2006  MAJOR WING CAR RACES

25th WING CAR G7 WORLDS  AT RIO DE JANEIRO (BR) (MAY 21)

NEW WR: 1"4808 FOR VLADO OKALI BUT JOAÕ CARLOS GERALDO IS WORLD CHAMP

Top Slot Blue King definitively fastest king track in the world

May 25 - Brazil's Joaõ Carlos Geraldo won on the Top Slot Blue King of Rio de Janeiro the 25th World Championship Wing Car Racing. He was also the best in the one motor race contested as warm-up for the 2006 G7 Worlds. Earlier the same day Slovakia's Vlado Okali set a new one lap world record in 1'4808, doing better than the 1,492 realised by Marcio Paschoalin last year on the same track at the 17th Campeonato Brasileiro.
Organisers deserved a better attendance than the 26 racers who showed at the meeting. At the start they found only two former world champions: Vlado Okali and Juha Ylisipola. Of the top-3 finishers at the 24 previous world championships they found only a third racer: "Gugu" Bernardino. Most noted absentees were the reigning world champion Josef Korec (CZ) and the former double world champion Mario MSP Schöne who was present at the 10 last editions and finished each time in the main final. Other major absentees were the double world champions Paul 'Beuf' Pedersen, Paul Ciccarello, P-A Watson and Mike Swiss, all from the USA, and Sweden's Lasse Åberg. There were no racers from Holland (no Douwe Banning), no racers from Czechia (no Petr Krcil, no Vladimir Horky, no Zdenek Benes, no Josef Korec), no racers from Austria (no Oliver Sonnbichler), no racers from New Zealand (no Tim Tyler), and no racers from Argentina (no Ricardo Garri). It seems that a splendid fast track as Top Slot makes them fearing being not fast enough. Moreover - but that's a tradition since years - there were no racers from Australia and from Japan.

QUALIFICATIONS
Fastest qualifier was good old Vlado Okali (SVK) in an absolutely fabulous time of 1'4808. Several (former) world record holders all failed to do better. Marcio Paschoalin - until then world record holder - did not faster than 1"564. His predecessor Forrest Watchers realised a rather poor 1"679.Forrest's predecessor Luis "Gugu" Bernardino realised the 6th time with 1"525. Gugu's predecessor, Benny Justice, did a little better with 1"522. And Benny's predecessor, Jari Porttinen stayed with 1"588 far beneath his former WR of 1"542. With Gary Puetz (world record holder in 1985 and 1988) we had no less than six former world record holders at the start. For Vlado Okali it was the first world record of his long career.

QUARTER FINALS
Already at the first Quater we lost two favourites: Benny Justice - having won in 2004 the Campeonato Brasileiro - and former G27 world record holder Stefan Törnfeldt from Sweden. Winner of Quarter D was Geraldo with 473 laps, followed at 2 laps by Rodrigo Mastrochirico and at 3 laps by Reggie Coram from Sint-Maarten. Jari Porttinen was the other man to make the move to the Semis. Quarter C was won by "Gugu" with 471 laps. Marcello Triginelli, Michael Silén and Gary Puetz finished among the top-4. Per Persson (S) and Ron van Wagnen (3rd time at the Qualifica-tions) missed the move. Quarter B was for B.H. Skinner with Rudy Kamieth from Germany as en excellent runner-up. "Norba" and Juha Yli-Sipola were the 2 others to make the move. Gonçalves, Paschoalin and Carneiro failed. Quarter A was for Vlado Okali. With 474 laps he was the fastest of all racers. With him Les Wright, Forrest Watchers and Visetti were moving up. Emerson Fischler, Al Chuck and André Villar all 3 missed to do the same.

SEMI-FINALS
At Semi B we lost surprisingly one of the top favourites: "Gugu" Bernardino. Winner was J-C Geraldo followed by Mikael Silén, Jari Porttinen and Gary Puetz. Out were Coram, Triginelli and Rodrigo. In Semi B Okali proved with his 701 laps once more that he was the fastest man of them all. Here we lost three American racers: Skinner, Watchers and Les Wright (last year still winner on the same track of the 17th Campeonato Brasileiro). Rudy Kamieth was the 4th victim, while Yli-Sipola, "Norba" and Visetti made the move to the main.

MAIN FINAL
So we arrived at a main final with 3 Brazilian racers (Geraldo, "Norba" and the surprising Visetti), 1 American (for Puetz it was his first main since several years) and 4 Europeans (Silén, Yli-Sipola, Porttinen and Okali). Juha went out on the lead after the first segment, followed at 4 laps by Puetz and at 5 laps by "Norba". Okali lost already 14 laps. After the second segment Norba was the new leader and could maintain that position until mid-race. But up from the fifth segment Geraldo was setting the pace, to maintain the lead until the chequered flag. So he became the third Brazilian wing car world champion in history. Alexandre Ribeirio and Jae Young were the other Brazilians to do the same. In 2002 Geraldo already won the Brazilian Nats and at the Ultimate G7 Race in Uden he was the best finishing Brazilian. A last remark: it was a surprise that several Brazilian top racers as Jose Mario Serra, Marcello 'Bambi' Serra, Eugenio "Dracula Gazoni" and others were all missing.

No Korec, no Horky, no Finns, no Schöne, no Ciccarello, no Geraldo

August 21, 2006 - It looks as if the USRA G7 Nats are no longer what they always were: a very attractive race for American ànd European racers. This year, however, the 32 entries couldn't hide that several top-racers are no longer interested in the USRA G7 Nats. For the first time since years Mario "MSP" Schöne (D) and Paul Ciccarello (USA) - both former winners - were absent. We noted also that Josef Korec (CZ), Vladimir Horky (CZ), Juha Yli-Sipola (SF), Kimmo Rautama (SF), Lasse Aberg (S), Anders Gustafson (S), Greg Mills (CDN), and even the new 2006 G7 world champion Joaõ Carlos Geraldo (BR) were all missing at the start. Eventually only one youngster was present: Joe Chubby Salzman. Some old guns, not seen in competition since years, were at once present. Among them Vince Brown, Chris Brown and Rande Marshal.
The non-American entry was restricted to "Gugu" Ber-nardino (BR), Jose Mario Serra (BR), Marcio Paschoalin (BR), Emerson Fischler (BR), Paolo Gonçalves (BR) and Vlado Okali (SVK). It's the first time since 1985 that only one European racer was present. But what a stupid idea to organise the USRA Nats during the last week of July and the first week of August, when the prices of the plane tickets are at their highest price of the year! Americans - showing themselves rarely at a G7 race organised outside the American continent - made the error to believe that Europeans should play once more their game, that they should show, whatever the price of the plane tickets. If Swiss & Co wished to organise their race at such an "expensive" date, they had to do what IMCA does since more than two decades, i.e. paying the plane tickets of the most important Europe-an racers. On refusing to follow such policy, Swiss & Co, now had a race being hardly representative for int'l G7 racing. Let's name it: a disappointing USRA G7 Nats.
Top favourite Paul "Beuf" Pedersen (USA) had nearly no serious opposition this year. Benny Justice (USA), Forrest Watchers (USA) and "Gugu" Bernardino see-med to be the scarce ones able to hold him off a fifth victory this year, certainly since we lost Mike Swiss (USA) so early in competition. Eventually all opposition came from good old P-A Watson (USA) and from Vlado Okali (SVK). For Beuf it was his third consecutive win at the USRA Nats.

THE QUALIFICATIONS - Of the expectations that Chicagoland Raceway should be the fastest track on earth nothing could be proved. At the qualifications all racers stayed far from the 1"453 world record of Benny Justice, realised earlier this year. It was Benny himself who TQ-ed, however in a disappointing "slow" 1"549. Carlos Aloise realised the same time, but was ranked as second, due to a slower first run. Most former world recordholders all failed to realise sharp times. Mike Swiss himself - the record holder among the world record holders - came no further than 1"701. The one but last world record holder, Vlado Okali, having realised 1"4808 at this year's G7 Worlds, realised no time. Last year's world record holder Gugu Bernardino came no further than 1"635. Another recent world record holder, Marcio Paschoalin was to be happy with 1"598. Forrest Watchers failed at 1"805. Ron Herrera, another former world record holder, was stranded at 1"606.  What a strange qualifications!

THE QUARTER FINALS - The first quarter caused imme-diately a stir, since we lost not only Connie Aloise and Les Wright, but even Mike Swiss himself. For Bill Skinner the race was already over after ...89 laps. The move was for Beuf, Salzman, Graversen and Puetz. In the second quarter Ron van Wagnen - in sharp progress - missed the move, whilst surprisingly Mike Krebs realised it, together with Okali, "Gugu" and Marcio Paschoalin. Out were Thompson, Gabbard and Chris Brown. The next quarter was won by Bob Everett, ahead of P-A Watson, Paolo Gonçalves and the unknown Jim Lamaree. That we lost Jose Mario Serra, Carlos Aloise and Ron Herrera so early was a surprise. Marty Meltaberger failed just as them to make the move. The last quarter went to Benny Justice with 436 laps, the highest figure at the four Quarters. Vince Brown, Emerson Fischler and Forrest Watchers made the move. Lary Blanton disappointed once more, coming 4 laps short to make the move. Rande Marshal was eli-minated on technical woes. Swofford and Gundersen were the other victims.

THE SEMI FINALS - At the first Semi the trio "Beuf", Okali and the unexpected Mike Graversen pulled away from the rest of the field. At mid-race they had 20 laps or more over the rest of the field. "Gugu" had to come back from the back benchers, but realised this perfor-mance. Chubby Salzman was unlucky, having lost a pinion. Krebs was still 4th after 6 segments, but during the last segments "Gugu" could ensure the move. Beuf won with 634 laps, followed by Okali (624), "Gugu" (612) and Graversen (592). Paschoalin, Krebs, Chubby Salzman and Puetz all four were out.
The second Semi saw Bob Everett, P-A Watson and Vince Brown setting the pace. Koford's Jim Lamaree was eliminated after two heats. Benny Justice could join the leaders during the third segment. For Emerson Fischler, 68 laps down after 3 segments, things seemed lost. During the 4th segment Benny Justice burnt his motor, fixed the new one to hard, and saw it going up in smoke. He could maintain after 5 segments his 4th place, but only 4 laps ahead over Fischler making a terrible come-back. During the last heat all went wrong for Benny Justice. He lost his 4th place and Fischler realised the move. Winner was Bob Everett (633), ahead of P-A (621), Vince Brown (!!!) and Fischler. Benny Justice, Paolo Gonçalves, Forrest Watchers (!) were out.

THE MAIN FINAL - For P-A Watson it was his 16th main at the USRA G7 Nats (his first dates from 1977!), for "Beuf" his 15th, for Okali his 6th, for "Gugu" his 4th. Bob Everett was already finalist in 1998 and 1999, Vince Brown in ...1983.  Graversen and Fischler are rookies. P-A Watson and "Beuf" are setting the pace during the 2 first segments (279 laps each). Bob Everett (motor) and Mike Graversen (spur gear) are as good as eliminated for victory. After 3 segments P-A is 1 lap down to "Beuf". At mid-race the difference is also as small as 2 laps. Can P-A win his 5th USRA Nats, or will it be 5 for "Beuf"? During segment 5 P-A goes out on the lead, followed at 3 laps by Beuf. With only one segment to go P-A is ...at 1 lap from "Beuf". During the last segment he breaks and it's "Beuf" winning his 3rd vonsecutive USRA G7 Nats, the 5th in his career. Vlado Okali finishes as 3rd, ahead of Emerson Fischler. [JPVR]

P-A Watson, Paul "Beuf" Pedersen and Vlado Okali: 2 - 1 - 3.