There are new planes and old friends joining us this year. The Unlimited Class will have a full field for the first time since 2007. New entries include Odegaards’ newest Corsair, #74 with the massive R-4360 powerplant. This aircraft was owned and raced by Cook Cleland back in the Cleveland Air Race days. This will be the second F2G the Odegaards have restored and raced. Many of you will remember the Super Corsair, #57 from a few years ago. This one is beautiful and should not disappoint any of the Corsair fans out there.
Another exciting return after a short hiatus is September Fury – yes #232 is scheduled to be at Reno again this year. This fan favorite is currently owned by Rod Lewis and is in Chino getting some final race preparations. It will be good to see our old friend rounding the pylons again. So far, no pilot has officially been named, but we have ideas about who it will be. (Hint... He's a HOOT!)
Yes, that's 232 getting some race prep by the magicians in Chino
Precious Metal will be back this year with Thom Richard as the pilot. The aircraft was purchased shortly before PRS in June and Thom arrived with the entire crowd cheering for him. PM will have some new paint and a few minor tweaks and should be faster than ever. Congrats to Team Thom!
One more returning racer is Furias – Bill Roger’s old Sea Fury is now owned by Chuck Greenhill and is in the capable hands of Sanders’ Aeronautics, getting ready for the much anticipated unveiling in September. Matt Jackson is scheduled to be the pilot. We look forward to seeing what this beauty will do after the rebuild.
With the usual suspects scheduled to be there, Strega having made some minor off season changes and Voodoo in the capable hands of Will Whiteside, these two Mustangs will likely be battling for the front with Rare Bear piloted this year by Stewart Dawson. The Bear looks better than ever.
Beyond 232 and Rare Bear, Rod Lewis will also be bringing El Jefe with a new paint job. My best guess is he will likely pilot El Jefe himself – he attended PRS with Here Kitty Kitty for practice.
Rod Lewis getting some practice in one of his beautiful Tigercats during PRS
More Sea Fury action from Dreadnought and Argonaut will have Dennis Sanders primary on Dread and Mark Watt primary on Argo. But there are plenty of alternate pilots in that mix. Korey Wells will see some time in Argo and Brian Sanders will probably get a few laps in on Dread. They are building both race planes and race pilots in Ione these days. And don’t forget - Sawbones will be back with Dan Vance in the pilot’s seat. Dan had raced 911 September Pops for years when it was owned by Mike Brown. Happy to see Dan back behind a round engine!
Argonaut being flown by rookie Korey Wells and Precious Metal flown by Unlimited Rookie Thom Richard at PRS in June.
Brand new to the lineup is John O’Connor’s “Blue Angel” Bearcat. John owned American Beauty which was raced by Fred Cabanas back in 2008. This time Nelson Ezell will be in the cockpit. It will be nice to have him back after a short vacation.
Czech Mate was listed as possible - but is closer to doubtful right now. They are working with many brilliant minds to make sure the Little Yak will be able to structurally handle the incredible speeds she has been seeing over the last few years.
And now for you Ghost fans… yes, the Galloping Ghost is on the list – with Jimmy Leeward as the pilot. I love to see the fan reaction to this news. So many people are pulling for this one – hopefully we will see her full potential this year.
Doug Matthews will bring both his warbirds, The Rebel – his pristine P-51 and his Corsair – which will likely be flown by rookie John Currenti.
Another busy racer will be John Maloney. He is currently listed as the pilot for the FW-190, Boise Bee and Steadfast. Plus, if you know John – he’ll be lending a hand to assist other crews all week. He is certainly not someone to sit idly by.
Speaking of Boise Bee, this is the new P-51B from the Paul family. The word from John Curtiss is they will be bringing both P-40s (Sneak Attack and Parrothead) and the Bee. Jim Thomas, John Curtiss and John Maloney will take turns flying these entries.
Having avoided several tornadoes by just a few miles, Brent Hisey will be back with his beauty, Miss America. The Eberhardt family will be there with Merlin’s Magic. Sparky and the Jelly Belly will be in the lineup as well as Speedball Alice and Lady Jo.
The Usual Suspects will be there, plus a few exciting new entries
Not sure how many aircraft Chuck Greenhill will bring above and beyond Furias. Both Geraldine and Lou IV are entered. Dave Morss will have both Polar Bear and the T28 called “The Bear”. Air Biscuit will be there also with Tom Camp.
I think I covered everyone on my list. But as I said, things change rapidly as we approach the races.
Sport Class
Just a teaser for you Sport Class fans out there… They have a full field, which will be three heats of 9 airplanes each. The other good news is they will have 5 new engines racing this year. This includes 2 V-8s, a Mazda Rotary, an M-14P Radial and a French Diesel from Team Big Frog. Also, the “Metal Mafia” is back – including several Harmon and F1 Rockets. And of course, Cantina Owner Dick Ogg will be there in Plastic Piglet.
One of the new Sport Class Rookies flying the Radial Rocket, powered by the M-14P
It’s shaping up to be a great year and next month we will review the other classes and pick some favorites to win. If you haven’t already purchased your tickets and secured your hotel and rental car, now is the time. Can’t wait to see you all there!
Marilyn Dash
Ruby Red Racing
Special thanks to Anthony Taylor of Warbird Fotos for use of his photographs from PRS!
