Introduction
of the Glasair Cup
In
order to honor and celebrate the commitment and
passion of the builders and pilots in the Sport
Class, at the Reno National Championship Air
Races, several individuals collaborated to create
the Glasair Cup.
Lee
Behel, one of the original proponents of the
Sport Class and Mike Jones, the builder, pilot
and racer of an immaculate Glasair III, provided
the inspiration and idea for the Glasair Cup.
Scott
Thomson will present the Cup. Mr. Thomson is the
principle of Strider Capital Management, the
company attempting to purchase the assets of
Stoddard-Hamilton [Glasair].
While
this is only the third year of racing for the
Sport Class, it has become a popular addition to
Reno. The crowds enjoy the close racing and the
accessibility of the predominantly stock
homebuilt aircraft. Almost all of the planes can
be bought and built by the aviation public.
Nevertheless, it is the second fastest class at
the Reno, after the Unlimiteds.
The
Glasair cup will become a point of pride within
the Glasair community. There were seven Glasairs
which registered to race in the Sport Class,
making it the most popular plane in the class.
A
friendly competition has ensued, as the Glasair
owners search for improvements and tweaks to
boost their speeds. This is but one example of
the passion and camaraderie found in Experimental
Aviation.
The
Glasair Cup will be given to the builder of the
fastest Glasair in the final Heat. The Pilot,
Builder, Speed and Year will be listed on the
Cup. The Builder will receive an exact version of
the cup , which hopefully will perpetually reside
at the facilities of the company which purchases
the assets of Stoddard-Hamilton.
Understandably,
only Sponsors of the Reno Air Races can Present
at the awards banquet. Therefore, the Glasair Cup
presentation will occur outside of the official
Awards Banquet. This should not diminish the
significance or symbolism of the Award for the
Glasair Community. Next year, it will be an
officially sanctioned portion of the event.
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