Model Car News 2001

Never before racing was that close

NOVIELLO (Worlds), VOGEL (Mello) & CICCARELLO (Euro) are the 2001 champs, but Nations Cup surprisingly to HOLLAND!

November 25 - With 10 of the 15 best racers of the world at the start - only Mario Schöne, P-A Watson, Paul Pfeiffer, Vlado Okali and Dave Gick were missing - IMCA's 2001 Nations Cup could hardly be anything less than a success. Add to this three tv-crews hanging around, journalists of several news papers present, 4 web cams following all what happened and a large crowd of spectators watching the main event, a fast and smooth track, and we may conclude that it was a top event. Scrutineering was well-done by Anko Stok and Bob Demeyer and the usual tricks were of no avail. So 60 racers out of 14 different countries and 4 continents had to fight for victory with 100 % similar cars and controllers. Making nearly no deslotting mistakes, the racers signed for a big show with cars following each other as wagons in a train. Thrill was in the air from the first to the last minute. Two events were won by racers hanging in second position when at the real end power came off, but passing the man on the lead under "no power" conditions. At the EuroNats Open, South-Africa's Gustav Heymann was leading the two last segments with Paul Ciccarello hanging behind on an elastic. The distance between their two cars was never more than a couple of inches, but at the real end Chicky's car could slide aside Gustav's, to win with a diminutive advance. Earlier twofold wing car world champion Lasse Aberg missed his move to the main final by finishing less than … 1 centimetre behind America's Philip Helmuth. Even more thrilling was the end of the Mello Yello Junior World Championship. Initially Andrew Aynsley was leading the race, closely followed by Josef Korec, Frantisek Poledna, Dennis Vogel and "Piki" van Rossem. All 5 they were dominated by the MoMo SW-1, superbly driven by the young Matt Zenovitch. But since Matt was racing "off-championship" with another (better and less expensive) car than the Pla-Fit Excel Pro cars of all others, the Junior World Championship went between the 5 named racers. Of them the two Czechs had to let go after mid-race the threesome Aynsley-Vogel-"Piki". Going to the slower lanes, with Vogel and "Piki" on the faster lanes, both of them could undo their arrears on Aynsley, and pass him. Up from now to the end of the race both cars followed each other as close as possible. The last segment positions changed continuously, but during the last minute "Piki" could take the lead and hold it until the moment that the power came off. At that very moment both cars entered a tight curb, so "Piki" didn't dare to push the pedal to the metal, risking that the car jumped the wall and fell to the ground: this should have resulted in a DNF. Dennis Vogel however took the risk. Without power his car bunched into the wall and could pass "Piki's" sliding on its roof. Eventually the difference between the two cars was less than 1 inch. A normal race direction should always had disqualified Dennis Vogel for unsportmanslike conduct, but not Jan Limpach and Andy Wasserman, who never studied the rules thoroughly, so that they declared Dennis Vogel as the new junior world champion. One race later, at the qualifications for the Model Car World Championship, Vogel gave a demonstration that he's superb in setting up Pla-Fit model cars. He realised a TQ at an unbelievable 5"137, 15/100 of a second faster than his runner-up Paul Ciccarello. Everybody believed that he had used tricks to tune his car, but after a new technical control it appeared that absolutely nothing was irregular on this car. At any rate Dennis Vogel gave full evidence that he's one of the fastest youngsters in the world. More close racing could be admired at IMCA's 10^th Model Car World Championship. Several top racers could not qualify for this main event where only the 20 best experts, 8 best amateurs, 4 best youngsters or kids, and the 4 first of the Consolation Race were allowed. This consolation race seemed a real world championship with Vladimir Horky, Frantisek Poledna, Josef Korec, Paolo Trigilio, Einari Fyhr, Lee Gilbert, Jan Korec, Ralph Klose, Simo Kairistola all fighting for a place among the top-4. Eventually only Horky, Josef Korec, Fyhr and Poledna could make the move. Here Trigilio and Lee Gilbert missed the move … again for a couple of inches. Big deception at the Model Car Worlds was that none except one of the local Belgian drivers could survive the quarters. At Quarter D "Piki" van Rossem missed his qualification for two lane segments from Rolf Bechter after his (too slow) car missed the lap counter on … Bechter's lane. At Quarter B Geert Mertens seemed a strong leader until mid-race when his pinion came off. Here a superbly driving Yannick Demeyer - earlier 2^nd fastest at the quarters for the EuroNats - could save the Belgian honour by finishing among the top-3. At Quarter C Peter Ackermans was in a strong 3^rd position until mid-race, but then he had to let them go all. At final D young Youri van Rossem was 3^rd after 3 segments, when his motor screw came off. The last Belgian racer having a chance to make the move was Kristof Klinkers, but he came never further than 5^th in Quarter D, due to a tired motor. At the semis Yannick Demeyer was until mid-race 5^th, with the whole Belgian public behind, but he could not achieve the miracle despite an heroic fight. Finalists were Salvatore Noviello, Gustav Heymann, Greg Gilbert, Chris Radisich, Vladimir Horky, Paul Ciccarello, Dennis Vogel (!) and Clythio Backx van Buggenhout. Only Vogel and Horky were new, the others earlier reached the main final of the EuroNats. Of them Noviello, Ciccarello and Heyman dominated the others since the start of the event. But at the main of the Worlds Chicky's car was not behaving well, having lost a suspension bolt. Earlier Fred Hood missed the semis for the same reason. Eventually five cars were grouped within a half lap with positions changing continuously: Heymann, Clythio, Noviello, Greg Gilbert and Horky. Of them Heymann and Clythio were setting the pace, having been out on the lead longer than the others. During the one but last segment Heymann was passed by Clythio, later by Noviello and Gilbert. During the last segment Clythio deslotted once, enough for Noviello (having deslotted not once during the whole event) to go out at the lead. Greg Gilbert, Clythio and Heymann were chasing like devils, letting Horky behind. With 4 cars following each other the race was easy to follow for the public. At the final stages of the race Greg Gilbert lost his 2^nd position when both Clythio and Heymann could pass him. However, it was too late to catch Noviello, becoming the 10^th IMCA Model Car World Champion. Four cars finished in the same lap, and even the 8^th - Chris Radisich, struggling with a dead motor - was only 4 laps behind the winner. Never racing was that close. Concourse was won (once more) by Hugo Dekker, but only one vote ahead of Maya Willockx showing her car on a perfect diorama. The Nations Cup went surprisingly to Holland, with Belgium-1, Italy and Czechia tied up within 0.5 points. Even here everything was more than close.

Jean Pierre van Rossem

IMCA WORLDS 1. NOVIELLO, 2. CLYTHIO, 3. HEYMANN

Mello Yello Junior Worlds: 1. Vogel, 2. "Piki", 3. Korec!

IMCA EuroNats: 1. Ciccarello, 2. Heymann, 3. G.Gilbert

Sensation: Holland wins 2001 Nations Cup