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  • Champions

    We all tend to focus on the "Big Dog" Unlimiteds, but some of the most serious Racers at Stead are the little IF1s, that nobody ever sees because they are tiny, and they usually have to race at O Dark Thirty when everybody is just crawling out of bed and shaking off the beer from the night before.

    These folks build their own Raceplanes. Most of them build their own motors. Jim Miller even built his own propellers. Some of the most beautiful and innovative machinery on the field is to be found in that hangar down at the end of the ramp.

    This photograph is from early in the 1998 Gold Race. It's pretty remarkable, both for the pilots and for the airplanes. Every airplane here is completely different and unique. Every airplane here was at some point a Reno Gold Race Champion. Every pilot in this Photograph was at some point a Reno Champion. The two pilots who have won the most Reno Championships in history are both in this picture.

    One 35,000 hour pilot has won 13 Championships in 3 different airplanes. Another has 15 Gold wins in three different airplanes in two different racing classes. Another built his first raceplane in 1949 and took his Championship 40 years later. The fourth took 5 Golds in a row in the fastest Cassutt ever -- running his 50 year old design faster than the legendary high tech Nemesis ever went.

    A lot of very serious Racing history in this picture...

    Neal



    Last edited by wingman; 06-19-2015, 09:17 PM.

  • #2
    Re: Champions

    Cool **** Neal.. important to continue to remember that the air races are the sum of dedicated efforts by many.. not to be nullified by corporate bean counters who only see one path...

    Wayne Sagar
    "Pusher of Electrons"

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    • #3
      Re: Champions

      From left to right in the photo is it; Ray Cote in Alley Cat, Gary Hubler in Mariah, Jon Sharp in Nemsis, and Jim Miller in Pushy Cat I think? Bruce Bohannon has to be just out of frame in Pushy Galore then?

      If I remember correctly all of the top five finished that race with an average over 230mph! I'm pretty sure all 4 of the airframes pictured would still be the class of F1 in the present day.

      -A lot of incredible technology in that photo along with the pilots!

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      • #4
        Re: Champions

        I'm impressed, Connor...

        How would you have known about Bohannon in this grouping? He had jumped to his usual jackrabbit lead at this point in the race. I cropped him out of the left of the shot as he did not fit my theme -- never having quite gotten the first place he chased for so long.

        Your IDs are all correct (very well done!), but actually none of the airframes or pilots pictured are still racing at this time.

        Neal
        Last edited by wingman; 06-20-2015, 10:01 AM.

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        • #5
          Re: Champions

          Pushy Galore lives right down the road from me. The first time I saw it, it really stuck me (as most unique aircraft do) and I promptly went home and researched its history. I remember reading somewhere that it was Bohannon that had a hand in naming Nemesis saying something like "that airplane will either be your nemesis or mine!"

          Thanks! I should have written that better, I meant that if they were still racing they would probably still be dominating F1.
          -I've been to where Nemesis lives now too, it's in pretty good company!
          Attached Files

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          • #6
            Re: Champions

            No, you wrote your statement correctly -- I read it wrongly...

            Neal

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            • #7
              Re: Champions

              No worries!

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              • #8
                Re: Champions

                Great photo, Neal. Thank you.

                I've always enjoyed the "competition" shots - two or more competitors in the same frame.

                Again, thank you.

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                • #9
                  Re: Champions

                  This was a fun painting......
                  Attached Files
                  DB

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                  • #10
                    Re: Champions

                    The IF-1's were my first intro to producing an air-race, since we had 10 of the most delightful teams at the Richland, WA airace in 1985. They dragged their planes-in-a-box from all corners of the USA to the then little ol' Richland, WA to spend the week with us. They demonstrated their enthusiasm and sporstmanship, and their concern for one and another, as well as their competiveness. I saw one team lend a prop off his racer to another, who needed one, in a different heat so the could race.
                    They STILL provide some of the best racing ever. The only thing labelled "horse-race" is the start!

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                    • #11
                      Re: Champions

                      Yep -- Not much glory, and certainly not much prize money. This is pure Racing.

                      Hi Betty!

                      Neal

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