2013 Gold Race start from pace plane

[Mluvara]

Team Voodoo was lucky enough to throw a camera (amongst about 4 other cameras!) on the pace plane for the start of the Gold race. Here's a clip coming down the chute. Enjoy!

http://vimeo.com/77383965

[CRJpilot]

Re: 2013 Gold Race start from pace plane

Soooo glad they did and thank you for sharing this as well!!!

I'm not aware of any other father - son combination (Hinton's) that ever shared the Reno experience at this level???

Was there in the past?

Don

[Leo]

Re: 2013 Gold Race start from pace plane

No wonder he got the jump at the start, he's flying the best formation on pace (no offense to any others, the benefit of pole is obvious). Poor Strega is way back in that group (again, not being critical, just observant).
Thanks for the perspective!

[wingman]

Re: 2013 Gold Race start from pace plane

In this shot of the start, young Steve is right where he should be, Sherman is drifting out carrying the Bear and PM with him, and Strega is not even visible...

Neal

[ChrisMX105]

Re: 2013 Gold Race start from pace plane

I know there are benefits to flying pole, But even at that I think Stevo could teach a class..................

[rampking]

Re: 2013 Gold Race start from pace plane

In this shot of the start, young Steve is right where he should be, Sherman is drifting out carrying the Bear and PM with him, and Strega is not even visible...

Neal

I have never seen the beginning of the Gold Final from this angle before. Is this the usual spread formation?
I have followed them in yrs past watching with my binoculars and to my eyes they are tighter than this by the time they disappear behind Peavine Mtn. or is it just my imagination?
Has there ever been an Unlimited Race where the pace pilot doesn't like the formation and calls for another circuit around Peavine?
Based on this photo, it is amazing to me that Matt Jackson/ Strega kept his composure despite the loose formation and stayed in line.
As Strega was another 50 mph faster than anyone around him, pylon 4 must have been a busy place on the start lap.

[wingman]

Re: 2013 Gold Race start from pace plane

This was shot from pylon 2, just before the Pace Plane pulls up to release the formation (and so is on the way downhill after passing around Peavine). Often from this distance all 6 or 7 or whatever will be in the photo, evenly spaced. This year only Steve was placed properly -- Smoot was well out of place and the Racers behind Thom were seemingly over some other county.

I was busy shooting, and was not really aware of how scattered they all were -- I'm actually quite surprised. Was Matt anywhere near line abreast, or was he way behind as well as way out there?

It has been many many years since a Race was not called and everybody had to start downhill all over, but I think it did happen at least once that Hoover did call "Gentlemen, you do NOT have a Race". Would have been 1978 or so. Speedy would know...

At least once in recent years a pilot was called for jumping the start, being ahead of the rest when Pace pulled up.

Neal

[John]

Re: 2013 Gold Race start from pace plane

Team Voodoo was lucky enough to throw a camera (amongst about 4 other cameras!) on the pace plane for the start of the Gold race. Here's a clip coming down the chute. Enjoy!

http://vimeo.com/77383965

Very Cool! Thank you for taking us there. Love that roll Steve Sr. does with the T-33 after letting them loose.

[CJAM427]

Re: 2013 Gold Race start from pace plane

Team Voodoo was lucky enough to throw a camera (amongst about 4 other cameras!) on the pace plane for the start of the Gold race. Here's a clip coming down the chute. Enjoy!

http://vimeo.com/77383965

Awesome view! Thank you for sharing!

[rampking]

Re: 2013 Gold Race start from pace plane

This was shot from pylon 2, just before the Pace Plane pulls up to release the formation (and so is on the way downhill after passing around Peavine). Often from this distance all 6 or 7 or whatever will be in the photo, evenly spaced. This year only Steve was placed properly -- Smoot was well out of place and the Racers behind Thom were seemingly over some other county.

I was busy shooting, and was not really aware of how scattered they all were -- I'm actually quite surprised. Was Matt anywhere near line abreast, or was he way behind as well as way out there?

It has been many many years since a Race was not called and everybody had to start downhill all over, but I think it did happen at least once that Hoover did call "Gentlemen, you do NOT have a Race". Would have been 1978 or so. Speedy would know...

At least once in recent years a pilot was called for jumping the start, being ahead of the rest when Pace pulled up.

Neal

Thanks for the insight Neal.
I was in attendance back in the 70's when there was a problem with the start, but I was thinking the issue of no race was before Hoover started going downhill and adding power in stages. Just too many yrs ago and too many races to recall, hopefully Speedy sheds some light on it.
Btw, great photo!

[Leo]

Re: 2013 Gold Race start from pace plane

I'm with you Rampking. I know it's happened but just can't remember when!
In the video Strega looks like he is way behind and outside. Camera may exaggerate that. Makes the comeback that much more impressive.
Have always enjoyed seeing Steve fly the T-33. It just looks like he is having fun.

[Mluvara]

Re: 2013 Gold Race start from pace plane

I'm with you Rampking. I know it's happened but just can't remember when!
In the video Strega looks like he is way behind and outside. Camera may exaggerate that. Makes the comeback that much more impressive.
Have always enjoyed seeing Steve fly the T-33. It just looks like he is having fun.

Comeback? The interval didn't change much at all. Strega passed the slower planes and only gained a second at the end of the race as Stevo relaxed his course.

[Leo]

Re: 2013 Gold Race start from pace plane

Point being that he got around everybody in spite of how far back he was. I know the speeds show why and Strega is so much faster than the others but that far back I kinda spected Bear or Smoot to stay ahead of him. Just from a spectator view without knowing the speeds at the time. I would agree Strega, while seeming to gain on Voodoo, really didn't.

[Arctic Cat]

Re: 2013 Gold Race start from pace plane

I was in the third row of the first section of reserved seating next to the pits. Steve called "You have a race" and I remember seeing Voodoo go by and a couple others then what seemed like forever before Strega came into view. I would say at least 4 seconds behind, at 600-700 feet per second, he was about 1/2 mile behind Voodoo.

[440_Magnum]

Re: 2013 Gold Race start from pace plane

Comeback? The interval didn't change much at all. Strega passed the slower planes and only gained a second at the end of the race as Stevo relaxed his course.

Insidious revisionist history is already at work, innit? I don't know that its deliberate, but there seems to be an underlying assumption that if Matt hadn't been in such an awkward position, he'd have walked with the win. Its Strega's well-deserved reputation subtly at work.

The numbers just don't support an easy win had they started 1-2 as far as I can tell- the fact that Strega passed so many slower planes gave the visual impression that Matt was moving much faster than Steven (who passed nothing but air), but the clock doesn't agree so much. It would have been a neck-and-neck, down-to-the-wire run had they started side-by-side as far as I can tell. But as it was with 5 having a very comfortable lead and then getting into lapped traffic, 7 still only gained back about 1 second. You could probably tell us how much further the levers could have been pushed in Voodoo (though Button might have to kill you...) and Matt, LD, Tiger, and a handful of others know about how much Strega had left. That's the unknown factor for the rest of us. If they were both all-out or had an equal reserve, it would have been a very tight race with a 1-2 start. But if 7 was all out to make up ground and 5 still had some in the bank (as logic would dictate since "2nd place sets the pace,") then I would assume Voodoo was the faster combination this year.