Do you remember?

[t-dub]

Re: Do you remember?

So how about a little poll in light of the upcoming festivities:

How many on here saw Lyle Shelton race the Bearcat in person?

How many saw Tsunami race?

How many saw Bob Hoover start the Unlimited races?

How many remember when they only raced Friday, Saturday, and Sunday? Bonus as to ow many remember a time when they only ran three Unlimited races every year....Bronze Friday, Silver Saturday, and Gold Sunday?

How many saw the Red Baron race?

How many saw Conquest I race?



I just realized that this is my 40th Anniversary at Reno. And while I know there are people out there who go back farther, I know there aren't a whole lot of them...because there isn't a whole lot farther to go back. I feel old.

All of the above. Been going since 1967. In that time i've only missed four events (Air Force service) Too many memories to count. It becomes a part of your life that you just can't imagine being without. Here's to many more years of Reno, a very special place in my heart........ Hey Big Jim, thanks for stirring up the memories!

[cfurylvr]

Re: Do you remember?

Been going since 74,

Remember Bob Love doing a barrel roll out on the back strech during a heat race..
Remember Hoover flying in the snow of 78.
Remember Skip Holm trying to get the Levelor-Blind Mans Bluff qualified at the last second on Wednesday.
Too many great memories of this fantastic event.
Will always attend because of all the great people.

[John]

Re: Do you remember?

Enjoying reading this thread.

Shelton -Yes
Tsumami -Yes
Hoover -The first time ever I saw a P-51 flown inverted for any length of time was Hoover's square loop. The attitude a Mustang flies at inverted is quite astonishing, not to mention the Merlin's ability to still produce power.

[RarebearFan77]

Re: Do you remember?

Yes to Lyle.. Our first year was 93.( dad and myself) I remember him telling Tiger he was gonna get him like a bowl weavel. Love the Bear Strega duels.. Who remembers the F-16 breaking the sound barrier then getting a "ticket" from Reno's finest.
Reno is my get away!!

[Fence Sence]

Re: Do you remember?

My kid is three. This will be her 4th year.

[stuntflyr]

Re: Do you remember?

Yes to all, first year 1970.
Chris...

[Rampman]

Re: Do you remember?

Been going since '81.

Missed Conquest 1 and the Red Baron.

I was there when Tsumnami first arrived at Stead. I remember the crowed that jumped the deadline and surrounded her on the ramp.

I was there when the Pond Racer showed up also, flying formation with Dreadnought, I believe.

Hoover's and Lefty's shows were amazing.

I remember Skip Holm's prop overspeed during qualifying in Jeanie, and the near perfect landing he made covered in oil.

The battles between the Bear and Strega and later Dago Red were epic.

And I remember how cool the Valley of Speed was before it got too well known. If they could only figure out how to sell tickets down there!

[ak9er57]

Re: Do you remember?

The High Gee Ridge Club is a pretty good place to see the action.
I got to see the last car drop
Didn't see Hoover at the races but did see him many times at airshows
Saw the Dago/Bear 500+ mph Fri race

[gp70442]

Re: Do you remember?

Yes to Lyle, Hoover, RB51, Tsunami, Blind Mans Bluff (and Supercork, PM, Jeannie, Stilleto, Sumthin Special) but No to Conquest. First race 1977 when RB51 dominated. Very unique howl of those twin props.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Hoover's Saberliner routine. Saw that too. And who could ever forget the graceful performances by Lefty in White Lightning. I truly miss that.

It's all been great but not as much fun when it snows.
GP

[jason]

Re: Do you remember?

How many on here saw Lyle Shelton race the Bearcat in person?

Many Times, also had the pleasure of having him up in section 3 with us a few times.

How many saw Tsunami race?

Yes, I also remember not liking the plane very much, I was a kid and thought it was just a chopped up mustang, Now in hindsight I know it for the important peice of history it is, and the beuaty and grace in its lines.

How many saw Bob Hoover start the Unlimited races?

Cant say yes to the top two without saying yes to this one.


How many remember when they only raced Friday, Saturday, and Sunday? Bonus as to how many remember a time when they only ran three Unlimited races every year....Bronze Friday, Silver Saturday, and Gold Sunday?

I dont have a clear recollection of this, but I must have been there then.


How many saw the Red Baron race?

No recollection, I was very young.


How many saw Conquest I race?

I dont think so.



I am 34 years old and have been going since as long as my parents could take me, I have only missed one year since I can remember, and I will never miss another one. Nearest I can figure this will be my 29th year in attendance. Having grown up with this event being a pinnacle of my year, they inhabit a VERY special place in my heart.

Let guess the year you missed was 2001.

[Red]

Re: Do you remember?

I remember it all, with the exception of Conquest 1. The Red Baron crash was my first year, this will be my 33rd. I have Conquest 1 at the Smith though....

I also remember;

Reno R/C Club flying for a couple of hours every morning......
Dropping the "illegally" car from the Sky Crane, once on the active.....
Jimmy Franklin and Johnny Kazian...O Yeah!.....
Art & Aileron.....
Buckwheat taking a 10G nap in Voodoo Chile......
Wiley Sanders and the greatest comeback ever.......
Tug races.......
Dago winning debut year......
Hoovers' Sabreliner routine...
Ridge Runner making the mother of all runs to the front of the pack.....
My first laps around the unlimited course.............
Jimmy running the burner for the whole lap in the -17 LOL!!
....and best of all, driving out to the pylons for the best view ever......

[flyingjibus]

Re: Do you remember?

Let guess the year you missed was 2001.

Nope, I was there. Flew in from Atlanta the day they opened air travel back up, with a 13 hour lay over in MNL because they couldn't find enough flight attendants. Sometime during that 13 hours they made the official announcement on site that it was canceled. Found out when the people picking me up at RNO told me at the gate. Went and played in the desert for a few days instead.

It takes a lot to keep me away. I quit a job once in order to attend.

[Big_Jim]

Re: Do you remember?

I seem to remember being told by the guy that plumbed and hooked the system up, that Lyle never once used the squeeze in competition. During the 3km, yes....but never during the roundy-round. The laughing you heard in '91 was Lyle as he whomped the best anyone else could bring.

Could be wrong due to age-induced brain fade, but...

Have always said I will admit when I am wrong...and this is one of those times. From the horses mouth, "Lyle used nitrous oxide once...for no more than 5 seconds".

The 1989 championship race on about lap 4 when Tiger snuck up on the Bear and passed him between pylon 3 and 4. It caught Lyle off guard due to bad communication from the radio guy. "It startled Lyle and he overreacted and pushed the throttle all the way forward and turned on the nitrus at the same time". (it was a flip-handle, as opposed to a button)

Any of you who were there remember what happened next. I do. 77 shot back past Tiger so fast around pylon 5 that Dwight Thorn would say afterwards that "he didn't realize Lyle's bag of tricks was that deep...and that they were in trouble".

It surprised the guys on the Bear team too.

They had actually put 400 lbs of nitrus in the system, and for a couple years actually continued to do so...even though they never used it. But that didn't stop them from purging the system on the ramp after every race just to mess with the other racers and make them think about it. After the '91 race, the crew decided that as long as they were able to whomp the field without using it, there was no need to carry around that extra 400 lbs....or effectively "two extra guys along for the ride".

[Lowell]

Re: Do you remember?

Been going since 1972 so basically can say Yes to all questions except the Bronze Friday, Silver Saturday, and Gold Sunday one?

In 1972 there were two Heat Races on Friday with an every other qualifier (odd/evens) split which was kind of cool. With four Bearcats, two Cobras (Slovak P-39Q and Sandberg's P-63C), Mitchem's Corsair, and Haydon-Baille's Sea Fury joining nine Mustangs on the ramp (no semi-trailers and you could see most everything through the then close-in wire fence) it was the largest group of WWII fighters I had seen in one place. When we arrived at Stead sometime after midnight early Friday morning in my '62 Belair we just stared thru that fence amazed for about an hour.

Made quick friends with a very cordial Gunther Balz early Friday after the gates opened and decided since Haven's Kingcobra (our pre-race journey favorite) was now on the floor of the Pacific, we would be Roto-Finish fans for the Championship Sunday. The #0 Sea Fury won the "Consolation Race" on Saturday, and Cliff Cummins (in my sentimental favorite Miss Candace) easily won the "Medallion Race" on Sunday after a weird qualifying run at only about 319mph.

College kept me from going back in '73 & '74 but hardly missed any since.

[Big_Jim]

Re: Do you remember?

Been going since 1972 so basically can say Yes to all questions except the Bronze Friday, Silver Saturday, and Gold Sunday one?

It was 1975