1989 NMPRA Champs
Past NMPRA Formula One Champions (1973–1988)
- 1973 — Sepulveda Basin, CA: Bob Violett (K&B-powered Cosmic Trick)
- 1974 — Miami, FL: Terry Prather (SuperTigre X40-powered Prather Toni)
- 1975 — Mesquite, TX: Jim Maki (K&B-powered Stegal Minnow)
- 1976 — Bakersfield, CA: Terry Prather (X40-powered Prather Toni)
- 1977 — Valkaria, FL: Irwin Funderburk (K&B-powered Bandit)
- 1978 — Mesquite, TX: John McDermott (X40-powered Prather Toni)
- 1979 — Las Vegas, NV: Bob Root (X40-powered Stinger)
- 1980 — Titusville, FL: Tom Christopher (X40-powered Polecat)
- 1981 — Las Vegas, NV: Gary Hover (X40-powered Prather Toni)
- 1982 — Seguin, TX: Dave Shadel (X40-powered Prather Toni)
- 1983 — San Luis Obispo, CA: Dave Shadel
- 1984 — Smyrna, GA: Dave Shadel
- 1985 — Gainesville, TX: Dub Jett (X40-powered Pitts Pellet)
- 1986 — Sepulveda Basin, CA: Dave Shadel (X40-powered Samurai Kaze)
- 1987 — DeLand, FL: Gary Hover (X40-powered Samurai Kaze)
- 1988 — Gainesville, TX: Brian Richmond (X40-powered Prather Toni)
Terry Prather has won twice; Dave Shadel has won an amazing four times and continued to race—and win—through 1989.
Event summary
Held October 28–29, 1989, the championships were hosted by the Phoenix Pro Flyers at their field near Phoenix, AZ. Jim Allen served as Contest Director. Some fliers arrived early on Wednesday, October 25, to practice and were pleased to find major improvements: the runway had been made twice as wide (allowing the course to be reversed) and the cart road between pits and flight line was paved. The upgrades made the field a first-class operation.
Practice ended Friday evening. Forty contestants met at the Windmill Inn for processing: safety checks of aircraft and radios, then scale judging. Scale judges awarded scores from 1 (best) to 4; order of takeoff was determined by scale scores.
Best Show: Rich Tocci, Coppell, TX — Jerry Small–designed Kaze Killer won Best Show for outstanding craftsmanship.
With good weather forecast, the pilots' meeting was held at 8:00 a.m. Saturday; flying began about 9:00 a.m.
Competition highlights
- Four-time winner Dave Shadel was the odds-on favorite. His opening flight timed at about 1:13. Gary Hover recorded a 1:16 in his opening flight. Richard Verano, Rusty Van Baren, and others placed high in the early heats.
- Round 2: Scott Manning won his heat. Dave Shadel ran lean, flamed out, and suffered a cracked carb. Richard Verano had a cut in his race and lost a point.
- Round 3 (heat 9): Scott Manning turned a 1:15 but was edged by Richard Verano's 1:13. Dave Shadel returned but was four points down after the earlier zero for the flameout.
- Round 4–5: Dave recorded a 1:10.79 in Round 4 and a 1:11 in Round 5. The earlier flameout zero continued to affect his standings.
- End of Round 5 standings: Richard Verano and Darrol Cady tied at 19 points; Scott Manning and Bob Greer matched at 18; Gary Hover had 17.
- Round 8: Dave Shadel turned a personal best 1:10.16. Wind increased midmorning but most competitors voted to continue flying.
- Through Sunday: Scott Manning and Richard Verano continued to win heats and ended nine rounds tied for first, necessitating a flyoff.
- Flyoff: After a racehorse start, Richard jumped Scott but went lean on lap two. Scott Manning proceeded to win the flyoff and the championship. This was Scott Manning’s first-ever race victory after about 10 years of racing.
Awards and banquet
The NMPRA banquet Saturday evening drew about 120 attendees. Awards for the top 20 in national points (an NMPRA tradition since 1968) were presented. Top national points for 1989 went to Dave Shadel with a record-high 628 points, narrowly edging Richard Verano (626.83). For Dave, this marked his seventh winning season.
Special presentations included Dub Jett presenting Dave Shadel a T-shirt and a photo of “Martha the Soybean Masher.” Ron Schorr received a plaque for his service as secretary/treasurer.
Top national points winners (since 1968)
- 1968 — Granger Williams
- 1969 — Whit Stockwell
- 1970 — Terry Prather
- 1971 — A&L Racing Team
- 1972–73 — Bob Smith
- 1974–75 — Terry Prather
- 1976 — Bill Hager
- 1977 — Bob Smith
- 1978 — Tom Christopher
- 1979–80 — Dave Shadel
- 1981 — Gary Hover
- 1982–83 — Dave Shadel
- 1984–85 — Dub Jett
- 1986 — Dave Shadel
- 1987 — Henry Bartle
- 1988–89 — Dave Shadel
Noise readings (by Gary Hover)
Gary Hover took random noise level readings using AMA equipment during the championships:
- Single aircraft (SuperTigre X40 running at 21,900 rpm), hand-held at 1 meter above asphalt: 118 dB at 3 meters in front and 90° to the prop; 110 dB directly behind the airplane without obstruction.
- Highest reading: 135 dB at 30° to the prop at 1 meter distance.
- Race conditions: 87 dB measured from the pits at approximately 450 ft and 90° to the course (with four models nearby).
Hover noted the need for a noise policy and proposed that racing be exempt due to infrequent use, or, if limited, set a level such as 125 dB at the meter so current technology could comply.
Results — NMPRA Formula One Championships (October 28–29, 1989)
- Scott Manning — Sepulveda, CA — 1:12.61
- Richard Verano — Carson, CA — 1:13.14
- Dave Shadel — Carlsbad, CA — 1:10.16
- Darrol Cady — Vancouver, WA — 1:16.52
- Henry Bartle — Santa Ana, CA — 1:16.59
- Dub Jett — Humble, TX — 1:15.01
- Lyle Larson — San Juan Capistrano, CA — 1:14.74
- Lee Von Der Hey — Toluca Lake, CA — 1:16.99
- J.P. Hanway — The Colony, TX — 1:20.79
- Thomas Strom — Seattle, WA — 1:14.85
- Bob Greer — Coppell, TX — 1:18.99
- Bernie Workman — Saugus, CA — 1:14.45
- Bill Hager — Conroe, TX — 1:18.16
- Chuck Wahl — San Ramon, CA — 1:19.50
- Ed Rankin — Fort Worth, TX — 1:23.28
- Peter Priest — Santa Clara, CA — 1:23.82
- Clark Wade — Streamwood, IL — 1:17.87
- Red Cranfill — Lake Jackson, TX — 1:22.00
- Pete Reed — Avon, CT — 1:21.99
- Bruce Hobbs — Austin, TX — 1:18.14
Notes: The Kaze Killer flew well, but the Kaze performed better — at this point the writer rated Kaze Killer a 0 and the Kaze a 3.
Next year’s race was expected to be held in Florida. Join the NMPRA to get in on the action. See you next fall.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
