October 27, 2003
We are very lucky to have obtained sole interview rights to Shiro Ryong following confirmation of his F1VWC 2003 Drivers crown! We hear the highs and the lows of his season, and what the future holds. Scoop of the month is held within the interview!

Shiro Ryong spoke to Andy Graydon (F1VWC Admin) regarding his 2003 season and his title battle triumph - the closest in years!

Q - Shiro Ryong, F1VWC 2003 Drivers World Champion. How does that sound?

A - It certainly sounds good but wasn't something I expected when I joined the team, that's for sure! Really, all I wanted to do this year was win at Monaco, my favourite race, and just beat other keyboard drivers. So in a way this championship is really more of a bonus for me but at the same time also shows what can be accomplished with a keyboard and reliable car. I also hope this shows what kind of potential keyboard drivers have and encourages more of them to take up racing and join the league.

Q - You were under immense pressure in the last 3 races - all tracks that suited a car with a horsepower advantage that your title rivals had. To win by 1 point from Daniel and 7 from Mikko is quite an achievement. What drove you to achieve this?

A - It was after Hungary where I came away with a 12 point lead. That was when I realised that my chances weren't too bad and given my record up till then of finishing on the podium I knew it was a definite possibility. And of course, when Dan R and Rab decided to promote me to race driver with the view of challenging for the championship had something to do with it as well.

Q - And what style do you employ when you drive with the Keyboard? Whatever you do it makes the car quick!

A - That's quite a difficult question to answer... I guess having a good setup, one well suited to my car handling preferences really helps. Everyone develops their own style but what I do is what my father used to say when I first started driving - be smooth.

Q - What were the best and the worst moments for you in 2003?

A - The best has definitely got to be Monaco. Winning there has always been something I wanted to do and to win by 1 lap was just too good, if not a bit over the top. The worst was probably Sepang. That monsoon was just too difficult for me and I think it was the only race where I got lapped.

Q - I bet the whole SCUM team will be having a shindig in the outback? How has the atmosphere been in the SCUM camp since you clinched the title in Japan?

A - The atmosphere has been fantastic and everyone is really happy with the result since it has by far exceeded our expectations.

Q - What are your plans for 2004? I presume you will be staying with SCUM and drive with the number 1 on your car in defence of your title?

A - I will be staying with SCUM next year but defending my title is not likely. Doing a full racing season this year has been so much fun that it's taken up more of my time than I would've liked. So I'm going to scale that down to just a couple of races next year and apologise to all the people who expected me to continue fighting.