Goodbye Bear

[Leo]

Bear and 232 today being packed up.

[GRNDP51]

Re: Goodbye Bear

Bear and 232 today being packed up.

Thanks for the photos, are they officially leaving today?

[Leo]

Re: Goodbye Bear

not sure. I assume they won't waste much time once they are on the trailers and ready.
I'm not out there to ask, my son took the pictures.

[GRNDP51]

Re: Goodbye Bear

not sure. I assume they won't waste much time once they are on the trailers and ready.
I'm not out there to ask, my son took the pictures.

Got it, and yes I would agree

[PowerByPackard]

Re: Goodbye Bear

Any more information on whether the Bear is headed for the museum or Ezell?

[Samuel]

Re: Goodbye Bear

Man both of those airplanes are so cool!

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: Goodbye Bear

not sure. I assume they won't waste much time once they are on the trailers and ready.
I'm not out there to ask, my son took the pictures.

Thank you so very much Leo! Very sad to see them go, I wonder what the fate of the Bear will be???

[GRNDP51]

Re: Goodbye Bear

Journey begins today.

Arizona by end of day tomorrow.

Arizona --> New Mexico

Breckenridge or San Antonio...

[Leo]

Re: Goodbye Bear

The fate of 232 is known I guess.
The Bear is going to Ezell, that's all I can say and all I know. What Mr. Lewis has planned for its ultimate fate is known only to him, the guys packing her up were closed lipped about it. I've heard everything from record attempts, to museum, to return to stock. I guess we'll know when he wants us to.

I was just glad I got to touch them both one last time.

[GRNDP51]

Re: Goodbye Bear

The fate of 232 is known I guess.
The Bear is going to Ezell, that's all I can say and all I know. What Mr. Lewis has planned for its ultimate fate is known only to him, the guys packing her up were closed lipped about it. I've heard everything from record attempts, to museum, to return to stock. I guess we'll know when he wants us to.

I was just glad I got to touch them both one last time.

I think stock should be off the table. He has two stock ones (used to have three and he SOLD one). If he didn't mind it going to stock, he would've done the same thing he did with the Sea Fury.. sell it.

Museum, we discussed that with Voodoo, depends on the museum, but if Smithsonian didn't want the world's fastest Mustang, don't think it wants another Bearcat. And if it was going to be a paper weight for Rod, it wouldn't go to Ezell first. It's been sitting just fine as static at Reno, Ezell wouldn't need to touch it.

Record? Maybe, but considering how the Bear has performed under Rod, it's not just sure let's go break the record! I along with a few other people think before Bear runs ANY record they need to take it to Reno a few more times to figure out what they've done wrong. If not Reno, they gotta fly it somewhere FAST besides Reno (which Voodoo sorta did at PRS, but same theory applies). Voodoo's prep for the record wasn't a few months in a hangar and go break the record, it was a couple years of fine tuning and flying at Reno.

[Fence Sence]

Re: Goodbye Bear

Well, after the Bear’s last race week, Stu said that Rod was finally happy with the safety of the Bear and was ready to build a race motor program for it. Soon after was the divorce and as we know, everything Bear/Reno was put on hold. So, could the hiatus be over? I sure hope so ‘cause Mr. Lewis seems to be the one guy who has everything going for him in order to go take that trophy from, let’s be honest, Tiger.

[GRNDP51]

Re: Goodbye Bear

Well, after the Bear’s last race week, Stu said that Rod was finally happy with the safety of the Bear and was ready to build a race motor program for it. Soon after was the divorce and as we know, everything Bear/Reno was put on hold. So, could the hiatus be over? I sure hope so ‘cause Mr. Lewis seems to be the one guy who has everything going for him in order to go take that trophy from, let’s be honest, Tiger.

I was really looking forward to Bear's 2016 potential. 4 years is a lot more than just the divorce, but that seemed to be a kickstart. IIRC Stew's... (daughter I think?)... posted in the Bear facebook page saying they were pleased with the "stock" engine and 2016 would be the race engine. She posted that a few months after Reno 2015. I need to find that post again.

[GRNDP51]

Re: Goodbye Bear

I was really looking forward to Bear's 2016 potential. 4 years is a lot more than just the divorce, but that seemed to be a kickstart. IIRC Stew's... (daughter I think?)... posted in the Bear facebook page saying they were pleased with the "stock" engine and 2016 would be the race engine. She posted that a few months after Reno 2015. I need to find that post again.

Averille Dawson- September 22, 2015
"We finished the week with a healthy "Bear". Thanks to Ezell Aviation the "Bear" is in the best shape ever and is the safest it has been in a long time. We have been given the go ahead to have Jeff Abbott build a race engine for 2016."

[BellCobraIV]

Re: Goodbye Bear

Averille Dawson- September 22, 2015
"We finished the week with a healthy "Bear". Thanks to Ezell Aviation the "Bear" is in the best shape ever and is the safest it has been in a long time. We have been given the go ahead to have Jeff Abbott build a race engine for 2016."

Well I don't want to be insulting or disrespectful to Averille Dawson, however the Bear was in the best shape ever in August of 1989. I have my reasons for believing that to be correct, she can agree or disagree that is her right and privilege. The man that owned her then was the most monstrous competitor of all time, the Bear wishes that someone who was obsessed with winning and nothing else was back in her saddle.........but time has passed.

[GRNDP51]

Re: Goodbye Bear

Well I don't want to be insulting or disrespectful to Averille Dawson, however the Bear was in the best shape ever in August of 1989. I have my reasons for believing that to be correct, she can agree or disagree that is her right and privilege. The man that owned her then was the most monstrous competitor of all time, the Bear wishes that someone who was obsessed with winning and nothing else was back in her saddle.........but time has passed.

I think we can all agree on that front, but of course she’s going to support Bear with Stew in the saddle. I believe a compromise of the best shape Bear has been in under Rod’s ownership should suffice