The Best Quickie 500 RC Pylon Race Fliers Were at NMPRA's '92 Q500 Championship Race
By Bill Hager
Event overview
The NMPRA (National Miniature Pylon Racing Association — a special interest group) holds a national championship for Quickie 500 pylon racing, much like its Formula 1 championship. The 1992 race was held October 10–11 at Scobee Field in Houston, Texas, hosted by the Space City R/C Club. Dick Ritch served as Contest Director.
The host club has plenty of experience putting on pylon racing contests and ran a smooth, well-organized event. Weather in Houston was ideal for fast flying, and the turnout produced some spectacular racing.
How to qualify
To compete in the annual championship you must do one of the following:
- Finish in the top 20% of pilots in your NMPRA district.
- Be one of the top 10 finishers at the AMA Nationals.
- Be an NMPRA official.
- Finish in the top five at the Canadian Nationals.
The result is a field made up of the best Quickie 500 pilots in the country.
Friday — processing and pilots' meeting
On Friday night at the Holiday Inn all airplanes were processed. Each model underwent a thorough safety inspection — radio installation, pushrods, control surfaces, and related items were checked and rechecked. A brief pilots' meeting followed, reviewing the weekend schedule. Racing was slated to begin at 9:30 a.m. Saturday.
Saturday — qualifying rounds
Racing began promptly at 9:30 a.m. Saturday and launched into 12 rounds of competitive flying.
- First heat: Fred French won with a 1:09; Anthony Lopez recorded a zero.
- Second heat: Randy Ritch won with a clean 1:08.
Round Two
- Heat One: Anthony Lopez won with a 1:08; Phil Bussell finished third.
- Heat Three: Ken Howell (1:06) beat Mark Parker (1:07).
Round Three
- Anthony Lopez won another heat with a 1:08.
- Mark Parker won a heat with a 1:07.
- Phil Bussell won a heat with a 1:09.
- Gary Schmidt won a heat with a 1:07.
Round Four
- Anthony Lopez set a new fast time of 1:05.94.
- Shortly after, Richard Oliver lowered the mark to 1:05.56.
Rounds Five–Seven
- Richard Oliver turned multiple 1:05 times and showed remarkable consistency through the qualifying rounds.
At the end of Saturday's qualifying, Anthony Lopez sat in first, Phil Bussell second, and Randy Ritch third. Richard Oliver held the overall fast time at 1:05.56.
Saturday evening featured an awards banquet at the Holiday Inn. Awards were presented to the top 10 in the National Points standings for 1992.
Sunday — final rounds and the finish
Racing was scheduled to start at 9:00 a.m. Sunday. A brief fog delay of about 30 minutes pushed the start back, but flying resumed soon after.
Round Eight
- Heat One: Ken Howell won with a 1:06, beating Anthony Lopez (1:07). Gary Roberts finished third with a 1:09.
- Heat Four: Phil Bussell beat Fred French 1:06 to 1:07.
- Heat Five: Richard Oliver beat Randy Ritch with another consistent 1:05 to Ritch's 1:06.
Round Nine
- Richard Oliver beat Fred French, 1:05 to 1:06.
Round Ten
- Oliver again turned a 1:05 to edge out Anthony Lopez.
Round Eleven
- Heat One: Anthony Lopez narrowly beat Fred French, 1:05.34 to 1:05.52; Mike Hammett was third with a 1:09.
- In another heat Oliver posted a 1:05.24.
Round Twelve
- Phil Bussell moved into first place overall with 40 points, Anthony Lopez second with 38, and Randy Ritch third with 37.
- First heat of Round Twelve produced three new contest fast times: Bussell 1:04.88 (first), Randy Ritch 1:04.90 (second), and Anthony Lopez 1:04.97 (third).
- In the second heat Richard Oliver slowed to a 1:07.17 but still won the heat over Gary Roberts (1:07.64).
The overall racing quality was superb. There were a few midairs, one folded wing, and one crash (Round Two, Bob Nickle lost his entry). A few bump-ups occurred, but competition stayed intense and clean.
Flyoff and Calcutta
There was a flyoff for second and third places between Anthony Lopez and Randy Ritch; Anthony Lopez won the flyoff and secured second place.
A Calcutta (betting) race followed, featuring top fliers Phil Bussell, Anthony Lopez, Randy Ritch, and Ken Howell. Ken Howell won the Calcutta.
Conclusion
What a race — fast times, close finishes, and excellent piloting. If you missed this one, you missed a great contest. Here's hoping to see everyone at the '93 race!
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
