Some dancing is going on. Unlimiteds will be there, but re-organized under some sort of different banner. Off the RARA site today:
For Immediate Release
Saturday, June 15, 2013
National Championship Air Races to debut historic,
new racing class for 50th anniversary
Reno, Nev. — The Reno Air Racing Association (RARA) reached an agreement to unveil a new, high-profile racing class organization at the 50th annual National Championship Air Races this September. Headquartered in northern Nevada, the Unlimited Warbird Racing Class (UWRC) has been formed to take the place of the previous Unlimited Racing Division of the National Air Racing Group. In just under twelve hours since the announcement of this new class, the UWRC has secured many of the same pilots who usually compete in the races as part of unlimited racing, including crowd favorites and former champions such as Curt Brown flying “Sawbones”, Tom Richard flying “Precious Metal”, Sherman Smoot flying “Czech Mate”, fan favorite “Voodoo” and John Bagley flying Bob Hoover’s legendary aircraft “Ole Yeller.” Additionally, RARA announced that Air Race legend and seven-time Unlimited champion, Bill “Tiger” Destefani will serve as the president of the new race class. Any pilot who is currently qualified to race in Unlimited racing will be welcome to participate in the UWRC.
“We think the formation of this new racing class is a positive step toward preserving air racing in Reno for the next 50 years,” said Destefani. “This class will feature former air race champions, aviation legends, space shuttle astronauts and some of the most famous aircraft in the world and will ensure our fans continue to see many of their favorite pilots and planes.”
RARA has held several very positive discussions with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regarding the formation of the UWRC and is currently working to become accredited through the FAA’s formal accreditation process. The establishment of this new racing class is a result of the current Unlimited Racing Division’s inability to reach an agreement with the FAA and RARA on a few very complex issues.
“The safety of our pilots and spectators is the absolute priority for the National Championship Air Races and, while we don’t anticipate that any rules will be substantially altered from last year’s very successful event, we continue to work with the FAA to more clearly define certain requirements on the race course and are coordinating efforts to finalize the rules of racing for this year’s event,” said Mike Houghton, president and CEO of RARA. “We understand and support the FAA’s effort to create a more defined set of rules for this historic event and the RARA contest committee, which is an autonomous organization chaired by General (retired) Ron Fogleman, former Chief of Staff for the United States Air Force, welcomes individual class participation in the application of the rules as defined for racing in Reno. We are looking forward to releasing a full list of pilots that will be participating in the Unlimited War Bird Racing Class in the very near future.”
In addition to six classes of some of the most experienced and talented racers flying in the “World’s Fastest Motorsport,” this year, attendees can expect thrilling entertainment including the L-39 Patriots Jet Team, the Breitling Jet Team “Jetman,” and a bevy of individual air performances from some of today’s most talented aerial stunt pilots. Entertainment will take place on land as well, with high-speed performances from the Bentley Speed 3 car and the Smoke N’ Thunder Jet Car.
The 50th annual National Championship Air Races are the world’s premier air racing event. The races take place this year from Sept. 11 through Sept. 15. Tickets are on sale now by phone at (775) 972-6663 or online at
www.airrace.org.
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