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  • #1

    Qualifying

    Is it just me? I admire the show-folks for their abilities, but for me, the qualifying is where it's at. I prefer to spend the early part of the week hangin' with the pit dwellers, talkin' airplanes and just hangin' out. I've seen plenty of 4/8/16 point rolls in my life and take greater pleasure in talkin' with the TRUE race-nuts.

    See y'all on the ramp.
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  • #2
    Re: Qualifying

    Originally posted by V1670 View Post
    Is it just me? I admire the show-folks for their abilities, but for me, the qualifying is where it's at. I prefer to spend the early part of the week hangin' with the pit dwellers, talkin' airplanes and just hangin' out. I've seen plenty of 4/8/16 point rolls in my life and take greater pleasure in talkin' with the TRUE race-nuts.

    See y'all on the ramp.
    Not just you... I'd have to say my favorite time is also early week. Much lower key, sometimes the ropes are not even up yet around the planes.. it's just kind of like "family time"...
    Wayne Sagar
    "Pusher of Electrons"

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    • #3
      Re: Qualifying

      Early in the week was always my favorite time also. It seems like in the '80s and '90s there was a lot more action than now though. More airplanes I the air at any one time and a little less controlled environment. Maybe a few more blown engines and overnight wrenching sessions. Seems like the knowlege base of how to make those engines live has improved a bunch since then. That's a good thing but those days were sure exiting

      Also the arrival days seemed to have a lot more high speed overheads than now. I particularly remember Skip Holm blasting the place in the freshly painted orange Tsunami in about '91 maybe? Could be it's just an old guy's memory of the good old days but a lot of the qualifying sessions today are pretty boring. I still manage to sneak out for a few every year though!

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      • #4
        Re: Qualifying

        Back... wow... almost 17 years ago... when this site first started to gain some recognition, I LOVED how the guys in the pits would "bait" us.. tell us lies... "hey, can ya keep a secret" then watching us share these pearls of knowledge with other racers..

        Never forget Bill Rogers telling me about Nitrous the first year out of the box with MAII... (they had none yet) Trust me, nobody knew exactly what that airplane was capable of at that time.. Skip knew she was fast downhill and had told a lot of folks so.. Everybody KNEW that "little" Griffon was not able to produce enough HP as shipped.. but ... happy gass threw a twist into the equation.. "Awww S H I T... you don't need Nitrous to blow up a Griffon".. Oh the drama..

        Show Bizzzzz!
        Wayne Sagar
        "Pusher of Electrons"

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        • #5
          Re: Qualifying

          Saturday-Wednesday is definitely the best time for me. Light crowds, good chances for photo's (until those fluorescent vests come out and form a wall between planes and pits) and a chance to meet old friends before the hustle of race days.
          Leo Smiley - Graphics and Fine Arts
          airplanenutleo@gmail.com
          thetreasuredpeacock.etsy.com

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          • #6
            Re: Qualifying

            Well I saw the title of this thread and....
            ....well that word is magical to me.
            I dont come from this type of racing, but to me racing is all the same. I have never experienced what you guys and gals have at Reno and the other old courses but when the word qualifying is uttered it makes my hair stand on end. I dont think the OP is probably referring part of qualifying that maybe stirs me, but I think I understand from the fans point of view. The truly hardcore fan is there (when I was a kid I got to the dirt track races right after the gate opened to see the wheel packing hot laps and qualifying), its when things are the most active (in my pit stall thats when the tweaking was at fever pitch between the hot lap rounds and final qualifying), and to me for the true competitor/racer thats when they showed their true colors and abilities (I was not and never would be a sandbagger....and we had them, some had turned it into an art form). Yup, QUALIFYING, just you and the clock and that machine, pure focus, pure speed, pushing that ragged edge......

            Sorry this is OT big time, but I built it, I maintained it, I raced it (of course with family and sponsors help) but this is qualifying...no other time would I dare take that machine into turn 3 and never even consider lifting off the throttle....but I did here....and it stuck!!
            Yup....QUALIFYING....it really should be the race, before the race...


            I am very stoked for you folks this year!!! I can feel the electricity in the air...
            Fledgling Air Race and P-51 Junkie

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            • #7
              Re: Qualifying

              We've been going to Reno most every year since 1986 but, 2011 was the first time we were able to go early. Even a bigger treat was camping in the West lot and being able to walk the pits at night.
              Sky Critter

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