October 20 - No, Vladimir Horky didn't win his fifth Worldchampionship Scale Racing in Brno. The man who prevented it is Michael Landrud from Sweden. His name came first in international slot-pracing press releases at the 2002 USRA Nats Open G7, where he reached the semi finals. Later we found him several times back as winner of Swedish races. Since none of them was an IOC-Race, he scored no IOC-points before the start of the ISRA Worlds in Brno. There however, he was outstanding in ES32 and ES24 (he also won the 132F1 race, no IOC-event). Landrud - a typical allrounder in the style of the Fyhr Bros or Josef Korec and Vladimir Horky - was together with Piero Castricone (very fast in the three top events) the best racer in Brno. By winning the ES24 race - the very Scale Racing World Championship - after having already finished third in ES32, he collected no less than 48 IOC-points and is at once first rookie of 2003, having passed Gilles Dohogne and Yves Welter jr in the all-time IOC-list. Landrud is the second Swedish world champion in history. Earlier Lasse Äberg (1986, 2000) was twice wing car world champion. Landrud gave full evidence that Swedish racing is again performing. Earlier this year Michael Silén won the Open G7 USRA Nats.
At IMCA it was decided on Sunday that Landrud should receive all chances to win the 2003 ROR as successor of Piero Castricone (2001) and Cédric Gridelet (2002). As one knows the battle for the Rookie of the Year will be decided at the traditional X-Mas Races (where Gilles Dohogne, Yves Welter jr and Jordi Borras will show to defend their chances). Now that Landrud passed them all three it should be a pitty that he should miss the X-Mas Races. Having never disputed a model car race triple model car world champ "Piki" van Rossem will prepare a top car for the new Swedish ace. He will be invited together with Mikail Silén, Lasse Äberg, Stefan Törnfeldt and Anders Gustafson on December 20. The three last named Swedish racers have already a model car racing experience and can help Landrud to confirm his new status as star racer. The five Swedish racers will have their plane ticket re-imbursed by IMCA. In the course of the week the X-Mas Race page will be adapted. Last year Sweden's Jan Ekman was one of the invited racers at the X-Mas Races.[PdC]

October 18 - As expected last year's world champ Dave Gick of New Zealand didn't show to defend his title. Before the start three racers were tipped as high favourites: Josef Korec, Vladimir Horky and Einari Fyhr. There were two serious outsiders: Italy's Piero Castricone (hyper fast during the whole week) and Sweden's Michael Landrud (very consistent during the whole meeting). The Qualifications were dominated by Matti Fyhr (SF), who let with a record 4"265 the 2001 R.O.R. Piero Castricone (better known as "Il Bandido"), his brother Einari and England's Brian Saunders behind. At the Qualifications it became obvious that the reign of Paolo Trigilio belongs definitively to the past: his car made no speed at all. But surprisingly enough the car of Josef Korec lacked speed too. The Czech super favourite even didn't succeed to qualify at the Consis where he finished 21st, one place too low to make the move to the Semis (there were 3 Semis with the 20 best of the Consis and the 4 best Qualifiers, being free from the Consis). Other victims of the Consis were Frantisek Poledna (retired after 216 laps), Vlado Okali, Mangi Prokop, Lee and Alicia Gilbert, Graham Woodward and an unbelievable weak Paolo Trigilio.

SEMIS: TOWARDS A FINAL WITH ...9 RACERS
Semi C with the 8 slowest racers was won by Pavel Flaisig (CZ) in 378.32 laps, 16 more than Jan Korec (CZ) and Harry Nykanen (SF). All others were nearly sure not to qualify. Of them America's Herman James had bad luck when he had to retire after 132 laps. Bad luck too for Aivis Ruks (LTV), retiring his car after 288 laps. Other eliminated racers were Janne Ekman (S), Jozef Lapcak (SVK) and Ihor Kuropiy (UKR).
Semi B saw Paolo Niccolai (I) in big technical troubles in already the first segment. Pace was slower than in Semi A. Until mid-race Petr Krcil (CZ) was leading, but having to finish on the two slow inner lanes he lost all his chances during those two last segments. He was passed by Tomas Rosenberg (CZ) and Pavlis Radek (CZ), achieving res. 375.29 and 373.38 laps. With only 369.06 laps Krcil was down to rank 4 with the fastest Semi still to go. If 5 of the 8 Semi A racers could do better than 369.06 laps, Krcil - last year still finalist - should be eliminated together with Milos Hojer (CZ), Andrea Valle (I), Ladislav Koterba sr (SVK) and the poor Paolo Niccolai - the Methusalem of the meeting.
Semi A went with the four fastest qualifiers - the Fyhr Bros (SF), Piero Castricone (I) and Brian Saunders (GB) - and with the four fastest finishers at the Consis: Jiri Karlik (CZ), Vladimir Horky (CZ), Jaroslav Recek (CZ) and Michael Landrud (S). It was a very fast Semi where Recek - in 1995 and 1996 still 3rd and 2nd at the Scale Worlds ES24 - lost all his chances during the first segment, won by Piero Castricone. After 2 segments we had no less than 4 racers with 94 laps: Saunders, Horky, Landrud, and Matti Fyhr. Castricone and Einari Fyhr came 4 laps down, Recek 5 and Karlik 6. After 3 segments only Landrud and Horky are still out at the lead, followed at 3 laps by Saunders, at 4 by Matti Fyhr, at 5 by Einari Fyhr and Castricone, at 6 by Recek. Karlik seems definitively out, since he follows already at 11 laps. At mid-race Landrud is alone leader, followed at 5 laps by Horky and Saunders, at 6 by Castricone, 8 by Matti Fyhr, etc. Having a very stormy race at the two outer lanes favourite Einari Fyhr drops to the one but last place. After segment 5 positions are: 1. Landrud 239, 2. Horky 238, 3. Saunders 238, 4. M. Fyhr 235, 5. Castricone 234, 6. Recek 231, 7. E. Fyhr 228, 8. Karlik 227. During the 3 last segments Karlik signs for a super performance by moving to rank 6 with 373.38 laps. That's good for a tied 8th place together with Radek Pavlis. That explains why the main has to go with 9 racers. It explains also why Einari Fyhr (surprise!) and Recek are eliminated.  

MAIN FINAL: MICHAEL LANDRUD CONFIRMS ALL THE GOOD
Fastest racer at the main is Matti Fyhr, performing laps at nearly the same speed of his TQ. Unfortunately he'll run in technical problems and has to retire after 437 laps. That offers Sweden's Michael Landrud a confortable first place. Eventually he finishes 10 full laps ahead on Piero Castricone and 12 on the surprising Radek Pavlis. The four following racers finish within the same lap with Tomas Rosenberg (the other revelation of the 2003 ISRA Nats) ahead of Vladimir Horkuy, Brian Saunders and Jiri Karlik.  [PDC]

October 16 - 59 racers from 13 different countries entered the ES32 race at this year's ISRA Worlds in Brno. Among them we found 22 racers from Czechia, 7 from Italy, 5 from Latvia and Sweden, 4 from Sloviakia and England, 3 from the USA and Finland, 2 from Denmark, 1 from Estonia, Russia, Malta and Ukrain. Last year's winner, Philip Helmuth, was not present to defend his title. Although the race was scheduled to be finished at 4 p.m., one had to wait 3 a.m. before the results were available - too late to present them in yesterday's issue.

QUALIFICATIONS: JAN KOREC CAUSES A STIR
Fastest qualifier was Jan Korec, the older brother of Josef, proving that he's a much better racer than generally is expected. with his 5"316 he was faster than Piero Castricone (alreadu TQ-er at 132F1), Jaroslav Recek (back in international racing after several years of absence) and Tomas Rosenberg. All others had to go to the Consis, where only the 20 fastest were qualified for the 3 Semi Finals.

CONSIS: OKALI, KRICIL & LAPCAK MISS MOVE
Matti Fyhr (SF) was the fastest man at the Consis, achieving 251.26 laps, 5 more than Vlaxdimir Horky (CZ), brother Einari (SF) and Mangi Prokop (SVK). Then followed Frantisek Poledna (CZ), Josef Korec (CZ), Jiri Karlik (CZ), Michael Landrud (S), and the Americans James Herman and Lee Gilbert, being the only racers achieving more than 240 laps. Three favourites disapointed: Brian Saunders, Paolo Trigilio and Mikail Radkovic, all three qualified among the slowest of the 20 racers making the move. Drama for Vlado Okali (SVK), missing as first the move. Other eliminated racers were Petr Krcil, Jozef Lapcak, Janne Ekman and young Alicia Gilbert. At the Consis Czechia lost 11 of its 22 racers, Italy 4 of its 7 racers, Slovakia and Sweden res. 3 and 4 racers, Latvia 3 of its 5 racers, England 4 of its 5 racers. Rusland, Malta, Denmark and Ukraine had no racers in the Semis.

SEMIS: TRIGLIO, SAUNDERS, CASTRICONE & AMERICANS ARE OUT
The 8 fastest overall after the 3 Semis were the ones to make the move to the main. Paolo Trigilio and Mikail Radkovic were the favourites of Semi C. Unfortunately for the Italian ace his car missed speed so that he was unable to follow the rest of the field. After 138 laps he decided to retire. Much faster, and leading the race, was Mikail Radkovic. However during the third segment he had technical problems, costing him more than 40 laps and the Qualification. Eliminated too was the young Erik Kimmel (CZ), loosing 30 laps at his first segment. Winner was Antónin Vojtik (CZ), ahead of Janis Rage-Ragis (LV). However, since both achieved only 309 laps, chances were very little that they should make the move.  Other eliminated racers were Kaiar Tammeleht (EE), Radek Pavlis (CZ) and Andrea Valle.
At the much faster Semi B, Brian Saunders (GB) and Andris Podosinoviks (LV) missed speed, making never any chance to make the move. America's Lee Gilbert - excellent in preparing ES32 cars - gave longtime the impression that he could make the move, despite the presence of Josef Korec, Jiri Karlik, Frantisek Poledna and the surprisingly fas Michael Landrud in his Semi. During the last segment Lee Gilbert was victim of technical problems and could only achieve 5 laps. Karlik lost his 4th place when he had to stay 6 laps in the pits, so that Herman James (USA) could finish 4th, despite a disastrous start. After Semi A it should appear that he came ...22 segments short on Frantisek Poledna to make the move. Josef Korec and Michael Landrud (both 325 laps) were sure about their qualification.
At Semi A Jan Korec, Mangi Prokop and Castricone had problems to follow. Horky and Matti Fyhr were just outstanding, pulling away from the rest of the field. Eventually they qualified together with Tomas Rosenberg, Einari Fyhr and Jaroslav Recek (who lost 9 laps in the last segment).

MAIN FINAL: JOSEF KOREC DOES IT
The main final was initially dominated by Matti Fyhr , Vladimir Horky and Michael Landrud pulling away from the others. Among them Jozef Korec made a terribly poor start, loosing 5 laps at the first segment. However Korec could come back to beat his learnmaster Vladimir Horky in the real last segment. Landrud confirmed his fine performance of 132F1 by finishing 3rd ahead of Recek and Einari Fyhr. [PDC]

12th 1/32nd F1 WORLD CUP (BRNO, 2003)

MICHAEL LANDRUD WINS 132F1 IN BRNO

Fastest F1 racer - Josef Korec - eliminated at Semis!