expected at their site too, with complete
results. Since this is my last year as organiser
of international slot-racing events I promised
earlier this year that in 2008 we should again
invite the international press at our major 2008
event. It's important that racers realise to
maintain the link between autosport and
slot-racing as close as possible if we wish to
promote our hobby sport. The short article on
the Oslo 12 hours can be found at
http://www.fiagt.com/newsitem.php?key=1468.
An official presentation of the 2008
Endurance World Championship can be found
here. It
will be sent to the international press. Never
before - even not in the golden sixties - the
link between autosport and slot-racing has been
as close than now. I wish to thank Tamar
Nelwan and all involved racers that they
succeeded to realise my idea of a perfect model
car version of the 2007 Total Spa 24 hours. |
|
In one type of
slot-racing the link between autosport and
slot-racing completely disappea-red: in wing car
racing.
Especially G7
racing, once the F& class in slot-racing, is
going wrong. At this week-end's 18th
Barnburner only six racers showed for the G7
Pro race. The race was won by Paul "Beuf"
Pedersen (USA), ahead over Joe "Chubby"
Salzman (USA), Brad Friesner (CDN), Bill Skinner
II (USA), Less Wright (USA) and "Gugu"
Bernardino (BR). Never earlier at the
Barnburner attendance at the main event was that
low. But tell me, who else on the American
continent is able to beat those magnificent six?
Number of potential winners in American G7
racing is so low that more and more wing car
racers retire from what was always the top of
the bill in international slot-racing. Where are
the days where we found 125 entrants as at the
1978 wing car worlds? In Europe, apart from the
Scandinavian countries, things go hardly better.
I offered my brand new Blue King for free to a
dozen of clubs, under the condition that they
start up a real wing car school, where young
racers are learned how to build a competitive
wing car. However absolutely nobody was
interested. But if we wish to avoid that the
noble G7 racing is definitively dying we should
start initiation centres. Otherwise Mario
Schöne, Vlado Okali and Juha Yli-Sipola vwill
still win in ...2040! |
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|
OPEN LETTER BY MARK CAMPBELL |
|
IMCA
membership card necessary if one wishes to continue the
Worlds |
|
Hello Friends,
We are all aware that this is Jean Pierre’s last
year to lead IMCA. Yes, the words have been heard
before in the context of slot racing rhetoric and I
am sure his own frustration at times with the the
many personalities of this hobby, however we all
know that the words we hear today are sincere. And
they are the words of a most sincere man. There
will be time when we are all together, new friends
and old friends, glasses in hand to celebrate JPvR’s
many achievements and a contribution to the world of
slot racing that is without equal. As a new face at
IMCA, there are many others that should begin the
celebration and it is not my intent to start that
tribute with this letter.
I would like to begin the thinking. What is the
value of IMCA to each of us? Is IMCA only to exist
because of the philanthropy and financial generosity
of JPvR? This would be a very poor tribute to the
man who has given us so much of his life and hard
work. I would use stronger words and say that it
would put shame on all of us. Are we willing to
leave the apron strings and to take responsibility
for the future? Are we willing to accept the hard
work? And most importantly, are we willing to
accept the financial responsibility? Nothing in
this world comes for free as we all know, and we
must accept that the friendships that we have
formed, the great racing, the international
fraternity, it all comes with a price . . . and a
price worth paying.
We will all come together in July of this year for
the 2008 WORLDS in the beautiful city of Mechelen,
once again at the hands, the hard work and the
financial commitment of our good friend Jean Pierre
van Rossem. As we start to build our cars for
another championship, each of us should also begin
to build our thoughts for the future of IMCA. To
come to Mechelen not only prepared to race, but also
prepared to discuss the future and prepared to make
whatever personal commitment is within our reach.
In a relatively short time I have come to know the
IMCA family, a truly wonderful group of people with
tremendous diversity, skill, talent and humanity.
The greatest tribute we can pay to JPvR in this
year is to demonstrate that we can stand on our own
two feet and continue the great international
fraternity of racing that he has given to us.
Mark Campbell
Toronto |
|
everybody knows I stop all my slot-race activities
at the end of this year. I think that Mark Campbell
is the correct person to continue IMCA once I am no
longer involved. What should be continued in any
case is the IMCA World Championship plus
annex the Franco Gianotti Trophy. Since 1985
IMCA organised always a representative world
championship with racers from all continents (except
Asia. We installed a tradition to cover part of the
travelling costs of racers coming from overseas.
That, however, will be impossible if we go overseas
with the Worlds (like we already did in 1988, 1989
and 1991). Fortunately most European racers are
wealthy enough that they can pay a plane ticket to
the 2009 Toronto Worlds. But racers from
South-Africa, from Australia, from New Zealand, from
Brazil have not all enough income to pay their plane
ticket. If we wish to maintain the Worlds after 2009
we must find a way to cover the costs. Sponsoring is
a magic word, but I am fully aware that I am the
lonely person in slot-racing having succeeded year
after year obtaining decent sponsoring deals in cash
money. That is thanks to the fact that I am a former
F1 owner having had very good contacts with auto
sport circles. Nobody else has those contacts, so we
have to keep in mind that after my withdrawal all
IMCA events will have to do without sponsoring
income. A decent and representative world
championship costs at least € 17,500 (€
10,000 for plane tickets, € 2,500 for the rent of a
good location, € 1,000 on t-shirts, € 500 on
insurances, € 500 on web sites, € 3,000 on
additional costs for motors, tyres, race directors -
there is only ONE Bob Demeyer doing it for
free! - catering, etc.) But how to cover € 17,500
without cash entry of sponsoring money? There is
only one way out, nl. the introduction of a
yearly IMCA membership card,
sold at €
125.00. This year, e.g., 122 racers subscribed
for one of the several IMCA events. Should we
introduce an IMCA membership card, there should be a
way to cover the costs of a world championship.
Racers have to understand that after me nobody will
be so crazy to advance the high sums to organise a
decent world championship. Since no slot-racing
manufacturers are interested to invest cash money in
racing events, the money needed to organise such
events has to come from the racers themselves. In my
eyes the introduction of an IMCA membership card
will be an absolute necessity to maintain the IMCA
Worlds on the international calendar. Because once I
have definitively retired from slot-racing NOBODY
has to contact me to be any longer a fund raiser. I
did it during a quarter century, but there are more
funny things in live than to play the role of the
eternal beggar. So after 31 December 2008 there will
be no longer a JPVR as IMCA's fundraiser. [JPVR] |
|
|
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THINGS ARE NOT GOING LIKE THEY SHOULD
GO |
|
Ultimate
ES24 still no success - Wiesel Trophy without Wiesel friends |
|
January 26, 2008 - I took a 14
days break in order to write a new novel. The novel is
finished and I am now negotiating with some editors in
Holland and Belgian to see where I can get the best
conditions. Those 14 days without slot-racing were for me a
period to reload myself, because being honest, this last
year is the year too much. I wish to do other things. There
are moments that I have absolutely enough of slot-racing. I
give one example. Two weeks ago I wired € 1000 to Beate
Wiesel, the widow of Stephan. On doing so you expect that
she at least will thank you. But perhaps that was too much
asked. I have the feeling that I am just good to pump always
money in slot-racing and that I am alone to do so. Take e.g.
the 2008 IMCA Worlds. I budgeted total cost price on €
36,000, but sponsoring goes not as expected. Last year I got
€ 27,000 from Ferrari Challenge 1/1 racers, money which I
used for the 2007 IMCA Worlds. I hoped to find at least €
30,000 from other racers. But that was a miscalculation.
This year I got only € 9,000 from other racers. Attempts to
get sponsoring from the American and Canadian Ferrari
Challenge 1/1 racers completely failed. With them I never
had the personal contacts I had always with the European
racers. So I am € 27,000 short for the 2008 IMCA Worlds. And
once more I am completely alone to find that money.
Slot-racers never ask me if they can help. They find it
totally normal that I do that job for them. As it was
something due. Meanwhile things are not going as
they should go. Take the Ultimate ES24 Race. Here
European racers have a unique opportunity to compete with
Paul Gawronski and Gustav Heymann in a splendid
combat. But of Josef Korec, Vladimir Horky, Petr Krcil,
Lasse Aberg, etc., nobody subscribes. So why to do more
efforts that racers from Holland, Belgium and Germany should
find their way back to scale racing in ISRA style? Or take
the Stephan Wiesel X-Mas Trophy. Stephan's sudden
death touched me deeply. I wished to do really something for
his widow. The entry fees of that race have to go to her.
But nobody of the Wiesel friends - no Dieter Jens, no
Matthias Parke, no Gerd van de Wiel, no Pit
Schwaar - let see the smallest interest to show. It's
even too much for them to pick up the money of the entry
fees. No, it's a due for Van Rossem to bring the money to
Neumünster. This is completely crazy. And then one
asks me: Why should you stop?
Fortunately not all things go wrong. Tamar
Nelwan did a great job to launch the 2008 EEC next week
at Oslo. Insurance was paid and the 24 FIA GT cars will be
at the start. Meanwhile racers are already preparing their
F430 for the 2008 Worlds. Fujimi bodies are available at
Slotracing Werk at a reasonable price. Al Paterson
and Fola Osu can help you with correct decals for
those cars, should you have a decal problem. [JPVR] |
 |
|
Tony Ring's F430 Challenge as under construction in
South-Africa. Al Paterson can make any decal
for those cars at a fair price. Also Fola Osu
knows how to make missing decals. Contact them if you have
decal problems. |
|
|
WHY THE
MTT TRACK IS SO IMPORTANT? |
|
THE MTT
TRACK WAS USED IN 1987, 1989 & 2007 FOR FIVE OFFICIAL WORLDS |
|
January 9, 2008 - Up to now
the MTT track has been used three times for official world
championships. The first time was Toulouse 1987 where both
the ES32 Worlds and the ES GP12 Model Car Worlds were
contested on the famous track designed by Michel Thoumieu
(F). Twice superstar Sergio Maresca (I)
was the winner, but twice he was disqualified for a too low
ground clearance. Maresca's trick was his much higher speed
in the Esses, just as Michel Thoumieu had predicted; Indeed,
he was convinced that only great champions could win on his
track, and that all the difference should be made in the
Esses. In 1989 an American MTT track (Dan Debella's) was
made in view of the Chicago Worlds of that year, again for
the ES32 Scale Worlds and for the ES GP12 Model Car Worlds.
Just as two years earlier Maresca made twice the difference
in the Esses, but now he was disqualified once at the Semis
(in ES GP12) and once at the finish in ES32. In the first
named race three top racers made the difference in the Esses:
Jan Limpach, Dave Gick and Sergio Maresca. There was one
obstinate Briton, not used to race without goop, but having
a superior motor set-up, who lost each time 10 to 20 cm in
the Esses but compensated it by a higher speed in the
straight. His name? Georgie Kimber. He succeeded to keep up
with the three super stars of that moment until the last
segment. Then he had to let them go. Eventually Maresca won
ahead over Limpach and Gick (but was disqualified later).
Much later, in 2007, it appeared that Thoumieu's prophecy
turned again in being the full truth. Now only the young
Philipp Kremer was able to pass the Esses at much higher
speed than his direct opponents: Michael Niemas, Ralph Seif
and Nick de Wachter. At the finish he had an advance of two
laps over Niemas, seven over Seif and ten over De Wachter. [Notheworth
is that ayt the Semis and at the Quarters only Jozef
Miskolci and Ladislav Szalai succeeded to pass the Esses at
high speed, but due to the fact that they raced an old
PlaFit Excel, not an SLP, they didn't enjoy the SLP's camber
effect, so that they had not enough acceleration in the lead
on, where they had to brake a fraction of a second.]
Michel Thoumieu's track remains the fairest track in the
world: it compensates the most talented racer. Curious to
see who of Paul Gawronski, Vladimir Horky or Gustav Heymann
will be the fastest in the Esses at the Ultimate ES24 race?
Curious too who of Philipp Kremer or "Piki" will be the
fastest in the same Esses at the 20th Model Car Worlds?
Because one thing is granted: the man who can pass the Esses
at the highest speed will also be the winner - something
Michel Thoumieu predicted already ... twenty years ago! [JPVR] |
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BELOW:
Original drawing for the 1989 American MTT Track, as a
reproduction of the MTT track having been used at the 1987
scale & model car worlds in Toulouse. ES24 cars didn't exist
already, but one raced ES32 and ES GP12. As well in Toulouse
as in Chicago the supertalented Sergio Maresca won in both
classes, but was ... four times disqualified for a (total
unnecessary) too low clearance. |
| |
ABOVE: The
American MTT track as used at the 1989 Chicago Scale
(ES32 & ES GP12) & Model Car Worlds. On the American
version "the 180" came slightly over the straight.
BELOW: Brian Crosby's (Steve Ogilvie) MTT as
used at the 2007 Model Car Worlds. "The 180" is
again in original position as it was on the original
MTT designed by the late Michel Thoumieu and Gérard
Caupène in 1987 for the Scale (ES32 and ES GP12)
Worlds and for the Model Car Worlds. |
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SPLENDID
AUTO PORTRAIT BY A SPLENDID RACER |
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Georgie
Kimber's farewell to international slotracing... |
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January 9, 2008 - There was
one racer in the world who I liked as much as my sons, more
than the super stars as Vladimir Horky, Josef Korec, Paul
Pfeiffer, P-A Watson, Dave Gick, Paolo Trigiolio, Sergio
Maresca, Salvatore Noviello; Jan Limpach or other Nick de
Wachters. His name: Georgie Kimber. One of the most
difficult moments in my slot-racing life was October 12,
2007. That day Georgie Kimber contested his real last race:
ES24 at the ISRA Revuca Worlds. I felt my heart bleeding
when I saw that such a superb racer, at the end of his long
career, could only qualify as 108th on 112. I am sure that
that provoked a deep pain in his pure soul. Sure,
Georgie Kimber was not the best British racer. He was no
Charlie Gooding, no Brian Saunders, no Steve Walker, no Dave
Harvey, but when he had to defend his country on the
international scene he grew up beyond his own talent. I
remember very well Chicago 1989 where he was fighting until
the last segment to become the ES32 Scale Racing World
Champion. Of the British contingent he and Mark Harrison
were the only Britons reaching the mean. There he had to
fight with such super talents as Jan Limpach and Dave Gick.
Until the real last segments he was the lonely of the other
finalists to keep up with those two supermen. Only during
the last minute he was passed by Clithio van Buggen-hout,
missing the podium for a couple of inches. But he was the
first Briton! Georgie Kimber was a simple barber,
modesty himself. But of all Britons he's the very lonely one
having won two official world championships, in 2003 and in
2004, as best modeller of the world. I am convinced that
nobody in England - where model car racing stayed unknown
until today - has ever known that Georgie did so. After four
decades of racing he stopped active racing. Racing without
Georgie will never more be as it was. But I have a dream. As
organiser of my real last race in 2008 (December 27-28), I
dream that I'll see Georgie a real last time at the start.
No organiser can receive a greater honour than saying: "I
organised my last race and I had Georgie Kimber for the last
time of his life at the start." I know that as a barber, the
X-Mas days are for Georgie financially spoken highdays.
But I wish to award all potential financial damages if I can
see him a last time at the start. He deserves a warm ovation by
all of us. Which honour can be greater for a racer than
allowing him to tell his kids later: "I raced together with Georgie at his real last race..." [JPVR] |
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It is
always hard to talk on the demise of a slotracer. This time
no legend ,certainly no Maresca ,no Trigilio,no Walker,not
even a Limpach or Gick . But Georgie Formula One Kimber can
be finally laid to his rest, for in Revuca it was for sure
his final walk. Since his start at Torino in 1980 he has
always been streetfighting ,time & again he could rise to
the highest Alps to victory lane. It was for certain that he
could never count on the meagrest talents of a Horky or
Saunders but he always carried his countries honour, Nine
times out of ten he could not beat these slotracing Gods but
as in Chicago he could prove his Lionheart, a true
Englishman ,a man who could fight to the end ,even conjure
up a miracle.
It could have been else for our Georgie, born on scrap heaps
of Tyneside Shipbuilding in the neglected Industrial
Wastelands of not so Great Britain. His only education was
the streets but the chance sighting of racing cars in his
local toy shop was to carve out his destiny. Time after time
he could leave his sceptred Isle and embrace a culture far
removed from the British Goop laden traditions of no lane
changes and lonely Saloons. But how to change a nation so
entrenched in their sticky traditions.
But Georgie could finally convince at the UES Euro Cup in
Middlesborough that his country could make the move.
It was always his proudest moment to stage the 1993 ISRA
championships in his native Northeast with Limpach,Gick and
a young Horky showing for the future.
It was no disgrace in Revuca,perhaps self inflicted
technical problems but after eight days of Pork scratchings
andSheepsballs it was the end. No more venturing from these
misty shores.
Time to hand over to the man who could save his country from
the mediocrity . In Revuca Graeme Stephenson could show
Britain has a future beyond a Saunders and a Cleave ,no one
more fitting to carry on Georgies Legacy.
Time to say Goodbye, Time to take me to my slot racing
Heaven and my Area Three Lexan Coffin. No more slotracing
Darkside for my dear beloved wife. Thank you all,Thank you
Jean Pierre.
See you all in 2008 for my final dance .
Georgie Kimber. 21-10-07 |
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MY THREE MAJOR DECEPTIONS OF
2007 |
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1. No LM
Race in Paris, 2. No Belgian Gr5 Support, 3. Wiesel 's Death
& the Amish |
|
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January 1, 2008 - If you
should ask me which event touched me the most in the past
year, I should have a choice among many topics; there was
the unexpected victory of Joe "Chubby" Salzman at the
USRA G7 Nats; there was Vladimir Horky winning his
sixth ES24 World Championship; and there was young
Philipp Kremer dominating completely the 19th IMCA
Worlds. But two events touched us all much more than that,
nl. the fact that towards the end of the year the famous
chassis builder Craig Landry passed away and -
perhaps even more dramatic - that the founding father of
model car racing Stephan Wiesel died from a heart
attack just before XMas at a race in Hamburg. The
fact that I had since 2005 a stupid controversy with
Stephan, that I had the clear intention to talk it out, but
that I waited too long to do it , was for me - UNDOUBTEDLY -
the major deception of 2007. In chronological order
it was my third major deception of the year. Much earlier I
met my first big deception. Indeed, together with Tamar
Nelwan and Yves Welter sr, I had the ambition to
organise on the Paris' Champs Elysées, in front of the
Peugeot showroom, a model car version of the 2007 Le Mans
24 hours and its fantastic struggle between Audi and
Peugeot. Total cost of the event was budgeted at more than €
125,000 but contacts with several racing teams gave me the
firm conviction that we should have found that sponsoring
budget if Peugeot should have accepted to co-operate. After
our first visit at the Peugeot show room there was good hope
that we could succeed. But at my second visit at Paris it
became obvious that the project was deemed to fail after
Peugeot let us know that not earlier than March 2008 they
could take a decision. The Peugeot project was an
ultimate attempt to free slot-racing from its completely
marginalised position. We have to go back to the mid 1960s
to have seen reports on slot-racing in prime time news
editions on television. A model car version of the
Peugeot-Audi combat at the Champs Elysées, shortly before
the 2008 1/1 edition should have been prime time news. The
failure of the project was also important for French
slot-racing. Indeed, it's a bare fact that slot-racing is as
well as death in France. Since 2000 no more French racers
were seen in international competition outside France. What
was left of the great era of the Thibaults, Didier Moret,
Dominique Bellenger, Jean-Claude Ehinger, Philippe Point,
Alain Clastres, Michel Thoumieu, Marc Joyeux, Gérard Caupène
and so many others has been reduced to racing with plastic
toy cars at 1/32nd. As long as Yves Welter sr organised the
European Endurance 1/32nd Championship, there was still
something. Now there is nothing left. Welter succeeded to
find more than 24 French racers accepting to come to the
Champs Elysées, but once it became sure that the project
could not be materialised, they all withdrew. So the 20th
IMCA Nats and the 23rd Scale Racing Worlds (the 17th
organised by ISRA) will go once more without the smallest
French racer. And yes, we'll bring the 20th IMCA Worlds of
2008 on the national television, but what's such emission is
worth compared to prime time news on A2, FR3 or TSRF? It's
just like you had good hope to drive the newest Ferrari, but
that on the last day they come tell you that you'll receive
to drive a 2CV. We worked really hard on the LM2007 project
at the Champs Elysées, hundreds of hours, but unfortunately
the result was nada, nothing. |
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The second big deception
followed on December 21, 2007. Since months I was working in
silence on a model car racing project with the famous Group
5 cars of 1976-1981. In Belgium Raymond van Campenhout
organises since 2006 a model car series for such cars at
scale 1/24th. In 2007 no less than 68 racers entered that
competition over 10 rounds. Mid 2007 Hubert Jacob and
Nick de Wachter decided to organise a confrontation
Belgium-Holland with Group 5 cars at Alsdorf in Germany. On
December 1, no less than 36 racers showed, half from
Belgium, half from Holland. For me that seemed a clear proof
that it was possible to go internationally with such cars.
More than one month before Stephan Wiesel passed away I had
a clear project to organise such international competition
around XMas 2008 as my definitive farewell from slot-racing.
Then we received the sad news that Stephan Wiesel
died in Hamburg during a DSC race. As soon as Afolabi Osu
(NIG) informed me about the drama, I decided to call my
very last organisation the Stephan Wiesel XMAS Trophy.
I decided to organise two events, one just before XMas with
1978 DRM Group 5 cars, and one just after XMas with 1981 DRM
Group 5 cars. I contacted Raymond van Campenhout and he too
was convinced that the 1978 DRM session should be sold out
from the real first day. Racers had to wait December 21 to
subscribe. But number of Belgian entries for the 1978
edition was extremely low. Even after I send all Belgian
entrants a personal e-mail, I came no further than ... 8
Belgian subscriptions. Such top specialists as Willy
Heerwegh, George Baikry, Chantal Aerts, René "Lange", Alex
Vandenbempt, Gilles and Patrice Dohohne, Grégoire Hans,
Daniel Rasseneur, Patrick Frère, Robert Massart, André
Colson, Fabrice van Dam, etc. showed not the smallest
interest to go internationally. Very similar attitude of the
Dutch Group 5 racers having been present at Alsdorf:
Willem Kloppenburg, Remco van Waaij, Sergiu Houwer, Onno
Griepink, Jurgen Rossenaar, Ronald Zaal, Erwin Post, André
van der Zee, Tom Jacobs showed not the smallest
interest. Belgium-Holland, O.K., but a confrontation with
the rest of the world? No, thank you very well. |
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The death of Stefan Wiesel
was a real shock for me. Model car racers hardly know
how many parts they use in their model cars, were not
manufactured by Stephan. All the lexan interiors used at the
19th IMCA Worlds were made by Stephan. Where Michael
Gräber is specialised in manufacturing 1/24th scale
models actual race cars, Stephan Wiesel was specialised in
models of cars of the 1960s and the 1970s. In 2005, before
our controversy, I asked him if he could bring out a decent
version of the Lancia Beta Montecarlo, the BMW 320i Gr5, the
BMW M1 Gr 5 and the Zakspeed Escort II DBA.
I found it my duty to set up a Stephan Wiesel Trophy,
just as I did with the Franco Gianotti Trophy when
Franco passed away. My plan was to bring the 32 best
international racers together for a meeting over six races
shortly after XMas 2008. Racers from 13 different countries
- even from the USA and Canada - subscribed for this
meeting, proving how popular Stephan was in the whole world.
Other racers from South-Africa, New Zealand, Australia and
Brazil wrote me that the date was difficult for them to
show, but proved their fullest respect for Stephan. In one
week time 28 of the 32 cars were chosen, but ... not one by
the direct friends of Stephan himself. Those friends
belong to what commonly was called "Amishland" in
slot-racing, I mean the racers from North-Germany. They
themselves form a very closed community, hoping always that
the rest of the world comes to Amishland to race with | |