8th WORLDS REVENGE RACE OPEN G7 (ULTIMATE G7 RACE)

UDEN, AUGUST 23-24, 2004 (NL)

Mario MSP Schöne wins Ultimate G7 Race

Thrilling race with Ciccarello 2nd, 'Beuf' 3rd - Aussies nowhere

September 2 - For his farewell to arms JPVR invited all the best wing car racers of the world for the Ultimate G7 Race.  Of them only Mike Swiss was missing. Never before in history of slot-racing such an exclusive field of racers was seen together, even not at the real first wing car worlds in Götheborg in 1978.
There were 9 racers from the USA; 4 from Finland, Sweden, Australia and Czechia; 3 from Brazil, Belgium and Spain; 2 from New Zealand, Germany, Holland and Portugal; 1 from Slovakia, 1 from Austria. Last minute withrawals came from Gary Puetz (USA), Ron Herrera (USA) and Janne Ekman (S). Assi Maisenbacher (D) and Marcello Triginelli (BR) didn't show.
The race was contested on a typical European "slow" Blue King track, a true racer's track, where going flat out is impossible.
After 8 hours of free practice it was decided that the 3 last hours could be considered as a kind as warm-up race. Here "Gugu" Bernardino was the fastest, while several top guns preferred not to insist to save their motors.
One day later, after tech control by Ralph Klose, one started the qualifications. Surprisingly several racer didn't succeed to come round. Among them Vlado Okali (SK), Marko Pirinen (SF), Gilles Dohogne (B),  Yves Welter jr (B) and the 3 from Spain. At the last minute Joe Reid (USA) and Jorge Batista da Cruz (PT) decided not to start.
Four fastest qualifiers, making directly the move to the Semis were Paul 'Beuf' Pedersen (USA) in 1"739, Mario 'MSP' Schöne (D) in 1"756, Vladimir Horky (CZ) in exactly the same time and Paul Ciccarello (USA) in 1"761. Lasse Åberg (S) was the lonely other racer to stay under 1"8. Then followed Anders Gustafson (S), Stefan Törnfeldt (S), P-A Watson (USA), and the local hero Douwe Banning 5S). The Australian aces disappointed a first time.

Among the 16 survivors after the Quarters we found:
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 6 racers with 'Beuf' Pedersen, Paul Ciccarello, P-A Watson, Bill W.H. Skinner, Watchers and Justice;
FINLAND all 4 its racers: Juha Yli-Sipola, Leo Hongisto, Marko Pirinen and Einari Fyhr. Especially on behalf of the last named that was a major performance, since he arrived late and had to start nearly without practice;
CZECHIA 2 racers with Vladimir Horky and Josef Korec;
GERMANY 1 racer with Mario 'MSP' Schöne;
SLOVAKIA 1 racer with Vlado Okali;
SWEDEN 1 racer with Lasse Åberg;
BRAZIL 1 racer with Joaõ Carlos Geraldo.
Holland, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand, and Austria had no more racers left.
At the Quarter Finals Juha Yli-Sipola (fastest with 321 laps), Leo Hongisto (313 laps), Josef Korec (311 laps) and P-A Watson (306 laps) were the only ones to go over 300 laps. So, together with the 4 racers having be free from Consis and Quarters, they were the main candidates to survive the Semis.
For Leo Hongisto (very fast) and Marko Pirinen (proving that his win at the ESROC EuroNats was no lucky hit) those Semis ended as a drama. Both were on their way to a sure move up when they became victim res. of bad marshalling (Hongisto) and of motor bothers (Pirinen).
Two other victims of technical problems - however after never having been in a position to make the move - were Benny Justice (USA) and Forrest Watchers (USA).
Of the 7 G7 world champions having started (cf. picture above) Lasse  Lasse Åberg was the lonely one missing to move up to the main. With Paul 'Beuf' Pedersen (USA), Paul Ciccarello (USA), P-A Watson (USA), Yuha Yli-Sipola (SF), Vlado Okali (SK) and Mario "MSP" Schöne (D) all making the move to the Main, only two places were left to ...non-world champions. Those places went to Vladimir Horky (CZ) and Josef Korec (CZ), the heroes of the 2003 USRA Nats. That implied that Einari Fyhr (SF), Bill W.H. Skinner (USA) and Joaõ Carlos Geraldo were all three eliminated.
So we went to a real dream final with 3 Americans (the 3 best!), 2 Czechs, 1 German, 1 Finn and 1 Slovak.
For Mario "MSP" Schöne (D) the Main started as a trafedy. Continuously he was in troubles on black, loosing no less than 21 laps on leader and top-favourite Paul "Beuf" Pedersen in his first segment. Initially it seemed that "Beuf" (USA) and Paul Ciccarello (USA) were pulling away from the rest of the field, but during the second segment Vlado Okali (SK) succeeded to pass them both and setting the pace. After 3 segments he was followed by Beuf, Ciccarello, Korec (CZ), Yli-Sipola (CZ) and Horky (CZ). Only Schöne and P-A Watson, playing back benchers, were out for a trip to victory lane.
That, at least, was what was generally believed. But during the 5th segment - a real crash fest - Korec ran in problems and Schöne could closing up to 'Beuf', Ciccarello, Horky and Yli-Sipola, racing closely together. Only Vlado Okali was pulling away of those five. Always excellent on slow racer's track Okali seemed more and more on his way to victory when, at once, he ran in problems, shortly after followed by technical bothers for Horky racing now in second position. With the 2 leaders in the pits, the trio 'Beuf', Ciccarello and Schöne was now setting the pace, too fast for Yli-Sipola who had to let them go. When, during the 6th segment, Schöne was at once leading, his winner's instinct was waken up. Going to "red" at the one but last segment, he could after an unbelievable run hold Ciccarello ...one lap behind. 'Beuf' followed at 6 laps. During the last segment Schöne could increase his advance to 7 laps, one at once he had to change his motor. Never in his life he did it thàt fast. He came back, one lap ehind Chickey. positions swifted now all the time, but eventually Schöne won the most thrilling final of his life. Ciccarello was second, 'Beuf' third. A pure promotion for the sport and the nicest race of the 2004 IMCA Nats!

The 32 best after the Consis could make the move to the Quarters. One has to go back to 1978 to find an important wing car race for Open G7 were Consis were necessary.  Fastest man at the Consis was Slovakia's Vlado Okali, always excellent on a slow Blue King. After the Consis we lost the Australian legend Dennis Traeger who - with a car by Horky and Korec - retired already after ...65 laps. Another deception was the non-qualification of the other local hero René Bastiaan (NL). Even little Youri, only 12 years old, and making his real first G7 race, assisted by Joe Reid (USA), did better and made the move.
The Quarters are always the most gruelling combat in a G7 race with so many contenders. Since the 4 fastest qualifiers made directly the move to the Semis only the 3 first of each Quarter could move up to the Semis.
Of the American pros Les Wright and Larry Blanton missed the move. But the biggest deception was that - except for the unlucky Tony Pye - the Australians were nowhere. Geoff Little and Tony Stumpy Bagnall failed to qualify. Tony Pye was during a long time leading his Quarter, when at the last stages he had to replace a motor and a gear, dropping him back from first to last place. So all Australians were already out. The hope that at least Tim Tyler (NZ) should save the honour of the "Down-unders" was vain: he too missed the move, finishing at a poor 22nd place. Of the Brazilians "Gugu" Bernardino was beaten only by technical bothers; but Jose Mario Serra came to Holland with no other ambitions than to assist ...the Belgian F1 Grand Prix at Francorchamps. Just as in the Consis he was unbelievable slow. For the Dutch spectators the elimination of Douwe Banning was a big deception. With arms prepaired by Fritz Mattern (D) - the former armature balancer of Mario Schöne - he was convinced that he couldn't miss the main. Now he even couldn't survive the Quarters. Someone had to tell him that open class cars run on electricity, not on beer! Among the other eliminated racers we found Anders Gustafson (S), Stefan Törnfeldt (S) and Petr Krcil (CZ) after technical problems, young Youri van Rossem (B), finishing at a honourable rank 28 for his first G7 race, Oliver Sonnbichler (A), Rudi Kamieth (D), Michael Landrud (S). Very unlucky was Zdenek Benes (CZ), who was on his way to making the move, when at once his car refused all services.