Radio Control: Pylon Racing
WELL, here we are at the end of another great season of Pylon Racing. As I am writing this they are having the year-end NMPRA (National Miniature Pylon Racing Association) Q500 Championships in Dallas, TX. I should be able to publish the results in a later issue. Next up will be the NMPRA Formula One Championships. This year they will be held at Gainsville, TX on October 22-23. For most Formula One fliers this is the premier event for the year. You must qualify for this race: First, of course, you must be an NMPRA member; you must finish in the top 20% or the top 10 in your NMPRA district (this is computed using your six best contests); you can make it by finishing in the top 10 at the current-year AMA Nats; or be an NMPRA officer or a previous Championship Race winner.
Radio Control: Pylon Racing
THE YEAR of the Q500? It looks to me like it might be. Boy, I wonder if the old bearded one, Glen Spickler, ever thought this type of Racing would grow like it has. For those who don't remember, Glen designed and kitted the Spickler Q500 Pylon Racer. This plane was designed to be a low-cost, fun-to-build, and fun-to-fly Pylon Racer. Just the thing for club races: low-key, low-cost racing for those who wanted to race but didn't want to get as involved as the Formula One pilot. These days Q500 has a good set of rules-and even a spot at the Nationals, though I'm not sure it was intended to get this big. Remember, guys: It was supposed to be a low-key event! When you bring it to the Nats . . . well, we'll see. I hope for the best, because there sure are a lot of people flying this neat event.
Radio Control: Pylon Racing
READY? Our 1988 Racing season started with the Phoenix Formula I Classic on February 27-28. This year's race brought 40 entries, including quite a few old-timers who haven't been around for several years. One of those names from the past showed that he hadn't forgotten how to win. I'll have a full report next month, Here are a couple of updates on the list of sources for Racing supplies. G.W. Models, 2200 W. King St., Cocoa, FL 32926, sells framed-up Quarter Midgets and Formula Ones and ready-to-cover Q500s. For more information, write to them or call (305) 636-5116. Gage Aircraft Sales, 3727 Shepherd Ln., Fort Wayne, IN 46815 has kits for (and does custom building) Quarter Midget and Formula I planes. The phone number is (219) 485-3467.
Radio Control: Pylon Racing
TWO major events during 1988 should interest the Formula One fliers: the AMA Nationals, and the NMPRA Championships. But back in the Seventies we had an annual race in Bakersfield, CA that, at one time, drew over 100 entries. Just about anyone who was anybody in Racing attended this contest. We even had people come from Japan just for the meet. Those were the good old days! It sure would be great to have a race of that magnitude again. Well, maybe we might just have a chance to have such an event again! It might not be in Bakersfield-but how about Phoenix, AZ?
Radio Control: Pylon Racing
NEW RULES? In the March 1989 edition of the "Competition Newsletter" section of Model Aviation you had a chance to see how the Radio Control Racing Contest Board members performed with their Initial Vote on the proposed rule changes for 1990-91. Let's look at these rules very closely. If they survive the forthcoming Final Vote, we will have to live with them very soon. Let's look at RCR 90-8. This restricts fuel used in Formula One to a content of 15% nitromethane, and would be supplied by contest management.
