Reno 2010 Preview

Welcome back to the Pylon Place. We are still waiting for the final numbers and participant lists, but let’s cover what we know now.

International Formula 1

In IF1 this year, lots of changes have taken place. Invictus, last year’s Gold Champion, will be flown by another different pilot, Phil Goforth. Second place, Scarlet Screamer will be raced by her new owner, Vito Wypraechtiger. Steve Temple should be back in Madness. That’s our top three from last year. The rest of the gold finishers are a different story. Sly Dog is for sale, Doug “Jethro” Bodine’s Yellow Peril is doubtful. But, Quadnickel and Outrageous will be back with their regular drivers. In fact, Lachie Onslow attended PRS to get some extra time on the pylons and hopefully this will bode
well for his efforts.

More about Goforth, you may remember him from last year. He was a fan favorite as a Rookie. Finishing only 7th in the Silver, he was better known for activities off the race course. He charmed the fans in Section 3, delighted a group of grade school kids by letting them polish his airplane. He is definitely a character and a fun addition to the sport. He will be bringing two racers this year. Invictus will be in the Gold and Knotty Girl, in her new memorial paint scheme, for the Silver.

Phil was so touched by Al Goss’ generosity and friendship last year; he has decided to paint Knotty Girl to match Warlock this year. Just for one year, before she goes through a major reconstruction next year.


Phil Goforth’s Knotty Girl will be dressed up in Warlock colors this year.
 
And a late entry, Gary Davis will be there in Miss USA. Since last year’s winner in Invictus and owner of Miss USA, Thom Richard moved to the Jet Class he really wanted someone to race his plane. Gary was able to step up and take the reins. Off season networking really makes the difference.

That’s the good news. The bad news is – we currently only have 13 aircraft registered for IF1 this year! It seems just a few years ago, we were turning them away at the door, now we can’t fill the seats. I’m sad to say the least, but believe that with the right programs in place, the IF1 Class will be back to its previous luster soon. Every racer I’ve spoken with has a different reason for not coming this year. Can it just be a coincidence? I hope so.

Biplanes
While all the classes are downsized slightly, Biplanes actually has increased their number from last year. We had such a great rookie class this year at PRS, we seem to have a great future ahead of us.

Tom Aberle and team will be back with Phantom, while Jeff Lo is bringing his speedy racer Miss Gianna back again this year. Norm Way will be there, with the World’s Fastest Pitts while Rookie, Karl Grove will be flying Dennis Vest’s old ride, Drag Racer.


Biplanes provide some great racing - you should wake up early and come to see us sometime!


Zip Andre will be there and I can’t wait to see what he has been up to in the off season. Actually – nearly everyone from the Gold last year will in attendance, including Kirk Murphy, Tony Higa, and Dave Roelofs.

The real fun will be watching the Rookies come to life and watching the battle for first in the Gold between the two purpose-built racers. Which will take the fire truck ride on Sunday? Only time will tell, or as Kerch always says – Ask me on Monday!





Look at those hard working Biplane Crews


Super Sport
Last year, in order to create a larger differentiation between Super Sport and Sport, the class edited the rules. Super Sport will no longer be limited to production, kit airplanes and anything that has been properly tested and signed off is eligible as long as the engine is less than 1000 CID.

This rule change has created some interesting entries. Team Driven is back on the potential participants list with their Suburu-powered Lancair IV. We also have the Dassault Systems sponsored Diesel NXT Racer from Big Frog Racing. This French Team will add more International Color to the races.

Both Thunder Mustangs will be there, John Parker in his Blue Thunder II and George Giboney in his highly modified Rapid Travel. John and George have put together a great group of people to make the Thunder Mustangs a great racing platform.

Kevin Eldredge will be there in Relentless. He has been quite busy in the off season becoming a test pilot and unintentional spokesperson for the Super Sport Class and the NXT. Mike Dacey should be there in Bad Intentions his Questair Venture, aka The Egg.


Kevin Eldredge's beautiful NXT, Relentless

Darryl Greenamyer will likely be back with Crew Chief, Andy Chiavetta’s help. Andy has been incredibly busy in the off-season. He completed his tenth Lancair Legacy and finished his new design, the Aerochia LT-1 , a light weight carbon fiber kit built aircraft.

Okay, now the bad news. We are short one NXT. Jon Sharp will be taking a one year hiatus. We currently have seven Super Sport participants registered. I’m very excited to see the innovation in this class and look forward to some awesome races.

Sport Class
The Sport Class is getting more exciting with Dave Sterling, Tom Reynolds and Lee Behel battling for first place in their Lancairs. Jeff Lavelle is looking to pass them all in his Glasair, without any pylon cuts.
Ernie Sutter and Vince Walker in their Lancairs, Tony Crawford in his Questair Venture and Gary Mead in his Glasair should round out the Gold Race.

Rob Monaghan is known to many race fans as “The Voice of the Sport Class”, but many fans do not know that he owns/flies a beautiful Glasair. Because of his occupation, he is unable to participate as a racer. However, his airplane is not under such constraints, so Rob’s plane will be part of the action this year. I’m hoping he choices me to fly it. Too late? Really? Maybe next year. Good luck, Rob.

T-6
Nick Macy and Dennis Buehn will be battling for the right to wear the Yellow Jacket but John Lohmar, John Zayac and Gene McNeely will be giving them a run for their money.

Scott Dockter will be racing both Deuce of Hearts and Margarita. Carter Clark is back, flying both Daring Diane and Midnight Rendezvous. Lee Oman is scheduled to fly Eros and Race 90. That’s a lot of pilots flying double duty this year. I hope they eat their Wheaties and drink plenty of Red Bull.










The Jet Provost will premiere this year at Reno
 
Jets
The Jet class continues to attract new racers with new and interesting aircraft, with 5 Rookies making it through PRS this year and a full roster ready to take the course in September. Curt Brown and Mike Mangold will likely be battling it out in the front again this year. A little birdie told me that Mike has done some top secret upgrades this year in the hopes of dethroning the king.

Look for some interesting aircraft in the Silver including the Jet Provost flown by Steve Picatti and the Iskra (Polish for “spark”) flown by F1 Champion, Thom Richard.


Thom Richard and the Iskra

Heather “Lucky” Penney, daughter of John Penney, will be racing #21. She is currently an F-16 pilot for the DC ANG and quite an accomplished aviator. Her team is quite supportive and should make a splash while at the races.

Unlimited
Yes, Strega will be back. Tiger says LD Hughes and the team have been working on “secret squirrel s#it” to make Strega go even faster. Recent college graduate, Steve Hinton, Jr will be in the pilot seat once again. They are clearly the team to beat.


Strega and Stevo Hinton will be back to take on challengers this year.


Rare Bear is ready. Last year, they were working late nights to get her flying again in time for the races. This year, they were flying in June. John Penney will be in the pilot’s seat once again. Expect to see long time Alternate Pilot, Stu Dawson, in the seat for at least a qualifying session or even a heat race. Stu spent several days working with John and has flown The Bear a few times. Both are accomplished pilots and will make it interesting in September.






Rare Bear is ready for the challenge

Dan Martin will likely be back in Ridge Runner and Hoot will be flying Riff Raff. But, what will Matt Jackson fly? Will it be Furias or Dreadnaught? Both are on the list and both are capable of Gold numbers. I guess we’ll wait and see.

Will Whiteside will be back in Voodoo. The Voodoo Team has been making some major changes to the Purple Princess. And with Bob Button as their leader and Bill Kerchenfaut watching over the mechanical bits, this will be one to watch.

Now, for some bad news, Czech Mate will not be there. They are looking to make some changes for speed and safety in the future. I hope to see her back again soon. Also, Howard Pardue apparently meant it this time when he retired. So, Howard and Nelson Ezell will both be out of the action. Also, Stu Dawson is not going to bring Spirit of Texas this year, terrible news for the Texans in the crowd.

I’ll continue the bad news by saying that Bad Attitude has been sold and Argonaut is taking the year off. And it looks like neither of the P40s from last year will make it this time.

But, there are bright spots, for example – all of the fans who were hoping to see a Tigercat back on the pylons, well, get ready, because now there will be TWO Tigercats. Rod Lewis heard your pleas and will be bringing both Here Kitty Kitty and Bossman.

There is also a FW190 on the participant list. I believe it is the Planes of Fame FW190 and should attract the crowds in the Pits. Also, John Maloney will be racing Steadfast this year. I’m glad such a talented pilot/racer will be with us again this year.

Now, before you ask, YES – Galloping Ghost is on the list and there is photographical and video evidence that she is not actually a ghost. She has been seen flying through the skies near the Minden Airport. And let me just say, the fans are THRILLED! Good luck, Jimmy!

Other Information
The Canadian Snowbirds are back this year, along with David Martin. Kent Pietsch with his comedic aerobatic act will thrill the crowds again this year. Bill Braack with the Jet Car will also be there. Greg Poe will be back. This year he will be flying his Ethanol Powered Fagen MX2. Is this a nod to the green fans?

But, the star of the show will be the SIX P-38s that will assemble in the high desert in September. This will be quite an event. My understanding is every flying P-38 will be there at Reno. Now, that’s pretty exciting stuff.












I hope you can make it. As always, Ruby Red Racing is looking for sponsors to help defer the costs of participating in the National Championship Air Races. Contact me through the magazine for more information about how you can get involved.




Until next time, Fly low, Fly fast and Turn Left.

Marilyn Dash
Ruby Red Racing
Dash-Air, LLC

Pictures are courtesy of Rob "Phred" Miller and NAC/Tim Neubert

Speed, Angels and Rookies

Pylon Racing Seminar took place in the Northern Nevada Desert around the middle of June. The attendance was higher than expected with lots of Rookies wanting to join the ranks of Air Racers. I will do a quick rundown of who, what and where in this month’s column and expand on it once the attendee lists are out for the races.  
 

Everything is a moving target at Reno, except the pylons, of course. So be patient and expect late breaking news – as it always happens. Today, let’s talk about the Rookies.

 IF1

The IF1 rookie race pilots this year certainly underscored the word “International” in their name.  Completing training were British pilots Peter Fabish and Stephen Alexander who will be shipping their racers over later this summer.  From Spain they had Guillermo Parodi who recently purchased Brian Reberry’s highly competitive Cassutt, N-A-Rush. And finally Swiss pilot, Vito Wypraechtiger, the new owner of Race #50, Scarlet Screamer, was there getting the feel of his new ride. 

All of the new pilots were able to get course time and did exceptionally well. The returning racers continued their international theme.  Canadian Tom Watkins flew daily on the course in his Cassutt and Aussie Lachlan Onslaw took his racer, Outrageous, on to the course to prepare for this September.

The Formula 1 races this fall will be anything but predictable with three of the top four finishers from last year either changing hands, changing pilots or not being raced. Invictus, last year’s Gold winner will have a new driver, Philip Gofroth.  Last year’s second place airplane, Scarlet Screamer, will be flown by rookie racer Vito Wypraechtiger.  The third place airplane, Madness, is still in the capable hands of veteran racer Steve Temple. While Race #3, “Sly Dog,” last year’s fourth place airplane will not race this year.  

  

Credit Josh Martes

Caption: Lachie Onslow in Outrageous

Bipes

 Six very capable Biplane Rookies attended the Pylon Racing Seminar last month. Father and son team, Jake and Mike Stewart, flew their BiListic Biplane. Both of them will see flying time this year. Robert Caster  will be racing Jeff Lo’s Miss Diane which means that we will likely see Jeff Lo’s Miss Gianna in September. Great news for Biplane Fans! Rob flies for FlexJet and has many hours flying skydivers over the years.

Karl Grove continues the international theme mentioned above. He’s from the UK and now resides in Southern California. He raced Motorcross in his youth and just purchased Drag Racer from veteran Biplane Racer, Dennis Vest. While we are sorry to see Dennis go, we wish him the best and welcome Karl to the team.

Aaron Burhoe, another California based Rookie also raced motorcycles and will be there in September for the first time with his Pitts Special. Eric Zine recently purchased Jeff Watkin’s old plane, Devil in da’ Skies, and will be there in his newly christened, “Motorboat” in the fall.

Credit Josh Martes

Caption: Aaron Burhoe in his new racer

T6

The T6 Class had only one Rookie attending PRS this year. Ted Nixon is a FedEx pilot based in Memphis and will likely be joining the ranks in September. Several veterans joined in to hone their skills including Carter Clark, Dennis Buehn, Chris Rushing and Bruce Mayes. Jim Booth and Rick Seigfried did the instruction.

Tight racing is the way in T6, so we expect another good year from this class.

Sport Class

The international theme continued through the Sport Class with two Rookies from France joining us for the first time. Cristophe Delbos and Willy Gruhier will be flying a Diesel Powered NXT in September. They have been working with Kevin Eldredge, pilot of Relentless, to iron out their skills and get ready for Reno. There is a video of the Diesel NXT Racer on Kevin’s Slo Air, Inc. website – if you want to learn more.

Vicki Benzing and John Crow brought their Extras up to PRS to get certified. However, the Extra is not a Sport Class Aircraft. I understand they are looking for a competitive ride, now that they were bitten by the racing bug.

Returning racers working on their skills included Vince Walker, Tom Reynolds, and Dave Sterling in their Lancairs; Mike Dacey and Tony Crawford in their Questaire Ventures and George Giboney and John Parker in their Thunder Mustangs.

Wait until you see the spiffy new canopy on George Giboney’s Rapid Travel. It’s reminiscent of RotoFinish of days gone by. It looks like lots of little tweaks have been made during the off season by many teams. Can’t wait to see how this works out in September.

Credit: Ken Linde

Caption: Vince Walker, low and fast across the desert floor.

Unlimited

Four Rookies who are anything but Rookies in Warbirds, joined us for Unlimited PRS. Jay Consalvi was flying Doug Matthews gorgeous Corsair. Jay is no stranger to fame, being one of the stars in the movie, Speed and Angels. This is a film touted as the “real Top Gun” taking two young Navy Officers through their two and a half year journey from dogfights to their first wartime deployment. It’s a great film, I own it and have seen it several times. If you haven’t seen it – do so before September and then ask Jay for his autograph!

Credit: Ken Linde

Caption: Jay Consalvi with Rod Lewis hot on his tail

Rod Lewis, owner of Rare Bear was there in his TF-51 La Pistolero. He flew incredibly well and the hope is he and Stu Dawson will bring two Tigercats, Big Bossman and Here Kitty Kitty in September. Remember how you were hoping to see Bossman turning the sticks again? Now, you get TWO Tigercats. Thank Rod Lewis when you see him!

Chuck Greenhill, new owner of Furias brought his recently acquired P51, Lou IV (was American Beauty). Chuck wanted to see what the fuss was about, and he loved it! Mark Watt, veteran Warbird driver, pilot for Air Canada, Photographer and owner of Warbird Depot and all around great guy was a Rookie in Dreadnaught. The original idea was to have Mark fly Argonaut this year, but that may not be in the cards due to a chip light illumination. We are hoping that Mark gets to fly something in September, perhaps Chuck’s Lou IV. I’m quite sure Mark will find a ride. He flew a great line and had a terrific time at PRS.  

Credit Ken Linde

Caption: Mark “Rockstar” Watt in Dreadnaught

Stu Dawson has been listed as the Alternate Pilot for Rare Bear for years. He finally flew The Bear at PRS in June. He did great. I still give his first landing a 7 out of 10 although Stu scored himself lower. It was nice to see Rare Bear in the air. John Penney was there giving Stu tips and hints. It was a great time for everyone.

Jet

The Jet Class had more rookies than any other class. And, the new jets are interesting and fun to watch. Two Iskras were there and a Jet Provost named Spud. Thom Richards (of Sweden – keeping our International theme), last year’s IF1 Gold Champion attended in one of the Iskras. And Kiwi, John Kokshoorn, another IF1 transplant was there in his new L29. 

A very familiar name to Air Race Fans, Heather “Lucky” Penney, daughter of Bear Driver, John Penney was there in a friend’s L29. She flew a nice, tight course and will be there in September.

The Jet Provost, a fan favorite at PRS, was flown by veteran Warbird pilot, Steve Picatti. Although this is his first time at Reno as a pilot, he worked for several of the Unlimited Teams in the past, including Strega and Sumthin’ Else. 

The Jet Class will no longer be a L39 parade, there should be something for everyone in the class now. 

Credit: Ken Linde

Caption:Steve Picatti in Spud, the Jet Provost

Finally

Pilot Registration ended June 30^th. Next month, we will review some of the happenings in the classes. I can’t wait. It’s really shaping up to be another exciting year.

Did you buy your tickets yet? Did you get your hotel rooms?

Until next month, fly low, fly fast and turn left!

Marilyn Dash

Ruby Red Racing