Radio Control: Pylon Racing
Bill Hager
Procrastinating?
By the time you read this, the 1985 Nationals will be history. With the addition of FAI to this year's schedule, there should be plenty of racing for everyone. So, if you didn't make it, it is your loss.
As I have said in the past, if you have any ideas or hints, send them in and I will try to get them into this article.
Fueling system tip
This month we have a very sanitary fueling system sent in by Andrew Wiktorin (West Covina, CA). Just about everyone I know is a little sloppy with fuel, myself included. We all spend hours and hours preparing for a race, and yet we are still careless with our fuel. And I am sure we all know that just one speck of dirt in the fuel line and presto—we have a flameout. Anyway, Andrew's fueling system might be of interest to some of you.
Tangerine 1984–85 (report by Jim Moorhead)
"If Tangerine 1983–84 was an example of the worst-possible weather conditions you can hold a pylon race in, then this year's Tangerine was an example of the best! As racers, we may not have been allowed the use of R/C World and its comforts, but sunny skies and light winds as enjoyed by some 50 modelers at the RCACF club field in Orlando, FL, make any flying site something special.
"This year there was a break in tradition. Alas, Formula One was not held at this year's Tangerine, and in its place almost 40 contestants battled out in the new SEMPRA-recognized event—Sport Pylon Racing. In case you haven't noticed, a large group of modelers, mostly Floridians, have been racing a Q-500-type airplane with an enthusiasm that borders on hyperactivity. But first... Quarter-Midget.
"QM was raced for five rounds as the opening event on Friday, December 28th. The strength of the new Ron Young-modified Cox/Rossi combo is starting to be felt. QM regulars tend to agree that the new setup is averaging an increase of around 1,000 rpm once properly broken in. Gail Jacobson, running the new setup, streaked around the pylons in his third-round heat and set a new personal record and what proved to be fast time of 1:18.5. He was flying a really slick Pole Kitty that went on to win the event. Dave Latsha, flying an Estrellita, took second with a best time of 1:28.5, and Shark flier Jimmy Bartels took third.
"The main event of this year's pylon racing was to follow on Saturday. The sun was hardly up at all before the sky was full of the new racers as trims and needle valves were checked one last time. The sound was different from what many of us are used to. The Schnuerle-ported .40s with muffled, tuned pipes have a much different sound than the old K&B sport .40 of previous years. Most were operating in an rpm range some 2,000 revs higher than the earlier Q-500 airplanes, with an equal increase in zip between the poles.
"With several previous races worth of experience behind them, the central Florida group was a strong force to contend with. Even so, competitors from outside the Southeastern district, such as Rex Knepper and Dave Keats, who had some experience with piped racers, were in the running right down to the fast time. The SEMPRA Quickie-500 fliers from outside of Florida were the rookies to this new technology, but nonetheless had a presence felt in the five rounds of furious racing.
"When it was all over, Dave Latsha, by virtue of winning a fly-off with Ricky Ritz, was awarded first place, with Ritz taking second. A four-plane fly-off for third was ordered up featuring Brian Richmond, Jimmy Bartels, Robert Skupien, and Rex Knepper. The race was a hot one, with Skupien leading the pack across the finish line. Richmond was the unfortunate victim of a midair between the base pylons, but had previously earned Fast Time of the event with a 1:25.6.
"It's wonderful to see so many new faces at a contest in the Southeast. It looks like Sport Pylon might be just what it takes to get enthusiasm back into the district, as well as serve as a launching pad for future QM and Formula One pilots. The Florida guys are doing it, and I hope the rest of the district will join in. Sport Pylon is a great introduction to pylon racing at a price the average RC enthusiast can easily afford.
"Thanks to Bill Williamson, Dave Stewart, and all the workers who got together and made sure racing would be a part of this year's Tangerine. As a final note: congratulations to the RCAFC on having a beautiful paved runway, quite sensible for any kind of racing, added to their flying site."
UPRC race report (sent by Ernie Nikodem)
"Well, the 1985 N.F. Ontario race is history. It should really go into the record books. We had 28 Sport entries, a high for N.F. Ontario. We had record high winds, which took a record toll of equipment in crashes, midairs, and mishaps. Yours truly set a new record by dumping three ships in two days. One of the mishaps was when I locked my eyeballs onto the wrong plane on takeoff and went through the motions of flying it for two laps, while my own plane had crashed two seconds into the race.
"There were three midairs. One was a little stranger: Neil Watson's engine embedded itself into Ralph Perillo's wing, making it fly like the proverbial lead balloon. The engine finally fell free, and the plane began to glide more normally.
"The guys in the winner's circle were Al Mack, Dave Gierke, and Dave Thomas. Al was first with 20 points, the two Daves were tied on points at 18, so Dave Gierke's faster time of 1:50 placed him second. Dave Thomas's best time of 1:53 was good for a hard-won third place. This was Dave Thomas's best showing and the first time he has finished in the top three."
Results from race held June 29, 1985 at N.F. Ontario — Sport (28 entries)
- Al Mack — Webra .40 — 1:53
- Dave Gierke — ST .40 — 1:50
- Dave Thomas — ST .40 — 1:53
- Billy Brandon — ST .40 — 1:54
- Gary Graf — ST .40 — 1:55
- Mark Sciandra — OPS .40 — 1:53
- D. Baker — COMO .40 — 1:45*
- Dean DeAnthony — (unknown) — 1:57
- Brian Aube — OS .40 — 1:58
- Rick Pane — ST .40 — 1:59
* fast time
Want to see your club's results?
Want to see the results of your club's contest in this article? Then send me something about it. I can't write about something I don't know about.
By the way, you guys on the West Coast, have you heard a word from your area yet this year? Did everybody quit racing in California this year?
All of you racers want to promote racing. Well, what better way than to do it through this column? Come on, gang, how about some help?
See you next month.
Bill Hager 706 Glen Haven Dr. Conroe, TX 77385
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
