Personal Message by Jean Pierre van Rossem

"There are much more important things in life than slot, but IMCA has to survive me!"

November 17, 2010 - I don't believe in God. I think that God is nothing more than the extrapolation of human's fear for death. But, perhaps, I should reflect on metaphysical matters as "God". Last Thursday Daniel Schelfthout (a pure artist) and his wife Yvette came to visit me. I told them that the medical intervention in New York was of not avail, that the tumour in my pancreas didn't diminish in size and that I had no other chance left than going to Germany, where five years ago they cured me from pancreatic cancer at the very moment that my life expectance was less than three months. Yes, I was lucky that there was no metastasis outside the pancreas, lucky too having found that two female profs of Stanford University found a (risky) treatment how to stop it. On the moment I spoke with Daniel and Yvette, I knew that my chances on survival were this time, five years later, less than 5 percent. Before leaving me, Yvette told me, that she should pray the good Lord to help me. As a 100 percent atheist I believed that those were just words without any reference to reality.
On Saturday morning, preparing my departure for a new treatment, I went to hospital to check my tumour. I could not believe my ears when doctors told me that the tumour's size had diminished. On Monday morning I got confirmation that the tumour is now nearly a quarter less than before I went to New York. Just as if the prayers of Daniel's wife were heard. And what if there was somewhere a God who stand beyond my demarcation criterion between "false" and "true". What if there was a transcendental concept far beyond "false" and "true", if there was a God?
When you saw the death so close in his eyes, when "death" is still hanging around in your body, so close that you seem to smell it, that you nearly can touch it, other things are so much more important than just slot-racing, e.g. my kids, my wife, living (just living, yes). Nevertheless I continue hoping that IMCA - that promotion machine for slot-racing - can survive me.
On Monday evening, before going abroad for a less risky medication than initially was feared, I had a last meeting with the race directors at the EEC. I explained them that my task as fund raiser for IMCA had come to an end, that I needed my last money for the high expenses for the further medical cure, and that, if they wanted to organise the 23rd IMCA Worlds, they had to do without me and without my money. The money won with the 5th EEC is just enough to pay a least travelling incentive to Paul Gawronski, to Howie Ursaner, to Chris Radisich, to Luiz "Gugu" Bernardino and to Filipe Tavares for the 2011 IMCA Worlds. Yesterday I made with Yannick Lefèbvre the web site sheets in view of that 23rd IMCA Worlds of next year. You find them all by clicking on the links at the home page.

The Nissan Z350 GT-R as released by Michael Niemas in view of the 5th EEC. Body is made from GFK and carbon, is 84.1 mm wide, in front as well in rear, is 46mm high with a wheelbase of 111 mm. The body is for sale at € 75, windows, light covers, rear wing, mirrors and wipers included. On a pure theoretical base such body - too short and too high - has not the smallest chance against the Fords GT or the Maseratis MC12. But it's typical for the sportsmanship of Niemas that he loves extremely difficult challenges. He knows that he cannot win with such body, that his winning chances should have been much higher if he used the longer and lower Autobacs version of the Nissan 35, but nevertheless he opted for challenge. It shows he's a great sportsman.

As date for the event we opted for March 19-26, 2011 because that lefts enough room between OEPS round #1 of February 12-13 and round #2 of April 2-3.  A better communication by Yannick and the IMCA boys with the OEPS people could have prevented that both meetings - I mean the 23rd IMCA Worlds and OEPS #2 - are now only one week apart. However, with Raymond van Campenhout in hospital, nobody contacted OEPS, so that this shortcoming is rather our fault than theirs. 
For the Sprint Worlds I opted for 1/24th DTM cars with separate Worlds for Pros, Semi-Pros and Amateurs with each time 24 racers. For the Endurance Worlds I maintained the same FIA GT cars as at this year's EEC. For the rest there are the 1/32nd Sprint cars with NSR handout Moslers and the 2nd Retro Worlds with IRRA Canam cars. The IMCA boys are clever enough that they can run the 23rd IMCA Worlds without me. 
Sad last moment news. Theo Vanginderhuysen cannot show as race director at the 5th EEC and Yannick Lefèbvre was informed only today that he has to go for his job to Liechtenstein from 25 to 28 November. How to solve that? I think that we have to contact Bob Demeyer to make a short come-back as race director. A short moment I was playing with the idea to return from abroad to Belgium for the race week-end and make the race reports myself from here. Then Kristof Huys had to mail me home the results after each round, so that I could put them on the IMCA web with a short comment. It seemed not the worst idea, because then I could have invited Gugu, Filipe, Howie and Chris home. However, this afternoon my doctors here advised me  rather continuing my treatment in the States than going back to Tübingen. If nobody can replace Yannick I can always try to do it from my bed in New York, if necessary. Yannick will keep you informed. Next Saturday I thus part for New York instead of Tübingen, waiting a second miracle within five years time. Yes, I strongly believe that I can survive it a second time. All the best for everybody. [JPVR]

Brilliant simplicity: combining video of model car races with actual autosport - Best with FIA GT1 and with DTM series

EEC Pro 2010: Metris Mk4 & Slotfabrik Mk6B most popular chassis. The end of Plafit SLP?

November 11, 2010 - I agree. JPVR made more mistakes in his life than we all together. With his perpetual controversies he made more enemies than friends. Some of those controversies were just ridiculous. I think on that stupid war with the "Amishländer" and "war lord" Matthias Parke. I think on that egocentric battle with such gentleman Mark Campbell. I think on his empty accusations at the address of NDW. I think on his political statements versus Philippe de Lespinay. I think on the former dispute with such a brave gentleman as Günther Riehl, using arguments having NOTHING to do with slot-racing. There are dozens of other examples. Only the last months, when he was informed that his pancreas cancer came back, and even more after it became obvious that the treatment in the States was of no avail, all controversies were stopped. That went as far that he wanted to co-operate with ... Matthias Parke to organise the 23rd IMCA Worlds with DTM cars. On his computer I found dozens of mails between JPVR and Parke, just as there had never been a "war lord", never been "Amishländer".

Despite all his shortcomings JPVR was a genius in the promotion of slot-racing. Since the early 1980s he defended the viewpoint that the lonely form of slot-racing offering large sponsoring possibilities was model car racing: such slow cars can easily be followed by TV cameras. But in the 1980s time was not ripe for his progressive ideas. It was impossible to find 1/24th models of all cars having been seen together at the same moment at the same 1/1 race track. Models were missing, decals were missing, complete entry fields were impossible. However, things changed thoroughly the last years. The introduction of resin bodies, later of GFK bodies, made that nearly any 1/1 car could be copied as a 1/24th model car. With the evolution of Photoshop and of computer printers nearly any decal could be reproduced.

Already in 2008 JPVR and Tamar Nelwan visited the Peugeot showroom at the Champs Elysées in Paris. Both had plans to make a perfect model car version of the 2008 Le Mans 24 hours. However, it appeared that the swollen-headed noble lords of the ACO - organiser of the 1/1 Le Mans 24 hours - were not interested at all in a 1/24th version of their race. The noble lords defended their case by stipulating that most of the handcraft made models are illegal. It was the start of an unrealistic combat by IMCA for nothing else than legal model cars. This year the insane situation of legal or illegal model cars came to an end, when, on January 17, 2010, the Landesgericht Nürnberg-Fürth decided that there are no illegal model cars (if manufactured in Germany at limited series). At once there was a possibility to organise a 1/24th model car version of (e.g.) the 2010 Le Mans 24 hours. But when one sees that ACO continues to boycott such organisation, it has no real promotion value. Same situation with the 24 F1 cars. Here a money shark as Bernie Ecclestone claims a fortune, just to let being raced 24 model car versions at scale 1/24th.

A definitive step towards better promotion possibilities was set by Keld Høfler who developed a web cam system where one can follow not only the cars on the track, but also the computer screen. That method was applied e.g. at the DKPM, the DPM, the USRA Div I Nats and the recent ISRA Nats. Wing cars and ISRA scale cars go much too fast, to be of any interest for the not experienced viewer. Model cars, however, can well be followed on the track. Here JPVR launched an idea, as simple as brilliant, nl. racing the 24 (ALL 24) FIA GT1 cars of this season, easily to be recognised, and with drivers in the same t-shirts as the colours and sponsors on the cars. At once we enter a complete new world.  By putting on the computer screen no longer names of slot-racers (or no names of slotracing teams, style "Sloefspeed", "Slotringer", "Bad Boys", etc.) but just the cars and their number (thus "#1 Maserati", "#23 Nissan", "#5 Ford GT", etc.) total new viewers are interested, among them the 1/1 racers of those cars. The EEC Pro 2010, raced with the same cars as those raced the same week-end at Interlagos, is a first test where 1/1 racers will watch 1/24th model car racers instead of vice versa! That experience will be done over with the DTM cars at the 2011 23rd IMCA Sprint Worlds. Of course the general approach needs to be different. All IMCA officials will have to bear black t-shirts with white lettering (easy to recognise) and of course no racer can be at the same time an official.
At the EEC Pro IMCA will work with the following officials:
General supervisor: Mark Huys (installation & maintenance of the track; watching that the time schedule is scrupulously respected)
Race director: Yves Welter sr (deciding about all sanctions)
Technical scrutinisers: Theo van Ginderhuysen (introducing before each race the names of the cars in the computer) and Daniel Rasseneur (watching the track calls)
Computer & Mike: Kristof Huys (putting the results on the IMCA web immediately after each race, doing the racer's briefing, giving comments and watching the web cams)
Photography: Daniel Schelfthout (making pics of all racers together, of the 12 world champions together, of all racers separately and of a start grid with the 24 cars)
Public relations: Yannick Lefèbvre (mailing results to1/1 racers, to their sponsors, to SRO, and writing the reports on the IMCA web).
The five first named will be sitting all five on a long table with at least two separate PCs, one printer, a lap counting screen, internet connection, etc.

Meanwhile I received after several mails no answer by the Alta Marina team, supposed to drive the #37 All.inkl.com Lambo. So I decided to replace them by James Cleave/Marc Kurella/Ramon Trimborn. I also contacted all teams to know which chassis they'll use. I received already 19 answers (on 24). Of them 8 will use a Metris Mk 4 chassis, 6 a Slotfabrik Mk6B chassis, only 3 a Plafit SLP chassis, 1 a Momo chassis, and 1 a Do Slot chassis of Sebastian Nockemann. It's hard to believe that the most successful chassis in slot-racing history (having won the model car worlds of 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010) is at once no longer popular among top racers.  [Yannick Lefèbvre]

 First time in history: 1/1 Racers at Interlagos will follow on internet video slot-racers driving their cars at 1/24th

RVC & JPVR in hospital, but IMCA more alive than ever

November 9, 2010 - Although RvC and JPVR will both be absent at the upcoming European Endurance Championship (5th EEC) it's obvious that this will be one of the best slot-racing events in history. RvC is out with lung embolism and is kept temporarily in an artificial coma. It should be a miracle if he could be out of hospital for the EEC of November 26-28, 2010. The medical treatment against pancreas cancer - that JPVR followed in September in the States - was obviously of no avail. As he's not of the kind giving it up easily he goes next Tuesday to the German university where he was helped five years ago. He too will not be enough recovered from the new treatment to be able to show. RvC and JPVR will follow the EEC thus on internet video, here on this web site. And they'll be certainly not alone to follow the evolution of the five FIA-GT1 races.

The 5th EEC is in good hands. The organisation will be taken over by Marc Huys, Dirk Baele and Hubert Jacob. As you can see at the bottom of the EEC Pro web page, all t-shirts have been ordered, together with the 21 superb trophies. There are special black t-shirts for the race directors, for the computer men and for the video crew.

Why all those efforts? The same week-end slot-racers from all over the world will contest the EEC with 24 1/24th FIA-GT1 model cars at Wezembeek-Oppem next Brussels, the 1/1 racers of the FIA GT1 World Championship will contest at Interlagos the one but last round at Interlagos. Of course they'll be interested how their little brother cars perform 7000 km away. As far as I know it will be the first time in history that 1/1 racers will follow slot-racers on the internet instead of vice versa. And we can be sure that Brazil's Ricardo Zonta will be the best supporter of his country mates "Gugu" Bernardino and Filipe Tavares in Brussels. At once this is slot-racing of another dimension, making a perfect link with actual autosport. We'll work with two web cams: one following the cars on the MTT track and another showing the evolution of the race at the lap counter. There the racing teams will not be announced by "Bad Boys", "Sloefspeed", etc., but by #22 Nissan, #23 Nissan, #1 Maserati, #2 Maserati, etc. So at Interlagos the 1/1 racers will have no problems to follow the five model car races. After each round the complete results will be published at our 2010 Model Car Page, together with the ranking after each round. Yes IMCA is more alive than ever. [Yannick Lefèbvre]

 1/24TH F1 PRO REPLACED BY 1/24TH DTM WORLDS

Developing the workable idea of paid slot-racing employees

Step 2 - Once the "race movie" is edited and ready, one needs some PR managers selling the idea to a sanctioning body. Let's imagine we made a "race movie" of the 1/24th DTM Worlds. Then a real slot-racing legend can not only contact the DTM officials, but also the broadcasting networks editing the 1/1 DTM reports. I see no better person for that job than America's Howie Ursaner. During the golden sixties, as a 16 year old kid, he won fabulous prices, among them a Corvette StingRay, a 1/1 F2 car, etc. At that age he was a real works driver, with a monthly wage, just to drive ... slot cars. Of course an American in Germany needs assistance of a German speaking slot-racer. Why not contacting Achim Zanders, he's a good businessman with thorough knowledge of 1/1 DTM racing. And we have also Matthias Parke having good contacts in DTM mids. Let's forget the stupid old days of the Amishländer. Parke is a correct guy with good ideas in slot-racing politics.

Step 3 - All 1/1 racers are potential slot-racers. If one buys a good looking second hand truck (investment of € 15,000) one can transport e.g. the MTT track to Hockenheim, and invite the 1/1 racers to drive their own car at scale 1/24th for a short competition. That was what did Graham Hill, Jim Clark, John Surtees and others in England at the mid-1960s. Why we cannot do it again with 1/24th DTM cars now? And of course one has to organise a race for journalists with the same cars (in Germany there exists already a tradition to let sports reporters compete with slotcars; Matthias Parke can tell you more about that.) You can be sure that TV crews, hanging around - all sports press - will be interested.

Step 4 - Up from here negotiations with broadcasting networks must be intensified. In the first year step 3 must be repeated - always with the same group of top racers among the slotcar racers - until the moment that TV makers find it interesting enough to cover it as curtain raiser from their sports program of the 1/1 race.

Step 5 - After let's say a full year of trial and error it's time to negotiate contracts with (in our example) DTM officials and the broadcasting network(s) covering 1/1 DTM racing. Once the contracts are materialised one has to create a firm specialised in (a) running the 1/24th slotcar races on 1/1 race tracks and in (b) selling publicity on slotcars. Once one is sure that the 1/24th races will go on TV, as curtain raiser to the 1/1 race, one can contact the sponsors of the 1/1 cars to sell publicity on the small cars. Of course one can contact other sponsors to sell publicity on the roof of the 1/24th cars, etc., etc.

Step 6 - As soon as there are regular consumers of publicity the created firm can start to engage top racers as employees, guaranteeing them a minimum year income, social security included. If well ran the company selling publicity on little cars can become a hype. The whole plan can only succeed if five to ten persons believe enough in it to invest money in the project. That - and only that - is the weak point. Such project can not be realised by a single person. It must be realised by a group of believers. [JPVR]

STAKE OF THE EEC PRO, THE 1/24TH FIA-GT1 SERIES

Planning the future when perhaps there is no longer a future

October 1, 2010 - What is the stake of the EEC Pro 2010? I wish that all model car racers can understand it. At that race we'll invite two observers of the SRO, the organiser of the FIA GT1 World Championship for 1/1 cars. The intention is to organise this year and in the years to come a 1/24th version of the FIA GT1 championship in co-operation with the SRO. For this year it is absolutely necessary (1) that we find a 1/24th model car version at the start of EACH of the 24 cars having been seen at SRO's FIA GT1 World Championship, (2) that we have at least 12 official slot-racing world champions at the start and (3) that we have at least top-racers of no less than 12 nations at the start. Those are the requirements for co-operation we wish to reach.
1. Concerning the 24 cars there was a problem with the #37 Al-inkl.com Lamborghini. This car was supposed being built by Tamar Nelwan (NL). Tamar, however, wishes to be team mate of Gabe Inäbnit (CH), preparing the #6 Matech Motorsport Ford GT, after it appears that Gaby Fisher (CH) and Michi Hirt (CH) cannot show. Today the Checas accept to drive the car if Tamar can make the body. The #11 Mad-Croc Racing Corvette is still a problem, after I received a mail from Mike Wagner (LUX) telling me that Ralph Seif (D) cannot show due to work obligations, far away in Germany. I proposed the car by personal e-mail to Chris Radisich (NZ) and Howie Ursaner (USA), but I am still waiting their answer. Finally there is the #13 Phoenix Racing/Carsport Corvette which, I hope, can be raced by Kai Kivekäs (SF) and Aleksi Salminen (SF). If they cannot show there are enough candidates who wish to assemble that car. All other cars can be considered as sure starters.
2. Concerning the racers, they are spread over 12 teams with each 2 cars. For the 12 teams we'll let being produced t-shirts with the SRO FIA GT logo, with the name and IOC rank number of the racer, with the logo of the 1/1 teams, that are: (1) Vitaphone Racing Team (in black with Maserati logo and blue characters), (2) Swiss Racing Team (in white with Nissan logo and red characters); (3) Matech Competition (in night blue with Matech logo and white characters); (4) Young Driver AMR (in white with Aston Martin logo and flashing blue characters); (5) Hexis (in British Racing green with Hexis and Aston Martin logo and white characters); (6) Mad-Croc Racing (in light blue with Mad-Croc and Corvette logo and black letters); (7) Phoenix Racing/Carsport (in orange with Corvette logo and white characters); (8) Sumo Power GT (in deep purple with Nissan and Sumo Power GT logo and yellow characters); (9) Reiter Engineering (in black with Lambo and Reiter logo and white characters); (10) Triple H Team Hegersport (in pink with Heger and Maserati logo and yellow characters); (11) All-Inkl-com (in red with white logo and white characters); and (12) Marc VDS Racing Team (in yellow with VDS logo and black characters). At the start all racers will receive their personal t-shirt. It's important to know by November 1 the concrete names of the racers per team, so that we can let be produced the t-shirts for all racers.
3. Concerning the world champions we are actually sure about "Piki" van Rossem (B) with 10 titles, Michael Niemas (D) with 4 titles,  Desmond Dekker (NL) with 2 titles, Geert Mertens (B) with 2 wins,  Björn van Campenhout (B) with 1 win, Quinten Vanspauwen (B) with 1 win,  'Javi' Checa Lozano (E) with 1 win, and Børge Haug (N) with 1 win. We still negotiate with Giovanni Montiglio (I), Philipp Kremer (D), Christian Schnitzler (D), Georges Baikry (B), Dennis Vogel (NL), Chris Radisich (NZ), Yannick Horn (D) and Peter Oberbillig (D).

It may be out of reality to plan the future when one even doesn't know if one will make November 26-28. But let me be at least optimistic. Five years ago I survived the impossible. Why not a second time? Sitting here and doing nothing is absolutely not my style. I thus decided to update the IMCA site the days I feel better. For the years to come it should be great if Raymond van Campenhout could change the rule book in such way that FIA GT races could be go as an open class, just as is the case with Oeps and their LMS/ALMS cars. I find that the two formulas - LMS and FIA GT1 - should be maintained, especially as they seem to complete each other. Efforts should be done that model car racing can be discovered and practiced in such countries as England, Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Estonia, Portugal, Italy, etc? - countries where nearly no racer knows how to assemble a competitive model car. By inviting racers of those countries to be a team mate on well assembled and competitive model cars, one can still hope that model car racing can grow bigger than just Germany, Spain, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, France, Finland and Norway. By keeping model car racing as close as possible to real autosport there exists sponsoring ways which organisers should learn to discover. Promotion of model car racing can hardly go without financial investment. So let's try it.
Two last remarks having nothing to do with the EEC Pro 2010. (1) It's now absolutely sure that the ex-Alsdorf Spa track is being completely restored and rebraided. The track has been installed at the A1 Raceway of Bedburg. (2) There has been some confusion with the mail of John Ford concerning Hasse Nilsson. In fact John sent a mail asking me to control if it was true that great Hasse passed away and never wrote that this was effectively the case. As hundreds of mails waited upon me when I came back from the States, I didn't read it properly. Should I have done it should not has looked as if I wished to put back John. I never had such intention. I worked together with Jon at the Toulouse Worlds of 1987 and the Chicago Worlds of 1988, always in the best terms. [JPVR]

BACK FROM THE US & NOT PLEASED BY INFO ON PERSONAL LIFE

September 26, 2010 - I am back from my trip to the States. I wish to thank all the racers who sent me encouraging mails. For the moment I am unaware about the results of the medical treatment. I have to wait at least four weeks before knowing if the treatment was successful or not. That implies that I have actually not the spirit to write articles on the IMCA web. I thank Yannick Lefèbvre for his help during my absence, but I feel seriously unhappy with his articles on my personal life. In my country I am a public person and I have not the smallest wish to answer reporters of sensational magazines on personal questions. I always protected my personal life and I wish that this may be continued.  

When I feel better I'll contact Raymond and Hubert concerning the EEC Pro. I accept the new date for the race (November 26-28). I ask Michael Niemas to assemble the two Nissans for the race plus the body of the Maserati #33 for the Slovak team. John Ford mailed me that Hasse Nilsson - the famous Swedish track builder - passed away. This was a disgusting hoax. Indeed, Christer Helgesson mailed me that he spoke Hasse still this morning. Please John Ford, check your sources!!! I asked Yannick to cover the upcoming ISRA Worlds. I cannot answer personally the mass of mails which I received during my absence. If I feel better I'll try to do it. For the moment I need above all rest, not only physically, but - more important - emotionally. It's not impossible that I'll be enforced to return to the States. I thank you all. [JPVR] 

USRA DIV I: A 6 YEAR OLD GIRL BEATS THEM ALL, EXCEPT ONE

Driving wing cars is so easy, building them so difficult - FIA GT1 & Constructor's Worlds

August 3, 2010 - The USRA Div I Nats are under way in Dallas. Sensation came from the Spec 15 Amateur Nats. There a 6 year old girl from Dallas - Hannah Howard is the name - won not only her quarter, but also her semi, to finish second overall at the main. Second on 23 entrants. Here there is only one conclusion possible: (1) or she has more driving skill than Paul Pfeiffer-P.A. Watson-the late Jon Laster-Paul Ciccarello-'Beuf' Pedersen and all tutti quanti together, (2) or driving a well prepared spec 15 car is nowadays so easy that tomorrow even well trained a dog with a hat up can win.
How this can stimulate other young racers, not enjoying the same set-up and the same coaching, to enter wing car racing? This is certainly the worst publicity for wing car racing one could imagine. It proves that with the newest generation of wing cars driving skill counts only for let's say 10 percent, coaching for another 10 percent, gluing the track for 30 percent and set-up of the car for 50 per cent. And yes, the set-up of her car, the coaching by her dad and the application of glue - all done by John Batson, his crew and her dad - was superb. She remained extremely concentrated during the whole race. Of course she deserves our admiration, but don't tell any longer that driving a spec 15 car anno 2010 is a kind of an art. It became above all team work - work in which the part of the driver is rather small.
Serious things start only tomorrow with G27 Lite Pro. Meanwhile G12 Pro was won by Rob Garland ahead over Doug Bauer and Dean Wills (who TQ-ed in 2"31). There were only 14 entries. Among them Rich Curnutte who finished sixth, Larry Pelligrini who finished seventh and John Batson who finished eighth. Rob Garland won also Amateur Int'l G15 with New Yorker Tim Skurka as runner-up. Here there were only 9 entries. One of them came from good old Eddy McDonald. In Amateur G12 entry was not higher than 17, far under the 50 from 7-8 years ago. Winner was Lil Bryan Stuart from New York. Best attended race up to now was Amateur Spec 15, where George Mikez from Dallas won ahead over wonder-girl Hannah Howard and 21 other racers. The results of Pro Int'l 15 were received late. There were 7 (pffft!) entries and Rich Curnutte won ahead over Doug Bauer and Larry Langdon. Rich TQ-ed in 2"05.
The low entries let once more the pessimists declare that wing car racing is death. And that is NOT the truth. The truth is that wing car racing was dominated by Americans during nearly three decades, but that at the recent G7 Wing Car Worlds nothing was left from the former American hegemony. A new generation of Brazilian racers is now ruling. Reason for that could be that Brazilian youngsters are learned by older racers how to make a good set-up of a wing car, whilst American youngsters let the set-up of their cars being done by older racers, without learning how to do it themselves. In simple words: There are not enough "Gugus" in the States, whilst in Sao Paolo one finds a Gugu disciple at each street corner. That seems something for reflexion if one wishes to work on the revival of American wing car racing.

TOWARDS A NEW FORMAT OF THE 23RD IMCA NATS OF 2011
This week-end I was with my two sons at the Total Spa 24 hours. It gave me on Friday an opportunity to speak with several potential sponsors, themselves sponsoring FIA GT1 cars. One of them is interested to be the event sponsor of the 1/24th FIA GT1 World Championship. When I showed them the format of the 2011 IMCA Pro Worlds they disagreed with the formula of only one long endurance race with FIA GT1 cars. They proposed to replace the long endurance race by five one hour races (in slot-racing terms: 3 heats of 8 x 7'30"). A sprint world championship with Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup cars was certainly not what they wanted. They proposed to do it again with copies of the 24 FIA GT1 cars. I explained that this was impossible as the 1/24th Sprint Worlds have never been contested with two racers per car, always with one racer per car. No problem for them: "Then you let each of the 24 cars being raced at the Sprint Worlds with one racer per car, whilst the five rounds of the Endurance Worlds can be contested with two racers per car - not three."
Another point of disagreement concerned the Nissan R35 350Z GT-R. No question to work with the Autobacs version. So, here, I'll ask Michael Niemas if he can make a correct GFK version of the Nissan (to be raced as #3, #4, #22 and #23).
The proposed format has indeed several advantages. Number of entries can be restricted to 48 racers instead of 72 and the format fits perfectly into the concept of a 3rd Constructor's World Championship with 12 constructors assembling each 2 cars. Nobody has still to build extra Porsche cars for the Sprint Worlds.
Back home I received a mail by Nick de Wachter telling me that after some reflection he decided NOT to enter the 2011 Constructor's Worlds as one of the famous twelve. A solution could be to replace him by Andre Linberg of the Slot-Ringer. Another practical problem was that Sebastian Nockemann never answered the invitation, so that he too was to be replaced. Here I think on Fred A. Hood. If he can work together with Chris Radisich and Mike Stahl, the nine invited American racers, plus Chris Radisich - living in the States - can show with perfect cars. Especially Radisich and Stahl gave at the 2010 IMCA Worlds full evidence that they are able to build competitive cars. 
So yesterday I worked the whole day at a new format for the 23rd IMCA Nats - for pure medical reasons my real last one. The result can be found here. I am more than interested about what (1) the 12 constructors and (2) the 48 invited racers think about it. Any suggestion is welcome. Only after having taken knowledge of all possible suggestions I'll negotiate the sponsoring deal more in detail. Their idea to go with the 1/24th FIA GT1 Worlds version to the first round of the 2011 FIA GT1 Worlds - which implies costs to rent a big marquee and increased travelling costs for all racers, plus extra transport costs for moving the track - seems not acceptable. It should increase the total costs much more than can be won on sponsoring income.
Yesterday I received also a mail by Fola Osu telling me that for the FIA GT1 cars with numbers #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #24, #25, #37, #38, #40 and #41 decals are available at Slotfabrik at a price of € 20 plus shipping costs per piece. But also for the 12 remaining cars decals can be made. Also at € 20 per piece. [JPVR]

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