Tipsy Miss

[Reever]

What kind of lap times did they get with Tipsy Miss? I remember a quote from John Sandberg saying Tipsy Miss was difficult to get to run right, but when she ran, she ran fast.

[Big_Jim]

Re: Tipsy Miss

What kind of lap times did they get with Tipsy Miss? I remember a quote from John Sandberg saying Tipsy Miss was difficult to get to run right, but when she ran, she ran fast.

Ehhhh.....not really.

Here's the box score for Race 28:

1972 Reno National Championship Air Races
Qualified: 15th, 323.373
Medallion Race: Last place, 290.450

1973 Great Miami Air Race
Qualified: 10th, 302.290
Heat Race 1: 3rd place, 293.100
Heat Race 1B: 3rd place, 305.590
Consolation Race: DNF

1973 Reno National Championship Air Races
DNQ

1974 Reno National Championship Air Races
Qualified: 11th, 372.803
Heat Race 1: DNF, out for event

1974 California National Air Races
Qualified: No time taken. Blew motor. Was allowed to race w/o qualifying once a stock replacement was put in.
Silver Race: 1st Place, 339.896

1975 California National Air Races
Qualified: 14th, 340.110
Silver Race: DNF

1975 Reno National Championship Air Races
DNQ

1976 Reno National Championship Air Races
Qualified: 8th, 343.860
Consolation Race: 7th, 300.043


And with Mike Smith as "What Price Speed" at Reno '79: Qualified 27th, 318.486


The fastest it ever went was about 375 mph in qualifying.

[Reever]

Re: Tipsy Miss

Maybe 375 for that era was respectable. Maybe just getting it to run was an accomplishment.

[Big_Jim]

Re: Tipsy Miss

Maybe 375 for that era was respectable. Maybe just getting it to run was an accomplishment.

Winning speeds in that era were around 420-430 mph. The qualifying record the same time Tipsy went 375 was 435 mph. When it ran it was consistently in the 300-340 mph range, which was mid-to-lower pack. even by early/mid '70's standards. Call it respectable if you want...it was never flown at competitive speeds. Just like with Tsunami 15 years later, the owner was constantly tinkering with it and it never really had a baseline to start or progress from.

[stuntflyr]

Re: Tipsy Miss

Charlie Tucker had the fastest King Cobras, in 1946 to 1949 he consistently was able to go 390-393 mph with essentially stock, new engines.
Cobra II was the fastest Airacobra qualifying at 408 and winning at 373 mph in 1946, and ultimately at 418 mph for 1948, it led the Thompson race for 19 of the 20 laps before dropping out. That was the closed course record until Darryl Greenamyer broke it in the '60's.
Chris...