RADIO CONTROL PYLON RACING
Bill Hager 4 Holly Springs Drive, Conroe, TX 77302
New products and contacts
There are some new products for pylon racers. The many racing products produced by small companies or individuals will not always be regularly advertised in magazines. When possible, I’ll pass along information about new items:
- Lyle Larson — Napier Heston and PSI Mustang Quarter Midget kits. Call (714) 365-1155.
- Jerry Small — Kaze Killer Quarter Midget. Call (817) 379-6468.
- Dave Shadel — Tettra "Bubbleless" fuel tank, Prather Pitch Gage, and the Master Tach. Call (702) 265-7523.
- Gary Hover — Kaze with molded wing. Call (209) 625-0325.
- Northwest Model Distributors — new Streamline Wheels. Call (206) 687-9822.
- Dub Jett — engine for the new Quarter Midget. Call (713) 680-8113.
- Duane Gall — new Quarter Midget kit: the Q40 Stinger. Call (303) 969-9527.
I will have an updated racing products list soon. For those selling pylon racing products, send me information and I will pass it on to the pylon racers.
Pro-Flyers Phoenix Winterfest Q500 Race — report by Jim Allen
While the Central and Eastern parts of the US were just coming out of record cold temperatures, pylon racers in the Phoenix area were preparing to host the second edition of what they hope will become the quick race to attend during the winter months. The weather man was predicting what we call a "Chamber of Commerce" weekend, and entries from around the country were starting to roll in. It looked like it would be a great time.
Friday morning dawned with clear skies and no wind. Racers started showing up midmorning to practice and find the right combination for the Arizona air. By about 10:30 it was T-shirt weather, and the thermometer was on its way to an afternoon high of 80°F. With the Pro-Flyers' great flying field and permanent racing course, what more could red-blooded racers ask for?
Registration opened on Saturday morning at 7. Many pilots were at the field before sunrise. Test-flying was not allowed prior to registering. Three classes were scheduled: AMA 428, Calzona, and APRA Quickie Sport. AMA class would be a two-day race, and the two one-day races would be flown in the other classes.
On Saturday morning it was obvious the turnout would be large. Several pilots entered in more than one class, resulting in 54 entries.
AMA class had the largest number of entries with 24. The list of entries looked like a who's who of pylon racing. Among the entries were four past Q500 national record holders, two-time World Aerobatic Champion Chip Hyde, and the recently crowned World Pylon Champion Richard Verano. Nine of the entries are regularly seen on the Formula I circuit. Quickie is definitely being taken more seriously these days.
The first round confirmed predictions of tight racing. Ken Howell set the pace with a 1:03.95 in a good race with fellow Texan Richard Oliver, who ended up with two cuts. It became apparent that cuts and broken models would be a common occurrence this weekend.
In Round Two the Texans continued showing that they came to race fast. Ken Howell was ahead of Phil Bussell in a great race with Ken's 1:01.58 to Phil's 1:02.56. Mark Parker was the victor in the race of the round. To win the heat Mark had to get by Lyle Larson, Mike Helsel, and Chip Hyde. Larson and Hyde ended with one cut each. Mark's winning time was 1:01.45. Times under 1:05 were becoming commonplace.
In Round Three the fast time was lowered even more by Chip Hyde with a 1:01.43 in a race with Richard Oliver. Mark Parker then raced Ken Howell and was ahead when Ken received a cut and could not quite get his lap back. At the end of this round Mark and Jeff Horn had perfect scores — a status that would not last long.
In Round Four there were still more close races and more cuts by many pilots. Only seven pilots finished heats in round four with no cuts — less than one-third of the pilots entered. Chip Hyde had the fast time of the round again with a 1:02.09.
In the fifth and final round on Saturday there were fewer cuts and a few fast times. Chip earned a 1:00.85. Chip definitely was making up for his zero and third-place finishes in rounds one and two. Cuts and crashes continued.
Trophies were handed out in Calzona and Quickie Sport. Winners were Tony Lopez in Calzona and Chip Hyde in Quickie Sport.
Arizona Quickie Sport Class continues to be a fun and inexpensive entry-level class of racing. The pilots who are learning to race in the class have shown marked improvement; several pilots have reached the expert pilot level by flying two fast times under 1:30 for nine laps and now race ten laps. The best part of this class is the enthusiasm that the racers have about breaking out. They are proud of their accomplishments.
On Sunday morning Calzona and Sport class entries were required to register again. AMA class was flown first, while the heats were made out for the other classes. AMA-class pilots voted at the Sunday pilot meeting to fly four rounds, for a total of nine rounds. The weather was still beautiful, with slightly cooler temperatures and a little more humidity. Course workers arrived early enough to get started only three minutes after the scheduled time, 9 a.m.
Round Six of AMA Class opened with more good racing. Heat two of the round had Phil Bussell, Richard Verano, and Drew Telford battling right down to the wire with no cuts. Richard stretched out about a line and finished with a 1:06.61 to Drew's 1:06.91. Phil was a close second at 1:08.43.
In heat four Gary Schmidt and Jeff Horn had a spectacular midair at Pylon Three on the first lap. The times were definitely slower, due to the Sunday morning weather conditions. Norm Johnson set the pace in this round with a 1:04.09 in a very close heat with Mike Tallman and Mark Parker. Mike finished second in the individual heats with a 1:01.85 and 1:01.02, respectively.
Rounds Eight and Nine were highlighted by Chip Hyde turning a 1:00.22 against Mark Parker, who was close for a while until he got a cut. Richard Verano capped off his weekend with a 1:00.57 using Chip's prop from his near-record run earlier in the round. Great prop! Great flying!
When the points were tallied, a flyoff was needed to decide second, third, and fourth among Norm Johnson, Chip Hyde, and Mark Parker, who each had 30 points. The race started close with Chip taking the early lead flying an awesome course. Mark got two early cuts and had to pull out. Chip had a problem and was flying too low to recover. Norm ended up with one cut and the win to take second place. Chip was definitely on a record pace when he crashed. He had a first lap under eight seconds and never let up. One of the worst things about the crash was the loss of that prop.
The final standings had Ken Howell one point below a perfect score for first place. The results of the flyoff had Norm in second, Chip in third, and Mark in fourth. Drew Telford filled out the top five with consistent flying. Fast time went to Chip Hyde, who had a 1:00.22 — just off the current record.
In Calzona Class Sunday, racing partners Tom Hart and Larry Drury tied for first and decided to have a flyoff. On launch, Larry nosed over and took out his prop, giving the win to Tom. Mike DelPonte took another fast time with a 1:00.54.
Ron Piercey won in Quickie Sport Class on Sunday. Tied for second, third, and fourth were Bud Mellor, Willy Anderson, and Fred Foster. A flyoff had Willy Anderson cutting once during a close battle with Bud. The times were 1:31.28 for Mellor and Anderson's 1:31.82. Fred kept his nose clean with a 1:36.88, finishing second in the flyoff and third overall. Fifth place went to an ever-improving Roy Hookey. Bud Mellor had his first of two allowed breakout times with a 1:29.34 for fast time.
Overall, the weekend went very well. The workers — including starter Spencer Wallace — did a great job keeping things moving. Among the three classes, 74 heats were flown on Saturday and 68 on Sunday. That would be equivalent to running 63 entries through nine full rounds of racing in just two days. The Pro-Flyers have great workers and a great site.
The level of competition had to be seen to be believed. Seven pilots in AMA Class had fast times under 1:04. All but six pilots broke 1:10. Unfortunately, racing that is this close also led to many broken models, due to midairs and impact with the ground. The unofficial tally was 17 lost models, not counting the ones crashed during practice on Friday.
We look forward to continuing growth next year. To handle this, only AMA Class will be flown. The dates are January 21–22, 1995. A block of rooms has been reserved at the favorite hotel in the area, the Windmill Inn. It will definitely be worth attending. Start planning to attend now.
Formula One — report by Lyle Larson
Here we are returning from Phoenix again. We have just attended the first Formula One race of the season. It is about a six-hour drive home, so I had plenty of time to reflect on everything that happened at this race.
First, I would like to say that whoever missed this race missed the race of the year. As usual, the Phoenix club, made up of Mike DelPonte and his group of workers, put on a great race. It is nice to have a race-oriented club put on a race. (Rumor has it that team trials for F3D might be held at the Pro-Flyers' field. They have my vote.)
It was a pleasure to attend a race where everyone was having fun and the pressure of racing seemed secondary. It was great to see Bob Smith return to flying after a battle with some severe injuries. Bob flew this event very well. I would like to thank Chip Hyde for loaning Bob a model for the second day. Bob showed us he still has the magic of his flying abilities.
It was also good to see people from the southeast. I would really like to see people from Florida and Georgia next year. Also, what happened to the large group from North/South Canada? They represented themselves well, with four pilots. The Texas/Oklahoma group showed up in force as usual. All the pilots from Oklahoma showed up (thanks Norm!). Almost all the pylon addicts from California were there.
Let's talk racing: what happened? It was really uneventful. I did not win. Seriously, there were many close races. I believe the only model that was lost on the first day was Ralph Rinaldi's. Ralph has only been racing for two years, and was flying wingtip-to-wingtip for eight laps with Dave Shadel. Lesson number one: do not follow Kazes through corners at low altitudes. Voilà! Instant confetti! Ralph assured us he would return for lesson number two.
I noticed that we did not have a lot of engines burn down during this race. I bet I did not see a half-dozen. Sonny, Henry, Dave, and Dubby — kit makers — did not do very well this weekend; I think only about three models were lost racing.
Remember last year when we voted on carbon-fiber and wood props? Thank goodness we went for safety over speed. One of our fliers cut his hand in the prop this weekend, and although he was cut up pretty good, he still has his hand.
F1 PHOENIX 2-26-94 TOP TEN:
- Richard Verano
- Chip Hyde
- Dave Shadel
- Robert Greer
- Norm Johnson
- Mike Helsel
- Russell Tokuoka
- Henry Bartle
- Lloyd Burnham
- Bill Hager
Pattern Champion Chip Hyde had a flyoff for first place. The race started out with Chip's great flying ability taking the lead. Then the speed and patience of Verano started creeping up on Chip. It was wingtip-to-wingtip lap after lap. An absolute dead heat! Nobody on the sidelines could tell who won, and apparently no one on the starting line could either.
Did they fly it over? They did not think their hearts could take it. The crowd sure wanted them to. This race will be talked about for many years. The race was decided by fast time with Richard Verano winning. Chip Hyde was second. By the way, they were calling for each other all weekend and had to switch frequencies for the flyoff. Again, I cannot tell you how great it was to be at the race where everyone was having a good time. Thank you, Phoenix.
F1 PHOENIX 2-27-94 TOP TEN:
- Richard Verano
- Chip Hyde
- Dave Shadel
- Robert Greer
- Norm Johnson
- Mike Helsel
- Russell Tokuoka
- Henry Bartle
- Lloyd Burnham
- Bill Hager
As you know, we have a new Quarter Midget 40 class which seems to be taking off like wildfire. We have come up with the idea of combining Formula One racing and Quarter Midget 40 racing on the same day. Everyone seemed to like the idea. This means running a round of Formula One and a round of Quarter Midget.
Jim Allen from Phoenix told me that he would come to a Quarter Midget race and would bring his Formula One along as well. The consensus is that one would generate interest in the other. Other clubs might want to consider doing the same thing. I do not think Quarter Midget will hurt Formula One. I think one will help the other. The attendance at this race was great, and I am looking forward to next year.
See ya next month!
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
