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Reno Recap - Part 2

Reno Recap - Close Racing 2010

Last month we looked at some of the highlights and lowlights of the 2010 National Championship Air Races in Reno, NV. This month, I wanted to look at some of the lesser known stories and answer some of the questions being asked by the fans.

There was some amazing racing going on, but not always for the Gold. How many of you were able to catch some of these epic races hidden away in the background.

Sport Class

In the Sport Class Silver, there was a three way race for third which was nothing short of amazing. Bob Jeffrey had 1st place all wrapped up with Scott Nelson nipping at his heels. Did you see the race for third? This was between Dave Morss, Earl Hibler and Pete Zaccagnino. The final results had them crossing the finish line in less than 2 seconds between them. The race was close, but not the closest of the week.

Dave Morss was flying his personal aircraft because his project for Team Driven was unavailable in time for the races. While we anxiously await the new ride, we appreciate the fact that Dave made this year’s races VERY close – in more than one class.

I should also mention two of my favorites in this race. Rick Vandam flew my friend’s Glasair. Rob Monaghan has been announcing for the Sport and Super Sport Classes for several years now. He has built two Glaisairs and is an integral member of the Sport Class. Unfortunately, for professional reasons is not able to race, but his aircraft is not under such restrictions. He had long time Reno Racer, Rick Vandam flying his plane for him this year.

My other favorite in this race is Dick Ogg in his Glasair. Dick is finishing up his tenure with this aircraft and preparing his Lancair Legacy to race in the future. While not currently finishing up front, his plans are to be more competitive in his new aircraft. More on this as it gets closer to completion.



Credit: Tim Adams
Caption: Some of the best racing comes out of this hangar

Jets - Silver

The Gold Jet Race was all about Curt Brown in the front and Mike Mangold trailing closely behind. But, if you saw the Jets Silver Race, you would have seen a gaggle of L29s mixing it up the entire race. In fact, during the first race of the series, the Jet Provost came out of nowhere to pass them all. But, on the final race on Sunday, it was three L29s flying aggressively to the finish.

Thom Richard was far ahead in his Iskra, Cliff Magee in a close 2nd place in his L-39 and then Heather Penney, daughter of John Penney, finished ahead of John Kopkshoom and Greg McNutt – even with a cut pylon. Thom bumped to the Jet Gold, so Cliff was given the win. However, the racing in this class between these relatively stock L29s was a whole lot of fun to watch.



Credit: Bruce Croft
Caption: L29s providing close racing in the Jet Class Silver

Biplane Bronze

Last month, I mentioned the Biplane Bronze as some of the best racing out there. Since we are talking about close races, I wanted to make sure I brought it up again. The picture below shows four of the six aircraft crossing the finish within half a second. This was some outstanding flying and some very exciting racing.



Credit: Tim O’Brien
Caption: Some of the best racing was in the Biplane Class

T6 Silver

It always seems the great race is for third. This time, in the T6 Silver there was Chris Rushing in Honesty Entry followed closely by Ken Gottschall and Chip Woods. Chip and Ken finished within .16 second, which means they were likely elbow to elbow crossing the line.

T6 racing is always close because of the nature of the class. Relatively stock aircraft – so similar in speeds and set up make for some interesting finishes.



Credit: Matty Ratliff
Caption: Historically the T-6 Class has provided very close racing

Unlimited Silver – the Battle of the Mustangs

This year, the Unlimited Silver race became the Battle of the Mustangs. We had Rob Patterson in Lady Jo, Brant Seghetti in Sparky, Mark Watt in Geraldine, Dave Morss in Jerry Gabe’s Polar Bear, Rob Gordon in Speedball Alice and Dan Martin in Sal Rubino’s Grim Reaper. This was a close race and so much fun to watch.
Rob Patterson bumped to Gold and John-Curtiss Paul finished behind the Mustangs in his P-40N, Parrothead followed by Doug Matthews in his gorgeous Corsair.

Because the Unlimited Gold was unable to run due to the weather, this was the race to watch – and what a race it was.



Credit: Bruce Croft
Caption: The Battle of the Mustangs, Polar Bear and Geraldine

Unlimited Bronze

I know you are going to think I’m crazy, but the race between the Wildcat, “Air Biscuit” and the T-28, “The Bear” was some of the best of the weekend. Again we see Dave Morss battling it out, this time for second place, with long time air racer, Brian Sanders in Tom Camp’s Wildcat. I’ve spoken to several people about this race and have to say, if you missed it – you must have been sleeping. They were wingtip to wingtip nearly the entire race. It looked like fun from the ground; I bet it was even more fun in the air.

The race was won by Jim McKinstry in the Yak 3 known as Shiska Su’ka. Chuck Greenhill in his stock Mustang, Lou IV and John Maloney in the FW190 finished behind Dave and Brian. There will be more in an upcoming column about the FW190. Stay tuned – because you don’t want to miss this.

Questions and Answers

Before the races, we have “silly season” when rumors are flying and stories are told. After the races, we have a different type of season – this is more along the lines, “did you hear…”. I want to answer some of the questions which came up after the races were over and clear up as much as I can.

Yes, John Penney and Dave Cornell have both retired from the Rare Bear team. This was not really news – because before the races started, both had said this would be their last year. No drama, no screaming matches as the rumor mill would like you to believe. It was handled professionally and with great forethought.

Next year, the Rare Bear will have a new pilot. The front runner for that seat is Stewart Dawson, but nothing official has been announced. Dawson has been listed as the Alternate Pilot for several years and is quite capable of the job. He also attended PRS last year in Rare Bear.

Lots of questions were also running around about Darryl Greenamyer. Darryl did not make it for 2010, but that is because of engine trouble on the race plane which could not be repaired in time to make the races. The team intends to make 2011 – so don’t fret.

As of now, 2011 is looking great. We have new racers being built or modified in nearly every class. All of the Unlimited Gold contenders were ready to race on Sunday, which means they should all be ready for 2011. The Super Sport has another year to make things happen, and I know they will.

Until next month, don’t forget to Fly Low, Fly Fast and Turn Left.

Marilyn Dash
Ruby Red Racing

Reno Recap 2010

Gone with the Wind…

Have you ever looked forward to something, a once in a lifetime vacation perhaps – and when you can just about see the brass ring, you blink and it’s gone. Anticipation followed merely by disappointment is hard to reconcile.

That is how I felt after the Reno Air Races of 2010 came to a close. Mother Nature took the wind out of our sails and threw it back at us, with a vengeance. All of the preparation and handwringing ended, not with a crescendo – but with a whimper and a sigh.



The flags tell the story – a horrendous windstorm changes history
Credit: Joanne Murray

The Records

Don’t get me wrong, there was plenty of good. Four classes set new qualifying records. The Biplane’s Tom Aberle set another record with his amazing racer, Phantom. This time he was just over 260 mph. He managed yet another victory. And his crew told me that he still has more. How much more? I don’t know – but I can’t wait to find out.

The T6 Class also had a qualifying record. Nick Macy in Six-Cat went nearly 245 mph. As we look at those two records, did you ever think a Biplane would be 15 mph faster than the fastest T6? I bet Tom Aberle did. He is like a modern day mad scientist with his racer.

Sport Class set a new record also with Jeff LaVelle going over 362 mph. Best thing to happen to the Sport Class in a long time. More on this below.

The other class to set a qualifying record was the Jet Class. Now, I know we’ve discussed this before, but wasn’t there a speed limit on the Jet course? At first, I remember it being around 500 mph, then 515, then 525 – then 535 … well Curt Brown set another record – this time at nearly 545 mph. Holy cow that was fast. It looked fast sitting in the stands, it looked fast in the Valley of Speed – and I have a funny feeling there is more zoom left in that aircraft also.

IF1

The Formula Class has been experiencing some adjustments over the last couple years. However, this year I saw several shining moments. A few former and current racers shared with me their plans for ultra-cool-new-designs which will liven up the Class. I’ll share more on these in the coming months.

Endeavor took the Gold this year. The third time overall and the second time with the current owner. It appears Steve Senegal has finally dialed-in himself and his racer to the right station. Philip Goforth was poised to make the Gold an exciting race, but Mother Nature intervened and he headed off the runway during the wretched windswept start on Sunday. Vito Wypraechtiger took Phil’s place to finish second and Jethro Bodine in Miss Demeanor (also owned by Senegal) took third. I’m still scratching my head with that one – because Miss De was in the Bronze a short time ago.

Biplanes

Maybe I’m biased, but some of the best racing this year was definitely in the Biplane Class. For us, a full field is 24 competitors. We only had 19 this year – which resulted in three racers competing for the Bronze and six volunteers in a “demo race”. The only rules were – don’t hit each other and stay behind the first three. Not an easy feat - believe me.



Some of the closest racing in years – four Biplanes crossing the Finish
Credit = Tim O’Brien

Sport and Super Sport Class

For a class that is usually bullet-proof, they had twice their share of troubles this year. First Kevin Eldredge had an overspeed and the prop basically exploded while on the course. The oil filter housing seemed to have broken from the engine – the oil pressure dropped, the governor had no oil, the prop went into overspeed and departed the aircraft and the engine seized. That was the good news – now, without a prop, he had to figure out how to land it. Think of the CG issues you would have if you lost 20-50 pounds of prop!?



Kevin’s Prop – after the overspeed
Credit: Jason Fisher

In an incredible act of pilotage, Kevin brought her down safely on 14 and the CFR team was there in seconds – to put out the resultant fire. The crowds were treated with a view of the carnage in the Pits all week. An engine with a giant gaping hole, a prop hub with three stubs where blades used to be and a cowl with a section missing.

The GP-5, which was met with such fan fair, made metal half way through the week and was a scratch. Poky was out with metal and the Super Sport started to look rather sparse. Then there was the Thunder Mustangs. John Parker put a nice size hole in the case of his first engine earlier in the week and put on his old engine which he set records with earlier this year. And dear George Giboney’s Rapid Travel won the Super Sport Heat on Saturday fell victim to a Mayday and a wind deterred deadstick to runway 26 on Sunday. The saddest part of the week was watching George try to make the runway, fall short and tumble through the sage brush – parts flying everywhere.

The best part of the week was watching George get out of his once beautiful racer and wave to the crowd. I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to see someone. I never found out what happened to the engine. I guess it doesn’t matter now. George, if you read this – I’m so happy you’re okay!

The Regular Sport Class was equally jinxed. Vickie Benzing flying Vicki Cruse’s Glasair had another overspeed after winning the Silver the day before. Several of the Sport Classes had to move up to the Super to make it work.

Oh, and Mike Dacey won the Super Sport in the Questair Venture. Proving he was right, that aircraft was worth sticking with and the naysayers were wrong.
Congrats, Mike!

Jeff LaVelle is my new hero getting his Glasair III to go over 362 in qualifying. That was faster than any of the Super Sport Qualifiers.


The beautiful Rapid Travel before her final Mayday
Credit Tim O’Brien

Unlimited

This I know for sure, Jimmy Leeward is a showman. He brought his renewed racer in on Sunday and probably did 47 low passes to the delight of anyone on the field. Anyone on the field who wasn’t in a pilot brief like I was. Sigh. But alas – the crowd loved it.

For whatever reason, Jimmy failed to qualify during any of the sessions available to him, which meant he had to start at the back of the Medallion and race his way up to the Gold by winning each heat; which he did – easily.

Voodoo qualified well, but during Heat 3A on Saturday – Will called a Mayday when the engine “just shut off”. The Voodoo Crew spent the next 23.5 hours thrashing to get ready for the Gold.

Strega qualified at the top and seemed to be coasting along having a great week. Tiger seemed happy, content, and relaxed.

Rare Bear hid in the Cave all week, but when she appeared, Mr. Penney knew what to do. John finished 2nd in the Gold Heat 3A and didn’t seem to sweat a thing. Brent Hisey in Miss America was back in the Gold, John Maloney brought Steadfast in with a fourth place finish on Saturday and Stewart Dawson and Rod Lewis flew the two beautiful Tigercats on both sides of Bill Eberhardt in Merlin’s Magic.

So, Saturday’s Gold Heat 3A ended just like that – Strega, Rare Bear, Miss America, Steadfast, Here Kitty Kitty, Merlin’s Magic and El Jefe -- With Will Whiteside in Voodoo as a DNF. Galloping Ghost would have joined them in the Gold on Sunday and Robbie Patterson would be there too in Lady Jo.

Now, why is she telling us so much about what happened on Saturday? Well, because Sunday never happened. The old saying about it’s better to be on the ground wishing you were in the air than to be in the air wishing you were on the ground – well that was Sunday.

I raced on Sunday and it was AWFUL. The F1s and the Bipes started on 32 and we worked with a quartering tailwind which sent two F1s off the runway and nearly tossed at least two Bipes. Looking back, I wish we hadn’t flown that morning. It was ghastly out there and wasn’t fun.

The T6 Gold and the Unlimited made the right decision. I know for the fans, it was a major disappointment. But it was the right decision. We now know that we have 8 racers ready to rock and roll and this makes 2011 look great already!

More next month … until then..

Fly Low, Fly Fast and Turn Left.

Marilyn Dash
Ruby Red Racing



Jimmy Leeward, the Showman
Credit: Bruce Croft



Rod Lewis changed Big Mr. Bossman to El Jefe – love the noseart
Credit: Bruce Croft



Ruby wore her new shoes in honor of Al Goss and Warlock
Credit = Anthony Taylor

Reno Updates

Qualifications have begun.

Ruby and I qualified yesterday - at first, we thought the # was 183.55 - and we were THRILLED. Now it seems they have changed our number online to 176.xx -- we are still thrilled.



Credit: Anthony Taylor

Gotta run - pilot brief.

Reno Update

Galloping Ghost with Jimmy Leeward



GP5 to be flown by Lee Behel



More coming...

Reno On-Site Reporting

On the field as of last night...

Wildcat - Brian Sanders
Dreadnaught - Matt Jackson
Geraldine - Mark Watt
Lou iv - Chuck Greenhill
El Jefe (aka Bossman) - Rod Lewis
Here Kitty Kitty - Stu Dawson
FW190 - John Maloney
Miss America - Dr. Hisey
And of course..
Rare Bear - John Penney/Stu Dawson

That is all - but .. it's still early.


Credit: Anthony Taylor


Credit: Anthony Taylor


Credit: Ken Linde


Credit: Ken Linde


Ruby News
40% of the Ruby Crew is on site. Finished Tech. Working out kinks. Will likely fly later today.

All is well.

Are you ready for some Reno?

As I write this, we have just a few weeks to go before the racers, crews, friends, family and fans migrate to the desert to watch the 47th National Championship Air Races at Reno, NV. Since we covered the entries in detail last month, I wanted to share with you a few points of interest for this year, some guesses and a bit of trivia for the long time fans.

What to look for in 2010 - Galloping Ghost

This historic racer has been racing off and on since 1946 when Bruce Raymond and Steve Beville bought her from Army Surplus. The aircraft was named The Galloping Ghost in honor of the University of Illinois and Chicago Bears football star Harold "Red" Grange.

She has raced under several names since then including Miss Candace Jeannie, Spectre and Leeward Air Ranch Special. This year, she will be back as the Galloping Ghost with long time racer, Jimmy Leeward in the pilot seat. Her long awaited return has the fans chomping at the bit. She should be fast, she should be sleek and she should be beautiful! Good luck to Jimmy!

How many names/aircraft has Jimmy flown at Reno? (Trivia Answers at the end of the article)

Voodoo

How many pilots have raced Voodoo (or Voodoo Chile) at the Reno Air Races? And, can you name them?

This year, we will see Will Whiteside back in the driver’s seat. Last year’s late arrival of veteran warbird guru, Bill Kerchenfaut had some success, but a last minute engine issue caused Voodoo to pull out of the Gold Race on Sunday. This year Kerch has had more time to go over the air frame and to use his magic wand, er wrench – to make magic happen. Let’s see what they can do this year.

What was the best finish for Voodoo over the years – at Reno – in the Gold Sunday Final? And, who was the pilot?


Rare Bear


Caption: Rare Bear has her new racing engine – is that enough to be Strega?
Credit: Rob “Phred” Miller



The long awaited Cornell Racing Engine has arrived and the new crew is getting Rare Bear ready for action. This year, John Penney will share flying duties with Stu Dawson.

This is the first year Rod Lewis will have his engine program, his pilot program and his crew program all working together on the Rare Bear. Does this mean it’s Rare Bear’s year? Time will tell.

How many pilots have raced Rare Bear and can you name them?

Super Sport -- GP-5


The rules were changed last year to create a larger differentiation between Sport and Super Sport. Super Sport is no longer 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. While no new designs made it last year, this year we have an amazing new racer, the GP-5.

George Pereira, of Osprey Aircraft designed this all wood aircraft starting around 1987. This is the only one in existence. A single place retractable gear speedster, it looks very slick indeed.


Caption: The GP-5 will make her debut at Reno this year in Super Sport
Credit: Lee Behel


The prototype was sold to and completed by George Backovich who with the help of the designer George Pereira. It was finished in 2007. The aircraft was specifically built to race at the Reno Air Races in the Unlimited Division – however, the weight limitation pushed it off the radar for the Unlimiteds and the recent rule change pushed it right into the Super sport Class.

The engine is an aluminum racing version of a small block Chevy estimated to be about 600 hp.

Projected speeds are in the 350 – 375 mph range. She’s a beauty and looks fast sitting on the ground.

Lee Behel works incredibly hard to keep the Sport Class interesting and innovative. It makes sense that he would revive the GP-5 and take the pilot seat. Good luck, Lee. We can’t wait to see your new ride.

Predictions
Unlimited Division


What can I say, it’s Strega’s race to win or lose. If the last two years are any indication, the reliability of the Merlin Engines has been solved. If the team falters slightly, Rare Bear and Voodoo are ready to take the Gold.


Caption: Voodoo is ready for anything this year
Credit: Rob “Phred” Miller



T6 Class

This one is another toss-up. I see Dennis Buehn as the favorite, with Nick Macy and John Zayac making his life miserable. These aircraft are so closely matched; it’s really anyone’s game.


Caption: John Zayac will be one to beat in the T-6 Class
Credit: Rob “Phred” Miller


Super Sport

While the GP-5 is an interesting story, I believe this race is between the two Thunder Mustangs, Kevin Eldredge in Relentless and Mike Dacey in Bad Intentions. I see qualifying speeds hovering around the 400 mph mark. This will be one to watch.

Sport Class

This year, I think it’s time for Lee Behel to shake his demons and win the Sport Gold in Breathless. Dave Sterling and Jeff LeVelle will make it interesting and keep him honest.

Jets

This year, more new jets will be there. The return of the Vampire and the Iskra and Provost from PRS will add color. But, they will not be in the winner’s circle. This year, I’m picking Mike Mangold to beat his nemesis Curt Brown to get his first Gold win.

IF1

This year, it’s all Invictus. Last year’s winner will be back with a new pilot, but is still the favorite to take the win.


Caption: My pick to win the IF1 Gold this year, Invictus
Credit: Rob “Phred” Miller


Biplanes

Tom Aberle and Jeff Lo will battle it out for the Gold in the Biplane Class. These two great competitors will make it interesting.

Reno Racing Trivia

How many names/aircraft has Jimmy Leeward flown at Reno?

Jimmy Leeward has flown Miss Florida, Cloud Dancer, Lou IV, Spectre, Precious Bear, Air Ranch Special and #24 Corsair in the Unlimiteds, as well as Speed Dancer and Fire Cat in the Jets.

How many pilots have raced Voodoo (Chile) at the Reno Air Races? And, can you name them?

Five different pilots have raced Voodoo (Chile) - they include Curt Brown, Bob Button, Matt Jackson, Bob Hannah and Sherman Smoot. In 1997 Bob Hannah qualified Voodoo Chile but was unable to continue racing her that week. Sherman Smoot stepped in and finished third in the Bronze.

What was the best finish for Voodoo over the years – at Reno – in the Gold Sunday Final? And, who was the pilot?

The best finish was in 2002 when Matt Jackson finished 3rd in the Gold on Sunday.

How many pilots have raced Rare Bear and can you name them?

Lyle Shelton and John Penney, of course. Also Ron Buccarelli and Matt Jackson raced Rare Bear. Matt Jackson was in the back of the Pace Plane a few years ago when John Penney couldn't get the gear down and many feel Matt's experience in the Bear made the difference in getting her down safely.

Special Thanks

Thanks to Rob “Phred” Miller again for the use of his photos. And thanks to Gary Williams for his research and passion for the Air Races. And thanks to Team Ruby and the friends from the World Famous Cantina for helping me make it to Reno every year. And a very special THANKS to my sponsors this year. You have all made my life easier, to say the least.

Please make an effort to stop by Ruby’s Pitts Pit to say hello.

Final Thoughts

Before he passed in 2000 Steve Beville reflected on The Galloping Ghost's accomplishments during the Cleveland racing era. "We raced in every race we could and finished every race we started. We came to the party to dance and danced with what we brung. We finished no worse than fourth and even won a couple of races along the way. Not too bad for two farm boys from Indiana."

We should all be so lucky!

See you in Reno!

Marilyn Dash
Ruby Red Racing