In this age, every greatly contested sport eventually optimizes itself to the point of being obscenely expensive to operate. Unapologetically, this is done in the pursuit of WINNING.
In our time honored, yet relatively obscure motorsport of Unlimited Air Racing, we have enjoyed neither extensive sponsorship, nor great prize money to off-set the exorbitant cost of going fast. Yet a few great men have in most years, brought their dream machines to NCAR, to push that dangerous envelope a bit further in the quest to be the fastest man and machine, in the fastest sport.
Yes, they were mostly self-funded and no, the prize money was not commensurate with their effort. But they built their fantastic machines and raced on that ragged edge anyway; in the quest to be the best and be added to a storied list of air racing names that begins with Curtiss, Turner and Doolittle.
Thanks to men with that level of brass and appetite for victory; our history now includes names like Greenamyer, Shelton, Destefani and Hinton, along with their wonderful machines and those who challenged them around the pylons.
As a fan, I believe that these great men and other winners that I have not space to list here; hold dear above all, that they are remembered for their accomplishment at the PINNACLE of RACING and not for how much prize money they took home.
In light of events in recent years; I wonder if there are any special men, partnerships, or consortiums who have the “right stuff” and the appetite to stand with those giants at the top of this historic group; or has it all been left to accountants to define what can be dared?