News

Jan
15
One Step Closer! – National Championship Air Races 2021

James Stringer January 15, 2021

(Copied from Reno Air Racing Association Press Release) UPDATE! The Reno Air Racing Association (RARA) announced today that following the successful “Save The Races” fundraising campaign that ran from Nov. 13–Dec. 31, 2020 the National Championship Air Races will be returning for its 57th year Sept. 15–19, 2021 pending COVID-19 restrictions. “After canceling the 2020 event we found ourselves with a significant financial loss that we knew would be a tremendous challenge to overcome, but with the support of the air racing community, the RARA Board of Directors and STOL pilot Trent Palmer we were able to raise over $460,000 of our $500,000 goal,” said Fred Telling, CEO of RARA. “With the evolving health situation we will continue to follow the guidelines set by officials and are optimistic that by September we will have the resources needed to ensure the show is both safe to attend and can deliver on the exceptional experience the National Championship Air Races are known for.” By nearly reaching the $500,000 goal RARA will be able to make adjustments and resume the planning process for the event while still moving forward with new fundraising opportunities to make up the difference. “We are thrilled to bring the air races back to Reno and reunite our September family,” said Tony Logoteta, COO of RARA. “While we still need to bridge the financial gap and have a lot of work ahead of us it’s nice to have something to look forward to after such a difficult year. We are incredibly grateful for everyone’s support and are committed, as always, to putting on a spectacular event in 2021.”

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Nov
13
RARA’s fundraising campaign to “Save The Races” sets a goal of raising $500,000 by the end of 2020

James Stringer November 13, 2020

RENO, Nev. (November 13, 2020) – After the heartache of canceling the 2020 National Championship Air Races due to COVID-19, the Reno Air Racing Association (RARA) is determined to bring the world’s fastest motorsport back to the high desert of Northern Nevada in 2021, but it won’t be possible without additional support. RARA, a charitable 501(c)3, is asking for help by launching a fundraising campaign to “Save The Races” with the goal of raising $500,000 by the end of the year. “Canceling was not a decision that was made lightly, and the repercussions have been significant both fiscally and emotionally. We greatly missed our September Family but safety and following Nevada’s restrictions on gathering size unquestionably had to be our priority as we sought to preserve the long-term viability of the Reno Air Races,” said Fred Telling, CEO of RARA. “We are doing everything in our power to make next year happen but we can’t do it alone. We’re asking our fans and supporters to help show 2020 that it won’t get the best of us, that we will continue the legacy of this event for many years to come.” Read more …

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Feb
6
NCAR 2019 – Sport Class Gold & Silver race starts

James Stringer February 6, 2020

This video was shot from the L39 pace plane during the start of each of the Silver and Gold class races. It’s not the greatest quality, as it was all shot from Tom’s cell phone sitting on the canopy rail of the L39. However, it gives a sense of how exciting it is coming down the chute in line abreast at race speed just as the race is starting.

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Sep
8
2019 Gold Predictions

Tom McNerney September 8, 2019

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? https://www.facebook.com/relentless42 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? Photo Credit: https://www.picdeer.co/media/1873963747354148147_7784971244 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? https://www.facebook.com/havocairracing 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? https://www.facebook.com/GroveAero 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? https://www.facebook.com/onemomentairracing http://teamonemoment.com/ Photo Credit: Curtis Noble https://www.curtisnoblephotography.com/aviation Follow real time results all week at reports.airrace.org

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