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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 21, 2018
Racers Announced for the 55th STIHL National Championship Air Races
Reno, Nev. – The Reno Air Racing Association (RARA) is pleased to announce the highly-anticipated racing lineup for the 55th STIHL National Championship Air Races, scheduled September 12-16, 2018 at Reno-Stead Airport.
The event will feature six racing classes including Unlimited, Jet, Sport, T6, Formula One and Biplane, with speeds reaching over 500 miles per hour. Defending Gold champions returning this year include Rick Vandam flying American Spirit in the Jet Class, Jeff Lavelle flying Race 39 in the Sport Class, John Lohmar flying Radial Velocity in the T6 Class, Lowell Slatter flying Fraed Naught in the Formula One Class and Andrew Buehler flying Phantom in the Biplane Class.
Returning to Reno this year following long absences in the Unlimited Class are Brent Hisey flying Miss America, Mike Brown flying Goldfinger (formerly Risky Business) and Lady B, previously known as Bardahl Miss, will be flown by Michael Pfleger. Graeme Frew, flying Full Noise is returning to Reno for the second year in a row from New Zealand, and for the first time in decades a P63 Kingcobra will round the pylons at Reno.
“This is an exciting lineup of talented pilots flying beautiful planes, and we expect to see some close and competitive racing in all of the classes,” said Tony Logoteta, RARA COO. “We are really looking forward to welcoming back some teams that haven’t been to Reno in years and also seeing all of the members of this passionate racing community that follow our one-of-kind event.”
In the Unlimited class, the following racers are scheduled to participate:
| Brant Seghetti - Blondie |
| Brent Hisey - Miss America |
| Curt Brown - Sawbones |
| Dan Vance - Speedball Alice |
| Dennis Sanders - Eagle's Wings |
| Graeme Frew - Full Noise |
| Jim "JD" Dale - Pretty Polly |
| JP Thibodeau - Crusader |
| Joel Swager - Dreadnought |
| Mark Watt - 924G |
| Michael Pfleger - Lady B |
| Mike Brown - Goldfinger |
| Rob Gordan - Lady Jo |
| Sherman Smoot - Argonaut |
| Tom Nightingale - Bunny |
Pace Plane: Steve Hinton – T33-Pace
Alternate Pace: Kevin Eldridge
Safety: Robert Patterson – Wee Willy
Alternate Pilots:
Joe Thibodeau
Mark Moodie
In the Jet class, the following racers are scheduled to participate:
| Alexandre Eckmann - Race 37 |
| Bob McCormack - Athena |
| Charlie Camilleri - Blue Ice |
| J. Kevin Roll - Miss Independence |
| Jeff Turney - Robin 1 |
| Jim Beyer - Poky |
| Joe Gano - Sluggo |
| Lachie Onslow - Drop Bear |
| Larry Labriola - Sarance |
| Nathan Harnagel - Realty Czech |
| Pete Stavrides - American Patriot |
| Peter A. Zaccagnino - Just Lucky |
| Rick Vandam - American Spirit |
| Scott Farnsworth - Dash Force One |
| Vicky Benzing - Darkstar II |
| Zachary McNeill - Invictus |
Pace Plane: Jay Obernolte – The Mistress
Alternate Pilots:
Doug Matthews
Michael Pflegar
Michael Stieger
In the Sport class, the following racers are scheduled to participate:
| Abe Gaskins - Under Dog |
| Andrew Findlay - One Moment |
| Bill Koleno - Joker |
| Bob Mills - Mojo |
| Chiwami Takagi-Read - Legacy |
| Dan West - Whiskey Tango |
| Dave Morss - Martins Legacy |
| David Robinson - Desert Lightning |
| David Sterling - No Name |
| Elliot Seguin - Wasabinought |
| Ernie O. Sutter - Jus Pass'n Thru |
| George Catalano - Bigger Dingo |
| James Stringer - Rocket Six |
| Jason Rovery - Sport 76 |
| Jeff Lavelle - Race 39 |
| Jessy Panzer - Cruse Missile |
| Jim Rust - Race 24 |
| John Flanagan - Greenstreak |
| Karl Grove - GA 1 |
| Kirk Murphy - Papa's Ride |
| Lee Ulrich - General Lee |
| Louis Gabriel - Blind Luck |
| Marc Frederickson - Tenacity |
| Mathias Haid - Clas Thunder I |
| Matt Beaubien - Low Motion |
| Neil Wischer - Triple 8 |
| Paul Downing - Sport 36 |
| Peter A. Zaccagnino - Coming In Hot |
| Peter Balmer - Swiss Thunder |
| Richard Ogg - Neverbird |
| Scott Prewitt - Phantom Rocket |
| Sean Vanhatten - Havoc |
| Skylor Piper - Miss Ruby S. |
| Tom McNerney - Unleashed |
| Vicky Benzing - Lucky Too |
| Vince Walker - Modo Mio |
Pace Plane:
Bob Mills – El Toro
Rick Vandam - Phoenix
Alternate Pace Pilots:
Kevin Eldredge
Mark Johnson
Michael Steiger
Alternate Pilots:
Dan Ballin
Jay Adams
In the T-6 class, the following racers are scheduled to participate:
| Bill Muszala - Miss Ellaneous |
| Chris Lefave - Bare Essentials |
| Chris Rushing - Barons Revenge |
| Dennis Buehn - Midnight Miss III |
| Eric Woelbing - Miss TNT |
| Gene McNeely - Baby Boomer |
| Greg McNeely - Undecided |
| John Lohmar - Radial Velocity |
| Lee Oman - Eros |
| Michael Pfleger - Miss Informed |
| Nick S. Macy - Six-Cat |
| Pete Stavrides - Gotcha! |
| Ralph J. Rina - Miss Humboldt Hunny |
| Vic McMann - Gunslinger |
| Vitaly Pecherskyy - Abracadabra |
| William Walker III - Big Red |
Pace Plane: Rick Siegfried – T6 Pace
Alternate Pilots:
Joey “Gordo” Sanders
Kevin Sutterfield
Mike Scott
Rob Sanberg
In the Formula One class, the following racers are scheduled to participate:
| Anders Trygg - Miss Eve |
| Casey Erickson - ACME Special |
| Eric Gavin - Sonic Zoom |
| Jason Barksdale - Tony the Tiger |
| Jerry Marshall - Tumbleweed |
| Jim Jordan - Miss Min |
| Justin Meaders - Limitless |
| Justin Phillipson - No Strings Attached |
| Justin Phillipson - Sleeper |
| Kent Jackson - Once More |
| Lio V. Mougel - Hysteria |
| Lowell Slatter - Fraed Naught |
| Matthew Coughlin - Judy |
| Merce Marti - Heat Stroke |
| Paul Newman - Fast and Easy |
| Phllip Goforth - Annie |
| Rob Michie - Sassy Sangoma |
| Ross Killin - The Kraken |
| Ryszard Zadow - Last Lap Player |
| Scott Holmes - Outlaw |
| Steve Senegal - Endeavor |
| Steve Temple - Outrageous |
| Steve Tumlin - Feisty |
In the Biplane class, the following racers are scheduled to participate:
| Alan Hoover - There Be Dragons |
| Andrew Buehler - Mistress |
| Andrew Buehler - Phantom |
| Anthony Oshinuga - Black Hawk |
| Casey Erickson - The Batplane |
| Eric Zine - Yellow Fever |
| Jeffrey Lo - Miss Dianne |
| John A. D'Alessandris - RB Special |
| Marie-Claire Laberge - The Yellow Bomber |
| Robert Austen - FReaKY |
| Sam Swift - Smokin' Hot |
| Scott McDonald - Christen Eagle |
| Scott Thompson - Second Hand |
| Tommy Suell - PlaneJunkies |
| "Tony" Minoru Higa - Tango Tango |
Racing qualifications for all classes will start on Sunday, September 9th at 8:00 a.m. and end on Wednesday, September 12th. Racing will begin the afternoon of Wednesday, September 12th. Tickets are on sale for the 55th annual STIHL National Championship Air Races held September 12-16, 2018 at Reno Stead Airport. For more information, to purchase tickets or to volunteer, visit http://www.airrace.org/.
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About the Reno Air Racing Association:
The Reno Air Racing Association (RARA), a 501(c)(3), holds the National Championship Air Races every September just north of Reno. The Reno Air Races have become an institution for northern Nevada and aviation enthusiasts from around the world. Independent economic impact studies have shown that our event generates as much as $91.7 million annually for our local economy. The event features six racing classes, a large display of static aircraft and several military and civilian flight demonstrations. For more information on the National Championship Air Races, to obtain media credentials, volunteer or purchase tickets for this year’s event, visit www.airrace.org.