CONTROL LINE RACING
Stewart Willoughby, 627 Bakewell Lane, Naperville IL 60565
A good site, excellent weather, and a more-than-15% increase in entries combined to make Nats Control Line Racing a success. Competitors came from all points of the U.S., from Canada, and from France. Several new faces appeared at the racing circle, and a few veterans returned.
AMA improved the site since last year by installing permanent posts for the safety nets, eliminating the previous years' problem of sagging nets. The National Control Line Racing Association (NCLRA) plans further upgrades, including a height marker/windsock, a jury tower, a public address system, and timing equipment. A practice circle remains on the wish list. For now, the community is excited about the smooth blacktop and painted circle markings — a far cry from the pitted, cracked airport ramps of past Nats.
In competition, the standard of flying improved overall; race times were better than last year, and three AMA national records were broken.
Mouse Race (Mouse II)
Mouse II, a supplemental NCLRA event, was flown on Sunday. Entrants flew two 100-lap heats and one 200-lap final to determine Jr./Sr. and Open winners.
- Jr./Sr. final: Scott Matson (Muncie, IN) first — 11:58; Jason Stone second — 14:08; Andy Westerheim third — 15:36.
- Open: 12 entries used a variety of engines (AME, Shuriken, Cox Tee Dee, reed-valve engines). Bob Fogg's Shuriken-powered model resembled a miniature inverted Fast Rat — extremely fast but hard to restart in the pits. Bill Cave repeated his win with a Tee Dee — 10:33; Rich McIntyre 10:41; Roger McIntyre 11:21 (a Backatit team sweep).
Mouse I
Mouse I (reed-valve engines only) was flown Thursday, the last day of racing. It was the most popular event with 36 entries.
Scott Matson set a new 50-lap heat record of 2:44 in Jr./Sr. Mouse I and won the 100-lap final with 6:18 flying a Scorpion designed by his uncle, Mike Matson. David Rolley was second — 6:54; D.J. Parr II third — 8:07.
Open Mouse
Open Mouse saw a close-fought battle. John McCollum and Bill Lee qualified first in the heats and won the final in 4:54 using their MeMouse design. Steve Wilk was second — 5:34; Richard Oesterle third — 5:37. (Thanks to Dave McDonald for assistance with the Mouse report.)
Slow Rat
A strong 16-competitor field turned out. Everyone posted heat times except Lari Dziak, who retired after the front housing on his ST X-36 broke up. Mike Greb, using a Nelson .36 fitted with a swing-weight carburetor, turned the fastest heat at 2:40 — about 10 seconds ahead of the field. Dave McDonald was next in the heats at 2:50 (ST X-36). Eight competitors made the finals cutoff of 3:06.
Finals results:
- Mike Greb (piloted by Bill Bischoff) — 5:35
- Rich McIntyre — 5:52
- Dave Fischer — 5:58
- Roger McIntyre — 6:05
Fox Racing
Fox Racing, in its second year at the Nats, remained popular. Five Jr./Sr. entries flew in the Open category. Though entry-level in cost and difficulty, top competitors prepared engines and tanks carefully and practiced pitting.
The Pat Matson–designed Mongoose II helped take first and third in Jr./Sr. Open. The single 100-lap, two-pit-stop heats selected three finalists for the Jr./Sr. Open final. Willoughby/Oge were disqualified for being airborne at the start of a race; they paid $5 to re-enter but suffered an engine failure in the re-entry. Scott Matson pitted, while his father Pat Matson won the Jr./Sr. final.
Finalists and results:
- 1st: Pat Matson — 6:12
- 2nd: Andy Westerheim (Shoestring) — 6:53
- 3rd: Doug Short — 7:14
Finalists received certificates and a new Fox engine.
Scale Racing
Violent thunderstorms late Monday prevented the usual day-before practice and led to heavy early-morning testing on race day. Humidity and temperature were comfortable for racing.
Jr./Sr. (two 70-lap heats, 140-lap final):
- 1st: Andy Westerheim (Williams Falcon) — 6:37
- 2nd: Krystal King (Lil' Quickie) — 7:24
- 3rd: Doug Short (Moxie-powered Midget Mustang)
Open (16 entrants, up from 11 last year): The Lil' Quickie/Gillott Products Rossi MK III combination was the most popular and dominated results. Heat times improved from last year; six entrants beat three minutes. Willoughby/Oge posted the best heat at 2:39, beating their previous AMA heat record by nearly two seconds. Bob Fogg was close with 2:42.
Finals: eight contestants competed. Near one final's end, two aircraft were ordered down because of a funeral at a nearby cemetery; the subsequent refly benefited the Lari Dziak/Dave McDonald team, which posted a perfect race and won the Open Scale title.
- 1st: Lari Dziak/Dave McDonald — 5:42 (Lari's first National Championship after several runner-up finishes)
- 2nd: Willoughby/Oge — 5:58 (several slow restarts hurt their time)
- 3rd: Ricketts/Ricketts — 6:11 (a Nats trophy after many years trying)
F2C Team Race
Participation rose, with eight teams flying 11 entries. Junior teams Pascal and Georges Sanguy visited from France. A new team of David Fischer and Steve Wilk entered. Henry Nelson returned to the circle, pitting for Bob Whitney.
Most aircraft used Vorobiev or Mazniak powerplants. John McCollum/Bill Lee flew older Nelson gear while leaving their best airplane in Texas; their entry provided three-up practice for upcoming team trials.
First round: John Ballard/Dave McDonald posted the two fastest times, 3:29 and 3:33; Willoughby/Oge were next at 3:35. Several disqualifications were issued by an ad hoc jury of participants during the proceedings.
Second round: Willoughby/Oge turned the fastest heat at 3:22. Ballard/McDonald posted 3:30 and 3:58; Kenny Perkins/Lester Goldsmith improved to 3:46 with their Mazniak. Ballard/McDonald, having qualified two entries, were required to drop one, allowing Perkins/Goldsmith into the finals.
Final: Perkins accelerated beneath Willoughby on takeoff but failed to follow his model, which crashed after getting ahead. In the two-up refly, Willoughby/Oge had one flip-pit but completed 200 laps in a new AMA record time of 7:09, winning F2C for the second consecutive year. Ballard/McDonald finished second — 7:25.
Fast Rat
This event was again dominated by California fliers. Bob Fogg took first — 5:32, with John McCollum piloting. Superior airspeed made the difference; only pitting problems prevented a larger margin.
The new team Dave Fischer/Steve Wilk used e-Fogg composite Rats but damaged their best model in practice when a down-line broke. Steve Eichenberger's .21 NovaRossi proved inconsistent. The Backatit team members Bill Cave and Mike MacCarthy took second — 5:56, and third — 6:00, respectively, with their K&B-powered Shark designs.
Banquet, Awards, and Thanks
The NCLRA banquet was Wednesday evening at a local restaurant. Laird Jackson was inducted into the Control Line Racing Hall of Fame for his long-term advocacy and service as competitor and administrator at national and international levels. The Lari Dziak Sportsmanship Award was presented to Jim Ricketts for combining serious competition with perennial good sportsmanship — congratulations, Jim!
Thanks to Roy Gould, who ran the contest. Contest directing is often thankless; he struck a good balance and kept proceedings moving. The crew of local club members who managed circle checks and timekeeping did a great job. Also appreciated was the contest fuel provided by K&B Manufacturing.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
