Radio Control: Pylon Racing
Bill Hager
NMPRA Championship — background
Well, here we are at the end of another summer with only a few races left. Most of the top Formula I fliers are preparing for one of the biggest races of the year — the NMPRA Championship Race.
Back in 1973, the members of the NMPRA decided to hold a race of champions. This race was by invitation only. To qualify, a racer had to finish in the top 20% of his district. A point system was used for this. Several different types were considered until someone with access to a computer worked out a point system that would be fair to everyone; a flier in a small district with only a few fliers would get almost as many points as someone in a larger district.
These points were also used to determine a national point champion. The system used any six contests that a competitor attended throughout the season. This meant a Formula I flier had several goals that could be obtained throughout the season. The end of the regular season was set for October 1.
The NMPRA decided to move the championship around the country each year. Since the race had to be held after the close of the regular season, the most likely locations were in the south due to favorable weather; Florida and Texas were frequent hosts. The site rotated: east coast one year, west coast the next, and the center of the U.S. the following year.
Year-by-year Championship results
- 1973 — Sepulveda Basin, Los Angeles (Thanksgiving weekend, November 22–25). This race was for Formula I and FAI. Bob Violett won both events, taking the first Championship in grand style. Kent Nogy had fast time of 1:21.2.
- 1974 — Miami, Florida. Terry Prather won. Fast time: Irwin Funderbuck, 1:21.8.
- 1975 — Dallas, Texas (October 25–26). Jim Maki won. Fast time: Bob Violett, 1:15.0.
- 1976 — Bakersfield, California (October 30–31). Terry Prather took top honors. Young Steve Sica had fast time of 1:15.0.
- 1977 — Valkaria, Florida. Irwin Funderbuck won; Bob Violett had fast time of 1:13.14.
- 1978 — Dallas. John McDermott won and posted the best time of 1:13.2.
For this year's race we were scheduled to be in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 20–21. (Editor: this copy was edited on Oct. 12 and the meet is over.) This could prove to be the largest championship race yet, as 110 people were qualified and most planned on attending. The attraction of Las Vegas promised a full weekend of fun and racing. Results will be reported in the February issue.
Quarter Midget Championship
Quarter Midget racing also has a championship race, held at Rough River Dam State Park, Falls of Rough, Kentucky. There is no formal qualification for this event, but only the best typically attend, making it the most competitive Quarter Midget race of the year. This year was no exception, with 43 entries.
Bob Blouch of Lebanon, PA had the fast time of 1:26.63 and finished second overall, only one point out of first. Doug Brushaber won the event; Doug's fast time was 1:26.90.
Jimmy Doolittle race
One highlight of the contest is the Jimmy Doolittle race. After all regular rounds are flown, the 12 people with the 12 fastest times qualify for this extra race. This year the purse was $100 plus the Jimmy Doolittle trophy for the winner. The winner was Tom Christopher, who came from Los Angeles for the event. Other competitors came from New York, Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan, Florida, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Georgia.
I'm sure that everyone is looking forward to next year's race.
Top 15 finishers
- Doug Brushaber — 1:26.90
- Robert Blouch — 1:26.63
- Dave Latsha — 1:31.51
- Denis Bielick — 1:27.71
- Robert Labash — 1:26.94
- Floyd Fitzgerald — 1:31.31
- Richard Berner — 1:27.98
- Stu Richmond — 1:31.61
- Lew Hipkins — 1:30.00
- Leroy Webb — 1:31.24
- Jimmy Bartels — 1:28.51
- James Gager — 1:26.74
- Paul Zink — 1:29.22
- Tom Christopher — 1:27.51
- Richard Steine — 1:33.59
See you next month.
Bill Hager 4622 Bridgeport Dr. Garland, TX 75043
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
