'81 AMA Texas Nats: RC Pylon Racing
By Bill Hager
Overview
There is always plenty of activity at any Nats. This year was no exception; with events in 69 categories, there was plenty going on.
Nats time means different things to different people. Many come to compete, work, or just enjoy the activities. For me it’s also a time to see old racing friends from across the United States and make a few new ones. It is one of the main reasons my wife enjoys the racing season.
It was an exceptional year for racing. At this year's Nats we ran 18 rounds of Quarter Midget and 13 rounds of Formula I. There were many exciting races during the six days of competition.
Quarter Midget
Processing for Quarter Midget was done on Sunday, August 2. The heats were made up and everything was ready for Monday morning.
After the first round Dave Latsha turned a 1:29.49 flying a Rivet of his own design, and he looked like the one to beat. Dave stayed on top until round three, when he had to fly Gail Jacobson.
Monday: four rounds were flown. Gail Jacobson and Doug Brueshaber tied for first after the early rounds. In round five Gail dropped back; Doug Brueshaber beat him and moved into first place. In round six Gail dropped back some more; Doug and Dave Latsha were tied for first at the end of the second day. Everyone was going faster — George Parks turned a new fast time of 1:27.11. Standings at that point: Dave Latsha first, Gail Jacobson one point back, Doug Brueshaber three points down; fourth and fifth, four points down, were Dave Layman and James Eide.
Through round 13 on Wednesday things stayed about the same. George Parks set a new fast time of 1:26.24. The last round was exciting: George had a bad start but recovered to finish fifth. Keith Davidson also had a bad start but did the last round in 1:25.39. Dave Latsha got back on top in round seven and stayed there to win; Gail Jacobson finished second and Doug Brueshaber third.
At big racing events K&B supplied fuel for Quarter Midget. John Brodbeck was on hand helping competitors, and Gordon Boudewyn, representing Kraft Systems, helped out with body troubles.
Pylon work and organization
Wednesday was a rough day for pylon work. Racing started at 7:00 a.m. sharp and ended at 12:30 p.m. After trophies were given out, we met with AMA officials. Formula CD Scott Kalmus and the Quarter Midget CDs agreed there was enough help and that everything had gone well. Scott would run the whole show.
Formula I
Thursday morning, after final preparations, 42 Formula competitors were ready to start engines. In the first round I had a close race — Tom Christopher just nosed Rusty VanBaren out, finishing 1:17.52 to Rusty's 1:17.54. This was a sample of what was to come — the contest turned out to be one of the most competitive Formula races I have ever attended.
At the end of round three six people were still tied for first:
- Ron Gilman
- Dave Latsha
- Tom Christopher
- Eric Ristrum
- Rusty VanBaren
- Keith Davidson
Ron Gilman held fast time with a 1:16.56. By round five Tom Christopher had gone 1:15.22 for fast time, and we were down to a three-way tie for first: Tom Christopher, Ron Gilman and Eric Ristrum, followed by Bill Hager and Kent Noyd two points back. By this time everyone had figured out the weather and speeds increased. By round nine Tom Christopher and Ron Gilman were still on top with 36 points each; Tom had lowered his best to 1:15.18.
Going into the last day everyone was trying to prepare for their final chances. In round 12 Ron Gilman had a "0" (a null/did-not-score), which put Tom Christopher in first place with 48 points, Eric Ristrum second with 47 points, Ron Gilman third with 44 points, Rusty VanBaren fourth, and Bill Hager fifth.
Round 13 featured a match between Ron Gilman and Tom Christopher — two of the fastest pilots there. When our starter, Bruce Richmond, dropped the flag it produced one of the best races I have ever seen. There was almost 20 feet between their airplanes during the race, and they crossed the finish line with Tom just a few feet ahead. The times were:
- Tom Christopher: 1:11.44
- Ron Gilman: 1:11.55
How would you like to go that fast and still come in second? Tom Christopher was our new Nats Formula I Champion. Considering the caliber of competitors he raced against, his victory was hard-earned. Tom had 11 races where his time was in the teens.
Results
- Formula I Champion: Tom Christopher
- 2nd: Eric Ristrum
- 3rd: Ron Gilman
- 4th: Rusty VanBaren
- 5th: Bill Hager
Acknowledgments and Conclusion
We had one of the best-ever groups of people working this year's Nats. I didn’t hear anyone complain about the way things were run. Congratulations to all who helped make this the greatest Nats ever.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
