Air Racing Rare Bear Update

PRESENTED BY

AAFO.COM Update
February 05, 2002

It's getting to be about that time of year again! With Reno 2002 time trials a scant 216 days away, we know of at least one Bear getting damn tired of hibernation and the grumbling is beginning to echo from the Bear Cave in earnest!

Most of you who visit this site regularly know that we beat the "sponsor drum" any chance we get, in our effort to help the teams get that rarest of commodities so necessary for competition at the top levels in the World's Fastest Motorsport.. That being the green stuff that fuels the beasts we all so love to watch.

The same group who frequent the Air Racing "cyberspace scene" also may remember rumblings where the term "Fan Sponsorship" is thrown about. Well, here's our chance to put our money where our good intentions are. We ramble on about sponsorship, sometimes I'm sure it would seem -incessantly- It's for a good reason. We're at a turning point in this great sport. Many of the top competitors are on the edge, on the edge of either being in or out due to the rising costs of the care and feeding of their aircraft. We've all beat the "corporate sponsor" drum, and we've beat it hard and still, it seems they (the sponsors) just don't hear us. For some reason, this sport languishes in relative obscurity, despite the color and excitement that it brings to its fans.

What if, we, as fans, were to bring to reality the dreams of at least one team with our efforts? What if, we were able to sponsor a major Air Race team and get them to Reno again? Is it a big if? Maybe not. What if the fans of this sport rose up with such power as to bring this dream to reality and we, make that WE - were able to Get The Bear In The Air for 2002! Do you think this might attract the attention of the "traditional" media? And if so, might that attention further attract the attention of potential "corporate sponsors?"

What if!?

With this in mind, we'll move ahead to the latest edition of the "Bear Facts®" newsletter, which has been graciously provided to us for reprint by the gang over at the Bear Cave!

reprinted, with permission from http://www.rarebear.com/

"This issue of the "Bear Facts" newsletter will be a brief one. Lyle and I wanted to give everyone a Rare Bear® progress report as we enter 2002. The Bearcat is now in its new hangar at Stead Airport. This facility will give the Reno crew plenty of room to work on the airframe and have the plane ready when the new engine is completed (sure is nice to have heat in the winter!!). The Reno effort is headed up by Don Dull with help from Eric Ahlstrom, Matt and C.T. Williams, Craig Boyer and yours truly, Marc "Many Thumbs" Weir.

The plane’s permanent home will remain Van Nuys and the engine project is proceeding in Southern California. Hopes and expectations are high for the new "bulletproof" engine. Several volunteers are currently involved in this crucial part of the program with support from Tony Dodge. Greg Shaw, John Slack and Mel Gregoire are heading up the project with help from Wayne Richards, Marchal Caldwell and Glen Barrett. We will provide ongoing updates as we move forward toward Reno 2002.

Vital to any racing effort (and the Rare Bear® is no exception) is sponsorship. The search for major sponsorship is an ongoing effort. Long-time Rare Bear® supporter and Reno Air Race volunteer Sharon Coates has spearheaded an effort to create a fan-sponsorship program for "the Bear". As many of you have read or heard about, the tentative plan has now become a reality. Due to enthusiastic initial response we are moving forward with this program. Although a few minor details remain, the two-tiered fan-sponsorship program is as follows:

A $1,000 sponsorship includes a specially designed leather jacket with official Rare Bear® and sponsor logos. You will be invited to attend the sponsorship barbecue at the Rare Bear® hangar in Reno during the 2002 race week to meet Lyle, John and the Rare Bear® pit crew. At the barbecue, one name will be drawn from the $1,000 sponsors to spend a day in the Rare Bear® pit with the crew plus a photo opportunity in the cockpit of the Bear.

A $500 sponsorship includes a nylon flight jacket with official Rare Bear® and sponsor logos. You will also be invited to attend the sponsorship barbecue at Reno 2002. One name from among the $500 sponsors will be drawn to sit in the cockpit of the Bear with photo opportunity.

All fan sponsors will be welcome to hang out in the Rare Bear® hangar during race week, where light refreshments will be served.

A full list of sponsors will be posted in the Rare Bear® pit. Sponsor packages for everyone in the program will include a sponsor certificate, a special edition Rare Bear® bumper sticker and photo signed by Lyle and John, as well as distinctive identification.

Family members of sponsors may receive a family membership card for an additional fee of $25 per person. The family member will be entitled to a limited-edition sponsorship T-shirt and admission to the barbecue.

In order to keep this group small enough to have one-to-one access with the crew, the membership will be limited.

For those who cannot afford a full sponsorship, we are accepting donations of $25.00 or more with which you will receive a limited edition Rare Bear® sponsor bumper sticker.

If you are interested in becoming an official sponsor of the Rare Bear® or have questions about this program, please e-mail us at: fansponsor@rarebear.com or call (208) 642-2071 or (775) 786-7780. You can also write to: Rare Bear® Air Race Team, 245 E. Liberty Suite 240, Reno NV 89501.

Thank you for your support"

Show Your Support For Air Racing -
Visit the website of Lyle Shelton's Rare Bear®
http://www.rarebear.com/