The Reno Air Racing Association (RARA) has released the racing lineup for the 55th STIHL National Championship Air Races, scheduled for Sept. 12-16, 2018, at Reno-Stead Airport.
The event will feature six racing classes, including Unlimited, Jet, Sport, T6, Formula One and Biplane, with speeds reaching over 500 miles per hour.
Defending Gold champions returning this year include Rick Vandam flying American Spirit in the Jet Class, Jeff Lavelle flying Race 39 in the Sport Class, John Lohmar flying Radial Velocity in the T6 Class, Lowell Slatter flying Fraed Naught in the Formula One Class, and Andrew Buehler flying Phantom in the Biplane Class.
Returning to Reno this year following long absences in the Unlimited Class are Brent Hisey flying Miss America, Mike Brown flying Goldfinger (formerly Risky Business), while Lady B, previously known as Bardahl Miss, will be flown by Michael Pfleger.
Graeme Frew, flying Full Noise, is returning to Reno for the second year in a row from New Zealand, and for the first time in decades a P63 Kingcobra will round the pylons at Reno.
“This is an exciting lineup of talented pilots flying beautiful planes, and we expect to see some close and competitive racing in all of the classes,” said Tony Logoteta, RARA COO. “We are really looking forward to welcoming back some teams that haven’t been to Reno in years and also seeing all of the members of this passionate racing community that follow our one-of-kind event.”
Unlimited Class
The following racers are scheduled to participate:
- Brant Seghetti – Blondie
Engine detail of Unlimited Race 71, “Sawbones,” a Sea Fury FB11 flown by Curt Brown at the 2017 races. - Brent Hisey – Miss America
- Curt Brown – Sawbones
- Dan Vance – Speedball Alice
- Dennis Sanders – Eagle’s Wings
- Graeme Frew – Full Noise
- Jim “JD” Dale – Pretty Polly
- JP Thibodeau – Crusader
- Joel Swager – Dreadnought
- Mark Watt – 924G
- Michael Pfleger – Lady B
- Mike Brown – Goldfinger
- Rob Gordan – Lady Jo
- Sherman Smoot – Argonaut
- Tom Nightingale – Bunny
- Pace Plane: Steve Hinton – T33-Pace
- Alternate Pace: Kevin Eldridge
- Safety: Robert Patterson – Wee Willy
- Alternate Pilots: Joe Thibodeau, Mark Moodie
Jet Class
The following racers are scheduled to participate:
- Alexandre Eckmann – Race 37
- Bob McCormack – Athena
- Charlie Camilleri – Blue Ice
- J. Kevin Roll – Miss Independence
- Jeff Turney – Robin 1
- Jim Beyer – Poky
- Joe Gano – Sluggo
- Lachie Onslow – Drop Bear
- Larry Labriola – Sarance
- Nathan Harnagel – Realty Czech
- Pete Stavrides – American Patriot
- Peter A. Zaccagnino – Just Lucky
- Rick Vandam – American Spirit
- Scott Farnsworth – Dash Force One
- Vicky Benzing – Darkstar II
- Zachary McNeill – Invictus
- Pace Plane: Jay Obernolte – The Mistress
- Alternate Pilots: Doug Matthews, Michael Pflegar, Michael Stieger
Sport Class
The following racers are scheduled to participate:
- Abe Gaskins – Under Dog
Sport Class race planes round inner pylon two during the Bronze heat at the 2017 races. Left to right: Skylor Piper in an RV-8, Matthew Beaubien in an RV-4, Scott Farnsworth in a Xtreme XA42, and Stephen Christopher in an RV-7. (Photo by William E. Dubois) - Andrew Findlay – One Moment
- Bill Koleno – Joker
- Bob Mills – Mojo
- Chiwami Takagi-Read – Legacy
- Dan West – Whiskey Tango
- Dave Morss – Martins Legacy
- David Robinson – Desert Lightning
- David Sterling – No Name
- Elliot Seguin – Wasabinought
- Ernie O. Sutter – Jus Pass’n Thru
- George Catalano – Bigger Dingo
- James Stringer – Rocket Six
- Jason Rovery – Sport 76
- Jeff Lavelle – Race 39
- Jessy Panzer – Cruse Missile
- Jim Rust – Race 24
- John Flanagan – Greenstreak
- Karl Grove – GA 1
- Kirk Murphy – Papa’s Ride
- Lee Ulrich – General Lee
- Louis Gabriel – Blind Luck
- Marc Frederickson – Tenacity
- Mathias Haid – Clas Thunder I
- Matt Beaubien – Low Motion
- Neil Wischer – Triple 8
- Paul Downing – Sport 36
- Peter A. Zaccagnino – Coming In Hot
- Peter Balmer – Swiss Thunder
- Richard Ogg – Neverbird
- Scott Prewitt – Phantom Rocket
- Sean Vanhatten – Havoc
- Skylor Piper – Miss Ruby S.
- Tom McNerney – Unleashed
- Vicky Benzing – Lucky Too
- Vince Walker – Modo Mio
- Pace Plane: Bob Mills – El Toro, Rick Vandam – Phoenix
- Alternate Pace Pilots: Kevin Eldredge, Mark Johnson, Michael Steiger
- Alternate Pilots: Dan Ballin, Jay Adams
T-6 Class
The following racers are scheduled to participate:
- Bill Muszala – Miss Ellaneous
T-6 Texans battle for position as they pass the grandstand in the 1A Pairing during the 2017 races. From left: Radial Velocity, Midnight Miss III, Six Cat, Baby Boomer, and Undecided. Six Cat took the heat at 232.632 miles per hour, going on to take Second in T-6 Gold. (Photo by Lisa F. Bentson) - Chris Lefave – Bare Essentials
- Chris Rushing – Barons Revenge
- Dennis Buehn – Midnight Miss III
- Eric Woelbing – Miss TNT
- Gene McNeely – Baby Boomer
- Greg McNeely – Undecided
- John Lohmar – Radial Velocity
- Lee Oman – Eros
- Michael Pfleger – Miss Informed
- Nick S. Macy – Six-Cat
- Pete Stavrides – Gotcha!
- Ralph J. Rina – Miss Humboldt Hunny
- Vic McMann – Gunslinger
- Vitaly Pecherskyy – Abracadabra
- William Walker III – Big Red
- Pace Plane: Rick Siegfried – T6 Pace
- Alternate Pilots: Joey “Gordo” Sanders, Kevin Sutterfield, Mike Scott, Rob Sanberg
Formula One Class
The following racers are scheduled to participate:
- Anders Trygg – Miss Eve
- Casey Erickson – ACME Special
- Eric Gavin – Sonic Zoom
- Jason Barksdale – Tony the Tiger
- Jerry Marshall – Tumbleweed
- Jim Jordan – Miss Min
- Justin Meaders – Limitless
- Justin Phillipson – No Strings Attached
- Justin Phillipson – Sleeper
- Kent Jackson – Once More
- Lio V. Mougel – Hysteria
- Lowell Slatter – Fraed Naught
- Matthew Coughlin – Judy
- Merce Marti – Heat Stroke
- Paul Newman – Fast and Easy
- Phllip Goforth – Annie
- Rob Michie – Sassy Sangoma
- Ross Killin – The Kraken
- Ryszard Zadow – Last Lap Player
- Scott Holmes – Outlaw
- Steve Senegal – Endeavor
- Steve Temple – Outrageous
- Steve Tumlin – Feisty
Biplane Class
The following racers are scheduled to participate:
- Alan Hoover – There Be Dragons
Biplane Pilot Jeffery Lo of Race 6 tips his hat to the crowd from the antique fire truck during his victory lap at the 2017 races. Lo took the top slot in Biplane Silver. (Photo by Lisa F. Bentson) - Andrew Buehler – Mistress
- Andrew Buehler – Phantom
- Anthony Oshinuga – Black Hawk
- Casey Erickson – The Batplane
- Eric Zine – Yellow Fever
- Jeffrey Lo – Miss Dianne
- John A. D’Alessandris – RB Special
- Marie-Claire Laberge – The Yellow Bomber
- Robert Austen – FReaKY
- Sam Swift – Smokin’ Hot
- Scott McDonald – Christen Eagle
- Scott Thompson – Second Hand
- Tommy Suell – PlaneJunkies
- “Tony” Minoru Higa – Tango Tango
Racing qualifications for all classes start on Sunday, Sept. 9 at 8 a.m. and end on Wednesday, Sept. 12th. Racing will begin the afternoon of Sept. 12.
Tickets are now on sale for the races. RARA officials have also put out a call for volunteers for the event.