The weather was HOT, the Pylon Racing was Hotter! A special thank you to the volunteers! It was a tough day to be sitting out in the sun but they powered through. We had some super tight racing with several ties. If it wasn’t like flying on the surface of the sun we could have done some tie-breakers. If only it was cooler! Stephen Adams was kind enough to shoot some video of the action while he was tending the East Pylon for cuts. Check it out.
Now for the results!
Four Star 40
We had a total of 6 entrants in the race. In the first Round both races were “SUPER CLEAN” with no cuts and everyone with a landing point. Ralph Doyle won the first heat and Paul Geders clenched the second. Round two was a different story. The first heat of round two was a total disaster with Dan Morrison having an engine flameout on takeoff. Then disaster struck. Ralph Doyles plane must have had a battery come loose because it went into a left circle and stayed there until it struck the corn. The plane was about 100 yards out deep in the corn. I don’t know if he ever got it back but if anyone has a drone to help him look for it let us know! Since Paul was the only person in the air I went ahead and awarded him the 2 point minimum and a landing point. The next heat was a little more productive with all racers making a clean run. Steve Cross just edged out Dave Brown but Dave Brown managed to nail the landing. If Steve Cross would have just gotten that landing point he would have won the points too and been in a final results 3 way tie for first.
Final Results: Dave Brown and Paul Geders tied for Gold and Steve Cross in the Silver spot. Points below. Steve Cross will be adjusting that idle trim before the next race. “Coming in hot!!!!”
Uproars
We had 3 entrants in this race. Both Rounds were clean races. Competition was tight between Danno Morrison and Pauly Geders with Dan claiming the first round and Paul getting the second.
Final Results: Dan Morrison and Paul Geders tied for Gold and Dave Brown holding the Silver. Points below.
Unlimited Warbirds
Paul Geders and Steve Ramonczuk battled it out in 2 rounds of racing. In the first round Steve’s P39 seemed like it was going to be impossible to tame. Once he had it dialed in he managed to win the round! In the second round, Paul Geders flew a solid race with Ramonczuk nipping at his rudder a few times but typically about 1/8 of a lap behind. On the last lap Steve poured the coals to it and both birds crossed the line in what was probably the closest race of the year! It could have been anyones and we really needed a photo finish but it seemed that Paul might have just poked his spinner across first!
Final Result: Paul Geders and Steve Ramonczuk Tied for Gold. Points below.
Warbirds
This was the biggest group of flyers this year with a total of 8 entrants. It would have been 9 but Dan Morrison’s Blue Thunder decided to blow a landing gear during the practice round. He’ll be back next race wanting some vindication. Newbie racer Ron Walkup rolled in with his sweet new P40 Flying Tiger! Welcome to warbird racing Ron!!!!!
The first heat of the first round was pretty tough for young padawan Walkup and veteran Greg T with 2 cuts ending their bid for glory. Steve Collins ended in second with one cut and it was Veteran Racer Ralph Doyle with the win. The second heat had a little excitement. Ramonczuk’s Galloping Ghost was launched from his catapult system so all the racers waited in case they had to run for cover. It was a flawless deployment with no concern! Dave Brown was immediately having issues staying on the course with some trim problems and quickly landed. Brown leaving the course didn’t keep Steve Ramonczuk and Paul Geders from having an epic battle. Ramonczuk edged out Geders but ended up with a point tie due to a single cut by Ramonczuk’s Ghost.
Round two heat one featured the winners from the previous races flying against each other. Ralph Doyle managed to edge out Paul Geders and Steve Ramonczek for the win. The real story was in heat two. Greg Tesson’s warbird was out so the race was between the Rookie Walkup vs Veteran Steve Collins. Walkup was ready for redemption after cutting out of the first round and had been doing some meditation and focusing exercises since in preparation for this heat. Collins had his work cut out. Since Walkup is a rookie, he gets a one lap advantage over Collins. Collins ran a clean and smooth race just above the tips of the corn but his Blue Thunder wasn’t fast enough to lap Walkup’s Flying Tiger. Walkup wins his first pylon race!!!! I think Ron will be a contender in the next race now that he has his nerves settled!
Final Results: Ralph Doyle wins the Gold. Paul Geders gets Silver. Steve Ramonczuk and Steve Collins tie for Bronze. Points Below.
Season Points Totals:
Uproar: Paul Geders is holding off all comers in the Uproar class with 33 points. Closest competitors is Dave Brown with 12 points.
Four Star: Dan Morrison has a 2 point lead, over Greg Tesson’s 30 points, with 32 in the Four Star class. Ralph Doyle is nipping at Tesson’s heels with 29. Hopefully he gets his 4-Star found and repaired before the next race.
Stock Warbirds: Ralph Doyle is leading the Stock Warbirds with 20 points and Paul Geders with 16. Dan Morrison is all over Paul Geders with 15 points. Ron Walkup is on the board with his 4 points!
Unlimited Warbirds: Paul Geders has a commanding lead in Unlimited Warbirds with 19 points. Steve Ramonczuk with 7.
Competitors, bring your planes and some grit for the next RACE DAY!
