Radio Control: Pylon Racing
Bill Hager 4 Holly Springs Dr. Conroe, TX 77302
Season outlook
Our racing season is now winding down, but we still have the TURN Q-500 Championship races, and the NMPRA (National Miniature Pylon Racing Association) will hold its annual Formula One Championship races at the end of October in Phoenix, AZ. Below is a report on this year’s TURN Q-500 Championship (June 29–30) with CDs Joe Ruh and Barry Andersen. The report was sent in by Barry Andersen.
TURN Q-500 Championship (Flying Cardinals field, northern Kentucky)
Saturday was sunny, mid‑80s and a bit humid. Channel RC‑52 had eight fliers, so three‑plane heats were used; with an excellent crew we had only one refly in nine rounds of racing.
Racing was fierce from the start. Round one heat one saw David Gohn bend the #3 flag pole; despite a thinned wing he continued to win the heat. Round two saw crashes by Frank Schwartz and Dave Bowman. Also in round two, Frank Schwartz and Jon Lemmons had a nasty midair between pylons two and three; Frank searched long for his radio and engine but never found the engine.
In round three Dodd and Grunkemeyer were involved in a midair; despite damage they finished the heat. Tom Scott over‑rolled his new design #3 in a close race. Jon Lemmons’ round four was the last crash of the day. Round five was crash‑free and produced plenty of good racing.
Top five at the end of Saturday:
- Craig Grunkemeyer — perfect 15 points
- Doug Whiteaker — 14 points
- Dennis Green — 14 points
- Joe Dodd — 12 points
- Joe Ruh — 12 points
(Ties were settled by times.)
Sunday started with brief showers before racing and another rain batch about noon; overall the weather was good. Four rounds were flown plus the trophy dash. There were fewer broken airplanes but tough racing all day. Whiteaker, Dodd and Tony Speck had a midair in the first round and were finished. Andersen and Green mid‑aired, which knocked Green out of the top five while Andersen finished the race. Jon Lemmons broke his number two airplane in the last round.
At the end of nine rounds, Grunkemeyer still had the race won with a perfect 27 (no zeroes). A three‑way tie at 20 points among Ruh, Gohn and Dodd required a flyoff for fourth and fifth; Gohn took fourth and Ruh fifth. Dodd won the trophy dash. Several racers recorded personal best times during the weekend.
The final dash included Grunkemeyer, Whiteaker, Nottingham and Welch; Grunkemeyer turned the fast time of the day, 1:18.82, edging out Whiteaker in a very close finish.
Special thanks to veteran starter Fred Johanson for overseeing the line and to the enthusiastic Flying Cardinals workers (Fred called them some of the finest he’s ever worked with). Thanks also to Dodd, Gohn and Grunk for safety and airplane inspection help, and to Joe Ruh for his usual fine job as CD.
Prizes & donations
- Greg Doe donated a P‑39 kit, won in a drawing by Tony Speck.
- Frank Schwartz won a Scat Cat kit donated by Doug Robinson (Hobby Express, Columbus, OH) for the best crash.
- Doug Whiteaker donated a set of cores and plans for the Viper, awarded to first‑place Grunkemeyer.
- Wayne Yeager presented the TURN trophies and cash awards.
Thanks to everyone for a great weekend of racing!
TURN Q-500 Championship Results
- Craig Grunkemeyer (Ohio) — 27 pt; Grunk/Rossi; 1:18.82 (fast time)
- Doug Whiteaker (Tennessee) — 22 pt; Viper/Webra; 1:19.50
- Barry Andersen (Kentucky) — 21 pt; Yikes/Rossi; 1:26.61
- David Gohn (Ohio) — 20 pt; Scat Cat/Picco; 1:22.53
- Joe Ruh (Kentucky) — 20 pt; Viper/Rossi; 1:28.04
- Joe Dodd (Ohio) — 20 pt; Scat Cat/Rossi; 1:27.03
- Mike Pewitt (Tennessee) — 18 pt; Viper/Rossi; 1:26.13
- Dennis Green (Tennessee) — 18 pt; Viper/Rossi; 1:28.91
- Barry Welch (Tennessee) — 18 pt; Viper/Webra; 1:30.12
- Wayne Pewitt (Tennessee) — 18 pt; C Clipper/Rossi; 1:33.17
New Q-500 kit: Texas Outlaw
Ritch’s Hobbies has just received a new Q‑500 kit called the Texas Outlaw, priced under $80. The kit includes plans, hardware and a detailed instruction manual, plus a special installation for the engine mount and radio. The Texas Outlaw has a long record of success (winning races and national championships since the late 1970s) and has been modified over the years to incorporate the latest racing ideas. It is designed to work well with most .049 engines and is easy to assemble — a great value. If you want one, write or call Ritch’s Hobbies.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
