THE REMOTE CONTROL Association of
Central Florida (RCACF) hosted a Pylon
Race December 1-3, 2006, at its Tangerine
Field located just outside Apopka. Jason
Shulman was kind enough to send me the
following race write-up.
In case you’ve been stuck in a biosphere
for the past decade and missed some of
Jason’s accomplishments, following is the
short list. He is a four-time US F3A (RC
Aerobatics) team member, a 2004 AMA Nats
F3A Champion, and a 2006 AMA Nats F3A
third-place finisher. Jason has raced Formula
1, Quickie 500 (Q-500), and Quarter 40 (Q-
40) almost 10 years ago.
I hope we hooked a big fish and Jason will
continue to race with us! He wrote:
“Every once in awhile I’ll get the itch to
post online about a contest that is close to
home. Now that I am back in Florida, I
figured I would go out to the Tangerine
contest for Pylon to help and take some
pictures and write a little report.
“This is now known as the Cliff Telford
memorial Tangerine contest. After watching
for the first two practice runs I got the itch to
try racing again.
“I want to thank Gary Freeman Sr., Gary
Freeman Jr., and Marcus Blanchard here.
Without the help of these three, I wouldn’t
have raced this weekend. Thanks to Gary Sr.
for loaning me the ‘beater’ airplane, Marcus
for loaning me his dirt-‘covered’ engine (he
promised it wasn’t crashed), and Gary Jr. for
all his help and calling. It felt like old times
again—which was a decade ago.
“I was just going to race for the fun of it,
staying out of everyone’s way as I was using
borrowed equipment. This plan of mine was
reinforced when, during my second practice
run, Ray Brown and Bryan Blanchard had a
midair behind me. I didn’t want to have to
replace the equipment I was borrowing.
“Friday was one of those December days
here in Florida when it’s about 85° and sunny,
but the wind was about 15-20 mph. After the
first day of racing, it was just as I
remembered.
“There were a few crashes, midairs, and
near misses. I saw one airplane fly through the
trees, another fly into the ground, and I almost
ended up in the ground myself after getting
caught in some dirty air.
April 2007 109
“There was some great racing going on.
J.D. Glass started just where he ended the
first day, tied for first with fast time. Stephen
Vaclav was tied with him and Gary Jr. was
just one point down in second. I was in
seventh after the first four rounds. It’s just as
much fun as I remembered, and I even got
myself into the mix a few times.
“I was calling for a newcomer to racing,
Blake Hilson, in 424 [Q-40] and we were
having so much fun. Although I made a few
mistakes, he held his own and I think he will
be back soon.
“This was the first weekend that I had ever
seen 424 races. I originally thought about
entering this class, but after watching these
and the 428s [Q-500], I couldn’t justify flying
424.
“Gary Jr. did a random tach check to make
sure everyone was on an even playing field.
Everyone passed.
“It’s great to see the ‘kids’ who are getting
into or already involved in racing: Bryan
Blanchard, Blake Hilson, Matthew Fehling,
J.D. Glass, Jon Purdue, and Charlie Cline.
They are consistent fliers and the next wave
of racers to keep it all going fast and turning
left.
“Saturday was much calmer and just as
warm. In 428 J.D. Glass and Stephen Vaclav
were perfect through five rounds. Stephen
made it through his last heat with the win. JD
ended up in second in his sixth round and tied
Gary Jr. for second.
“In the flyoff Gary and J.D. were back and
forth. J.D. had a cut early and we all thought it
was over, until Gary cut. Then it was a race
again. That is until J.D. cut out. It was a good
race nonetheless.
“My highlight of the event was my last
heat. Vern Smith and I were the only ones
racing in our heat. I asked him to go easy on
me and he said I had nothing to worry about
’cause if it was close he would end up with a
cut.
“Well, after nine intense laps of back and
forth racing I overpulled my line going
around Pylon Three to One and botched the
turn wide off of Pylon One and watched as
Vern rocketed right by me. At that point it
was over, but I didn’t mind coming in
second. We all enjoyed that race so much.
Jason Shulman reports on the Cliff Telford Memorial Race
Also included in this column:
• Scott McAfee on the
Western Pylon Racing
Series
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Pylon Racing Kurt Bozarth
Components of
newly released
laser-cut-fuselage
Vortex Q500. You
can order the
fuselage kit with a
composite, paintedin-
the-mold wing or
balsa-sheeted foamcore
version.
2006 Western Pylon Racing Series Q-40
season champs (kneeling L-R): Gino Del
Ponte, first; Scott McAfee, second;
(standing L-R) Clark Ledbetter, third;
Travis Flynn, fourth; Matias Salar, fifth.
2006 Western Pylon Racing Series Q-500
season champs (kneeling L-R): Gino Del
Ponte, first; Fred Burgdorf, second;
(standing L-R) Matias Salar, third; Scott
McAfee, fourth; Gary Schmidt, fifth.
“Gary also reminded me that I still had an
airplane and engine to return in the same
condition as I got them. All in all, I finished in
fourth place. I didn’t break any speed records,
but I had a blast. I ordered a couple of
Hurricanes from Dan Kane, so I guess I’ll try
it again.
“It was a great weekend and I am glad that
I gave it another go. I think I can speak for all
the contestants and say thank you to Gary
Freeman Sr., Nancy Telford, and the whole
RCACF crew for putting on a great race
weekend.”
Final Q-500 results:
1. Stephen Vaclav
2. Gary Freeman Jr.
3. J.D. Glass (fast time: 1:07:41)
4. Jason Shulman
5. Tom Scott
6. Jeryl Smith
7. Matt Fehling
8. Mario Travieso
9. Brian Wilber
10. Bill Johanson
Final Q-40 results:
1. Adam Grim
2. Barry West (fast time: 1:45:12)
3. Doug Bebensee
4. James Creech
5. Lin Bradley
6. Blake Hilson
7. Jack Fehling
Western Pylon Racing Series: Scott
McAfee is a national Pylon Racing
competitor and has been instrumental in
the success of the Western Pylon Racing
Series. Between driving to races, flying to
races, practicing for races, building,
racing, and working (not necessarily in
that order), he somehow found the time to
produce an excellent piece on the event.
Thank you very much, Scott!
He wrote:
“As more people discover that RC
Pylon Racing is the best value in all of
motor sports in terms of mph per dollar,
Pylon Racing is experiencing a resurgence
in popularity.
“As racing grows, so does the caliber
of racing and the excitement it produces.
Few things have contributed as much to
the renewed popularity of racing as the
highly successful Western Pylon Racing
Series.
“The 2006 Western Pylon Racing
Series consisted of seven race weekends
with 11 races in each of APRA Sport
Quickie, AMA 428 (Quickie 500), and
AMA 422 (Quarter 40) classes. The races
were held at SpeedWorld in Phoenix AZ,
Sepulveda Basin in CA, and Medford OR.
“Originally conceived and promoted by
Jim Allen and Barry Leavengood as a
means to coordinate racing schedules in
the western US, the Western Series has, in
its second year, proven to be more
successful than ever projected.
“Several factors have contributed to the
success of the series. Foremost has been
the tremendous sponsorship received from
some very generous companies.
“Landing Products/APC Props
contributed the seed and primary funding
for the series. Airplanes were contributed
by Fly Fast Composites (Neme-Q+), Fast
Lane Graphics (fully built Jim Allen Proud
Bird), Vortex Racing (fully built Chuck
Bridge Vortex), H&M Racing Products
(Miss Candace kit), and Lee Ulinger
Models (RTF Edge 540).
“Dave Shadel of Performance
Specialties contributed a Nelson racing
engine, and additional funds and
merchandise were contributed by Tony
and Donna Pacini of Valley Hobby Shop,
Super-T RC, Barry Leavengood at Job
Cost Systems, and DarrolCady.com.
Because of the generosity of these folks,
there were thousands of dollars of the most
desirable prizes that any Pylon racer would
compete for a chance to win.
“The second factor was the
coordination of the racing schedule in this
part of the country. This meant that there
was essentially a race a month and that there
were no races on the same date or on backto-
back weekends. This really made it easier
to plan to attend as many races as possible.
“The races were two one-day contests for
all three classes, as the racers preferred this
over one two-day race. This allowed them to
miss a day if their schedule only allowed one
day on that weekend, or if they crashed on one
day they would still be able to do well the
next.
“Third, the series had an innovative
scoring system, which counted the best eight
race results out of the 11 races. This
encourages racers to attend as many races as
possible but allows for a racer to still be
competitive in the season’s points if he or she
misses races or has some bad luck at a race or
two. This really kept people engaged in the
race for season points and produced an
exciting race at season’s end for the prizes.
“Fourth, the series encouraged the host
clubs to put forth their best efforts as the races
were well attended. Over 150 people raced in
series races and it was common to see 50 or
more entries at each race. Having so many
entrants meant that the clubs were ensured a
profitable contest.
“Assured of the high turnouts that the
series produced, clubs were encouraged to
develop better race equipment and bettertrained
workers. Further, the clubs could share
information and ideas on the race operation.
The results were dramatic.
“The series races were incredibly well run.
Even with the high turnouts and three classes
being run, it was a regular occurrence to get in
five rounds of racing each day.”
“Fifth, the quality of the racing was topnotch.
With the fabulous prizes available,
there was none of the sandbagging often
found at ‘local’ races where racers use old
beat-up equipment and save their ‘good’ stuff
for the ‘important’ races. All the races were
important.
“Most of the racers competing in the series
set personal best times at the series races. In
fact, a new record in Q-500 and the lowest
times recorded in the country in all classes
were recorded at Western Series races.
“The quality of racing was also enhanced
as the result of the progression of many racers
in the series. We have seen many racers step
up from APRA to be competitive in the AMA
classes as well as some dramatic improvement
from many AMA-class racers due to the
incentive the series provided. It got to the
point where every race was a tough one for
even the best pilots.
“The weekend of November 4-5 was the
final race of the Western Pylon Racing Series
for 2006. The race was held at the fabulous
SpeedWorld complex in north Phoenix AZ.
The competition was intense because this race
would decide the race for season
championship points, the thousands of dollars
of prizes, and the all-important bragging rights
that went to the winners.
“The stakes were high and the excitement
level was even higher, as after accumulating
points over the previous nine series races,
there were many people who were in
contention for the top spots.
“The standings coming into this weekend
were not only close, but many people who
had no-score races could make big jumps in
points as compared to people who already
had scores for eight races. Thus there were
no ‘sure bets’ on who would be the season’s
champions, although Jim Padelt had built up
a comfortable lead in APRA with his
outstanding performance and 100%
attendance throughout the year.
“There was no doubt that the season’s
points were on everyone’s minds, as well as
the individual races. Thus the racing was
extremely fast and hard.
“The best example of how hard the racing
was was when Travis Flynn, who was
presented a one-of-a-kind Neme-Q+ for his
win in last year’s series, spent most of
Saturday night readying this awesome new
airplane to fly on Sunday after he lost his
airplane earlier when he clipped Pylon Three.
“Another indication of the intensity of
racing was the flyoff for first place in Q-40 on
Saturday between Matias Salar, Clark
Ledbetter, and Gino Del Ponte—three of the
top five in season points. This flyoff was an
awesome race with all three airplanes never
more than feet apart all 10 laps with no cuts!
“When the dust had settled, Jim Padelt was
the champion in APRA and Gino Del Ponte
was the champion in both Q-500 and Q-40—
truly an amazing performance by both of these
deserving champions.
“Thirty-one prize packages were prepared,
and as the top winners were called they got
their choice of prizes. The big winners were
Jim Padelt who selected the Neme-Q+, Gino
Del Ponte who selected the Vortex, Scott
McAfee who selected the Jim Allen Proud
Bird, Dennis Lyon who selected the Miss
Candace, and Matias Salar who selected the
fully built and radioed Edge 540.
“Fred Burgdorf continued his enormous
generosity by contributing back his prize pick.
Beyond the Top 10 winners who selected prize
packages, the 10th- through 15th-place winners
in each class were placed in a drawing for the
Nelson engine. The well-deserving winner
was Barry Leavengood. Also, Tom Hegland
was selected as the Most Improved Racer.
“While the 2006 season is over and was an
enormous success, plans are already being
made for the 2007 Western Pylon Racing
Series. Already, new clubs have inquired
about adding races to the schedule. Also under
evaluation are some one-day-only APRA and
AMA Q-500 races.
“Clearly, the future is very exciting for
Pylon Racing in the Western US. The success
of the series is generating more interest in
racing and better competition. Every racer you
talk to will tell you his or her plans for next
year, looking forward to another great year of
racing.
“Based on the template of the Western
Pylon Racing Series, there is talk of creating a
sister series in other parts of the country.
Racing would get a real shot in the arm if they
could be as successful. Let’s hope.”
If you would like more information about
the Western Pylon Racing Series contact Jim
Allen at [email protected] or Barry
Leavengood at [email protected].
Look for the results of the 2007 Winterfest
Q-500 and Q-40 Classic in my next column.
The SpeedWorld R/C Flyers of Phoenix,
Arizona, hosted both of these big-league
races.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2007/04
Page Numbers: 109,110,112
Edition: Model Aviation - 2007/04
Page Numbers: 109,110,112
THE REMOTE CONTROL Association of
Central Florida (RCACF) hosted a Pylon
Race December 1-3, 2006, at its Tangerine
Field located just outside Apopka. Jason
Shulman was kind enough to send me the
following race write-up.
In case you’ve been stuck in a biosphere
for the past decade and missed some of
Jason’s accomplishments, following is the
short list. He is a four-time US F3A (RC
Aerobatics) team member, a 2004 AMA Nats
F3A Champion, and a 2006 AMA Nats F3A
third-place finisher. Jason has raced Formula
1, Quickie 500 (Q-500), and Quarter 40 (Q-
40) almost 10 years ago.
I hope we hooked a big fish and Jason will
continue to race with us! He wrote:
“Every once in awhile I’ll get the itch to
post online about a contest that is close to
home. Now that I am back in Florida, I
figured I would go out to the Tangerine
contest for Pylon to help and take some
pictures and write a little report.
“This is now known as the Cliff Telford
memorial Tangerine contest. After watching
for the first two practice runs I got the itch to
try racing again.
“I want to thank Gary Freeman Sr., Gary
Freeman Jr., and Marcus Blanchard here.
Without the help of these three, I wouldn’t
have raced this weekend. Thanks to Gary Sr.
for loaning me the ‘beater’ airplane, Marcus
for loaning me his dirt-‘covered’ engine (he
promised it wasn’t crashed), and Gary Jr. for
all his help and calling. It felt like old times
again—which was a decade ago.
“I was just going to race for the fun of it,
staying out of everyone’s way as I was using
borrowed equipment. This plan of mine was
reinforced when, during my second practice
run, Ray Brown and Bryan Blanchard had a
midair behind me. I didn’t want to have to
replace the equipment I was borrowing.
“Friday was one of those December days
here in Florida when it’s about 85° and sunny,
but the wind was about 15-20 mph. After the
first day of racing, it was just as I
remembered.
“There were a few crashes, midairs, and
near misses. I saw one airplane fly through the
trees, another fly into the ground, and I almost
ended up in the ground myself after getting
caught in some dirty air.
April 2007 109
“There was some great racing going on.
J.D. Glass started just where he ended the
first day, tied for first with fast time. Stephen
Vaclav was tied with him and Gary Jr. was
just one point down in second. I was in
seventh after the first four rounds. It’s just as
much fun as I remembered, and I even got
myself into the mix a few times.
“I was calling for a newcomer to racing,
Blake Hilson, in 424 [Q-40] and we were
having so much fun. Although I made a few
mistakes, he held his own and I think he will
be back soon.
“This was the first weekend that I had ever
seen 424 races. I originally thought about
entering this class, but after watching these
and the 428s [Q-500], I couldn’t justify flying
424.
“Gary Jr. did a random tach check to make
sure everyone was on an even playing field.
Everyone passed.
“It’s great to see the ‘kids’ who are getting
into or already involved in racing: Bryan
Blanchard, Blake Hilson, Matthew Fehling,
J.D. Glass, Jon Purdue, and Charlie Cline.
They are consistent fliers and the next wave
of racers to keep it all going fast and turning
left.
“Saturday was much calmer and just as
warm. In 428 J.D. Glass and Stephen Vaclav
were perfect through five rounds. Stephen
made it through his last heat with the win. JD
ended up in second in his sixth round and tied
Gary Jr. for second.
“In the flyoff Gary and J.D. were back and
forth. J.D. had a cut early and we all thought it
was over, until Gary cut. Then it was a race
again. That is until J.D. cut out. It was a good
race nonetheless.
“My highlight of the event was my last
heat. Vern Smith and I were the only ones
racing in our heat. I asked him to go easy on
me and he said I had nothing to worry about
’cause if it was close he would end up with a
cut.
“Well, after nine intense laps of back and
forth racing I overpulled my line going
around Pylon Three to One and botched the
turn wide off of Pylon One and watched as
Vern rocketed right by me. At that point it
was over, but I didn’t mind coming in
second. We all enjoyed that race so much.
Jason Shulman reports on the Cliff Telford Memorial Race
Also included in this column:
• Scott McAfee on the
Western Pylon Racing
Series
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Pylon Racing Kurt Bozarth
Components of
newly released
laser-cut-fuselage
Vortex Q500. You
can order the
fuselage kit with a
composite, paintedin-
the-mold wing or
balsa-sheeted foamcore
version.
2006 Western Pylon Racing Series Q-40
season champs (kneeling L-R): Gino Del
Ponte, first; Scott McAfee, second;
(standing L-R) Clark Ledbetter, third;
Travis Flynn, fourth; Matias Salar, fifth.
2006 Western Pylon Racing Series Q-500
season champs (kneeling L-R): Gino Del
Ponte, first; Fred Burgdorf, second;
(standing L-R) Matias Salar, third; Scott
McAfee, fourth; Gary Schmidt, fifth.
“Gary also reminded me that I still had an
airplane and engine to return in the same
condition as I got them. All in all, I finished in
fourth place. I didn’t break any speed records,
but I had a blast. I ordered a couple of
Hurricanes from Dan Kane, so I guess I’ll try
it again.
“It was a great weekend and I am glad that
I gave it another go. I think I can speak for all
the contestants and say thank you to Gary
Freeman Sr., Nancy Telford, and the whole
RCACF crew for putting on a great race
weekend.”
Final Q-500 results:
1. Stephen Vaclav
2. Gary Freeman Jr.
3. J.D. Glass (fast time: 1:07:41)
4. Jason Shulman
5. Tom Scott
6. Jeryl Smith
7. Matt Fehling
8. Mario Travieso
9. Brian Wilber
10. Bill Johanson
Final Q-40 results:
1. Adam Grim
2. Barry West (fast time: 1:45:12)
3. Doug Bebensee
4. James Creech
5. Lin Bradley
6. Blake Hilson
7. Jack Fehling
Western Pylon Racing Series: Scott
McAfee is a national Pylon Racing
competitor and has been instrumental in
the success of the Western Pylon Racing
Series. Between driving to races, flying to
races, practicing for races, building,
racing, and working (not necessarily in
that order), he somehow found the time to
produce an excellent piece on the event.
Thank you very much, Scott!
He wrote:
“As more people discover that RC
Pylon Racing is the best value in all of
motor sports in terms of mph per dollar,
Pylon Racing is experiencing a resurgence
in popularity.
“As racing grows, so does the caliber
of racing and the excitement it produces.
Few things have contributed as much to
the renewed popularity of racing as the
highly successful Western Pylon Racing
Series.
“The 2006 Western Pylon Racing
Series consisted of seven race weekends
with 11 races in each of APRA Sport
Quickie, AMA 428 (Quickie 500), and
AMA 422 (Quarter 40) classes. The races
were held at SpeedWorld in Phoenix AZ,
Sepulveda Basin in CA, and Medford OR.
“Originally conceived and promoted by
Jim Allen and Barry Leavengood as a
means to coordinate racing schedules in
the western US, the Western Series has, in
its second year, proven to be more
successful than ever projected.
“Several factors have contributed to the
success of the series. Foremost has been
the tremendous sponsorship received from
some very generous companies.
“Landing Products/APC Props
contributed the seed and primary funding
for the series. Airplanes were contributed
by Fly Fast Composites (Neme-Q+), Fast
Lane Graphics (fully built Jim Allen Proud
Bird), Vortex Racing (fully built Chuck
Bridge Vortex), H&M Racing Products
(Miss Candace kit), and Lee Ulinger
Models (RTF Edge 540).
“Dave Shadel of Performance
Specialties contributed a Nelson racing
engine, and additional funds and
merchandise were contributed by Tony
and Donna Pacini of Valley Hobby Shop,
Super-T RC, Barry Leavengood at Job
Cost Systems, and DarrolCady.com.
Because of the generosity of these folks,
there were thousands of dollars of the most
desirable prizes that any Pylon racer would
compete for a chance to win.
“The second factor was the
coordination of the racing schedule in this
part of the country. This meant that there
was essentially a race a month and that there
were no races on the same date or on backto-
back weekends. This really made it easier
to plan to attend as many races as possible.
“The races were two one-day contests for
all three classes, as the racers preferred this
over one two-day race. This allowed them to
miss a day if their schedule only allowed one
day on that weekend, or if they crashed on one
day they would still be able to do well the
next.
“Third, the series had an innovative
scoring system, which counted the best eight
race results out of the 11 races. This
encourages racers to attend as many races as
possible but allows for a racer to still be
competitive in the season’s points if he or she
misses races or has some bad luck at a race or
two. This really kept people engaged in the
race for season points and produced an
exciting race at season’s end for the prizes.
“Fourth, the series encouraged the host
clubs to put forth their best efforts as the races
were well attended. Over 150 people raced in
series races and it was common to see 50 or
more entries at each race. Having so many
entrants meant that the clubs were ensured a
profitable contest.
“Assured of the high turnouts that the
series produced, clubs were encouraged to
develop better race equipment and bettertrained
workers. Further, the clubs could share
information and ideas on the race operation.
The results were dramatic.
“The series races were incredibly well run.
Even with the high turnouts and three classes
being run, it was a regular occurrence to get in
five rounds of racing each day.”
“Fifth, the quality of the racing was topnotch.
With the fabulous prizes available,
there was none of the sandbagging often
found at ‘local’ races where racers use old
beat-up equipment and save their ‘good’ stuff
for the ‘important’ races. All the races were
important.
“Most of the racers competing in the series
set personal best times at the series races. In
fact, a new record in Q-500 and the lowest
times recorded in the country in all classes
were recorded at Western Series races.
“The quality of racing was also enhanced
as the result of the progression of many racers
in the series. We have seen many racers step
up from APRA to be competitive in the AMA
classes as well as some dramatic improvement
from many AMA-class racers due to the
incentive the series provided. It got to the
point where every race was a tough one for
even the best pilots.
“The weekend of November 4-5 was the
final race of the Western Pylon Racing Series
for 2006. The race was held at the fabulous
SpeedWorld complex in north Phoenix AZ.
The competition was intense because this race
would decide the race for season
championship points, the thousands of dollars
of prizes, and the all-important bragging rights
that went to the winners.
“The stakes were high and the excitement
level was even higher, as after accumulating
points over the previous nine series races,
there were many people who were in
contention for the top spots.
“The standings coming into this weekend
were not only close, but many people who
had no-score races could make big jumps in
points as compared to people who already
had scores for eight races. Thus there were
no ‘sure bets’ on who would be the season’s
champions, although Jim Padelt had built up
a comfortable lead in APRA with his
outstanding performance and 100%
attendance throughout the year.
“There was no doubt that the season’s
points were on everyone’s minds, as well as
the individual races. Thus the racing was
extremely fast and hard.
“The best example of how hard the racing
was was when Travis Flynn, who was
presented a one-of-a-kind Neme-Q+ for his
win in last year’s series, spent most of
Saturday night readying this awesome new
airplane to fly on Sunday after he lost his
airplane earlier when he clipped Pylon Three.
“Another indication of the intensity of
racing was the flyoff for first place in Q-40 on
Saturday between Matias Salar, Clark
Ledbetter, and Gino Del Ponte—three of the
top five in season points. This flyoff was an
awesome race with all three airplanes never
more than feet apart all 10 laps with no cuts!
“When the dust had settled, Jim Padelt was
the champion in APRA and Gino Del Ponte
was the champion in both Q-500 and Q-40—
truly an amazing performance by both of these
deserving champions.
“Thirty-one prize packages were prepared,
and as the top winners were called they got
their choice of prizes. The big winners were
Jim Padelt who selected the Neme-Q+, Gino
Del Ponte who selected the Vortex, Scott
McAfee who selected the Jim Allen Proud
Bird, Dennis Lyon who selected the Miss
Candace, and Matias Salar who selected the
fully built and radioed Edge 540.
“Fred Burgdorf continued his enormous
generosity by contributing back his prize pick.
Beyond the Top 10 winners who selected prize
packages, the 10th- through 15th-place winners
in each class were placed in a drawing for the
Nelson engine. The well-deserving winner
was Barry Leavengood. Also, Tom Hegland
was selected as the Most Improved Racer.
“While the 2006 season is over and was an
enormous success, plans are already being
made for the 2007 Western Pylon Racing
Series. Already, new clubs have inquired
about adding races to the schedule. Also under
evaluation are some one-day-only APRA and
AMA Q-500 races.
“Clearly, the future is very exciting for
Pylon Racing in the Western US. The success
of the series is generating more interest in
racing and better competition. Every racer you
talk to will tell you his or her plans for next
year, looking forward to another great year of
racing.
“Based on the template of the Western
Pylon Racing Series, there is talk of creating a
sister series in other parts of the country.
Racing would get a real shot in the arm if they
could be as successful. Let’s hope.”
If you would like more information about
the Western Pylon Racing Series contact Jim
Allen at [email protected] or Barry
Leavengood at [email protected].
Look for the results of the 2007 Winterfest
Q-500 and Q-40 Classic in my next column.
The SpeedWorld R/C Flyers of Phoenix,
Arizona, hosted both of these big-league
races.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2007/04
Page Numbers: 109,110,112
THE REMOTE CONTROL Association of
Central Florida (RCACF) hosted a Pylon
Race December 1-3, 2006, at its Tangerine
Field located just outside Apopka. Jason
Shulman was kind enough to send me the
following race write-up.
In case you’ve been stuck in a biosphere
for the past decade and missed some of
Jason’s accomplishments, following is the
short list. He is a four-time US F3A (RC
Aerobatics) team member, a 2004 AMA Nats
F3A Champion, and a 2006 AMA Nats F3A
third-place finisher. Jason has raced Formula
1, Quickie 500 (Q-500), and Quarter 40 (Q-
40) almost 10 years ago.
I hope we hooked a big fish and Jason will
continue to race with us! He wrote:
“Every once in awhile I’ll get the itch to
post online about a contest that is close to
home. Now that I am back in Florida, I
figured I would go out to the Tangerine
contest for Pylon to help and take some
pictures and write a little report.
“This is now known as the Cliff Telford
memorial Tangerine contest. After watching
for the first two practice runs I got the itch to
try racing again.
“I want to thank Gary Freeman Sr., Gary
Freeman Jr., and Marcus Blanchard here.
Without the help of these three, I wouldn’t
have raced this weekend. Thanks to Gary Sr.
for loaning me the ‘beater’ airplane, Marcus
for loaning me his dirt-‘covered’ engine (he
promised it wasn’t crashed), and Gary Jr. for
all his help and calling. It felt like old times
again—which was a decade ago.
“I was just going to race for the fun of it,
staying out of everyone’s way as I was using
borrowed equipment. This plan of mine was
reinforced when, during my second practice
run, Ray Brown and Bryan Blanchard had a
midair behind me. I didn’t want to have to
replace the equipment I was borrowing.
“Friday was one of those December days
here in Florida when it’s about 85° and sunny,
but the wind was about 15-20 mph. After the
first day of racing, it was just as I
remembered.
“There were a few crashes, midairs, and
near misses. I saw one airplane fly through the
trees, another fly into the ground, and I almost
ended up in the ground myself after getting
caught in some dirty air.
April 2007 109
“There was some great racing going on.
J.D. Glass started just where he ended the
first day, tied for first with fast time. Stephen
Vaclav was tied with him and Gary Jr. was
just one point down in second. I was in
seventh after the first four rounds. It’s just as
much fun as I remembered, and I even got
myself into the mix a few times.
“I was calling for a newcomer to racing,
Blake Hilson, in 424 [Q-40] and we were
having so much fun. Although I made a few
mistakes, he held his own and I think he will
be back soon.
“This was the first weekend that I had ever
seen 424 races. I originally thought about
entering this class, but after watching these
and the 428s [Q-500], I couldn’t justify flying
424.
“Gary Jr. did a random tach check to make
sure everyone was on an even playing field.
Everyone passed.
“It’s great to see the ‘kids’ who are getting
into or already involved in racing: Bryan
Blanchard, Blake Hilson, Matthew Fehling,
J.D. Glass, Jon Purdue, and Charlie Cline.
They are consistent fliers and the next wave
of racers to keep it all going fast and turning
left.
“Saturday was much calmer and just as
warm. In 428 J.D. Glass and Stephen Vaclav
were perfect through five rounds. Stephen
made it through his last heat with the win. JD
ended up in second in his sixth round and tied
Gary Jr. for second.
“In the flyoff Gary and J.D. were back and
forth. J.D. had a cut early and we all thought it
was over, until Gary cut. Then it was a race
again. That is until J.D. cut out. It was a good
race nonetheless.
“My highlight of the event was my last
heat. Vern Smith and I were the only ones
racing in our heat. I asked him to go easy on
me and he said I had nothing to worry about
’cause if it was close he would end up with a
cut.
“Well, after nine intense laps of back and
forth racing I overpulled my line going
around Pylon Three to One and botched the
turn wide off of Pylon One and watched as
Vern rocketed right by me. At that point it
was over, but I didn’t mind coming in
second. We all enjoyed that race so much.
Jason Shulman reports on the Cliff Telford Memorial Race
Also included in this column:
• Scott McAfee on the
Western Pylon Racing
Series
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Pylon Racing Kurt Bozarth
Components of
newly released
laser-cut-fuselage
Vortex Q500. You
can order the
fuselage kit with a
composite, paintedin-
the-mold wing or
balsa-sheeted foamcore
version.
2006 Western Pylon Racing Series Q-40
season champs (kneeling L-R): Gino Del
Ponte, first; Scott McAfee, second;
(standing L-R) Clark Ledbetter, third;
Travis Flynn, fourth; Matias Salar, fifth.
2006 Western Pylon Racing Series Q-500
season champs (kneeling L-R): Gino Del
Ponte, first; Fred Burgdorf, second;
(standing L-R) Matias Salar, third; Scott
McAfee, fourth; Gary Schmidt, fifth.
“Gary also reminded me that I still had an
airplane and engine to return in the same
condition as I got them. All in all, I finished in
fourth place. I didn’t break any speed records,
but I had a blast. I ordered a couple of
Hurricanes from Dan Kane, so I guess I’ll try
it again.
“It was a great weekend and I am glad that
I gave it another go. I think I can speak for all
the contestants and say thank you to Gary
Freeman Sr., Nancy Telford, and the whole
RCACF crew for putting on a great race
weekend.”
Final Q-500 results:
1. Stephen Vaclav
2. Gary Freeman Jr.
3. J.D. Glass (fast time: 1:07:41)
4. Jason Shulman
5. Tom Scott
6. Jeryl Smith
7. Matt Fehling
8. Mario Travieso
9. Brian Wilber
10. Bill Johanson
Final Q-40 results:
1. Adam Grim
2. Barry West (fast time: 1:45:12)
3. Doug Bebensee
4. James Creech
5. Lin Bradley
6. Blake Hilson
7. Jack Fehling
Western Pylon Racing Series: Scott
McAfee is a national Pylon Racing
competitor and has been instrumental in
the success of the Western Pylon Racing
Series. Between driving to races, flying to
races, practicing for races, building,
racing, and working (not necessarily in
that order), he somehow found the time to
produce an excellent piece on the event.
Thank you very much, Scott!
He wrote:
“As more people discover that RC
Pylon Racing is the best value in all of
motor sports in terms of mph per dollar,
Pylon Racing is experiencing a resurgence
in popularity.
“As racing grows, so does the caliber
of racing and the excitement it produces.
Few things have contributed as much to
the renewed popularity of racing as the
highly successful Western Pylon Racing
Series.
“The 2006 Western Pylon Racing
Series consisted of seven race weekends
with 11 races in each of APRA Sport
Quickie, AMA 428 (Quickie 500), and
AMA 422 (Quarter 40) classes. The races
were held at SpeedWorld in Phoenix AZ,
Sepulveda Basin in CA, and Medford OR.
“Originally conceived and promoted by
Jim Allen and Barry Leavengood as a
means to coordinate racing schedules in
the western US, the Western Series has, in
its second year, proven to be more
successful than ever projected.
“Several factors have contributed to the
success of the series. Foremost has been
the tremendous sponsorship received from
some very generous companies.
“Landing Products/APC Props
contributed the seed and primary funding
for the series. Airplanes were contributed
by Fly Fast Composites (Neme-Q+), Fast
Lane Graphics (fully built Jim Allen Proud
Bird), Vortex Racing (fully built Chuck
Bridge Vortex), H&M Racing Products
(Miss Candace kit), and Lee Ulinger
Models (RTF Edge 540).
“Dave Shadel of Performance
Specialties contributed a Nelson racing
engine, and additional funds and
merchandise were contributed by Tony
and Donna Pacini of Valley Hobby Shop,
Super-T RC, Barry Leavengood at Job
Cost Systems, and DarrolCady.com.
Because of the generosity of these folks,
there were thousands of dollars of the most
desirable prizes that any Pylon racer would
compete for a chance to win.
“The second factor was the
coordination of the racing schedule in this
part of the country. This meant that there
was essentially a race a month and that there
were no races on the same date or on backto-
back weekends. This really made it easier
to plan to attend as many races as possible.
“The races were two one-day contests for
all three classes, as the racers preferred this
over one two-day race. This allowed them to
miss a day if their schedule only allowed one
day on that weekend, or if they crashed on one
day they would still be able to do well the
next.
“Third, the series had an innovative
scoring system, which counted the best eight
race results out of the 11 races. This
encourages racers to attend as many races as
possible but allows for a racer to still be
competitive in the season’s points if he or she
misses races or has some bad luck at a race or
two. This really kept people engaged in the
race for season points and produced an
exciting race at season’s end for the prizes.
“Fourth, the series encouraged the host
clubs to put forth their best efforts as the races
were well attended. Over 150 people raced in
series races and it was common to see 50 or
more entries at each race. Having so many
entrants meant that the clubs were ensured a
profitable contest.
“Assured of the high turnouts that the
series produced, clubs were encouraged to
develop better race equipment and bettertrained
workers. Further, the clubs could share
information and ideas on the race operation.
The results were dramatic.
“The series races were incredibly well run.
Even with the high turnouts and three classes
being run, it was a regular occurrence to get in
five rounds of racing each day.”
“Fifth, the quality of the racing was topnotch.
With the fabulous prizes available,
there was none of the sandbagging often
found at ‘local’ races where racers use old
beat-up equipment and save their ‘good’ stuff
for the ‘important’ races. All the races were
important.
“Most of the racers competing in the series
set personal best times at the series races. In
fact, a new record in Q-500 and the lowest
times recorded in the country in all classes
were recorded at Western Series races.
“The quality of racing was also enhanced
as the result of the progression of many racers
in the series. We have seen many racers step
up from APRA to be competitive in the AMA
classes as well as some dramatic improvement
from many AMA-class racers due to the
incentive the series provided. It got to the
point where every race was a tough one for
even the best pilots.
“The weekend of November 4-5 was the
final race of the Western Pylon Racing Series
for 2006. The race was held at the fabulous
SpeedWorld complex in north Phoenix AZ.
The competition was intense because this race
would decide the race for season
championship points, the thousands of dollars
of prizes, and the all-important bragging rights
that went to the winners.
“The stakes were high and the excitement
level was even higher, as after accumulating
points over the previous nine series races,
there were many people who were in
contention for the top spots.
“The standings coming into this weekend
were not only close, but many people who
had no-score races could make big jumps in
points as compared to people who already
had scores for eight races. Thus there were
no ‘sure bets’ on who would be the season’s
champions, although Jim Padelt had built up
a comfortable lead in APRA with his
outstanding performance and 100%
attendance throughout the year.
“There was no doubt that the season’s
points were on everyone’s minds, as well as
the individual races. Thus the racing was
extremely fast and hard.
“The best example of how hard the racing
was was when Travis Flynn, who was
presented a one-of-a-kind Neme-Q+ for his
win in last year’s series, spent most of
Saturday night readying this awesome new
airplane to fly on Sunday after he lost his
airplane earlier when he clipped Pylon Three.
“Another indication of the intensity of
racing was the flyoff for first place in Q-40 on
Saturday between Matias Salar, Clark
Ledbetter, and Gino Del Ponte—three of the
top five in season points. This flyoff was an
awesome race with all three airplanes never
more than feet apart all 10 laps with no cuts!
“When the dust had settled, Jim Padelt was
the champion in APRA and Gino Del Ponte
was the champion in both Q-500 and Q-40—
truly an amazing performance by both of these
deserving champions.
“Thirty-one prize packages were prepared,
and as the top winners were called they got
their choice of prizes. The big winners were
Jim Padelt who selected the Neme-Q+, Gino
Del Ponte who selected the Vortex, Scott
McAfee who selected the Jim Allen Proud
Bird, Dennis Lyon who selected the Miss
Candace, and Matias Salar who selected the
fully built and radioed Edge 540.
“Fred Burgdorf continued his enormous
generosity by contributing back his prize pick.
Beyond the Top 10 winners who selected prize
packages, the 10th- through 15th-place winners
in each class were placed in a drawing for the
Nelson engine. The well-deserving winner
was Barry Leavengood. Also, Tom Hegland
was selected as the Most Improved Racer.
“While the 2006 season is over and was an
enormous success, plans are already being
made for the 2007 Western Pylon Racing
Series. Already, new clubs have inquired
about adding races to the schedule. Also under
evaluation are some one-day-only APRA and
AMA Q-500 races.
“Clearly, the future is very exciting for
Pylon Racing in the Western US. The success
of the series is generating more interest in
racing and better competition. Every racer you
talk to will tell you his or her plans for next
year, looking forward to another great year of
racing.
“Based on the template of the Western
Pylon Racing Series, there is talk of creating a
sister series in other parts of the country.
Racing would get a real shot in the arm if they
could be as successful. Let’s hope.”
If you would like more information about
the Western Pylon Racing Series contact Jim
Allen at [email protected] or Barry
Leavengood at [email protected].
Look for the results of the 2007 Winterfest
Q-500 and Q-40 Classic in my next column.
The SpeedWorld R/C Flyers of Phoenix,
Arizona, hosted both of these big-league
races.