Some old Reno pics

[wingman]

Race 69 always seemed to be a major focus for Dave Zeuschel. I have more photos of Dave working on this airplane than any other. That is Dave in the dark blue shirt on the left.

You can really see the extended doghouse in this shot. I think someone was looking at P-51H photos, as this treatment is somewhat reminiscent of the -H.

[Jan]

Finishing up the Uncategorized Groups Roto Finish Special question... Neal had it right basically. Jack Sliker did own Uncategorized Groups between when Gunther Balz won with it at Reno in 1972 and when Browning purchased it and along with Mac transformed it to the "Red Baron". Wright had wanted to acquire Roto Finish Special from Gunther in a trade for his own stock Mustang and some cash. But when Wright visited Balz in Michigan, the two couldn't arrive at a deal. Gunther apparently told Wright that he could race the airplane at Reno 1973 as a way of advertising it for sale.

Sometime around Reno in September, likely just afterward, Sliker bought Uncategorized Groups from Balz. By October he was racing Roto Finish Special and "Escape I" at Mojave.

[Jan]

Some other Mustang photos - Which Mustang is this and who is the gent at the far right of the photo? Who is the fellow on the far left of the photo?

(Dave Esler photo)

[Jan]

Another Mustang - That's Lyle in the distance...

(J. Bruce Baum photo)

[Jan]

And another Mustang... Neal will know this one I bet. (John Tegler photo)

[BellCobraIV]

Some other Mustang photos - Which Mustang is this and who is the gent at the far right of the photo? Who is the fellow on the far left of the photo?

(Dave Esler photo)

Jerry Brassfield's Mustang, I'll let someone else name the man on the left.... however I knew him

[BellCobraIV]

There were some serious raceplanes at that race. This one was just coming into its own. Dr. Cliff qualified 3rd at 412 mph -- very fast for the time. He finished 2nd in the Championship Race (behind Lyle so hardly noticed) at 417 mph -- a speed faster than Gunther Balz's record speed the year before.

A very fast airplane...

This is a great look at the low profile scoop replacing the Mustang doghouse. This was a huge first, and set a template followed by several other Championshio Mustangs over the years following. The radiator was revised and mounted higher in the fuselage and a P-51H heat exchanger used to cool the oil. Also, the rear of the doghouse was completely recontoured and extended right to the tailwheel door. All this airframe stuff was the work of a master metalworker named Frank Sanders. We would hear from Frank again a decade later when Dreadnought arrived on the scene.

Actually the rear of the fuselage scoop was not extended, as you can see if you look at the Reno 1980 photos after Greenberg repaired it from it's cornfield diversion. The front of the scoop was a very crafty bit of work by Frank using the lower oil cooler inlet from a Super Constellation QEC. I have a set of photographs I'm working on posting to illustrate this. The short height made the scoop rear section look longer.

[wingman]

Some other Mustang photos - Which Mustang is this and who is the gent at the far right of the photo? Who is the fellow on the far left of the photo?

(Dave Esler photo)

On the far right is Korean War ace Bob Love. He finished first by far at Reno 1964. He would give Lyle fits in this airplane in a couple of years. This is the same airplane as Race 97 in the next post.

I'd love to find out more about the Love/Brassfield connections -- there were 2 Mustangs and a Canadair Orenda Sabre involved there.

I can't really see the face, but from hair and glasses and where the man's attention is I'd guess Dwight Thorn is the man on the left.

Neal

[wingman]

And another Mustang... Neal will know this one I bet. (John Tegler photo)

This rather obscure Mustang ran gently in 1978 and 1979, I think. It was owned for more than 40 years by a Colorado FAA guy named Michael Bertz. Years later it was Named "Stang Evil".

[wingman]

Actually the rear of the fuselage scoop was not extended, as you can see if you look at the Reno 1980 photos after Greenberg repaired it from it's cornfield diversion. The front of the scoop was a very crafty bit of work by Frank using the lower oil cooler inlet from a Super Constellation QEC. I have a set of photographs I'm working on posting to illustrate this. The short height made the scoop rear section look longer.

It was extended. I first ran across this in Birch Matthews' racing Mustang book. Here is a different stock airframe Race 69 a decade later. You can see the production break running down from the front point of the vertical fin extension, and the doghouse ends a foot or so ahead of the tailwheel doors and well ahead of the production break.








Here is Miss Candace. The revised doghouse actually seems to extend a bit beyond the production break line and right to the tailwheel doors.







Here is Jeannie in 1979, still with the Sanders doghouse and extension.








And here is Jeannie in 1980, after Frank Sanders' doghouse was sanded off in that cornfield. and repaired with a stock doghouse. The Frank Sanders version was lost forever...








So they must have modified the exit door area extensively too. I've been trying to tell if they extended the door itself.





Sorry about the long boring post, but I think this was an interesting move. That area has always been an aerodynamic issue for the P-51D, as evidenced by all the efforts to modify it over the years culminating in the extended doghouse exit doors of today. I still think whoever was doing the engineering and design when they were redoing the doghouse on Miss Candace had a hard look at what North American did when they designed the P-51H.

Neal

[Jan]

Correct on both counts Neal. The photo of the Brassfield's "Golden Products" Mustang was taken during the United States Cup Race at Brown Field, San Diego in 1971. And that's Bob Love on the right and Dwight on the left.

And yep, that's the Bertz Mustang in 1979. It is obscure... that's why I posted it. But I knew you'd figure it out. FYI, Bertz qualified for the rather small Unlimited class field in 1978 at Reno at just over 314 mph and raced in two "Trophy" heats in the 270s.

In 1979 he pushed the throttle a little further forward in qualifying, trotting along at 339.923 mph and raced in the 270s again finishing 4th in two Bronze heats. He did what he set out to do I suppose and could say he "raced" at Reno.

[Jan]

The Golden Products Mustang at Brown Field in 1971 (Dave Esler photo)

Dwight in-cockpit.... (Dave Esler photo) Love on the race course. (Dave Esler photo)

[Jan]

Oogahonking.... Reno 75' (John Tegler photo)

(John Tegler photo)

[Bigger Al]

I am enjoying this thread perhaps more than any I have ever seen on here. Thanks to everyone for the wonderful pics and the detailed memories.

[wingman]

I am enjoying this thread perhaps more than any I have ever seen on here. Thanks to everyone for the wonderful pics and the detailed memories.

Well Thank you, Al. I wish there were more than three of us doing most of the posting. I never know whether anybody has real interest in this ancient history that I find so fascinating, so feedback is vital -- at least hit the like button when you do like something. What we three are doing here is great fun, but it is also a lot more time and effort than meets the eye. I, for one, need some feedback as to whether this is worth the trouble.

Neal