'BUCK SHOTS'

[BuckyD]

Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

"Unlimited Arch-Rivals!"~ *P-51D #7-Strega vs. F8F-2 #77-Rare Bear*

RACE: Sun. 9/17/95-Reno NCAR-UNL Gold Trophy Final~

The long-standing fierce competitive-rivalry between these two top-ranked super-modified UNL Gold Champion raceplanes & their professionally-run expert teams, has become the stuff of air-racing legend & it's still going-on strong to the present. To date- Team Rare Bear has won a total of 10 Reno NCAR UNL Gold Trophies (incl a 'Super-Gold') to Team Strega's total of 8 (-counting all completed UNL Gold event runnings).

Race fans are very-excited & eager to see these two big-iron contenders have-at-it once-again during this coming September's awesome UNL Gold Trophy contest, when we hear that famous pace-plane pilot's RT prompt ring-out over the loud speaker system:

"Gentlemen- YOU HAVE A RACE!"

DBD

[BuckyD]

Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

"Bear-Grooming"~ 'Unsung Heroes Keep 'Em Flying'...

Fri. 9/16/11-7:23am-Reno NCAR: The warm Nevada desert sunrise lights-up the inside of Rod Lewis' Team Rare Bear pit den, to highlight the busy activity by the crew to preen their mighty Unlimited Gold racer for Heat-2A competition later in the day.

DBD

[BuckyD]

Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

"The Office"~

Fri. 9/5/03-Reno NCAR-Arrivals: Soft sunset rays illuminate the cockpit of Stewart Dawson's beautiful Hawker Sea Fury UNL racer- #105-'Spirit of Texas" (NX105SF), in this low-angle tail shot.

DBD

[sierra fox]

Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

"Unlimited Arch-Rivals!"~ *P-51D #7-Strega vs. F8F-2 #77-Rare Bear*

RACE: Sun. 9/17/95-Reno NCAR-UNL Gold Trophy Final~

The long-standing fierce competitive-rivalry between these two top-ranked super-modified UNL Gold Champion raceplanes & their professionally-run expert teams, has become the stuff of air-racing legend & it's still going-on strong to the present. To date- Team Rare Bear has won a total of 10 Reno NCAR UNL Gold Trophies (incl a 'Super-Gold') to Team Strega's total of 8 (-counting all completed UNL Gold event runnings).

Race fans are very-excited & eager to see these two big-iron contenders have-at-it once-again during this coming September's awesome UNL Gold Trophy contest, when we hear that famous pace-plane pilot's RT prompt ring-out over the loud speaker system:

"Gentlemen- YOU HAVE A RACE!"

DBD

Awesome stuff Bucky!

[BuckyD]

Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

"Witch's Brew!"

Wed. 9/14/88-Reno NCAR: Late-night test run-up of the Dwight Thorn race-prepared RR Merlin engine on Bill 'Tiger' Destefani's potent P-51D Mustang~ #7-'Strega' (N71FT).

DBD

[BuckyD]

Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

"Miss USA!"~

Formula One Slipknot racer #40-'Miss USA' (N5381) approaches Pylon 9 to enter onto Stead Field's main staightaway w/British race pilot-Stephen Partridge-Hicks at the controls, during Friday's F-1 HT3A-9/16/11.

The Reno NCAR is a true international competition that's well-attended by participants & fans fm all around the globe.

DBD

[BuckyD]

Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

"Here Come~The Sixes!"......

Race: Fri. 9/16/11-Reno NCAR-T6 Silver Heat-2B: Always super-competitive & colorful, w/their throttled-up radials loudly-playing a veritable round-engine symphony, the T6 Class is all-about air racing at it's best & being a great fan-favorite!

DBD

[lowpasskid]

Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

love the Sixes! got to fly one a couple of years ago, wheres Mary these days?
bring back race 22!

[BuckyD]

Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

Hey Lowpasskid~

Glad to hear you're a Six-rooter (-like me

FYI~ Not sure what Mary Dilda's doin' these days, but she's definately retired herself fm air racing the T6s & Jets. But I can tell you that her SNJ-6 #22-'Two Of Hearts' (s/n-112131, N73RR) is still doin' its' thing going around the pylons. It happens to be the blue lead a/c in the posted photo fm last September, being raced by Chip Woods as #22-Tin Lizzie. Don't see it included on this year's race entry list yet, but here's 3 web links giving some background on this historic T-6 racer, that started its' competitive career back in the 1970s as Ralph Rina's original #73-'Miss Everything' (Ralph is now back racing T6s, flying his AT-6G 'Strip Teeze' & using his old race #73 again, btw):

http://www.warbird.com/maryd1.html

http://t6raceteam.com/-22_For_Sale.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/avsfan/7773506190/

DBD

[Lockheed Bob]

Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

Al Goss & Mary Dilda put on some great races. Maybe we could use Al's motto for the T6's "We Race For Beer". I remember the first year Al had "Miller Lite" for a sponsor & the guy brought 4 cases of beer on Wed,one for Thurs,Fri,Sat & Sun. Well he came back Thur & asked how the beer was going. Al said we drank it all up on Wed. nite for the Al Goss party. After that we never ran out of beer for Race Week.

[BuckyD]

Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

"End of the Day"~

Thur. 9/11/86-Reno NCAR: Unlimited Class racers pose at rest in their assigned pit stalls on Stead Field, as another race day winds-down, in this vintage 'Buck Shot' archive photo. The low-angle sunlight affords excellent photo opportunities shooting those special pictures w/good saturated colors, or just taking a leisurely-tour of the pits after the crowd leaves f/the night.

DBD

[BuckyD]

Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

" World's-Fastest !" (~Still)

23 Years Ago Today~ Lyle Shelton & Rare Bear set a new World's Absolute Propeller-Driven Piston Aircraft 3-Km Speed Record w/Race #77-Rare Bear @ Las Vegas, New Mexico, w/a blistering speed of 528.329-av/mph for 4-laps thru the traps. Lyle & his team raised the bar high & this record still stands today!

Here's a circa-'89 Reno NCAR 'Buck Shot' photo toast to the late & great UNL Multi-Gold Champion Air Race Pilot/World Record Holder~ Lyle Shelton & everyone on TEAM RARE BEAR, along w/all their sponsors led by Jack DeBoer/Residence Inns, who made this incredible feat possible, on this momentous anniversary of~ 'maximum air speed'! "FLY-FAST!"

DBD

[C_roundy]

Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

BuckyD, Thanks for the anniversary reminder of Lyle S. & Team R.B.'s magnificent high desert record breaking mission! This subject matter is especially dear to my heart!
Even with your, Neal Nurmi's, John Slack's, & CG51's deeply appreciated help documenting the "Copper-frost" orange scheme in our thread 2.5 yrs ago, I had never seen these 4 pics you just posted.
The 1st, 2nd, & 4th pics beg the question: Exactly how many furlongs tall was Lyle Shelton? He towers above everybody around him, and sits so tall in Behemoth Bear that he almost makes it look like a kid's toy!
There are so many things about the accomplishment of Team Rare Bear's long standing record that never cease to amaze me!

Example: -It is important to realize that Bear's 528.xxx mph historic high-water mark was just the average speed of those 4 passes, and that they (accidentally) ran out of nitrous oxide for the last half of the runs and still set the bar so high all those yrs ago!

-From our 2010 thread: The "Copper-frost" yrs. 1988-1991 certainly were Not crappy ones for team Bear; they set qualifying speed records, and Championship speed records all 4 yrs. (except 1989 when Bear set the 528.3mph world record that still stands after 21 yrs) but still won the gold even though she and the team must have been more than a bit tired, having set the record only a few weeks before Reno!!!

More pics of Bear in orange livery here: http://www.aafo.com/hangartalk/showt...ange+rare+bear
And here: http://www.aafo.com/hangartalk/showt...7s+glory+years

Salute Team Rare Bear!, and Fly Fast Forever Lyle Shelton!!!
Think I'll go prep my orange Rare Bear for flight now, Chuck Roundy

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

Hey Bucky, thanks for the memories! I'll always remember the first time I saw Lyle striding out from his pit to the airplane just before Sunday Gold... would have been in the early 80's... if I remember correctly, there were several people who followed him from his pit heading toward the airplane, even though I'm reasonably sure he would have loved to have a moment to himself, looking back, I clearly remember him taking the time to turn, stop, shake a hand, accept a pat on the back, flash that Texas smile.... dood had class, big time.

[BuckyD]

Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

"La Patrona!"~

"This pretty cat has sharp claws but she sure can purrr sweet!"

Photos (L-R):

1- RACE: Fri. 9/16/11-Reno NCAR-UNL HT2C~ Race pilot/team owner-Rod Lewis flies an excellent courseline w/his big & gorgeous silver Grumman F7F-3 Tigercat twin-engined fighter- Race#1~'La Patrona' (N747MX), holding-down 1st-place in this 6-lap UNL Bronze heat. Lewis won it @ 369.374-av/mph, ahead of five P51 Mustangs & a P40.

2- "Exquisite Nose Art!"~ Beautiful professionally-painted pinup-girl motif gracing the nose of Rod Lewis' mighty Grumman F7F-3 Tigercat twin-engined fighter-Race#1~"La Patrona" (N747MX). Translation~ "Boss Lady"

DBD