Depending on how you look at it, good news and bad news....
Bad news first. There will be no more racing at Tunica...
Good news. We will miss one year of Mid South Air Racing but will gain a stronger overall foothold in the area when the races move to Memphis for 2007! (West Memphis AK actually, just across the Mississippi from Memphis TN)
Here's the text of a letter from Jeff Landers...
***BEGIN TEXT***
Dear Pilots, Crews and Fans.
I want to thank you all personally for your support of our races and air racing in general.
We've secured unprecedented support from national sponsors as well as sponsors in the Memphis area for our event in Tunica for 2006 and seemed to be well on our way for an incredible event. Local suppport in the Tunica area including support from the casinos has been extremely soft. One casino informed us that, "we don't have to be a sponsor, you're going to come here anyway.
With that in mind I find myself in a precarious situation. We want to grow the sport of air racing. However, all the efforts by your crews, our staff and the countless number of volunteers who come from across the country deserve a venue that supports our event and supports the efforts to bring this incredible event to the area.
After several discussions our national sponsors and regional sponsors we have decided to move our efforts from Tunica, Mississippi to a new facility in West Memphis, Arkansas, just five minutes from the heart of Memphis, Tennessee, the home town of Elvis and the Blues. Our sponsors believe in us and they all think it's worth the wait.
With over 1500 hotel rooms within a couple of minutes from the race course and thousands more in the downtown Memphis area there's much more to offer. A day at the races...matched with a night on Beale Street at BB Kings...a stroll on the Mississippi River...all in walking distance of some incredible hotels. It'll be worth the wait.
We are transitioning our efforts to the new venue and will be ready for racing May 31-June 1, 2007.
Yes we could have worked in the races for 2006, however with less than 90 days to make this transition I felt all would be better served to wait and have the event in 2007.
As usual, rumors do fly faster than the unlimiteds.
This has been one of the hardest, yet easiest decisions I've ever made.
Best to all!
Jeff Landers
President & CEO
American Air Races, LLC
Bad news first. There will be no more racing at Tunica...
Good news. We will miss one year of Mid South Air Racing but will gain a stronger overall foothold in the area when the races move to Memphis for 2007! (West Memphis AK actually, just across the Mississippi from Memphis TN)
Here's the text of a letter from Jeff Landers...
***BEGIN TEXT***
Dear Pilots, Crews and Fans.
I want to thank you all personally for your support of our races and air racing in general.
We've secured unprecedented support from national sponsors as well as sponsors in the Memphis area for our event in Tunica for 2006 and seemed to be well on our way for an incredible event. Local suppport in the Tunica area including support from the casinos has been extremely soft. One casino informed us that, "we don't have to be a sponsor, you're going to come here anyway.
With that in mind I find myself in a precarious situation. We want to grow the sport of air racing. However, all the efforts by your crews, our staff and the countless number of volunteers who come from across the country deserve a venue that supports our event and supports the efforts to bring this incredible event to the area.
After several discussions our national sponsors and regional sponsors we have decided to move our efforts from Tunica, Mississippi to a new facility in West Memphis, Arkansas, just five minutes from the heart of Memphis, Tennessee, the home town of Elvis and the Blues. Our sponsors believe in us and they all think it's worth the wait.
With over 1500 hotel rooms within a couple of minutes from the race course and thousands more in the downtown Memphis area there's much more to offer. A day at the races...matched with a night on Beale Street at BB Kings...a stroll on the Mississippi River...all in walking distance of some incredible hotels. It'll be worth the wait.
We are transitioning our efforts to the new venue and will be ready for racing May 31-June 1, 2007.
Yes we could have worked in the races for 2006, however with less than 90 days to make this transition I felt all would be better served to wait and have the event in 2007.
As usual, rumors do fly faster than the unlimiteds.
This has been one of the hardest, yet easiest decisions I've ever made.
Best to all!
Jeff Landers
President & CEO
American Air Races, LLC
(<---- goggles), and a boat load of wax and cleaner.. cuz they gonna need it. Even with that I dont think they will ever get all the bugs off of the air planes. 
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