finland wins second race in a row in semi final a !

Finland's Elias Hirvonen was again the top man in group A, winning Sundays WC race at Silverstone driving a Lotus in front of Gabor Szegletes from Hungary, and Antoine de Mautor of France-2 also in Lotus. Both Finland and France-2 started with 2 Lotuses on the medium fast track but weren't able to capitalize and take out a solid half-way lead with similar scores, and now it's Hungary who have the most trumps up their sleeves and only 8 and 16 points behind. Argentina, who got their single Lotus to 4th courtesy of Christian Schegtel is last in the group but still not completely out of it.

finland wins race 1 of semi final a !

Finland's Elias Hirvonen convincingly won the opening race at Rouen in Semi Final A today driving a Lotus and could see his team take the lead in the group after his team mate Teemu Vuolle took 3rd in a Ferrari and another scoring in 10th. France-2 was however only 4 points behind after Davy Decorps' 2nd in Lotus and 2 team mates in 5th and 6th. Favourite Hungary made a defensive SF start entering slower cars but still managed 14 points while Argentina did not have a fruitful outing harvesting only 3 points at the French track. 

france-1 and germany to solid lead in semi final B opener !

Two of the heavyweight countries France and Germany proved they mean business in the championship by dominating the opening round of Semi Final B at Nurburgring and are now already more than 25 points clear of their rivals. Favourite England had a disastrous day at the notorious German track not scoring a single point with a reduced 3-man team, while Portugal did not do much better with only 5 points scored. France-1's Martin Audran took the race honors in a Lotus with Nurburgring wizard Oliver Reinhold (GER) in Ferrari only 3.8s behind. Eric Coineau driving a Brabham for France-1 completed the podium.

Semi Final A

Finland

Hungary

Argentina

France-2

Semi Final B

England

Portugal

France-1

Germany

England-1 and France-2 advance in QF D !

Despite scoring the most points in the last round and winning the race thanks to a solid Eagle drive by Martin Lacina and getting a BRM to 6th, Czechia could not catch group 2nd France-2 to advance as they defended well by securing a spot on the podium by Bertrand Catroux in Eagle and another in 5th. Sweden took 2nd place in the race with Patrik Lindqvist (Eagle) and 2 other drivers scoring, but in the end the attack was not enough to go through. England-1 who was leading the group before the last race had a big enough gap to get the top place and in the end didn't need the 8 points scored.

Spain win at Monaco but fail to qualify !

A Spanish 1-2 from Gaizka Lopez (Ferrari) and Sergio Macias (Cooper) restores some pride, but it’s not enough as neighbours Portugal win the group in a tight battle with Argentina. Points finishes for Toni Mau, Alexandre Dionisio and Ricardo Gomez prove just enough to beat the South American team, after another solid performance from captain Horacio Ostoich (Lotus) and 6th place for Ignatio Genta (Brm). After fielding a depleted team, Bjorn Finnestad scored Norways only points, as their World Cup run also comes to an end.

Hungary and Germany qualify for SF's !

A win by Hungarian captain Gabor Szegletes (Eagle), plus 4th and 6th by teammates Szabolcs Balog (Eagle) and Jani Posta (Honda), secures top spot for Hungary in the final race of QF B. Not the greatest result for Germany with Claudio Callipo best, bringing his Lotus home in 5th, but good past performances prove enough for his team to qualify as group runners up. With the gap too much to pull back after the first 3 races, Australia and Italy bow out of the competition as expected, with Lotus podium finishes for Ashley Miskelly and Fulvio Barozzini.

FRance and Finland advance to semis in QF A !

After the 4th and last race in the group, it was Finland who kept their lead and came out on top by scoring the same number of points as second placed France-1 in the Nurburgring race and were the two teams to advance to the semi finals. Davy Decorps (Lotus) won the race for France-1 in front of Finland's Elias Hirvonen (Brabham) and Teemu Vuolle (Cooper). England-2 scored 8 points to end up 3rd in the group in front of Russia who did not score, but both were anyway disqualified from the final standings after car selection infringements.

Argentina wins race and goes 2nd in Quarter Final C !

It was the Argentinian team that emerged the victor in the 3rd race in QF C thanks to a Lotus win by Horacio Ostoich and all the others scoring to go to a clear 2nd in the group before the last race. Portugal got 2nd and 3rd by Ricardo Gomes (Lotus) and Toni Mau (Ferrari) with a BRM in 9th to end up in front of Spain who had another bad day on track scoring only 10 points, but not as bad as Norway who only managed 1 point.

France-2 wins race and consolidates 2nd in QF D !

Despite favorite England-1 starting with 2 Lotuses it was France-2 who came out on top in today's race at Silverstone to go 2nd in the group courtesy of Antoine de Mautor getting his Lotus to 2nd and their other Lotus to 4th and a BRM to 7th. James Dayjur won the race for England-1 in Lotus but had to see his team beaten by Sweden as well when Anders Salomonsson got one of their Lotuses to 3rd and two others scoring in 5th and 6th. Czechia did not have a good day at the classic track getting only one of their drivers to the finish for 3 points.

FINLAND takes lead in Quarter final A !

Thanks to yet another strong win by Finnish ace Elias Hirvonen (Eagle) and all his team mates finishing in the top 5, the Nordic country could bank 40 points which catapulted them straight to the top of the group standings and a healthy 12 points lead before the last race. Only France-1's Davy Decorps in Eagle could break up the Finnish dominance with a solid 2nd place with a team mate in 6th place in an eventful race. Aleksi Elomaa got the last podium place and last man scoring was Stuart George of England-2 who has now taken points in all the races of the championship so far which is a record.

Hungary comeback in Quarter Final B !

After ending up with no points in the last race following penalties, Hungary bounced back in race 3 scoring more than double that of any other team at Mosport earlier today thanks to a double victory by Lotus drivers Gabor Szegletes and Richard Kiss with a Brabham also scoring in 6th to end up only 4 points behind the group leader. Marco Saupe of Germany took the last podium place in Lotus to keep his country atop the standings, but had to see his team beaten by 1 point in the race after Italy took 4th and 5th. Australia continued their bad luck with only 4 points scored.

Portugal takes lead in quarter final C at Watkins Glen !

After a close opening round, Portugal went on the offensive taking 2 Lotuses to grab a surprise group lead after favorite Spain faltered without scoring a single point using the same tactic. By securing the win thanks to solid driving by Miguel Rodrigues and the second Lotus 4th and a Honda in 6th, Portugal now leads Norway by 9 points after they got its Lotus to 2nd by Runar Bjornstad and a Cooper to 7th. Argentina ended up only 1 point behind Norway when Horacio Ostoich managed 3rd in Lotus and an Eagle took 5th.

England-1 dominates Quarter Final D race 2 in Monaco !

England-1 was no match for the opposition yesterday, totally outscoring the rest to take a massive 33 point lead in the group by getting all podium places and fastest lap thanks to John Bradbury (Ferrari), Tom Goodall (Lotus) and James Dayjur (Brabham). Czechia ended up second in the race scoring 12 points in front of Sweden on 10, with 6 for France-2. Only 11 points now separate the 3 teams behind England-1 after 2 races to make it an exciting prospect for the remainder of the quarter finals.

Finland wins race to consolidate second place in QF A !

It was Finland's Elias Hirvonen who just managed to edge Martin Audran of France-1 for the win after one of the best fights seen in the championship, the two Lotus drivers battling it out nose to tail from start to finish at Watkins Glen. Teemu Vuolle also in Lotus could do the speed in qualifying but not the ferocious race pace finishing 12 seconds behind in 3rd, but was the key to Finland winning by 7 points over France-1. England-2 had two cars score to end up 6 points behind France-1 who still remains the clear group leader on 51 points. Russia's race did not go to plan with only 9 points scored.

Germany goes to shared lead of Quarter final group b !

Germany cashed in with 28 points at their home track Nurburgring today in the second race of quarter final B, getting an Eagle and Brabham to 2nd and 3rd places after steady driving by Marco Saupe and Jens Kraft and another car scoring in 5th. Hungary's Szabolcs Balog won the race in Ferrari, but was the only point scorer for his team while Italy and Australia continued their bad luck with only 5 and 8 points respectively after single finishes.

Spanish victory at Silverstone !

It was the Spanish team that came out on top in the closest opening race of the quarter finals with 5 points separating all teams in QF C. Spain's Gaizka Lopez C. won the race driving an Eagle in front of Norway's Runar Bjornstad in Lotus. Horacio Ostoich was third for Argentina also in Lotus leading two other drivers into the points for that country. Portugal also had 3 drivers score and ended up on equal points with Argentina.

France-1 dominates at rouen !

France-1 came out guns blazing in the first race of the quarter final A on their national track, using 2 Lotuses to take the double win by Martin Audran and Davy Decorps with the other drivers also scoring. Rouen world record holder Elias Hirvonen from Finland driving Ferrari was not far away in third place and could see his country edge England-2 by two points. Russia only had one car scoring in 5th place.

Hungary wins at Zandvoort !

Hungary proved too strong for the oppostition and won the first race of the quarter final B yesterday with 28 points, 10 in front of Italy with a win and the fastest lap by Gabor Szegletes (Lotus) in front of team mate Richard Kiss (Ferrari). Jens Kraft was the last man on the podium driving a Ferrari for Germany, and could in the end see his team second in the group after Italy and Australia had controversial races with crashes, disconnects and penalties.

England-1 takes quarter final opener at rouen !

England-1 narrowly beat France-2 for first race honors in quarter final D courtesy of Tom Goodall's win in a Lotus and Nathan Wald getting the Brabham to fifth. France-2 was only two points behind on 21 after Patrick Teil's solid second place Lotus drive and two other drivers also scoring. The Czechs also had three drivers in the points but were hampered by technical issues while Sweden didn't score well starting with two BRMs and bad luck when one of their Lotuses crashed early on.

sweden victorious at Silverstone !

Sweden was the winner of yesterday's race held at the famous British track, narrowly edging Argentina-1 by 4 points with a race win by Torbjorn Stahl in a Lotus and a third place by Hakan Amsberg driving an Eagle. Argentina's Horacio Ostoich came second in a Lotus with two other team mates in the points which was not enough to take the group victory away from Sweden in the group G standings. The Celtic Nations team ended up third in the group in front of Portugal-3.

Russia dominates in mexico !

The Russian team was way ahead of the opposition in yesterday's group B race at the Mexican track, scoring more than 3 times the point of next team Germany by getting all 4 drivers in the top 5 and fastest lap thereby winning the group in front of Germany. The race was won by Jury Nahimovich in a Brabham in front of Germany's only finisher Claudio Callipo (Lotus) and Russia's Alexandr Schokin (Ferrari). Argentina-2 did not manage to score any points this time and Eastern Europe had another no-show.

FRAnce-2 the winner in monaco !

France-2 outscored the others in yesterday's final group E race in Monaco, finishing second, third and fifth and getting fastest lap thus securing their quarter final place, but it was group winner Spain's Sergio Macias who won the race in a Cooper in front of Jean Philippe Campmajo and David Vanmullem, driving Ferrari and Brabham respectively. Canada had 3 of it's drivers in the points and finished second in the race on 17 points, even outscoring cup favourite Spain with two points. Italy-2 did not have a good race and were unable to score a single point.

finland wins at Mosport !

Finland was the winner of the final group D race at Mosport, beating Spain-2 with 6 points following a race win and fastest lap by Elias Hirvonen in an Eagle. Kalle Parviainen was second in a Ferrari in front of Spain-2's Nes in Lotus which was enough to keep the Nordic team's second place in the group and thereby a quarter final spot. Hungary was only third in the race, but still came out on top of the group. Spain-2 ended up in third place, beating Brazil who only had 1 car score points in the race.

australian victory at Rouen !

Australia ended up on top of yesterday's race at Rouen and also group C after a race win by Ashley Miskelly in Lotus and second place by Rod Pindar driving a Brabham. England-2 secured a second place in the group thanks to Neil Stratton finishing in third place and all cars scoring, ending up 15 points behind Australia after 4 races. Portugal-2 did not have a good day at the difficult French track, scoring only 6 points. Colombia had another DNS.

Czechia comes out on top AT Kyalami !

In the last race of group F, Czechia beat Norway by 12 points after a race win and fastest lap by Martin Lacina in a Lotus and third place by Radek Petera at the South African track ending up in second place in the group. Norway's Torfinn Dahl was able to split the Czechs on the podium in an Eagle, thereby seeing his team top the group by 12 points. Spain-3 had a good race yesterday ending up only 2 points behind Norway, finishing third in the group. Quebec had a respectable showing with 2 cars scoring, finishing the group with 24 points.

Italy wins at kyalami !

Italy-1 was the clear winner of the last round race at Kyalami in group A, thereby securing their quarter final place thanks to a narrow race win by Fulvio Barozzini in a Lotus and a third place by Paolo Minotto also in Lotus. France-1's Eric Coineau took second place in the race to have his team end up the clear winner of the group while Belgium-1 who had a chance to reach the quarter finals had to see themselves beaten by 11 points. England-3 ended up in last place in one of the toughest groups in the cup.

Portugal VICTORious AT WATKINS GLEN !

Portugal-1 completely outscored the other teams in group H to secure their quarter final place at Watkins Glens yesterday thanks to getting all 4 drivers in the top 5 and the win by Miguel Rodrigues. Only Russia-2's Konstantinov was able to split the Portuguese with a 3. place in a Lotus, while Belgium-2 had to settle for 6. and 7. places places and hold off Russia-2 for 3. place in the group. World Cup favourite and group winner England-1 had a disastrous day at the American track not scoring a single point.

Hungary wins at Silverstone !

Hungary was the winner of yesterday's group D race at Silverstone, getting 3 of their drivers in the top 6 and a race win and fastest lap by Gabor Szegletes in a Lotus. Finland was only 4 points behind thanks to podiums by Kalle Parviainen and Jussi Seppala, also in Lotus. Spain-2 and Brazil were evenly matched at the British track, scoring 6 points each. Before the last group race, Hungary has a commanding 34 point lead over Finland who in turn is 32 in front of Spain-2, so it would take a lot for the 4th and 13th seeded teams to lose their quarter final places.

Spain dominant at Rouen !

Spain continued their impressive run in the cup with a 34 point haul in yesterday's group E race which was more than double the point scored by second placed team France-2. 1967 40th anniversary world champion Gaizka Lopez C. racked up yet another win, this time in an Eagle, while his team mates followed up with 3rd and 4th places. Only France-2's Jacques Leblond prevented Spain from sweeping the first places with a 2. place, while Italy-2 drove sensibly and got 3 of their 4 drivers in the points, ending up only 3 points behind France-2. Before the last race of the round it is still close for the last quarter final spot between France-2 and Italy-2 as they are only separated by 5 points.

Italy victorious at zandvoort !

Italy narrowly beat France in yesterday's Group A race at Zandvoort with 1 point despite a French victory and fastest lap by Davy Decorps in a Lotus. The Italian team which has had a slow start to the cup finished 2nd 4th and 6th for a good points score and is now only 3 points behind 2. placed team Belgium to ensure a thrilling last round race, while France maintained their solid lead in the group. England-3 did not have a good day at the Dutch track.

Czech win in MOnaco !

Czechia was the strongest team yesterday in the group F race at Monaco, edging Norway by 7 points thanks to securing the 2. 3. and 5. spot and fastest lap on the twisty track. Norway was one man short but still managed to end 7 points in front of Spain-3 thanks to a race win by Torfinn Dahl and the others scoring, but Quebec did not have a good day at the famous circuit scoring only 1 point. Before the last race of the round Norway has a 24 point lead over Czechia and Spain-3 only 9 over Quebec so the group is still not decided.