Blue skies, Doc!

[taglialavore]

Re: Blue skies, Doc!

[QUOTE=wingman;69049]Two Air Racing greats during Reno 1980. Chuck Hall and the Doctor discussing things after a test flight.

I believe this was the year of the first Allison rod Merlin -- The Great White Hope...

I never would be so close to them. Thank you for posting this very nice picture and the emotions it develops!

[BuckyD]

Re: Blue skies, Doc!

Thanks, Neal - I was hoping you'd pull that particular shot from your archives to add to this tribute thread. It's a classic & my favorite Chuck Hall portrait.

Sledge - 'Big Bravos' to you as well for posting this superlative period shot & oh, what a shot it is. FANTASTIC! You seem to possess the holy grail color archive of modern era air racing roots at Reno-Mojave-San Diego. These pictures are priceless & spectacular. Thanks so very much for sharing them with this readership. We REALLY appreciate the opportunity to enjoy your 'time capsules' of air racing!

DBD

[kiwiracefan]

Re: Blue skies, Doc!

Very cool pics, just a quick question though... Is Bob Button not the current owner of the great white hope?

[BuckyD]

Re: Blue skies, Doc!

Very cool pics, just a quick question though... Is Bob Button not the current owner of the great white hope?

Hi Kiwi -

Nope, they're two different Mustangs. We encourage everyone use the two great available online 'go-to' resources for tracking P-51 ownership & racing histories: Curt Fowle's outstanding- MustangsMustangs.com, and RARA webmaster- Mark Johnston's race plane data base w/search engine, at the RARA site (airrace.org).

For now, here's some data to answer your question:

Racer #8 BARDAHL SPECIAL - N2869D / Ser. #44-84390 (shown above in Sledge39's outstanding circa-'64 vintage color photo) IS the same aircraft in Neal Nurmi's great Reno '80 B&W cockpit portrait of veteran race pilot- Chuck Hall w/Dwight Thorn - Racer #3 Section 8.

Bardahl Spcl. was first raced by the late & great Bob Love (Reno '64) & owner Chuck Lyford (Reno '65-'66'-67 & elsewhere). Chuck Hall raced this plane at Reno '80-'81 & the late John Crocker raced her at Reno '94-'95 & Phoenix '95 as Race #27 - Section 8. MM-site notes this Mustang is currently registered to Doug Driscoll - American Falls, ID. (still as- Section 8).

Bob Button's current #5 VOODOO - N551VC / Ser. #44-73415, was prev. registered N6526D (Race pilots-Bob Hannah-Matt Jackson-Curt Brown-Bob Button) & was raced prev. as #55 VOODOO CHILE for Button by pilots- Del Williams (Phoenix '95), Bob Hannah (Reno '95-'96 & Q-'97) & Sherm Smoot (Reno-'97). #55 was orig. campaigned as 'PEGASUS' by her late owner- Bill Speer & raced by pilots- Del Williams (Reno '87-'88-'89-'91-'92-'93 & '94) & Chuck Hall (Reno '90 & Phoenix '94). Speer raced his Pegasus only once - Reno '92 UNL HT-1A.

Now, back to our thread's primary focus - A Tribute to 'THA DOC' / Dr. Dwight Thorn!!!

DBD

[Race5]

Re: Blue skies, Doc!

DBD, I think Kiwi was talking about the motor that was call the great white hope. I think Mr Button does have some parts (lower case?) of that motor in one his current race bullets.

[mouse_man_2]

Re:Great White Hope - Blue skies, Doc!

Kiwi,

I believe Chuck Hall and Dwight still co-own the original "Great White Hope"

Since the long held "secret bottom end mods" were leaked out, I think Button's now has them now.

I could off on this, but it makes for great copy as Dwight would say

Regards,
Mark - Dwight's little bro'

Oh yeah....Slack, give me a call


"Little did I know that once you get in the racing scene,
the fence surrounds the fanatics and keeps them on display
for the more stable members of society"

Dwight Thorn 1937-2008

[BuckyD]

Re: Blue skies, Doc!

DBD, I think Kiwi was talking about the motor that was call the great white hope. I think Mr Button does have some parts (lower case?) of that motor in one his current race bullets.

'OOPS! THANKS, RACE 5 for setting me straight on The Great White Hope motor. Still just an over-eager 'student' in my old age & glad to learn something new all over again! .

DBD

[BellCobraIV]

Re: Great White Hope - Blue skies, Doc!

Kiwi,

I believe Chuck Hall and Dwight still co-own the original "Great White Hope"

Since the long held "secret bottom end mods" were leaked out, I think Button's now has them now.

I could off on this, but it makes for great copy as Dwight would say

Regards,
Mark - Dwight's little bro'

Oh yeah....Slack, give me a call


"Little did I know that once you get in the racing scene,
the fence surrounds the fanatics and keeps them on display
for the more stable members of society"

Dwight Thorn 1937-2008

Mark, I will call you.
JES

[kiwiracefan]

Re: Blue skies, Doc!

DBD, Race 5 & Mouse man...

Thanks for all the good info, i guess i should have been a bit clearer i was thinking about the motor..... i was only asking because i recall seeing a video about it on the voodoo website.

[BuckyD]

Re: Blue skies, Doc!

DBD, Race 5 & Mouse man...

Thanks for all the good info, i guess i should have been a bit clearer i was thinking about the motor..... i was only asking because i recall seeing a video about it on the voodoo website.

Hi Kiwi -

You were clear as a bell (& I was clueless ). Thanks to you - I actually got to learn some more cool air racing history from the engine experts!

Here's another archive photo gem from the past I'd like to offer-up for this tribute thread...

'A Friendly Meeting of Talented Minds' - Sat. 9/22/90 - Reno NCAR:

Air Racing Icons (L-R)- Ray Poe (holding frisbee!), Jack Sandberg, Dr. Dwight Thorn & Sam Torvik, enjoying a pow-wow in the pits.

(All gone now - but never forgotten! Blue Skies, Gentlemen!)

DBD

[kiwiracefan]

Re: Blue skies, Doc!

[QUOTE=BuckyD;69117]Hi Kiwi -

You were clear as a bell (& I was clueless ). Thanks to you - I actually got to learn some more cool air racing history from the engine experts!

BuckyD..

I learnt more too, i love reading here and learning more about the people, the planes, the passion of Reno, and especially down here in NZ we may get a photo spread and a little of the action in the 'local' aviation mags, but its about all we get... And to learn about things from the guys involved, like BellCobraIV, BLuffman, Matt Jackson etc etc etc its awesome that they take the time to give us fans the time of day and explain things to us so we learn... to all those who take time to explain and tell us how, what and why things happened to our favorite racers of the past and present...

[BellCobraIV]

Re: Blue skies, Doc!

Hi Kiwi -

You were clear as a bell (& I was clueless ). Thanks to you - I actually got to learn some more cool air racing history from the engine experts!

Here's another archive photo gem from the past I'd like to offer-up for this tribute thread...

'A Friendly Meeting of Talented Minds' - Sat. 9/22/90 - Reno NCAR:

Air Racing Icons (L-R)- Ray Poe (holding frisbee!), Jack Sandberg, Dr. Dwight Thorn & Sam Torvik, enjoying a pow-wow in the pits.

(All gone now - but never forgotten! Blue Skies, Gentlemen!)

DBD

Wrinklebutt holding a Tsunami frisbee, Mr. Big holding court with Sam and Da' Doc. And they are trying to figure out why the frisbee stalls, Oh, if only Bruce Boland were there, he'd have known.

Thanks DBD, there are a lot of my friends in that picture.

[BuckyD]

Re: Blue skies, Doc!

THA DOCTOR - 'On-Call'...

Reno '99 NCAR - Once again, the late & great- Dr. Dwight Thorn 'at-work' w/Team STREGA.

Always- 'on-call' (& seen here wearing his alternate denim coverall work duds for a change, vs. his trademark summer briefs), Dwight had double-duty by providing his super race-prepared Mystery Aire 'Mouse Motors' to both Tiger Destefani for his #7 STREGA P-51D, & Terry Bland's Mustang #4 DAGO RED - flown by Bruce Lockwood.

The Merlin Wizard's talents were boldly-displayed right from the 'git-go', w/Tiger & Strega nailing-down the fastest Unlimited Class qualification speed of 479.620-mph by a hair, over Bruce Lockwood's 479.237-mph in Dago Red.

Dago won Friday's HT-2A ahead of Strega, but Tiger turned the tables by winning Saturday's HT-3A ahead of his arch-rival. Destefani then led Sunday's Gold Race for every lap (w/Dago running hard on his heels), until the Witch's mouse motor gave up the ghost towards the latter portion of the final- Lap-8. Lockwood's 'lock-on' dogging stategy, snagged him the checkered flag @ 472.332-av/mph & the Reno '99 Championship Trophyfor his talented & proud race team.

It was an incredible race fans will long remember, and a yet another great tribute to the amazing skills of Dr. Dwight Thorn & his Mystery Aire crew, for creating the mightiest inline-vee racing engines - powering the World's two-fastest Mustang Unlimited air racers, in a thrilling duel to the finish.

"THX - DOC!"

DBD

[Steve H]

Re: Blue skies, Doc!

THA DOCTOR - 'On-Call'...

Reno '99 NCAR - Once again, the late & great- Dr. Dwight Thorn 'at-work' w/Team STREGA.

Always- 'on-call' (& seen here wearing his alternate denim coverall work duds for a change, vs. his trademark summer briefs), Dwight had double-duty by providing his super race-prepared Mystery Aire 'Mouse Motors' to both Tiger Destefani for his #7 STREGA P-51D, & Terry Bland's Mustang #4 DAGO RED - flown by Bruce Lockwood.

The Merlin Wizard's talents were boldly-displayed right from the 'git-go', w/Tiger & Strega nailing-down the fastest Unlimited Class qualification speed of 479.620-mph by a hair, over Bruce Lockwood's 479.237-mph in Dago Red.

Dago won Friday's HT-2A ahead of Strega, but Tiger turned the tables by winning Saturday's HT-3A ahead of his arch-rival. Destefani then led Sunday's Gold Race for every lap (w/Dago running hard on his heels), until the Witch's mouse motor gave up the ghost towards the latter portion of the final- Lap-8. Lockwood's 'lock-on' dogging stategy, snagged him the checkered flag @ 472.332-av/mph & the Reno '99 Championship Trophyfor his talented & proud race team.

It was an incredible race fans will long remember, and a yet another great tribute to the amazing skills of Dr. Dwight Thorn & his Mystery Aire crew, for creating the mightiest inline-vee racing engines - powering the World's two-fastest Mustang Unlimited air racers, in a thrilling duel to the finish.

"THX - DOC!"

DBD

That was my first year at Reno. I didn't know much about the crews, pilots or planes at the time. But what a race it was. The gold race of 99 kept me coming back every year since! Coming up to my tenth year in a row, and I can't wait!

Steve Hixson

[BuckyD]

Re: Blue skies, Doc!

Just realized it was a year ago today, that Dwight Thorn made his final flight up to- 'The Great Airport In The Sky'. Gotta believe Dwight was smilin' down w/immense pride at Reno '09- watching Team Strega prevail yet again & young Steven Hinton showin' his mettle as a Gold Champion behind the stick of Race #7 goin' faster than ever

'Tha Doc' was surely w/his old air race team in spirit! Miss ya, Doc, and we'll raise a toast in your honor tonight . Thanks for the great memories & enduring inspiration!

DBD