| Gene Hodges |
| Quickie Cup with Q-25 | [#1] |
Don and I have been emailing each other and with his help I think we could take the next step forward to bring the Q-25 groups and other quickie groups racing Q-500 airframes with smaller engines than the 424 class of today out into the open. We need a "Spring Board" entry level class to try an get more sport / club fliers into pylon racing. The first AMA recognized "entry level" class of quickie pylon racing is 424 which is 25-30 MPH faster than what we fly today. I have been reading the discussions about not having or do you really want to have another class below 424? I realize that by getting the NMPRA and the AMA organizations to sanction a entry level group might take away from all the other classes, but as I see it now we need to do something! The age of our Q-25 pylon pilots are 14 to 71 years old. I realize at 56, I will probably only get to 424 in pylon racing, but I am not sitting on the couch and just talking about it. Several of us at Fort Worth Thunderbirds and Texas Wings are talking about starting a 424 two pole or even a three pole group, but for now only about half our pylon pilots are comfortable with the speed of the Q-25 Vipers, some are flying old Scat Cats, and the Sonic 500 (the ones who don't like V-tails). We have only been promoting the Q-25 multiple club hosting series for two years. We are still trying to build our pilot pool. Here is one of my earlier post.
Hello from Texas!
Most of my posts will be about our Club Q-25 Sport Pylon racing. We started as a stock .25 engine club pylon racing class on a (2) pole 450' course where you could use any airframe, wingspan, square inches, or wing shape (we just wanted to race something). All pylon racers had to ROG raise off ground from an idling start on the starting line. I know "pretty crude", but it made things a little more even when one guy would build a thin winged rocket and the next guy would be flying a Rookie 20. We flew this "off the wall class" until the ARF Q-500 pylon racers started showing up and beating all our other racers. In 2007 we changed our rules to only allow AMA 424 Q-500 type airframes and adopted a modified version of the 424 rules. What started as a small grass field sport club of 65 to 80 members with 6 to 8 pylon racers racing in a "Club Members Only" pylon event has grown to (35) pilots from (8) different clubs racing on (3) different hosting clubs flying fields for our Q-25 Pylon Series in 2008. For 2009 we have (35) pilots registered from (8) different since I opened registration. I will keep you posted in the Texas Club Racing Section. Thanks for reading my post. Gene
Thank you for hearing me out and in closing I leave you with this (not for almost all of you on this forum, but the ones who read it then say I need to do that. Don't just talk about it or say I will do it - just go for it and get involved, I did!
Gene
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| 1/28/2009 8:34:51 PM | |
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