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Steven's Free Ride- Opinions Welcome!

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  • Steven's Free Ride- Opinions Welcome!

    Just wanted to get a little discussion on this. Steven is easily one of the best pilots to grace the pylons at Reno. The cleanest line, smart head, etc. he has it all. What I've heard lately from guys like Steven and Jay is "we did what we wanted to and there isn't much left". Steven is the youngest winner, amassed a handful of gold wins at Reno, etc., but my question is... How hard has Steven had to work for his gold wins?

    I am not taking ANYTHING away from Steven, I just wanted to hear what others had to say about this. Simply put, Steven hasn't done it all. He's never beaten a healthy Voodoo when he was in Strega, or Strega when he hopped in Voodoo. Let memory lane begin...

    2009- Voodoo breaks in Sunday's gold, Rare Bear is FAR from as capable at this point so that isn't really competition.

    2010- Free win because of Saturday's victory where Voodoo pulled out, Bear 20+ seconds behind. No race on Sunday.

    2011- Free win for obvious reasons.

    2012- No Voodoo at all, closest competition is Rare Bear and 232 who couldn't keep up whatsoever

    2013- When Steven switched to V and Matt stepped in Strega. Come Sunday Matt had to start in the back. Put Matt in second spot and Steven might have been done for... I will give Steven credit for this one though.

    2014- No Strega on Sunday, AND Tiger unofficially won on Saturday anyway... (from the BACK)...

    2015- Healthy Strega with Hoot, Steven doesn't win

    2016- Czech Mate is the best competition, easy win for Steven

    2017- Healthy Strega with Jay, Steven doesn't win



    I think Steven has one more thing to check off the to-do list once he officially breaks the speed record
    Reno from '99 to '22

  • #2
    Re: Steven's Free Ride- Opinions Welcome!

    Don't think I want to touch this one with a ten foot pole. Last discussion I remember about Stevo got some people on here pretty wound up. I won't elaborate more on this because it doesn't do the site any good and I want to help keep this place positive so others won't leave. I will only say that from my nose bleed seat halfway across the country (and my 3 Reno visits) that I have no doubt that Stevo has worked his ass off and deserves everything he has accomplished. Has he had help along the way? Ofcourse! Any form of motor racing requires support in some form or fashion. I choose not to go hang out at a bar with friends but rather an airport or race track. It's the camaraderie. People want to be a part of something. Stevo has managed to align himself with some of the best - be it by luck, hard work, or the stars just lining up in his favor.

    And, not sure what your "one more thing to check off the to-do list once he officially breaks the speed record" is, but mine would be for him to drive The Bear!

    Out.

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    • #3
      Re: Steven's Free Ride- Opinions Welcome!

      Rewatching the 2015 NBC show I noticed that Stevo hasn't needed to make many passes for position. And aside from the jump he got on the start last year, the only other pass I can think of was the Friday heat of 2015 when he passed on the inside to take the lead.
      "young" Thomas

      http://teamonemoment.com/

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      • #4
        Re: Steven's Free Ride- Opinions Welcome!

        This is a very subjective question or thought. You could apply this idea of legit wins to just about, not all, race classes every year. Jon Sharp in Nemesis F1. Did he have legit competition, but he still built a great racing machine and dominated and earned every victory. A childhood friend of mine hit a wasp nest with a rock, one time.

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        • #5
          Re: Steven's Free Ride- Opinions Welcome!

          Of course Stevo being part of the Chino family has helped but he not only has flown every thing at Chino but he is also a certified mechanic & isn't afraid to get his hands dirty. He deserves everything he has done. Don't forget the owners of "Voodoo" & "Strega" wouldn't have put him the cockpit if he wasn't qualified.
          Lockheed Bob

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          • #6
            Re: Steven's Free Ride- Opinions Welcome!

            GRNDP51 ... I really appreciate all the updates you regularly post on aafo about what is going on in this awesome world of air racing. But I must say, I really don't understand this post ... Air Racing has never just been about "the pilot", it really always has been a team sport. Stevo is an incredibly talented pilot and has performed his role on the race teams he's been a part of extremely well and doesn't have anything he needs to prove to anyone.

            At this point I feel like you're suggesting that there is something missing from what he has accomplished simply because an exact particular scenario did not appear in which he had the opportunity to make a specific kind of pass of another specific airplane. There are so many more factors than just "pilot skill" involved in passing another aircraft, including but certainly not limited too ... the potential position of other aircraft, the current health and potential capabilities of his aircraft, and the current health and potential capabilities of the opposing aircraft he may desire to pass ... all of which are not entirely under his full control. Thus for what it's worth, my opinion is that you are making a big mountain out of a tiny mole hill on this one and stirring a pot that really doesn't add much to the air racing discussion. Just my two cents ...
            Chris

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            • #7
              Re: Steven's Free Ride- Opinions Welcome!

              What I tried to make clear in my first post is that Steven is one of the best. I agree with all the points made here and in regards to his competition, he only reason they broke is because he raced faster than them

              All I'm trying to say is I would love to see Steven beat a fresh group of gold racers before it's all said and done...

              Back to PRS news I go...
              Reno from '99 to '22

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              • #8
                Re: Steven's Free Ride- Opinions Welcome!

                Free ride? I hardly think so. Many times, I'd see Steveo up on the ladder/scaffold wrenching away on HIS ride. And that's just at Stead. The kid put in countless hours wrenching, discussing and testing. He may have stepped into a winning ride with Strega, but HE made VooDoo a winner. And we've seen a lot of threats. Strega gives him a run every year. 232 was a contender. There was the Bear.

                In my book, he's earned every title. And ya gotta admit; he had a pretty good mentor.

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                • #9
                  Re: Steven's Free Ride- Opinions Welcome!

                  Originally posted by V1670 View Post
                  Free ride? I hardly think so. Many times, I'd see Steveo up on the ladder/scaffold wrenching away on HIS ride. And that's just at Stead. The kid put in countless hours wrenching, discussing and testing. He may have stepped into a winning ride with Strega, but HE made VooDoo a winner. And we've seen a lot of threats. Strega gives him a run every year. 232 was a contender. There was the Bear.

                  In my book, he's earned every title. And ya gotta admit; he had a pretty good mentor.
                  If you think one person took Voodoo from a very fast gold racer to a winning gold racer you're insulting the efforts of a lot of people that were involved. Steve had the right set of skills at the right time to fly Strega and then Voodoo and work on the plane. I don't have any "heros" in air racing, I do have people that I respect and admire. Steve is amongst them.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Steven's Free Ride- Opinions Welcome!

                    Ah the ancient Jim Clark and lately Sebastian Vettel “ they lucked into all those wins but aren’t good in traffic” line. Fake News.

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