HOW THE 2011 IMCA WORLDS WILL BE FINANCED

JPVR collection Le Mans 1970 cars for sale, among them the famous Wiesel & Schwaar cars

July 20, 2010 - The financing of the 23rd IMCA Worlds in 2011 is much more difficult than initially was expected. Indeed, the sponsoring deal with the teams involved in the FIA GT1 World Championship is far from being finalised. As long as we cannot present the 24 models at scale 1/24th no contract can be signed. Such presentation, however, can occur not earlier than at the 2010 EEC in October, and even then the risk maintains that not all 24 copies will be at the start. The alternative, i.e. looking after sponsorship of Mobil 1 and Loctite, involved in the 1/1 Porsche Supercup, is also not workable as long as we can not present them the 24 model cars involved in all rounds of the 1/1 competition. In other years I always took the risk to pre-finance the Worlds. That however is at once impossible for two reasons. (1) I will be never paid for the two books which I published last year, due to the fact that my editor went bankrupt. (2) In the banana-kingdom Belgium the pension fund made a mistake on calculating the exact amount of my retirement pay:  they are so brilliant in calculations that they found that I will be paid 170.10 euro, not per month, but ... per year. More than hundred times less than what is due. "O yes, sir, that must be a miscalculation, so your lawyer has to appeal." "But when the case will be settled?" "As it is urgent, you may be sure that it will never take more than two or three years, sir." "So can you tell me from what I'll be living during those years?" "Euh, euh, perhaps from the pension which has already be accorded." "But that's even not enough to pay during two weeks my cigarettes!" "Then it's perhaps an ideal incentive to stop smoking, sir."
There can be no doubt that they made the mistake intentionally. If they know in the banana kingdom that you're a die-hard republican, an anti-royalist, there is always somewhere a royalist in the administration who'll forget two zeros in the calculation of your pension. Republicans are easily outlawed in banana kingdoms, certainly if they declared their anti-royalism openly in the kingdom's parliament (as I did in 1993).

Complete JPVR car collection (circa 100 cars) for sale
Being not sure if the sponsoring deal with the FIA GT1 teams will be well or not materialised, I decided to sell my complete collection of 1970 model cars. Those cars were raced at the 2004 and 2005 editions of the Franco Gianotti Trophy, forming themselves the Pinky Point IV Series. At those races some of the best constructors of competitive model cars competed for the Constructor's World Championship. In 2004 the title went to Matthias Parke (D), in 2005 to Tamar Nelwan (NL). In total 53 cars, having been seen in the 1970 FIA World Championship for Makes, were entered in 2004. One year later 27 other cars were added to the 1970 collection, bringing it up to 80 cars in total. Among them we find 10 superb cars assembled by the late Stefan Wiesel, all absolute unique collection items. There are also 11 splendid cars assembled by Pitter Schwaar who decided last year to close his shop. Those cars too are absolutely historical. The most competitive cars were built in 2004 by Matthias Parke and in 2005 by Tamar Nelwan. It concerns res. 8 and 11 cars. Fast and extremely well detailed were the cars entered by Dieter Jens, 9 in total. His #21 NART Ferrari 250 LM is a unique masterpiece. Thomas Spicker entered 10 wonderful cars, perhaps less competitive, but real beauties. Other cars were assembled by Harald Uhl (6 in total), by Francesc Reyes (2 in total), by Gerd van de Wiel (8 in total), and by Andreas Fehn (4 in total). The complete collection will be given in consignation to the most interested distributor. If interested, please mail to jppro@pandora.be. Price of most cars is still to be agreed (tba), but some typical historical cars as those made by Stefan Wiesel & Pitter Schwaar, or typical winners by Tamar Nelwan and Parke, will not be sold under € 1000.
Apart of the 80 cars having been seen at the 2004-2005 Pinky Point Series, 20 even more exciting cars assembled by Michael Niemas will be also sold. Among them the most beautiful race car ever assembled, nl. a copy of my former Ferrari 250 GTO. This car, pictured below, even beats the pale green 250 GTO, earlier assembled by Pitter Schwaar. Other Niemas cars are Canam 1969 versions, built for the 2010 Gianotti Trophy.

#5 Ferrari 512S LH by Pitter Schwaar; #6 & 7 Ferrari 512S LH by Thomas Spicker; #8 & #11 Ferrari 512S by Gerd van de Wiel (in 2005 revisited by Tamar Nelwan); the yellow #12 Ferrari 512S (which won in 2005 the three rounds of Pinky Point III) and the #15 Ferrari 512S LH were the work of Tamar Nelwan; the superb #14 Ferrari 512S LH was made by Pitter Schwaar; the #27 Martini Porsche is another masterpiece by the late Stefan Wiesel; the night blue Porsche 908-02 with the camera was made by Harald Uhl; the white Porsche 914/6 was made by Thomas Spicker; the yellow Corvette at the end of the first row was another masterpiece by the late Stefan Wiesel. The #3 Porsche, first on the second row, was made by Stefan Wiesel; the #18 AAW Shell Porsche is pure art by Pitter Schwaar; the Gulf Porsches #20, #21 & #22 were made by Matthias Parke (of them the #22 won the endurance race of 2004); the Salzburg Porsches #23 and #25 plus the #41 Porsche at the end of the second row were all assembled by Dieter Jens. The #32 Matra MS 650 has been made by Tamar Nelwan and the two Alfa Romeos T33/3 were the work of Harald Uhl.  The #57 Ferrari 312P (one but last on the second row) was made by Gerd van de Wiel and Andreas Fehn. The 24 cars on the pic all entered the last round of the Pinky Point IV Series in 2004. The same cars, now enlarged by six newcomers, were again raced in 2005 at the very last round of the 2004-2005 Pinky Point IV Cup.

For the three 2005 rounds of Pinky Point IV Pitter Schwaar built five new cars. Here the superb NART Ferrari 365 GTB-4, the #18 & #29 Fords GT40: three cars having been seen at the 1970 Daytona 24 hours. He also built the #37 Alfa Rome T33/3 and the #53 Blatzheim Porsche 907 as seen at the Spa 1000-km.

For the 2004 rounds of Pinky Point IV Pitter Schwaar built two splendid Ferraris 512S Berlinetta Coda Lunga with #5 & #15. One of the most beautiful cars at the 2005 Pinky Point is the #21 NART Ferrari 250 LM as raced at the 1970 Daytona 24 hours. This superb car, with a splendid interior, was built by Dieter Jens.

The #25 KG Salzburg Porsche 917LH of Dieter Jens was not well adapted at the two chicanes of the Carrera track used in 2004 as well as in 2005. In 2004 Alexi and Basti Jens brought the #25 homes as 14th. One year later Chris Radisich and Fred Hood finished 15th on 30 entrants with the same car, still not adapted at the chicanes.

WINNER - The above #15 Ferrari 512S Berlinetta Coda Lunga has been assembled by Tamar Nelwan's winning one race. In 2004 this car, shared by NDW and Nelwan himself, finished at the Le Mans race at only at one single track segment from the winning #22 Gulf Porsche 917K. One year later NDW and Youri finished again as runner-up to the winners, now the Nelwan yellow Ferrari 512S Coda Lunga of Piki and Noviello.

The splendid psychedelic #3 Porsche 917L was the work of the late Stefan Wiesel. The #36 Matra MS650 is one of the master pieces by Pitter Schwaar. In 2004 Francesc Reyes qualified the #3 Wiesel 917LH as second. Unfortunately he missed the first segments, and despite fine racing he could not undo the occurred arrears. One year later Martin Borch finished only as 16th on 30 starters.

WINNER - The Garage Francorchamps Ferrari 512S Coda Lunga was built by Tamar Nelwan for Piki and Noviello. In 2005 they won the 1970 Le Mans Memorial with it, followed by the #15 Filipinetti car of NDW/Youri, also built by Nelwan.

WINNER - The Filipinetti Ferrari 512S Berlinetta, built by Tamar Nelwan, won three of the four rounds it entered at Pinky Point IV. It only lost once, finishing second behind the #14 Piper Porsche of Matthias Parke - car pictured below.

WINNER - This was in 2004 the fastest of all 1970 models. Built by Matthias Parke it won two of the four rounds res. with Gilles Dohogne/Yves Welter jr and with Josef Korec/Salvatore Noviello. Thanks to this excellent car Parke won in 2004 the Constructors World Championship, ahead of Tamar Nelwan.

WINNER - This Gulf Porsche 917K, built by Matthias Parke, won in 2004 the 1970 Le Mans Memorial with Josef Korec and Antónin Vojtik as drivers, one track section ahead over the #15 Filipinetti Ferrari 512S shared by NDW and Tamar Nelwan. In 2005 Parke himself shared the #22 Porsche 917K with Josef Korec, finishing third behind two Ferraris built by Tamar Nelwan.

Pinky Point IV - twice contested as rounds of the Franco Gianotti Trophy - was a first attempt to organise the perfect model car race. In 2004 we found 24 cars at the start of the 1970 Le Mans Memorial, in 2005 even 30 cars. Those cars form an absolute unique collection in the world.

JPVR's definitive farewell to slot racing
Already in 1986 I announced my farewell to slot-racing. However, my passion for beautiful model cars and for 1/24th editions of existing 1/1 races was so high, that I continued year after year. In 2004 I decided to stop definitively. And although my intentions to do so were more than strong I found that the 2004 edition of the Gianotti Trophy should be continued at least once. Indeed, I was very unhappy with the two or three English so-called "model car specialists" who did concourse after we sent them our 53 cars. The results of their voting - offering Harald Uhl the first prize - were so revolting, that I decided to a new and better edition in 2005. That edition of the Worlds, with Mack de Wachter and his unreliable lap counter, was such a mess that I wished nothing else than to erase it from my memory. So we went in 2006 with the IMCA Worlds to Barcelona. What started in Spain as a nightmare finished as the most funny of all IMCA Worlds ever organised up to then. Was it be possible to do better than that? It was the new challenge, and I believe that the 2007 Mechelen Worlds improved indeed Barcelona 2006. So there was a new challenge: doing better than that in 2008. At the 2008 Worlds, however, the 132 race was such a mess that I wished to give full evidence that 1/32nd production model car racing was funny. Plans were made for Toronto 2009, but turned out in a real nightmare after the Studio 27/Porsche RS affair. That resulted in an emergency solution at the end of the year. The venue of such legends as Howie Ursaner and Terry Schmid inspired me to organise a better version at Merlijn this year. One day Youri said me: "You'll stop organising not earlier than three months after passing away." Financial conditions and health conditions are now such that I know for sure that 2011 will be the very last time. Let's hope that it will be an unforgettable farewell to arms! [JPVR] 

The Pinky Point IV series started with four races in 2004, being res. 1/24th model car versions of (1) the 1970 Sebring 12 hours, (2) the 1970 BOAC at Brands Hatch, (3) the 1970 Monza 1000-km and (4) the Le Mans 24 hours. For those races I let assemble 53 cars (6 by Dieter Jens, Stefan Wiesel, Matthias Parke and Harald Uhl; 7 by Thomas Spicker, Pitter Schwaar and Tamar Nelwan; and 8 by Gerd van de Wiel). In 2005 the Pinly Point IV series continued with three other 1/24th memorial races, nl. (5) the 1970 Daytona 24 hours, (6) the 1970 Spa 1000-km and (7) again the 1970 Le Mans 24 hours, but now with 30 cars (instead of 24 in 2004). It has been the intention to add two more 1970 memorial races, nl. the Targa Florio and the Nürburgring 24 hours, which should have completed the 1/24th version of the 1970 FIA World Championship for Makes. Unfortunately I missed the budget to let assemble the missing cars of the Nürburgring and the Targa Florio. So 27 new cars were assembled and bought (for the Daytona 24h and the Spa 1000-km version), what made a total of 80 model cars of the 1970 season (53 of 2004 and 27 of 2005). In 2004 Matthias Parke let win his Porsches 917K still three of the four rounds (twice his #11 Piper Porsche 917K and once his JWA Gulf Porsche 917K). In 2005 Tamar Nelwan, helped by Nick de Wachter, Gabe Inäbnit, Andreas Laufenberg and mechanic "Mario", won the three rounds with the pairing Salvatore Noviello and "Piki", whilst the duo NDW-Youri finished twice as runner-up, giving the 2004 constructor's champion a clear beat. Tamar used 11 cars, among them two new Porsches 911S, the #23 NART Ferrari 312P Coupe and the blue #33 Matra MS650. Seven other cars were already raced in 2004. On the pic we recognize on the first row Christian Schnitzler (D), mechanic "Mario", and Tamar himself. On the second row we find Andreas Laufenberg, Nick de Wachter and Gabe Inäbnit. But why not organising a last Constructors World Championship in 2011 with 12 constructors of each two FIA GT1 cars? A challenge! 

ALSO NIEMAS SUPER CARS FOR SALE & KIMBER SUPER CAR FOR SALE

RESULTS AFTER TWO WEEKS OF REFLECTION

On inter-make competition - On 8-laners in Germany - On int'l SLP - On  Haug as world champ

June 21, 2010 - I took off during two weeks to reflect about model car racing. It started with a feeling of shame, deep shame. Shame for all the hard words I wrote about Marc Campbell. After the Toronto Masters (only 25 entrants) I found he was incompetent in slot-racing affairs and that he was a minor organiser. How wrong was this evaluation! If I see now the entry platform, both at the Panam Plafit and at the Trier Worlds, I can only feel a terrible deep shame for my unfair evaluation of the fine work done by Campbell. I did not accept that, nominated as new IMCA president, he changed the rule book. It resulted in a hopeless controversy without clear issue. Result of this controversy - a dialectical process - was the creation of OEPS as a kind of counter-power in model car racing. Then, early this year, came the two students doing their work placement at IMCA. I think that they were the persons who opened my eyes. They disagreed with my approach of slot-racing politics, based upon the artificial created controversies, in order to create progress. Their opinion was that such could work in parliament politics - la politique politicienne - but not in slot-racing affairs. It was the start of a complete different approach of model car racing. They convinced me that my attitude concerning the "Amishländer" of North-Germany (Matthias Parke & Cie) was completely wrong and that some of their races, such as the DSC, the 5L Summernight Races and the Le Mans Legenden, deserved upgrading as IOC-events. They introduced them with retroactive power in the modified IOC-list. And I let them do. They disagreed with the disqualification of Nick de Wachter at the 2008 Worlds - a disqualification which was pronounced one year later than the race - and this as a consequence of my controversy with Campbell for who NDW was his right arm. They made the disqualification undone and corrected again the IOC-list, giving NDW his lost IOC-points back. And again I let them do. When they had finished their work placement at IMCA, and returned to their books at university, things were never more as they were before. 
The last weeks all this made me thinking about the several errors I made in the past. In my approach of slot-racing affairs I always defended "continuity". Several races - take e.g. the DPM in Germany - started as typical local events, without great international attraction, thus not eligible for an IOC status, but were later upgraded as IOC-events when they got international fame. When we did so, the rule of "continuity" always resulted to go back to the first edition and to consider that first edition also as an IOC event, despite the fact that entrance was low and far from international. Applied to the Toronto Masters of 2009 that implies - in view of the 2010 Trier Worlds - that the rule of "continuity" also holds for Børge Haug (who won the sprint race in Toronto), for Chris Radisich (who won the production race in Toronto) and for the duo "Javi" Checa Lozano and Roger Schmitt (who won the endurance race in Toronto). Now that Trier is the successor of Toronto, and that the entrance at Trier is convincingly high, the rule of "continuity" implies that we have to consider Haug, Radisich, Checa, and Schmitt as winners of a world championship. Thus that has been corrected here.

THE SLP & DPM AS BEST SCHOOL FOR MODEL CAR RACERS
It's a secret for nobody that German racers are the best model car racers in the world. Who lives in Germany can enter nearly each week a high-standing competition. The best example is Sebastian Nockemann and his fellows of Plastikquäler-DoSlot. When I asked NDW on the phone why we see Nockemann never in OEPS or IMCA races, he answered me that the reason is that Nockemann races every week-end somewhere in Germany, and that he has no time for international competition abroad Germany. But where German racers are really formed? I think that this is the case at two special competitions. The first is the DPM, organised since 11 years by Kurt Petri. Here very strict rules are applied and everyone has to compete with essentially the same cars.  The used track - an 8-laner! - is only once per year installed, and there is nearly no time to "learn the track". Very high racing skill is needed to finish among the top-8. But the best school for model car racers remains the SLP (Slot Langstrecken Pokal) as organised since 2004 by Martin Bartelmes. Such racers as Alexander Ortmann, Christian Schnitzler, Ralph Seif, Peter Oberbillig, Kevin Krollmann, Sebastian Nockemann, Jan Uhlig, etc. have all be formed at the SLP. Until 2007 anyone who wanted so could enter a 4-racers team at the SLP. The success of the formula, however, let Martin Bartelmes decide to introduce up from 2008 the SLP Challenge. What did this imply? At once only the 12 best teams were allowed to enter the (division I) SLP, whilst all others had to compete in the (division II) SLP Challenge. At the end of each season the 3 last teams in the division I SLP are regulated to division II, whilst the 3 best teams of division II - the SLP Challenge thus - move up to division I. This resulted - not intentionally! - in the fact that exclusively German teams are allowed to enter the SLP. Initially there was a strong Austrian team around Roland Tögel, but in 2007 they failed to make the move to SLP division I. Now there is still a Swiss team, but only competing in division II. When we upgraded the SLP to a level 2 IOC event we were unaware that non-German teams had no access to the SLP division I so that the incentive to let non-German pros entering SLP racing, missed fully its goal. For me it is obvious that the results of NDW in model car racing improved seriously after he entered in 2009 the SLP. When I phoned him asking how he, as a non-German, could enter the SLP he explained me that in 2007 the Slot-Ringer of Bernd Huvendiek had made the move to SLP division I, and that, as he co-operated with the Slot-Ringer, he had not to do the division II races ("with the kids") to enter SLP division I. Not everyone, however, has this chance. Asked how other non-German racers could enter the SLP high school of model car racing, NDW suggested me to send a mail to Martin Bartelmes. (The idea to send non-German teams to the SLP was of course my idea, not NDW's.) Then I could ask him to allow 4 or 6 international teams, without they have to do the "kids races" in division II. I found it was useless to send that mail, as Bartelmes wishes that his endurance races go over more than 4 hours, something being impossible if one has to increase the heats from 2 for 12 racers (2 x 6) to 3 for 18 racers (3 x 6). The basic problem is that, as long as there are not at least two 8-laners available in Germany, SLP racing can not be opened for international racing. Let's analyse now why there are nearly no 8-laners in Germany, the paradise of model car racing?      

THE LACK OF 8-LANERS IN GERMANY
Imagine there were enough 8-laner tracks in Germany, then it should be possible to negotiate with Martin Bartelmes to allow 4 international teams in his SLP division I. Then he could continue with his 12 German teams and he could add 4 international teams, without being enforced to reduce the duration of his endurance races. The problem, however, is that the model car paradise Germany counts only ... 3 wooden 8-laners (the flat Blue King of Minden, the banked Blue King of Brühl and the DPM track being installed only once per year). As Blue King tracks are not appropriated for model car racing, and as one 8-laner is not available except for the DPM, Germany has no 8-laners available for SLP racing. Here the situation is completely different from the one in the States, where there exist nearly exclusively wooden 8-laners. Germany counts nearly exclusively 4-laners, 5-laners and 6-laners. If you want 8-laners you need to be in Belgium with 8-laners in Dison, Herentals, Diepenbeek, Charleroi, etc. That, however, is no solution for German racers. One can hardly desire that they come to Belgium to contest the four rounds of the SLP. 
That brought me upon a new idea. Why wasting all that IMCA sponsoring money in travelling incentives for racers coming from overseas and in expensive trophies, instead of investing it in something durable, e.g. excellent Steve Ogilvie MTT tracks? I thus played with the idea to organise once per year a competition for international teams with as first price a RTR Steve Ogilvie MTT 8-laner, imported from Canada. I spoke on this matter with NDW who knows the situation in Germany better than I do. His remark was: "Suppose that my team wins that track, I have not the smallest idea where to put it in Germany." Because that is the very situation: German clubs have not enough space to install a 7.50 x 15 metre 8-laner. Housing rent in Germany is much higher than e.g. in Belgium or Holland and no club has enough members to be able to pay high rents for a wider location. So the idea was unworkable. [Nevertheless I'll do an effort to offer next year one MTT track to Barcelona: at Los Franqueses, where we organised the 2006 IMCA Worlds, there is space enough for an MTT track. And I have to negotiate with Parke & Cie to see which clubs in Germany have enough space for a free MTT track. It remains one of my goals to use MTT tracks as the universal track for model car racing, just as the Blue King track is the universal track for wing car racing.] A possibility in Germany is the Rock Club of Christoph Kremer in Limburg, where there is enough space for two MTT tracks. But I don't know any club in Nordrhein-Westfalen where such is possible. Of course we could propose Trier a free MTT track, but why they should accept to change their new 6-laner by a new 8-laner?

RE-INSTALLATION OF THE INTER-MAKE COMPETITION AT THE SPRINT WORLDS
In 2009 the IMCA Sprint Worlds were contested with handout BMW M1s, all assembled by Michael Niemas on a Plafit SLP-1 chassis. The star of the meeting however, was not the winner, but Björn van Campenhout who won at the semi-pros the four races with a works Metris Mk3 which he received from Gabe Inäbnit. Already in May 2009, thus months before the 2009 IMCA Worlds, I had the intention to contest the 2010 IMCA Worlds with (fully legal) Scaleauto Porsches 911 GT3 Cup as can be seen here. However, in September (2009) the Scaleauto Porsche bodies were not available so that for the second consecutive time the IMCA Sprint Worlds were contested with the handout BMW M1s assembled by Niemas. So Plafit won again a world championship without opposition from other makes as all handout BMW M1s were equipped with the Plafit SLP-1 chassis. The major surprise came at the Endurance Worlds where the trio Harry van Avensaath/ Rudi Munten/Swen Munten - three amateurs - won the competition for semi-pros as seventh overall, but with an advance of nearly 40 full laps over the second in their class, advancing even seven pro teams! Inspired by the success of the Metris chassis one year earlier, they drove a well-mounted Metris Mk3/4 chassis. For everyone it became obvious that Metris is actually the best of all homologated racing chassis. 
The victory of Van Avensaath & Co with their Metris car made such a great impression on most of the racers that, in the days after the 2010 IMCA Worlds, it rained e-mails by all kinds of racers asking to open the Sprint Worlds for own cars (no longer for handout cars). Their argument, that the Plafit SLP-1 is completely overruled by the Metris Mk3 and Mk4 certainly holds. Meantime several other new homologated chassis, such as the Slotline S-GT, the Do-Slot GT-C 13D, the MSC Anglewinder 11 and the Slotfabrik SF MkVIB came on the market, and all those chassis have their own supporters. That let me decide that the 2011 Sprint Worlds will no longer be disputed with handout BMW M1s fit on a Plafit SLP-1 chassis, but with Scaleauto Porsches 911 GT3 Cup fit on 10 possible homologated chassis, as can be seen in the new art. 7BIS of the IMCA Rulebook. That implies a return to the inter-make competition from the period 2003-2008. Winning a world championship has surely a commercial impact: how many racers did not order a Metris chassis after the success of Björn van Campenhout on Metris in 2009? At the recent 2010 worlds we found no less than 13 Metris chassis at the technical control. The Van Avensaath Metris of the recent Endurance Worlds made such a deep impression upon world champion Michael Niemas that he - who lifelong was a Plafit racer - decided to switch very probably to Metris for the cars he has to build for the October 2010 EEC.

2011 Gianotti Trophy no longer together with the Worlds & the Pinky Point idea
Next year the IMCA Worlds will be restricted to two days only (Saturday & Sunday) plus the IRRA Retro Scale Worlds as curtain raiser on Friday. The Franco Gianotti Trophy will be no longer part of IMCA Worlds, but will be organised together with the 2011 EEC. It's has still not be decided which cars will be raced at the 8th Gianotti Trophy: the Porsches of art 7BIS or the FIA GT1 cars of art 7.    
Since 2004 I wish to retire as organiser of international slot-racing meetings. I started this career in 1985 with the famous Pinky Point Trophy where the first prize was a 1/1 Ferrari 308 GTB. I wish to end my career with a new Pinky Point Trophy, more than 25 years later, if possible with a 1/1 Ferrari F430 as first prize. This race will be open for the 16 best model car racers of the worlds and will be contested with 1/24th 2009 Formula Le Mans cars which can be seen here. I don't know if I'll succeed to do so, but I already made a rule set for those cars in art 8 of the IMCA rule book. Wait and see. [JPVR]

WHAT GOES WRONG WITH AMERICAN WING CAR RACING?

Gugu reaches his goal: Brazilian wing car racers are now the best on earth

Up to 2004 Brazilian wing car racers were, except for "Gugu" and Jose Mario Serra, only finalists in the worlds they organised themselves. American colleagues found their Brazilian friends never "full" as they won only in Brazil, never elsewhere. But it was obvious, that up from 2004 the gap between American and Brazilian racers became narrower and narrower. Last year Brazil had three racers in the main: Marcio Paschoalin, Alexandre Leite and Bruno di Dotto. This year they put the crown on the work with again three Brazilians in the main and with Filipe Tavares di Silva beating ànd "Beuf", ànd Horky, ànd Korec. One can certainly say that now they are the best wing car racers in the world. This year they won also the OMO G7 Worlds with Isaias Jordão.
Meanwhile American wing car racing shrivelled up no more than three potential winners - "Beuf", Joe "Chubbie" Salzman and P-A Watson - after Paul Ciccarello stopped wing car racing. In the second line they have Forrest Watchers, Les Wright, Bill Skinner II and Boyt Johnson. What a difference with the 1980s and the 1990s when Americans had always at least a dozen of potential winners with P-A Watson, Paul Ciccarello, Mike Swiss, Jon Laster, Stu Koford, Dan Debella, Dave Borntrager, Joel Montague, John Strachan, Csaba Szekelyhidi, Rich Delmondo, Nick Csercics, Gary Gerding, Ted Pace - you name it. Of this wealth nearly nothing remains. Is it not painful to see that "Chubbie" was at this year's worlds, but had no car for the G7 race, that P-A Watson could only show one day as he had to move his track, that Boyt Johnson was not ready, etc. For American organisers G7 racing is since several years no longer a solid source of income with so many American racers having withdrawn from the F1 in slot-racing which G7 still is. This year, at Port Jeff, Doug Bauer did serious financial efforts to offer racers the best power they ever had. However only seven American racers seemed able to reward that effort by entering. In Europe G7 racing is except in Finland, Sweden and Germany is nearly dead. Czechia is restricted to its traditional four, Slovakia to just Vlado Okali, Austria to Oliver Sonnbichler. How will G7 racing survive in the future? [JPVR]   

WHY MARK CAMPBELL DESERVES REHABILITATION

RVC on IMCA & OEPS: "There is so much more that unite us than that divide us"

May 25, 2010 - Last year it came to an open controversy between Canada's Mark Campbell and me. Hard words were falling - words that better never should have been written or told. The organisation of the Toronto Masters, which was supposed to be organised by IMCA, was a major failure with hardly twenty racers at the start. But what Campbell achieves this year for the Trier Worlds, merits consideration and applause, especially as it has been done without sponsoring income and without money investments: 15 pros at the start and racers from 15 countries is certainly a performance. I hoped that "Piki" and Michael Niemas, plus Gilles Dohogne could join the entry list. Unfortunately Michael will get married in July and will only be back from his honeymoon trip mid-August, much too late to prepare three competitive cars for the sprint worlds and one for the endurance race.
The formula for the sprint Worlds seems sound and the used bodies from Scaleauto are fully legal. The entry field is strong, the presentation on the web site is good, so there can be not the smallest reason to refuse recognition of the Trier race as a real world championship.

Of course things can be always better. Perfection is not from this world. Personally I have problems with the track. It's a technical track where much practice is necessary. But where non-Germans will find enough practice time? And why a 6-laner for a sprint race, not an 8 laner. However, all that is side issue. Much more important is that Campbell gave full evidence that he's not the looser he still was at the Toronto Masters. Yes, he deserves credit now. And let's forget the past to work on the future.
Yes, there have been a deep gap between IMCA and OEPS in the beginning, but with the words of Raymond van Campenhout: "There is so much more that unite us than that divide us." And I have to admit, without Jean-Philippe and Yannick it should have been much more difficult to realise that. Already after a couple of months I had - early 2010 - no longer problems to go with NDW thru the same door. But with Campbell? That was so more difficult as the door seemed always too narrow. Those days are now over and the future of model car racing seems splendid. Let's now work to have more racers from France, from Portugal, from Austria, from Switzerland, from England getting involved in model car racing. [JPVR]

WHO ARE THE 30 BEST ALL-TIME BRITISH SLOT-RACERS?

1. Saunders, 2. Gooding, 3. Cleave, 4. Steve Walker, 5. Ian Jensen, 7. Harvey, 8. Pete Hore

In fifth position we find Ian Jensen, the father of the OPP ES32 cars, the IOC #67. He won 6 IOC-events since 1969, among them 3 times the victor ludorum at the BSCRA 132 Nats. In 1985 he entered the real first round of IMCA's Pinky Point Series, where the first prize was a 1/1 Ferrari 308 GTB. At one of the last rounds of Pinky Point he has Steve Walker and Dave Harvey as team mates in an effort to defeat the unbeatable Italians. They finished 6th O.A. Of all British racers Jensen was technically the most inventive. In sixth position we find George Kimber, the IOC #69. Of all British racers he entered most IMCA Worlds, 8 in total. There he won twice the Concourse Worlds. Of the 9 best Britons he's the lonely one who failed to enter the Hall of Fame, as he won only 3 IOC-events, one short to enter the Hall.
Seventh is Dave Harvey, father of the 1-0-1 ES32 cars. Already in 1972 he won the European 1/32rd Championship, then organised by ESRAC. He won 5 IOC events, among them 3 times the BSCRA 32 Nats victor ludorum. He is the IOC #80. After a long period of inactivity he returned to active racing, no longer as the Premier racer he always was, but as a Main grade racer. He is followed by the British legend Pete Hore, who also won 3 times the victor ludorum at the BSCRA 132 Nats. He's the IOC #83 with 4 IOC wins in total. Ninth is Mark Harrison who was at the 1988 IMCA Worlds member of the famous ProSlot team. As IOC #86 he won 4 IOC events, but ended much too early his racing career. He won twice the BSCRA victor ludorum at the BSCRA 132 Nats. Several years after he stopped active racing, he was seen a last time in competitio