Who showed up for the unlimited class this year?

[grampi]

Since I wasn't able to go this year, I'm wondering which planes were there for the unlimited class. I'm assuming since Dreadnaught won, there were no highly modified Mustangs or Bearcats racing this year, is that correct? Why wasn't Strega and Voodoo there (again, I'm assuming they weren't)?

[GRNDP51]

Re: Who showed up for the unlimited class this year?

Since I wasn't able to go this year, I'm wondering which planes were there for the unlimited class. I'm assuming since Dreadnaught won, there were no highly modified Mustangs or Bearcats racing this year, is that correct? Why wasn't Strega and Voodoo there (again, I'm assuming they weren't)?

Voodoo is “retired” at Planes of Fame. And they don’t have the race engines.

Tiger isn’t wasting money to field Strega without competition. They’ve won enough, the only winning Tiger wants to do now is beating someone to do so and I would do the same if I were him.

I would personally take what we had this year over one super modified any day. There won’t be any sort of competition for first, (not that there was this year, but it was more uncertain), and Strega wouldn’t even be run hard enough to show its capabilities and that’s 90% of the fun of it being there... I’m with Tiger...

[grampi]

Re: Who showed up for the unlimited class this year?

I know it won't, but what needs to happen is for Rare Bear, Strega, Voodoo, and Dago Red all to come out of retirement and start racing again...I'd go to the races every year if that happened...

[wingman]

Re: Who showed up for the unlimited class this year?

You just need to send them money, Grampi. A couple hundred thousand here and a couple hundred thousand there would do wonders...

[grampi]

Re: Who showed up for the unlimited class this year?

Sounds like the purse for winning needs to be more...I don't have that kind of moola...

[Lockheed Bob]

Re: Who showed up for the unlimited class this year?

The Unlimiteds need at least a $3 million dollar purse with $1million to the winner. The local Casinos probably take in that much in a day during the races.

[Desertdawg]

Re: Who showed up for the unlimited class this year?

The Unlimiteds need at least a $3 million dollar purse with $1million to the winner. The local Casinos probably take in that much in a day during the races.

Bob,

I agree, one million for the Gold Unlimited class, would work wonders.

Idea thrown out there.

- Historical Class (great for museums and fun flying for private owners of warbirds.
- Bronze $...
- Silver up to 449 mph - Sunday winner gets $250K in silver

- Unlimited Class As the names implies. Must qualify at 450 or better, 3 races Friday - Saturday - Sunday Winner gets 1 Million in Gold

[GRNDP51]

Re: Who showed up for the unlimited class this year?

Bob,

I agree, one million for the Gold Unlimited class, would work wonders.

Idea thrown out there.

- Historical Class (great for museums and fun flying for private owners of warbirds.
- Bronze $...
- Silver up to 449 mph - Sunday winner gets $250K in silver

- Unlimited Class As the names implies. Must qualify at 450 or better, 3 races Friday - Saturday - Sunday Winner gets 1 Million in Gold

It's a perfect idea, still amazes me there can't be a few sponsors out there that would donate $100k each to sponsor the purse... That's chump change for a large company. But I also think RARA needs to start looking at financing the purse through the money they make during the week...? Is it really that unreasonable? If so, they need to look at where the money is going, if Fred really did donate his salary to the purse then someone is thinking correctly...

[Big_Jim]

Re: Who showed up for the unlimited class this year?

Bob,

I agree, one million for the Gold Unlimited class, would work wonders.

Idea thrown out there.

- Historical Class (great for museums and fun flying for private owners of warbirds.
- Bronze $...
- Silver up to 449 mph - Sunday winner gets $250K in silver

- Unlimited Class As the names implies. Must qualify at 450 or better, 3 races Friday - Saturday - Sunday Winner gets 1 Million in Gold

I had a plan that floated around in my mind for a LONG time as to the way to show the best competition for a three-day race. I would've taken a good size prize pot, and it was based on the field (or in one case, the airframes available) in 1988. A 16-plane invitational race. All of them highly modified Unlimiteds:

1. Super Corsair
4. Dago Red
6. Sumthin' Else
7. Strega
8. Dreadnought
9. Leeward Air Ranch Special
09. Precious Metal (Griffon)
15. Furias
18. Tsunami
19. Vendetta
69. Georgia Mae
77. Rare Bear
84. Stiletto
88. Blind Man's Bluff
97. Mr. Awesome
101. Perestroika

Random drawing on the first day for 4 heats of 4 planes for 4 lap sprints. The four winners from the first day advance to the Championship Race on Sunday. Second day the 12 remaining planes have 3 heats of 4 planes (random drawings) in 4 lap races. The three winners advance to the Championship Race on Sunday, while the 4 winners from the first day have a 4 lap "Trophy Dash for Cash". On Sunday the remaining 9 racers have a 10 lap Consolation race...the winner advancing to the Championship Race. That leaves the 8 fastest racers from two days of round-robin and a Consolation winner for the 10 lap Championship race.

The money would have to be 'worth the effort', and it would have involved real racers having to win their way in--playoffs, if you will. But it would have let the cream rise to the top.