Radio Control
Pylon Racing
Bill Hager
RC pylon racing has come a long way since it got its start in the early sixties. Just about everyone who flies RC gets involved in some sort of racing at one time or another. We race anything from the basic trainer to today's very fast Formula One.
It seems that each club and each area has its own idea of what is fun to race. In each club or area there are always a few who are dedicated enough to get interest fired up and to get the ball rolling. Sometimes these people put together special-interest groups just for racing. Nationally we have the NMPRA (National Miniature Pylon Racing Association), but we also have many special-interest clubs and area or district associations.
One of these is the United Pylon Racing Circuit (UPRC). The UPRC is over 15 years old and is one of the oldest groups still together.
UPRC Annual Championship (September 22–23, 1984)
The UPRC held its annual championship race on September 22–23, 1984, at Joe Davis State Park in Lewiston, NY, hosted by the Niagara Sunday Fliers. The club did an excellent job. Although it looked like they might be short of workers on Saturday morning, that resolved itself, and the races progressed smoothly on both days. The workers endured sun and heat on Saturday and cold drizzle on Sunday without complaint.
The UPRC banquet was held Saturday night at a three-star restaurant in Lewiston, about ten minutes from the race site. There were many stories exchanged about modeling and racing—both the ones that were won and the ones that weren't. The wives and girlfriends added class to the function and made the dinner more enjoyable. Laura Mack topped it off with beautiful dolls she made as door prizes for the women.
On Sunday, trophies were awarded for first through third places in both Sport and Formula One for the two-day race. The top five in each event were the following modelers.
Sport (top five)
- Al Mack (39 pt.) — 1:43.5 (tied for fast time)
- Dave Gierke (37 pt.) — 1:43.5 (tied for fast time)
- Ernie Nikodem (35 pt.) — 1:49
- Gary Gau (34 pt.) — 1:46
- Neil Watson (33 pt.) — 1:47.5
Formula One (top five)
- Jim Meyer (35 pt.) — 1:26 (fast time)
- Bill Brandow (30 pt.) — 1:28.5
- Al Mack (28 pt.) — 1:29.5
- Gary Gau (18 pt.) — 1:35.5
- Ernie Nikodem (9 pt.) — 1:32.5
Engines used included six Supertigres, three K&Bs, and one Webra.
There were prizes from the race sponsors for everyone. Workers could pick first, and then the fliers had their turn with all names drawn from a hat. Most attendees received more in merchandise value than their entry fee, and they picked items they could use. Thanks to the sponsors and the Sunday Fliers for doing this final race up big — a fitting climax for the last UPRC race of 1984.
Season point-champions and awards
- Al Mack — 1984 UPRC overall season champion and season point-champion.
- Bill Brandow — Formula One UPRC winner for the second season in a row.
- Dave Kelly — Formula One fast time (trophy sponsored by Depew Hobby Center), fast time 1:22.
- Jerry Muscato — Sport Pylon fast time trophy for 1984 (sponsored by Fields Hobby Center), time 1:39.
- Mark Sciandra — Most Improved Racer for 1984.
- Two "Big Foot" awards were given to callers who launched their fliers' airplanes with their feet firmly planted on the airplane antenna!
RC Pylon Racing — Continued
Thanks go out to all the UPRC clubs for the races they put on and to all the workers. Without them there wouldn't be a UPRC. Special mention goes to Bruce Knox for the matrix he did for most of the races and for bringing out the workers' cages. There were many others too numerous to mention. Contestants should always appreciate the time and efforts of contest officials, who ask nothing in return. They make modeling and racing much more enjoyable and are examples for all to follow.
North Central Pylon League — Last Race of 1984
The last race of the year saw 16 fliers competing for honors at the Grassfield site. The whole weekend was cloudy and threatened rain (which it did on Sunday). No records were broken, probably due to the heavily overcast skies. The first day's race was one of the very few on record where there were no crashes: sixteen fliers—with sixteen planes—started and finished.
The most exciting race was probably in the sixth round, with Bednarek and Brueshaber flying close. Doug Brueshaber had a time of 1:28.6, and Jerry Bednarek finished 1.6 seconds behind at 1:29.0. Some new faces appeared: Larry Rosine, Larry Reihl, and Charles Eldridge.
First day's results (two classes of Q500)
Expert class
- Dennis Hoffman (22 pt.) — 1:25.7
- Doug Brueshaber (20 pt.) — 1:26.6
- Jerry Bednarek (19 pt.) — 1:29.0
- Roger Wilson (19 pt.) — 1:31.1
- Jerry Eilert (16 pt.) — 1:34.1
Standard class
- Charles Eldridge (18 pt.) — 1:43.5
- Phil Zudemba (15 pt.) — 1:33.4
- Ronald Edgar (14 pt.) — 1:49.2
- David Rech (14 pt.) — 1:53.5
- Rick Mercier (11 pt.) — 1:44.6
Sunday, the rains poured. The Contest Director decided to race after some thought. The rains finally quit, and we flew. If Saturday was a race where all finished, Sunday was exactly the opposite: many "no-finishes," cut-outs, "no-starts," and crashes.
Second day's results (two classes, for six heats)
Expert class
- Dennis Hoffman (20 pt.)
- Daniel Norlin (18 pt.)
- Roger Wilson (17 pt.)
- Richard Steine (11 pt.)
- Albert Schwartz (8 pt.)
Standard class
- Ronald Gage (17 pt.)
- Vic Lechhoff (16 pt.)
- Boyd Bowdish (13 pt.)
- Del Berryman (13 pt.)
- Jerry Eilert (12 pt.)
No times were recorded for QM races due to a lack of manpower for timing. The CD decided not to fly off the tie between Bowdish and Berryman.
Airflow Gauge — Reader Feedback
I have received several letters about the airflow gauge I wrote about in the April issue. Several of you have tried it and have added various features to improve it. Some suggested monitoring the rotor's AC input, since this will vary depending on the time of day and local usage. It is important that your AC input be maintained at a known level.
A friend, Fred French, set up a small motor/generator driven by a small prop at the end where I showed the ping-pong ball. He hooked this to an ammeter and it worked very well. Send me your hints and ideas so I can pass them on.
Support racing! The National Miniature Pylon Racing Association is a group of modelers dedicated to pylon racing. The NMPRA is active. For more information, or to join, write to Bruce Richmond, 18816 Burbrook Ln., Dallas, TX 75252. Annual dues are $13 for non-flying members and $18 for flying members.
See you next month.
Bill Hager 706 Glen Haven Dr. Conroe, TX 77385
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
