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<body> <Table Width="550" border="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" cellpadding="0"><TR><TD Width="35"><IMG SRC="//www.totalmotorsport.com/images/spacer.gif" WIDTH="35" HEIGHT="1"></td><td> <CENTER><Table border="0" width="100%"> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="5">FIA SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="left"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="2">05/07/2001</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="4">Brno</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="3">Close Competitive Racing</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><img border="1" src="Storage/BrnoClosFIA.jpg"></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="1">  </FONT></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="left"><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="2">The Brno event will have endorsed John Mangoletsi's view that he's got the formula right, with the top six finishing close together, three of them remarkably so. The maiden Dome victory was hardly overdue, but had John Nielsen or Jan Lammers missed out this time, the pressure would have been building at each of the following events. <BR> <BR> "It was actually harder waiting for Hiroki than driving myself in the early stages, when the conditions were very tricky," explained John Nielsen. He was a likely SRWC winner with the Kremer Loa in '99, but never quite managed it, thanks to some poor luck more than anything. The Panoz never seemed to work properly with that bizarre roll cage last year, but with the Dome, Nielsen is really making use of a superb piece of machinery.<BR> <BR> Is it a positive feature of the regulations that the lead BMS Ferrari is so close to the best lap times - or setting them - or a negative feature? Jean-Marc Gounon set the fastest lap of the race in the 333SP, and the Ferrari runners are still right in contention. But if Marco Zadra wins the SR1 title, will that have the same credibility factor as a Nielsen or Lammers winning? Should the Ferrari be so close to the front after all these years?<BR> <BR> Some other old warriors are due back in the series for Magny-Cours, plus the Pescarolo Courage - assuming it gets through Estoril's ELMS unscathed. The DAMS Lola - four wins in '99, not raced since - should be back with Jean-Denis Deletraz at the wheel, while the Durango and 2000 Nielsen Panoz will add to the numbers in SR1, if not the front-running quality....<BR> <BR> The FIA SCC hasn't seen the growth that some expected this year, but protoype numbers are well in excess of those expected at the 'rival' Estoril ELMS race. That series would claim a far better track record of race promotion and media coverage, but the FIA SCC would claim that it is trying hard with more limited resources. Why, with the FIA name behind it?<BR> <BR> ELMS plans next year may or may not influence the direction of sports prototype racing in Europe. With LMP 675s likely to run in the FIA SCC next year, plus rule changes due for 2003 / 2004, the rules are converging. But eight SR1s in one series and five equivalent cars in another is hardly a roaring success for anyone.<BR> </FONT></TD></TR> </TABLE><BR> </CENTER> <BR><CENTER><font size="1" color="#808080" face="Tahoma">Copyright ©2000-©2023 TotalMotorSport</font></CENTER> </td> </tr> </table> </body>