F2C - 2004/11
by Dave McDonald
F2C: This event provided a unique opportunity for many in the US to see some of the best in Team Race compete. Although there was a noticeable decrease in the number of competitors at this World Championship (WC) and the reigning World Champion did not attend, competition was still at a level unseen in this country.
Organization and officials
The people who helped run this event deserve a big round of applause for doing an excellent job. The timekeepers and the line-check personnel were great. Event Director Tom Fluker kept those present on their toes and ran a smooth and orderly WC event.
John Ballard probably walked five miles. His responsibilities included impounding airplanes and checking them for compliance when fast times were turned in during the heat races and semifinals, and checking all three airplanes at the conclusion of the final. It takes a team to run these events, and this group was outstanding.
Although the Jury members missed some calls and made a few decisions I disagreed with, they did an excellent job overall. Their consistency was superb, and that is what you look for from a Jury as a competitor. They cannot please everyone, but they did a hard job and showed no favoritism.
US contingent and results
The US contingent—Lenard Ascher, Aaron Ascher, Stewart Willoughby, Bob Oge, Tim Gillott, and Todd Ryan—did not have the strong performances that were expected on their home turf. The American teams were not a threat in the team or individual standings.
- Team Ascher (Lenard Ascher / Aaron Ascher): finished 15th overall with times of 3:23.00, 3:50.80, and 3:40.40.
- Team Ryan/Gillott (Todd Ryan / Tim Gillott): finished 22nd overall with a disqualification (DQ), a did not finish (DNF), and a 3:38.00.
- Team Willoughby/Oge (Stewart Willoughby / Bob Oge): finished 30th overall and were unable to post a competitive time — DNF on Lap 1, a DQ, and a DNF at Lap 79.
Early rounds
After Round One, the quick time went to the Russian team of Yury Shabashov and Vladimir Ivanov with 3:15.90. Second quickest were two French teams — Pascal Surugue/Georges Surugue and Fabrice Picard/Claire Perret — posting strong 3:17.70s.
During Round Two, Teams Surugue and Picard/Perret lost some performance but still safely made the semifinals. Team Shabashov/Ivanov had a DNF at 49 laps. Other teams improved from Day One: the Swedish team Bengt-Olof Samuelsson and Kjell Axtelius posted 3:17.00; Steven Smith/Colin Brown of Great Britain posted 3:18.40; and Russians Victor Averine/Victor Marchenko posted 3:18.00.
The third and last elimination round was do-or-die for most teams. The three French teams took advantage:
- Pascal Surugue / Georges Surugue: 3:15.60
- Thierry Ougen / Roland Surugue: 3:16.70
- Fabrice Picard / Claire Perret: 3:19.90
The Ukrainian team Valeriy Kramarenko / Yuriy Chayka posted 3:17.10 to secure a semifinal spot. Team Smith/Brown improved to 3:16.40, and the Russian team Andrey Yushchenko / Victor Yugov posted a strong 3:16.70.
Teams that moved on to the semifinals:
- Surugue/Surugue (France)
- Ougen/Surugue (France)
- Picard/Perret (France)
- Shabashov/Ivanov (Russia)
- Averine/Marchenko (Russia)
- Yushchenko/Yugov (Russia)
- Kramarenko/Chayka (Ukraine)
- Samuelsson/Axtelius (Sweden)
- Smith/Brown (Great Britain)
Teams whose hopes were dashed were relegated to the sidelines for another two years, until the next WC.
Semifinals
The semifinal rounds were hotly contested. Surugue/Surugue posted a world record of 3:09.06 in the first semifinal — impressive even though the race became two-up after one team was disqualified. That time demonstrated the advantage of youth and serious preparation.
Other strong first-semifinal performances included Shabashov/Ivanov at 3:11.50 and Kramarenko/Chayka at 3:15.30. These times held up and those teams would go on to contest the World Championship.
The second semifinal round produced only one really good time — Ougen/Surugue’s 3:16.10. Other times ranged from 3:23.00 to 3:28.00, times that would not be enough to move on to an exciting final.
Final and results
The final for the title was between:
- Surugue/Surugue (France)
- Shabashov/Ivanov (Russia)
- Kramarenko/Chayka (Ukraine)
The race was incredibly close until the latter stages. The French and Russians were roughly equal in airspeed for most of the race, with only one lap between them. The Russians were fouled out at Lap 185, leaving the French with a comfortable lead over the Ukrainians. From that point the outcome was decided.
Individual results:
- Gold (individual): Surugue/Surugue (France) — 6:42.70
- Silver (individual): Kramarenko/Chayka (Ukraine) — 7:02.00
- Bronze (individual): Shabashov/Ivanov (Russia) — 185 laps
Team medals:
- Gold: France
- Silver: Russia
- Bronze: Great Britain
Performance, technology, and development
From a performance standpoint, the Americans are lagging behind. Many of the outstanding teams were turning lap times in the 16.7- to 17.0-second range in three-up traffic. That is extremely fast and suggests equipment performance may be outpacing pilot and pit crew ability.
F2C is becoming a young person's sport, but few young people are entering it. From a development standpoint, F2C is coming full circle with retractable landing gear re-emerging (Walt Perkins used retracts many years ago). Other innovations include carbon wings fabricated in molds to ensure a consistent airfoil from wing to wing.
The French team employed carbon wings and retracts during this contest. Although not used on the same model, combined they could be the next big step in performance. Carbon fuselages are appearing again — the old Vorobiev models were carbon but lacked suitable front ends for engine mounting; new-generation airplanes do not have that handicap.
Racing is racing. Whether F2C or NASCAR, it is a team event. Just as a NASCAR team needs a good pit crew, a good pitman is as valuable as a good pilot in F2C. With a normal pit stop lasting less than three seconds, many races are won or lost in the pits. Pilots are bringing models in faster, and a good, hot landing yields free time that cannot be made up later. This requires new wing technology to allow airplanes to be caught at higher speeds without failures that plagued older models.
As in other racing events, teams with the resources, desire, and ability rise to the top. The goal of a sanctioning body is to keep technology in check for safety and preservation of the event. The FAI had discussed increasing line diameter for next time, but that talk is being held off for at least another cycle.
For the near future, speeds and performance will only increase. The limiting factor will be how good the pilots and pitmen are. If you want to get involved in world-class F2C, you must be willing to sacrifice other events, time, and money, and be totally committed. If you are unwilling or unable to make these sacrifices, everyone at the World Championships will see your lack of performance.
For the Americans, there is always next time!
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
