The 2019 Sport Gold races are shaping up to be one of the most competitive and fastest groups of pilots and airplanes we have ever had in the class. The rate at which these teams are developing systems to gain an advantage on their fellow racers is nothing short of amazing. Our class has always tried to be inclusive of everyone, not exclusive to only those directly involved. We realized that if you are not out in the hangar everyday trying to develop a new system, you might be somewhat ‘out of the loop’ regarding other teams progress. This post is an attempt to briefly capture some highlights, include all of the teams and fans alike, from the Sport Gold airplanes that are racing in 2019. In no particular order, here is a quick recap:
Jeff LaVelle (#39) has a fresh engine and is ready to push hard. Have they found more speed in the off-season; will he use the NOS system that fellow racer Todd Rudberg is developing to get around Andy in One Moment? We’ll all find out on Sunday!
Kevin Eldredge (#42) is bringing a fresh race engine and some cute little turbos (sarcasm) on that sleek looking, single seat NXT! How fast can Relentless go with a strong Lycoming engine?
Peter Balmer (#67) is bringing the baddest Flaconer V12 ever built. Can he set a new Thunder Mustang speed record and crack 400mph? Early testing has been reported to be pretty good!
Mathais Haid (#151) has a 5 blade MT Propeller on the Thunder Mustang that looks awesome. Will it be enough to keep the Thunder Mustang in the Gold Heat?
Lynn Farnsworth (#44) is back with a fresh Chiavetta engine and airframe rebuild during the few years it has been away. Can it get to the record setting speeds of 390+ like before?
(Older photo, couldn’t find a current one)
Jim Rust and Robbie Grove (#24) have got their Glasair dialed in after an incredible 2018 debut and may be the sleeper in the mix. Not only is the engine rumored to be running well, but the Glasair landing gear issues that were bothersome last year look to be solved also. What tricks do they have that we haven’t seen yet?
Sean Vanhatten (#3) has a twin turbo 580 Glasair but how much boost will he run?!?! Can he make the big step in the debut year of Havoc Air Racing?
Bob Mills (#47) is ready to push Mojo as hard as ever, and has lots of refinements, but can he stay in front of VanHatten and Rust in the Glasair battle?
Conrad Huffstutler (#90) is bringing Lancair Breathless back, can the Fattest legacy use its reliable normally aspirated engine to outlast all the turbo experiments? The airframe has been proven to be one of the fastest. Will it and Conrad make the gold and push a Thunder Mustang to the Silver?
Karl Grove (#181) had the time this off-season to refine his systems and sponsors like Swisstrax. Will he put the boost to his Super Legacy and make the Gold?
Andy Findlay (#30) is bringing his reigning Champion Super Legacy named One Moment back with some huge Turbonetics turbo improvements (read: they barely fit in the cowling..) but will it be enough to stay in front of Jeff LaVelle in 39?
Photo Credit: Curtis Noble https://www.curtisnoblephotography.com/aviation
Follow real time results all week at reports.airrace.org
