Back on the 27th and 28th of June, we visited the very excellent pylon racing field at Munro, put together by Barry Murphy. We had a good turnout on Friday before the event started, with test flights and very nice weather. The weather all weekend was clear with a light to no breeze, beautiful blue skies, but very chilly. If you were standing in the shade, you would know about it.
With it being mid-winter and the skies completely clear, the sun dropped very low by around 3:00 PM, which meant we couldn’t fly past that time in the afternoon. As a result, we weren’t able to fit in as many rounds over the weekend as usual.
We flew 6 rounds of Q500, F3T and F3D. We managed only two rounds of E2K on Saturday. We were running out of time on Sunday to do this. We were also very lucky to have enough people to run the events and man all the pylons. All the pylons were judged throughout the weekend, which is fantastic and legitimises the result. It was great to have Wendy there. She operated the timing computer all weekend, braving the shade, which was a bit cold. We probably should move the table out into the sun.
We went to fly the F3T, not having flown it on Saturday, and it was quickly discovered that for some reason the engines wouldn’t start on that fuel. We were all in agreement that there was a problem with fuel. As a result, we flew that class using our own supplies that we had on hand for test flights, etc. It’s great that people who were a bit short were able to share with others and that all worked smoothly. The fuel problem has been investigated and solved and this won’t be a problem going forward.
The Munro field is a fantastic field, one of the best we fly at for the year, and it is great to be there. Thanks, Barry. Also, thanks for a great dinner on Saturday night, Gary and Alan, and also some others who supplied desserts. I’m not across who they were, but thank you very much.
All in all, a fantastic weekend of Highland racing. If anybody’s interested in pylon racing, check out our schedule, get along to an event and check it out. The E2K class, electric with 3D printed planes, is a really interesting class at the moment, and the Quickie 500, the traditional beginners’ class and a great class to get into, is very competitive and has lots of exciting racing.
Bendigo (Marong) July 25 – 26, 2026 – F3D, F3T, Q500 & E2K. Let’s all get around this event and turn up in good numbers to support each other in this great facet of aeromodelling.
Report and photos – John Schmidli. Additional Photos – Tom Wetherill
Please note: We are seeking someone to regularly write event reports. Also, it would be wonderful to have someone photograph these events. This site has a vast readership and is important and valuable to pylon racing in Victoria, Australia and Worldwide.
Munro June 27 – 28, 2026 – F3D, F3T, Q500 & E2K. Let’s all get around this event and turn up in good numbers to support each other in this great facet of aeromodelling.
Please note: We are seeking someone to regularly write event reports. Also, it would be wonderful to have someone photograph these events. This site has a vast readership and is important and valuable to pylon racing in Victoria, Australia and Worldwide.
Back on April 18th and 19th, the VMPRA went out to Newbridge for a race weekend. We were blessed with almost perfect weather all weekend and the field is in good condition. Thanks to Rick Townsend for hosting the event at his private airfield.
We had a good turnout and had a good number of helpers for each class. Meaning that we were able to field pylon judges for all classes all weekend, which was a fantastic effort and really legitimises the times and results for the race weekend. We would like to particularly thank Giles Allen for manning pylon number three for the whole weekend. Fantastic effort and what a great help.
We raced four classes: F3D, F3T, Q500, and E2K, and completed seven rounds in each class except E2K, which we raced only five rounds to complete the event.
Thanks to everybody who attended. It was a weekend of much fun, excitement, and camaraderie. I encourage everyone to get around and support up-and-coming pylon race weekends.
Next up we have our May race on the 16th and 17th out at Hamilton Field. So much fun going on a road trip, getting to these events, and racing all weekend. Get on and support this and look forward to seeing you there.
Hamilton May 16 – 17, 2026 – F3D, F3T, Q500 & E2K. Let’s all get around this event and turn up in good numbers so we can support each other in this great facet of aeromodelling.
Please note: We are seeking someone to regularly write event reports. Also, it would be wonderful to have someone photograph these events. This site has a vast readership and is important and valuable to pylon racing in Victoria, Australia and Worldwide.
Back on April 21-22, we had an event up in Echuca at one of the VMAA state fields. The conditions of the field were really quite good considering how dry it had been; there had been some rain in the lead-up, improving the grass covering.
We only flew the F3T Q500 and E2K classes this weekend, as F3D fliers elected not to compete. The weather turned out to be fantastic: beautiful sunny days each day, a little bit warm, not too hot, and just light breezes. All in all, a really great weekend.
Newbridge April 18 – 19, 2026 – F3D, F3T, Q500 & E2K. Let’s all get around this event and turn up in good numbers so we can support each other in this great facet of aeromodelling.
Please note: We are seeking someone to regularly write event reports. Also, it would be wonderful to have someone photograph these events. This site has a vast readership and is important and valuable to pylon racing in Victoria, Australia and Worldwide.
Please note: We are seeking someone to regularly write event reports. Also, it would be wonderful to have someone photograph these events. This site has a vast readership and is important and valuable to pylon racing in Victoria, Australia and Worldwide.
Please note: We are seeking someone to regularly write event reports. Also, it would be wonderful to have someone photograph these events. This site has a vast readership and is important and valuable to pylon racing in Victoria, Australia and Worldwide.
Back on November 22 – 23, the VMPRA held its final event for the 2025 Championship season at Barry Murphy’s Field in Munro. We raced four classes: F3D, F3T, Q500, and the relatively new E2K class.
This was likely the best-attended race of the entire season. On Friday, 18 attendees turned up for practice. Saturday brought fantastic weather, allowing us to fly four rounds of each class. The day began with two rounds of E2K and finished with another two, flying the E2K aircraft on the short course for the first time to see how it better suited the planes and battery setups.
It was great to see some familiar faces from the past, along with new participants racing with us for only the second time. Keith and Kieran Harvey, along with David and Toni Axon, were in attendance, and Ian Haig joined us to race Q500 for the first time in nine years. We also welcomed new competitor Jack, flying Q500 with Damo calling for him – a great sign for the future of pylon racing.
After a fantastic day of racing on Saturday, we held the AGM once flying had finished, followed by a delicious roast meal and dessert – including a birthday cake to celebrate Wendy’s 40th.
Unfortunately, Sunday turned out to be very wet, and racing was eventually called off, with everyone heading home early.
A big thank you to Barry Murphy for hosting us – it’s such a fantastic field to fly at, and we’re already looking forward to returning there for our first event next year in February.
For the Quickie and E2K flyers, we still have one more event for the year at Western Port on Sunday, December 7.
I hope everyone has a great Christmas break, and I look forward to catching up in the New Year for plenty more pylon racing.
Please note: We are looking for someone to write event reports regularly. Also, it would be wonderful to have someone photograph these events. This site has a vast readership and is important and valuable to pylon racing in Victoria, Australia and Worldwide.
The written content in this post is accurate to the best of my/our knowledge at the time of publishing. It is written from my/our perspective and reflects how I/we have experienced this event. Photos published as feature images are selected purely for their quality, general interest or topicality. When time permits, they are chosen from a pool of photos taken by myself and others. If a perspective is not being represented, I am more than happy to publish any written content or photos supplied to me, provided it is fair and reasonable.
VMPRA regulars headed to Warrnambool for an event held on the weekend of 17–18 October. Most competitors arrived on the Friday. The club did a fantastic job preparing the field, which was in immaculate condition. The weather also cooperated, allowing plenty of time for practice flights and setting up the pylons.
Saturday proved to be a stunning and unusually calm day for Warrnambool, leading to slower-than-usual times. Four classes were flown on the 10 ½ lap course – Q500 Sport, along with E2K, F3D, and F3T. Sadly, the weather deteriorated, and no flying took place on Sunday due to the windy conditions.
Q500/E2K was first up and four rounds were flown. Q500 attracted seven entries, and it was good to see the return of Alan Swift and new entrant Jack Andrew. Jim Orenshaw, aka Crash Panda, finished in first place, followed by Eddie Rich and Alan Swift. John Schmidli set a fast time with a 99.82, but unfortunately, his model was lost due to a spectacular mid-air collision.
E2K was flown on the usual “long course” to save time resetting the pylons. Jim and John battled it out until John was watching the wrong model, which caused a crash. As a result, Jim finished first. John posted the best E2K time with a 112.26 – not much slower than many of the times in the Q500 Sport class. We expect to see more of these 3D-printed models appearing at future VMPRA events.
FA1 was up next with five entries, and five rounds were flown. Ever-improving Anthony Thurgood finished in first place, flying an ex-Leigh Hocken model. He also posted a fast time of 65.98. Glenn Matthews came in second, and Tom Wetherill was third.
Last class flown was F3T, which attracted eight entries with five rounds completed. The race was very close, and Brian Steele finished in first place, followed by Andrew Davies and John Schmidli. Brian posted the fastest time for the class and for the day, with a 66.24.
As mentioned earlier, Sunday’s weather was unsuitable for flying, so the course equipment was packed away and the awards ceremony took place. Special thanks were given to the Warrnambool club for providing the field and for it being in such great condition. By finishing early, we gained more time to navigate all the potholes on the Hamilton Highway on the way back to Melbourne.
This being the 2nd last championship race for the 2025 season, with only Munro to be flown in November, the championship placings are really being consolidated.
FA1
No change in the top 3 positions. Brian is still in with a chance to take out the position, but he would have to win and Anthony come 10 or lower, which is unlikely with the current competitor number.
1st – Anthony Thurgood 2nd – Brian Steele 3rd – Andrew Davies
F3T
No change in the top 3 positions. Brian doesn’t even have to enter the Munro race to take this one out.
1st – Brian Steele 2nd – Anthony Thurgood 3rd – Jim Orenshaw
Q500
No change at the top 2 positions, but John Schmidli has moved up into 3rd place, displacing Alan Whitbourn by 1 point. Jim doesn’t even have to enter the Munro race to take this one out.
1st – Jim Orenshaw 2nd – Eddie Rich 3rd – John Schmidli
Please note: We are looking for someone to write event reports regularly. Also, it would be wonderful to have someone photograph these events. This site has a vast readership and is important and valuable to pylon racing in Victoria, Australia and Worldwide.
The written content in this post is accurate to the best of my/our knowledge at the time of publishing. It is written from my/our perspective and reflects how I/we have experienced this event. Photos published as feature images are selected purely for their quality, general interest or topicality. When time permits, they are chosen from a pool of photos taken by myself and others. If a perspective is not being represented, I am more than happy to publish any written content or photos supplied to me, provided it is fair and reasonable.
Dedicated pilots and friends escaped the highly changeable Melbourne spring weather conditions to participate in the VMPRA event that was held Rick Townsends pylon field in Newbridge on the weekend of 13 – 14 September 2025. Rick acquired this property several years ago and set it up primarily for pylon racing. He put a lot of work into setting it up initially, including having the site land graded, constructing an access road, and setting up a cabin on-site. This setup also provided sufficient space for a pit area for competitors and areas for campers to stay at the field.
Many pilots arrived on Friday to find that the field had been immaculately prepared, with provision for courses set up to allow for the expected changes in wind direction over the weekend. Conditions on Friday were very relaxed, with sunshine and almost no wind. There was plenty of time for test flights, practice and for setting up the pits and for the campers.
There was a full racing schedule for the weekend, with F3T, F3D, Q500, Sport class and E2K being flown on that order on Saturday. On Sunday, the order was changed to Q500, Sport class, E2K, F3D and then F3T. Four rounds of each class were flown each day. As per usual VMPRA practice, racing was conducted over 10 ½ laps to reduce the number of course workers required. The course was changed at midday on Sunday due to a change in wind direction.
Q500 Sport: There were five entries in Q500 Sport, including Jim Orenshaw, Eddie Rich, John Schmidli, Shaun Powers and Barry Townsend. There was some very close racing over the two days. However, Jim Orenshaw prevailed to take the win and the fast time of 103.48. Ever improving – Eddy Rich was second and John Schmidli was third.
Sports: In order to attract new entries to pylon that may not have aircraft that met the rules for the traditional classes, a Sport class was included that attracted entries from Tony Curzon and Barry Townsend. Tony prevailed with consistent and improved results over the weekend. The performance of Barry’s recent model purchase could not be improved by the last-minute addition of a tuned pipe.
E2K: There has been increased interest in the inclusion for a simple entry-level class that is based around 3D printed electric models. John Schmidli and James Hurley entered this class and were hard to separate every round…cuts included! Times were not much slower than those of some of the Q500 Sport competitors. In the end, James prevailed, narrowly edging out John.
F3T: The F3T class attracted six entries with some very good racing and competition. After four rounds on Saturday, Jim Orenshaw was in the lead followed by Tom Wetherill and Brian Steele. However, new parts had arrived for Brian’s Profi which was fitted overnight to replace an aging Nelson. After eight rounds, Brian was in first place with a fast time of 67.79. Tom Wetherill, also Profi powered, was second and Jim Orenshaw was third. Anthony Thurgood, who had arrived late and missed the early rounds put in some impressive performances to finish in fourth place.
F3D: There were five entries in F3D. As this was a non-championship/non-team trial event, Formula Australia One (FA1) rules apply – which also allow for use of the old style non-muffled pipes. Andrew Davies entered a classic-type Evo in this configuration and other pilots generally entered older models. Rick Townsend and Anthony Thurgood, flying an ex-Leigh Hocken model set the pace on Saturday. Andrew Davies classic model was also performing well.
On Sunday, the change in conditions really helped improve the performance of the F3D models. Unfortunately, this also resulted in the expiry of a number of engines.
Rick finished in first place followed by Anthony and Andrew. Rick posted 56 seconds in Round 7 and after much elation, it was found to be the result of a timing system error. The corrected score of 61.79 was fast time for the event. His engine expired during the next round.
After racing was completed, the equipment was packed up and awards were handed out. Special thanks to Rick for making the field available, to Eddie for serving as CD and to Wendy Dean for looking after the timing system. A great weekend of racing and cooperation by the weather.
Report – Tom Wetherill. Photos – John Schmidli & Eddie Rich
Please note: We are looking for someone to write event reports regularly. Also, it would be wonderful to have someone photograph these events. This site has a vast readership and is important and valuable to pylon racing in Victoria, Australia and Worldwide.
The written content in this post is accurate to the best of my/our knowledge at the time of publishing. It is written from my/our perspective and reflects how I/we have experienced this event. Photos published as feature images are selected purely for their quality, general interest or topicality. When time permits, they are chosen from a pool of photos taken by myself and others. If a perspective is not being represented, I am more than happy to publish any written content or photos supplied to me, provided it is fair and reasonable.
We initially had a dilemma about cancelling the event due to the bad weather prediction, but decided to continue; after all, we all enjoy being together, regardless.
Thanks to the guys for setting up the course on Friday, ready and saving time on Saturday. The weather on Saturday turned out very well, with a full complement of club members helping. We managed to combine the Q500 and F3D in alternating heats, which allowed for time to service the models.
John and James raced their 3D-printed models around the course as a demonstration, which was quite impressive, and possibly a class to be included later at Sports/Q500 events. Noted James was faster with a higher capacity battery, John found and damaged no.3 pylon on Sunday.
With five rounds of each class flown, we stopped for the day due to the low, bright sun at No. 1 causing poor visibility. The owners of the Stockyard restaurant opened up for us on Saturday night for dinner, and we were treated to a good feed and a great musical performance by a four-piece band, featuring Wendy, Anthony, Barry, Trevor, and young Stephanie as the microphone assistant.
On Sunday, we ran two more rounds of F3T but only managed one of Q500 and tried for F3D before the rain closed in, and we decided to end it at that. We managed to pack up during rain showers, with results tallied and trophies handed out, and headed back home early. Editor’s Note: A big thanks to Eddy, who produced State Championship Trophies himself.
Thanks to the Cohuna club for their excellent help in running the event, with no re-runs required. Also, thanks to the ladies running the canteen. Thanks to James for working hard as a starter over the two days. Also, of course, thank you all for making my CD job easy again, with great camaraderie.
Report – Eddie Rich. Photos – John Schmidli & Eddie Rich
Please note: We are looking for someone to write event reports regularly. Also, it would be wonderful to have someone photograph these events. This site has a vast readership and is important and valuable to pylon racing in Victoria, Australia and Worldwide.
The written content in this post is accurate to the best of my/our knowledge at the time of publishing. It is written from my/our perspective and reflects how I/we have experienced this event. Photos published as feature images are selected purely for their quality, general interest or topicality. When time permits, they are chosen from a pool of photos taken by myself and others. If a perspective is not being represented, I am more than happy to publish any written content or photos supplied to me, provided it is fair and reasonable.
