Radio Control: Pylon Racing
I'M GETTING READY to attend the U.S. FAI Pylon team-selection races at Smyrna, TN. From what I'm hearing through the grapevine, this should be quite a race. You will get a full report next month. From across the Big Pond comes Club 20 Racing. The event is quite popular in England. It is not unlike our Quarter Midget with bigger engines and no landing gear. Hand-launching means you could fly almost anywhere. They have an entry-level division using smaller engines. This event sounds interesting, so I will have more on it this winter.
Radio Control: Pylon Racing
IT HAS BEEN a good many years since anyone in our country has put out a sincere effort to compete in FAI Pylon. In 1985, we had a World Championships in conjunction with the Nats. Our guys just kind of halfheartedly tried to compete. Well, they didn't do very well. But through it all there sparked some interest to compete on a world level. Besides, most all of the Pylon Racers that I know don't want to get beat. So, with this in mind, let's move to 1986. At the 1986 Lake Charles Nats, we had an FAIPylon event. The turnout was very low. But, if you remember my Nats report, I commented that I thought that the top guns were holding back. They didn't want to show the competition what they were doing.
Radio Control: Pylon Racing
LOOKING BACK. As our racing season is ending, let's look at some Quarter Midget racing around the country. I have to thank John Kilsdonk for all three of the race reports which follow. One of Michigan's popular races is the annual version of the Silver Cup QM Championship, which was held for the thirteenth straight year. The race is run in combination with both the Toledo (OH) Flying Tigers and Weak Signals clubs. The race is sponsored by Les Haddad's Hobby Shop in Toledo. The race once again lived up to its reputation as one of the top two QM races of the year.
NMPRA Championships
THE PYLON RACING SEASON for 1986 has wound down, and it has been a very busy one. Highlighting the year was the Team Selection Finals for the World Championships to be held in Australia next spring and the first Quickie 500 Championship Race. The pinnacle of the season for Pylon fliers, though, is the NMPRA Championship Race. It's an invitation-only event, so if you want to be a contestant, you must be an NMPRA member, and you must meet one of the following eligibility requirements: 1. Finish in the top 20% of your NMPRA district or be one of the top 10 fliers, whichever is greater. Two out-of-district races may be included in the six races allowed.
Radio Control: Pylon Racing
FIRST I need to make a correction. The Contest Director for this year's NMPRA (National Miniature Pylon Racing Association) Championships was Doug Whiteaker with Glen Sheppard as assistant-not Greg Doe as I reported in the January issue. By the way, here are the results of the NMPRA Sport Pylon Championship Race held September 20-21, 1986. Expert: 1) R. Moreland, 2) R. Schuster, 3) T. Bogut, 4) M. Brown, 5) J. Solko. Novice: 1) S. Johnson, 2) J. Salisburg, 3) G. Wright, 4) F. Schwartz, 5) M. Franklin. Well, here we are about midwinter, and that means that for most of you, unless you fly in the snow, will have four or five months to build that new plane (or planes) for the '87 season.
