Event Report – Crib Point – Dec 2017

Posted on January 18, 2018 by Scadtastic

Back on the December 10, we returned to Crib Point for another of our Q500/Sports pylon racing days. Thanks Allan Swift for the below event report.

Q500

In Round 1, Jim Orenshaw did a 93 sec time which was the quickest all day. John Schmidli flew fast and consistently all day to win overall.

Some very quick models and close racing was displayed. Allister Cox (Western Port member) was flying one of Daniel Arapakis’s Q500 models which appeared to have the highest airspeed.

Gary & Alan Whitbourn both flew fast well prepared Q500’s.

Sports

A good day was had by all and a variety of high and low wing Trainer/Sport type models were flown.

F5D display

Daniel Arapakis performed a practice/demonstration flight of his F5D after lunch and was very quick!

Many thanks to the host Club for making the Pylon flyers welcome, assisting with the Pylon marshaling duties and providing the catering for lunch.

Thanks also to Andrew Arapakis for CD’ing!

Check out the event photo gallery>>>

Results

Class – Q500

Places:
1st John Schmidli
2nd Jim Orenshaw
3rd Gary Davidson

Fastest Time: 93.66 – Jim Orenshaw
No. of competitors: 10

Class – Sports

Places:
1st Mark Jacob
2nd Alister Cox
3rd Allan Swift

Fastest Time: 125.91 – Allan Swift
No. of competitors: 8

Check out the full results>>>

Season Championship

Q500

No change at the top 2 positions but in a close battle between father son team Gary Whitbourn has displayed Alan and has move up from 4th to 3rd positions.

1st – Jim Orenshaw
2nd – John Schmidli
3rd – Gary Whitbourn

Check Out Season Championship >>>

Q500 Engine Rule Change

Please note the VMPRA Committee approved engine list for Q500 Pylon events in VIC, as per carried motion at VMPRA General Meeting at Cohuna in 2017.

“Motion: VMPRA to use AMPRA Q500 rules, with the exception of retaining an updated approved engine list. VMPRA Committee to amend approved engine list.”

Thunder Tigre .46, OS 46AX, OS 46AXII, OS 46FX, Super Tigre G45, Evolution .46NX, ASP S46A & ASP S46AII

Next Race

The first event for 2018 is at Camperdown on February 3-4. This event is the VMPRATrophy. Pencil that one into the diary.

Camperdown Racecourse access conditions
Friday (02/02/2018)
Racecourse is available from 11:00 am onwards.
PLEASE DO NOT ENTER EARLIER THAN 11:00 am.

Saturday (03/02/2018)
Gate open at 8:30 am and NO FLYING.
Entries close at 9:30 am and the course is to be set up.
Test Flying from 10:00 am to 10:30 am.
Q500 to commence at 10:30 am.
FA1 practice allowed during lunch break.
FA1 to commence after lunch, followed by F400.

Sunday (04/02/2018)
Field closed for test flying and racing to commence after 9:00 am.

VMPRA Membership renewal

Please also note, your VMPRA membership fees are due for 2018.
Payment of $25.00 can be made at Camperdown or by the following methods:

2018 Nats

Also worth considering is the Nats that are being held in West Wylong (NSW) on April 28-29, 2018. Entries close on January 31, 2018 so you can register to compete by visiting the below link.

http://www.maaaevents.com.au/about/register

Check Out Complete Calendar >>>

Event Report – Allan Swift
Additional material – John Schmidli and Allan Swift
Photos – John Schmidli

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. They are chosen from a pool of photos taken by myself and others when time permits.

If a perspective is not being represented, I am more than happy to publish any written content or photos that are supplied to me provided it is fair and reasonable.

Quick Reference

Event Results
Photos
Season Championship
Event Calendar

Event Report – VIC State Champs – Nov 2018

Posted on December 5, 2017 by Scadtastic

Back on November 18 – 19 after a weeks postponement, the VMPRA ran the Victorian State Championships down at Barry Murphy’s beautifully prepared, purpose built pylon racing facility.

Unfortunately I was not able to attend and an event report hasn’t been provided so I’ll get stuck into the results.

Results

Class – FA1

Places:
1st Leigh Hocken
2nd Daniel Arapakis
3rd Brian Steele

Fastest Time: 56.22 – Leigh Hocken
No. of competitors: 5

Class – F400

Places:
1st Brian Steele
2nd Glenn Matthews
3rd Jim Orenshaw

Fastest Time: 63.39 – Leigh Hocken
No. of competitors: 5

Class – Q500

Places:
1st Jim Orenshaw
2nd David Chippendale
3rd Tom Allen

Fastest Time: 96.82 – Jim Orenshaw
No. of competitors: 7

Check out the full results>>>

Season Championship

FA1

No change at the top 2 positions but Daniel Arapakis has moved up from 5th to 3rd positions.

1st – Brian Steele
2nd – Glenn Matthews
3rd – Daniel Arapakis

F400

Brian Steele and Glenn Matthews have moved up a position each into 1st & 2nd positions respectively and Andrew Davies has dropped from 1st to 3rd position.

1st – Brian Steele
2nd – Glenn Matthews
3rd – Andrew Davies

Q500

No change at the top 2 positions but Alan Whitbourn has move up from 4th to 3rd positions.

1st – Jim Orenshaw
2nd – John Schmidli
3rd – Alan Whitbourn

Check Out Season Championship >>>

Next Race

That was the last full 3 class event for the year. We have a Q500 & Sports event scheduled for Crib Point on December 10.

The first event for 2018 is at Camperdown on February 3-4. This event is the VMPRA Trophy. Pencil that one into the diary.

Also worth considering is the Nats that are being held in West Wylong (NSW) on April 28-29, 2018. Entries close on January 31, 2018 so you can register to compete by visiting the below link.

http://www.maaaevents.com.au/about/register

Check Out Complete Calendar >>>

Report – John Schmidli

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. They are chosen from a pool of photos taken by myself and others when time permits.

If a perspective is not being represented, I am more than happy to publish any written content or photos that are supplied to me provided it is fair and reasonable.

Quick Reference

Event Result
Season Championship
Event Calendar

Event Report – Cohuna (40th Anniversary of Pylon Racing).

Posted on October 27, 2017 by Scadtastic

I was great to be back racing at Cohuna once again after a break of a year to celebrate 40 year of this great club hosting pylon racing in Victoria. The VMPRA has always regarded the Cohuna Club as the home of pylon racing.

We had a good turn-out of competitors including the interstate guys from South Australia & New South Wales and we were blessed with terrific weather. Lots of club members, locals, photographers and even a local councilor visited to watch proceedings.

The Cohuna club was so supportive of this event that we had enough helpers to run a 10 lap course rather that the usual 10.5 laps. There were some very fast times and even an Australian record for F400 was broken by Shaun Jacobsen with a 61.60 sec.

Check out the event photo gallery>>>

Results

Class – FA1

Places:
1st Shaun Jacobsen
2nd Barry Murphy
3rd Brian Steele

Fastest Time: 56.32 (10 lap course) – Daniel Arapakis
No. of competitors: 10

Class – F400

Places:
1st Shaun Jacobsen
2nd Andrew Davies
3rd Jarrod Jacobsen

Fastest Time: 61.60 (10 Lap Course) – Shaun Jacobsen
No. of competitors: 9

Class – Q500

Places:
1st Jim Orenshaw
2nd John Schmidli
3rd Gary Davidson

Fastest Time: 94.17 – John Schmidli
No. of competitors: 5

Check out the full results>>>

Season Championship

This was the first event for the new 2017-2018 Season Championship.

FA1

1st – Brian Steele
2nd – Glenn Matthews
3rd – Rick Townsend

F400

1st – Andrew Davies
2nd – Brian Steele
3rd – Glenn Matthews

Q500

1st – Jim Orenshaw
2nd – John Schmidli
3rd – Gary Davidson

Check Out Season Championship >>>

Next Race

The next race on the calendar is at Bazza’s paddock at Munro on Nov 11-12.

Check Out Complete Calendar >>>

Event Report and Photos – John Schmidli
Additional photos – Tegan Clifford

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. They are chosen from a pool of photos taken by myself and others when time permits.

If a perspective is not being represented, I am more than happy to publish any written content or photos that are supplied to me provided it is fair and reasonable.

Quick Reference

Event Result
Photo Gallery
Season Championship
Event Calendar

Event Report – Newbridge 2017

Posted on October 1, 2017 by Scadtastic

After a long break in racing, the last event being back in May, the VMPRA held it’s first event at Rick Townsend’s purpose built pylon racing field in Newbridge. Rick has been setting up and developing this field over the last few years with the ambition of holding regular pylon racing events there.

We were blessed with some superb weather, particularly on the Sunday with temperatures of zero and below when we first arrived at the field, but with clear blue skies, it was t-shirt weather by lunch time.

Numbers were a little down on usual with the post world championship hang-over. Barry Murphy was suffering with the flu and had to return home on Saturday morning and Leigh Hocken also had to pull out due to illness. On the plus side it was great having father/son team Matt & Xavier Noonan there for the weekend flying Q500 and also Steve & Jo Taylor put in a big effort, coming down from Queensland. Steve was debuting his brand new F3D racer, the “Vector” which had only just been test flown the week before. They also left a bunch of models down here with some great bargains to be had. It was also great to have Rick flying with us again after a long break and he was certainly on it right from the start and ended up taking out 1st place in FA1.

Racing on both days comprised of F400, FA1 and Q500 as the last class for the day and all flew 8 rounds by the end of the weekend. We finished nice and early on the Sunday and finish, packed up and presented certificates and left around 3pm.

I think we would all say the flying at Rick’s field was very enjoyable. The field setup was great and the hospitality was 2nd to none with Rick and Ozzie’s Coffee van being on-site and along with Barry Townsend, were selling some very nice “really” coffees plus homemade food.

Check out the event photo gallery>>>

Results

Class – FA1

Places:
1st Rick Townsend
2nd Tom Wetherill
3rd Steve Taylor

Fastest Time: 57.97 – Daniel Arapakis
No. of competitors: 7

Class – F400

Places:
1st Andrew Davies
2nd Brian Steele
3rd Glenn Matthews

Fastest Time: 65.18 – Andrew Davies
No. of competitors: 6

Class – Q500

Places:
1st Jim Orenshaw
2nd John Schmidli
3rd Alan Whitbourn

Fastest Time: 93.14 – John Schmidli
No. of competitors: 7

Check out the full results>>>

Season Championship

This was the first event for the new 2017-2018 Season Championship.

FA1

1st – Rick Townsend
2nd – Tom Wetherill
3rd – Steve Taylor

F400

1st – Andrew Davies
2nd – Brian Steele
3rd – Glenn Matthews

Q500

1st – Jim Orenshaw
2nd – John Schmidli
3rd – Alan Whitbourn

Check Out Season Championship >>>

Next Race

The next race on the calendar is at Cohuna on October 14-15 which will include the VMPRA AGM on the Saturday night.

There has been a bunch of dates added to the calendar for 2018, so make sure you make a note of these dates.

Check Out Complete Calendar >>>

Event Report and Photos – John Schmidli
Additional photos – Andrew Arapakis

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. They are chosen from a pool of photos taken by myself and others when time permits.

If a perspective is not being represented, I am more than happy to publish any written content or photos that are supplied to me provided it is fair and reasonable.

Quick Reference

Event Result
Photo Gallery
Season Championship
Event Calendar

Crib Point Aug 2017 – Event Report

Posted on September 9, 2017 by Scadtastic

Crib Point Event

This event unfortunately didn’t go ahead due to poor weather. There was a smaller than usual attendance probably because of the conditions but those that attended were keen. It has been decided to reschedule this event again for December 3 (see the calendar for details). Thanks to those members who came out to run the event .

Championship

The 2016-2107 Season Championship ended back when the Bendigo event was scheduled for. Trophies will be handed out at the AGM when this is held.

The 2016-2017 Season Champions are:

FA1 – Leigh Hocken.
F400 – Andrew Davies
Q500 – Jim Orenshaw.

The fastest time flown for the 2016-2017 Season was:

FA1 – Daniel Arapakis – 57.85 sec
F400 – Andrew Davies – 63.93 sec
Q500 – Daniel Arapakis – 94.30 sec

It all starts again from the next event at Newbridge and for your chance for bragging rights.

Check Out Season Championship >>>

Next Event

The next event is being held on September 16-17 at Rick Townsend’s pylon racing field in Newbridge. This will be the 1st time we have gone to this purpose built field.

The field is in good condition and Rick is looking forward to the event being well attended. Steve Taylor will be travelling from Queensland to participate and other interstate pilots have been invited.

The field will be available for practice on Friday 15th.

Proposed Event Schedule for Saturday and Sunday:

o F400 (1st)

o FA1 (2nd)

o Q500 (3rd)

Camping is available on-site (but there is limited water for showers). Shower facilities are also available locally in Newbridge.

Accommodation is available at Bridgewater. Apparently the Marong caravan park cabins are booked out.

With respect to food – a BBQ will be available on site for cooking lunch and dinner. Depending on numbers, additional food service may be available.

Field Location>>>

Check Out Complete Calendar >>>

Event Report and Photos – John Schmidli

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. They are chosen from a pool of photos taken by myself and others when time permits.

If a perspective is not being represented, I am more than happy to publish any written content or photos that are supplied to me provided it is fair and reasonable.

Quick Reference

Season Championship
Event Calendar

2017 F3D World Championships Report and Observations by Barry Murphy

Posted on August 14, 2017 by Scadtastic

Well, another World Championships “done and dusted”.

I must say that the Swedish F3D organisation ran what can only be described as a wonderful and professional event.

Congratulations to Jiri Novotny from the Czech Republic, Stefan Raven from Belgium and Thomas Eriksson from Sweden on their top results and fair sportsmanship.

First of all we were made to feel extremely welcome with no “special” laws laid down. The entire event ran smoothly with cuts registered on your lane board in real time and your time/result displayed within 5 seconds of your racer crossing the line. There was only one protest, which was dealt with swiftly. We saw the number 2 pylon destroyed on two occasions and repaired within minutes, and only a few re-runs required.

We now have a new World Champion. I must congratulate Daniel Arapakis for his Junior World Champion win. It just goes to prove that with the correct advice and help in this sport top results can be achieved. Good advice in pylon racing is not expensive. It was only 3 or 4 years ago, Danny and his Dad would hide behind a car when a F3D racer was started! Now he is a Junior World Champion. Well done Danny and Andrew also for your contribution to the Australian Team first place podium finish.

This Australian Team win is a special one. Not only is this a win on the scoreboard but a win for the type of Australian competitor.

To be a successful pylon competitor you need a few attributes…..know-how, sharp skills, cool and calm demeanor, a sense of fairness and a goodly amount of ‘gung-ho’ aggression. These boys have all of the above. This is what the world sees in our Australian Pylon way. This is what the world sees in us, as well as our friendly fun-loving nature.

This has been seen as the Australian way in the past- I once read on the wall of the Australian War Museum in Ypres, Belgium- “ The Australian soldier was found to be unpretentious, fun-loving and down to earth but we soon had to build another gaol as they were getting into too much trouble” “We soon had to release them as we realised we needed just this type of soldier” (or words to this effect).

I could have been easily reading a description of an Australian Pylon racing Team (almost).

The Australian Pylon Racing Team does not get into trouble as such…their sense of ‘fun’ can be witnessed by all and when called on they are ready. From the quiet dry humour in the ready box to the silent sixty-second countdown, the explosive and accurate 10 laps followed by satisfied smiles…this team flew for the team…no individual self serving.

To make the Australian Pylon racing Team is an achievement in itself. No walk up starters, no place by default, each place rightly deserved. Even 4^th & 5^th place in our team trials would make it in most of the world teams.

The 2017 Pylon Team was a pleasure to be a part of and I congratulate them all.

I especially congratulate Danny, as it has been a pleasure to be his mentor.

Barry W Murphy

Munro May 2017 – Report

Posted on May 30, 2017 by Scadtastic

Results

Class – FA1

Places:
1st Daniel Arapakis
2nd Barry Murphy
3rd Brian Steele

Fastest Time: 61.24 – Barry Murphy
No. of competitors: 6

Class – F400

Places:
1st Andrew Davies
2nd Barry Murphy
3rd Brian Steele

Fastest Time: 64.19 – Andrew Davies
No. of competitors: 8

Class – Q500

Places:
1st Jim Orenshaw
2nd Ian Rickard
3rd Tom Prosser

Fastest Time: 97.68 – Andrew Davies
No. of competitors: 9

Check out the full results>>>

Season Championship

FA1

There was not change for the top 3 positions but there is only 1 point between Leigh and Daniel.

1st – Leigh Hocken
2nd – Daniel Arapakis
3rd – Brian Steele

F400

Like FA1, there has been no change for the top 3 places but the gap at the top 2 positions has extended by a point to 3 points.

1st – Andrew Davies
2nd – Barry Murphy
3rd – Jim Orenshaw

Q500

No change for the top 2 positions by Ian Rickard has now moved up into 3rd place.

1st – Jim Orenshaw
2nd – John Schmidli
3rd – Ian Rickard

Check Out Season Championship >>>

Next Race

The next event is AMPRA on June 10 & 11 to be held at Monarto Model Flying Field in South Australia. More information >>>

The next VMPRA event is scheduled for July 8 & 9. Details of what and where this event is to be staged are still to be confirmed.

The F3D World Championships are on in Sweden from July 25 to 29.

Note: The Bendigo event that was to be held on July 29 – 30 has been cancelled due to low numbers partly because of the World Champs. An alternate time and venue for the AGM is TBA.

Check Out Complete Calendar >>>

Event Results – John Schmidli

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. They are chosen from a pool of photos taken by myself and others when time permits.

If a perspective is not being represented, I am more than happy to publish any written content or photos that are supplied to me provided it is fair and reasonable.

Quick Reference

Event Result
Season Championship
Event Calendar

Warrnambool 2017 – Event Report

Posted on May 6, 2017 by Scadtastic

The VMPRA was back racing in Warrnambool, a regional city on the West Coast of Victoria. The Field was in really good condition and the club was sporting some new structures in the form of a new club house and shed. The new club house was yet to be fitted out, so the guys from SA & NSW were allowed to set-up camp in there.

Travelling to Warrnambool on the Friday was a wet affair although conditions at the field where dry enough for setting up camp and to carry out some practice flights.

Saturday was off to an early start and once setup and was completed, we started with F400. Five rounds were completed and by lunch.

Next up was five rounds of FA1. The full Australian F3D 2017 World Championship team were present for this event so we got to see them in some of their final practice and preparations before heading off to Sweden in late July.

By the time the FA1 racing had finished it was getting late. We started Q500 with a healthy field of 9 pilot and managed to complete 2 rounds before low light started to become a problem. After stopping for the day, the drizzle set in.
Unfortunately, that was pretty much the weather for the whole night and most of the next day resulting in no racing on the Sunday and pulling up stumps after lunch.

FA1 & F400 classes had a result but Q500 with only 2 rounds completed, was a non-event. It was a pity as we had a good turn-out with Pilots from SA, NSW & VIC.

While waiting for the weather to improve on the Sunday morning, a reporter and photographer from the Warrnambool Standard interviewed the World Champ Team plots and took some photos for the news paper.

Check out the event photo gallery>>>

Results

Class – FA1

Places:
1st Daniel Arapakis
2nd Ranjit Phelan
3rd Shaun Jacobsen

Fastest Time: 57.85 – Daniel Arapakis (New fastest time for the season)
No. of competitors: 10

Class – F400

Places:
1st Shaun Jacobsen
2nd Beau Murphy
3rd Jim Orenshaw

Fastest Time: 65.77 – Beau Murphy
No. of competitors: 9

Class – Q500

Non-Event – Only 2 rounds flown before being washed out.

Check out the full results>>>

Season Championship

We now only have 2 more events left for this season’s championship.

FA1

There was not change for the top 3 positions but Daniel has now closed the gap to Leigh down to 5 points from a previous 12 points.

1st – Leigh Hocken
2nd – Daniel Arapakis
3rd – Brian Steele

F400

Like FA1, there has been no change for the top 3 places but the gap at the top 2 positions is 2 points. Only 5 points covers the top 3 positions.

1st – Andrew Davies
2nd – Barry Murphy
3rd – Jim Orenshaw

Q500

No change for the top positions as all 3 receive 1 attendance point after this class was washed out.

1st – Jim Orenshaw
2nd – John Schmidli
3rd – Gary Whitbourn

Check Out Season Championship >>>

Next Race

The next race on the calendar is back at Munro on May 20th -21st.

Check Out Complete Calendar >>>

Event Report and Photos – John Schmidli
Additional photos – Tom Wetherill

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. They are chosen from a pool of photos taken by myself and others when time permits.

If a perspective is not being represented, I am more than happy to publish any written content or photos that are supplied to me provided it is fair and reasonable.

Quick Reference

Event Result
Photo Gallery
Season Championship
Event Calendar

Munro March 2017 – Event Report

Posted on April 14, 2017 by Scadtastic

Back in March, the VMPRA had a race event back at Barry Murphy’s beautifully prepared pylon racing field down at Munro. It was a great event and the weather was kind to us.

It was great seeing father and son Q500 team, Matt and Xavier Noonan making their first race appearance at Munro as well as seeing Frank Cassella & Tom Prosser putting in really strong performances over the weekend.

Check out the event photo gallery>>>

Results

Class – FA1

Places:
1st Brian Steele
2nd Frank Cassella
3rd Andrew Davies

Fastest Time: 59.97 – Leigh Hocken
No. of competitors: 7

Class – F400

Places:
1st Frank Cassella
2nd Andrew Davies
3rd Barry Murphy

Fastest Time: 69.30 – Frank Cassella
No. of competitors: 7

Class – Q500

Places:
1st John Schmidli
2nd Jim Orenshaw
3rd Tom Prosser

Fastest Time: 95.22 – John Schmidli
No. of competitors: 8

Check out the full results>>>

Season Championship

FA1

For FA1, no change for the top 2 positions but Brian Steele has moved from 6th to 3rd position.

1st – Leigh Hocken
2nd – Daniel Arapakis
3rd – Brian Steele

F400

Like FA1, there has been no move for the top 2 positions but Jim Orenshaw has moved up into 3rd position from 5th.

1st – Andrew Davies
2nd – Barry Murphy
3rd – Jim Orenshaw

Q500

Jim Orenshaw remained at the top position 20 points ahead of John Schmidli in 2nd who move up from 3rd with Gary Whitbourn moving down 1 place to 3rd position.

1st – Jim Orenshaw
2nd – John Schmidli
3rd – Gary Whitbourn

Check Out Season Championship >>>

Next Race

The next race on the calendar is at Warrnambool on April 22 – 23.

Check Out Complete Calendar >>>

Event Report and Photos – John Schmidli

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. They are chosen from a pool of photos taken by myself and others when time permits.

If a perspective is not being represented, I am more than happy to publish any written content or photos that are supplied to me provided it is fair and reasonable.

Quick Reference

Event Result
Photo Gallery
Season Championship
Event Calendar

Camperdown VMPRA Trophy – 2017

Posted on February 13, 2017 by Scadtastic

The first full 3 class race for the year which happens to be the VMPRA Trophy, was held at Camperdown over the weekend of February 4 & 5. Camperdown is always great place to go racing and the local club, the Corangamite Model Aircraft Club is situated in the middle of a horse racing track.

Weather for the Saturday was good although the sun was a bit warm and with concerns of possible rain on the Sunday, our CD for the weekend, (Mick Kellett) pushed to do 5 rounds of all classes on the Saturday. It was a long day with Q500 finishing after 5pm. After F3d finish and prior to Q500, we had to do a course change due to the wind direction shifting. At the end of the day, we had complete 40 races.

Sunday was cloudy and a little cooler. Another course change was required which took a little longer as the measuring line had fallen out of the trailer during the previous change and had to be found to set the pylons correctly.

We needed to complete 3 rounds of each class with rain and thunder forecast for that afternoon. F400 and F3D where competed by about 12:30. After a short lunch break, It all began to be a little challenging for Q500. With smallish numbers, and only 2 heats, we stay out at the flight line for refueling and service the planes to save time. A mid-air collation in the first heat, required a run back to the pits and assembling 2nd planes for Myself (John Schmidli) and John Yianni. The next race, James Hurley’s Viper had the tail fail around 2 & 3. He then had to fetch a 2nd plane. Just as the 2 round was starting a short but very heavy rain storm came through stopping proceeding again. Shortly after, racing resumed and we worked through to the end.

The course was packed up, trophies awarded and after saying a our goodbye, we got away before the rain arrived.

It was an enjoyable weekend and was particularly good to see our regular interstaters, Tom, Shaun & Jarrod Jacobsen and John Yianni from SA and Ranjit Phelan from NSW. It’s big commitment to travel these distances.

Check out the event photo gallery>>>

Results

Class – FA1

Places:
1st Ranjit Phelan
2nd Leigh Hocken
3rd Shaun Jacobsen

Fastest Time: 58.69 – Ranjit Phelan
No. of competitors: 9
NOTE: There was not cut judge on Pylon #3 for this class all weekend.

Class – F400

Places:
1st Shaun Jacobsen
2nd Andrew Davies
3rd Barry Murphy

Fastest Time: 68.75 – Shaun Jacobsen
No. of competitors: 11
NOTE: There was not cut judge on Pylon #3 for this class all weekend.

Class – Q500

Places:
1st Jim Orenshaw
2nd John Schmidli
3rd Jarrod Jacobsen

Fastest Time: 97.55 – Jim Orenshaw
No. of competitors: 7
NOTE: There was not cut judge on Pylon #3 for this class all weekend.

Check out the full results>>>

Season Championship

FA1

No change for the top 3 for FA1.

1st – Leigh Hocken
2nd – Daniel Arapakis
3rd – Andrew Davies

F400

Andrew Davies has moved up to top spot. Barry Murphy has moved up to 2nd position from 4th and Glenn Matthews is in 3rd position having been in 5th position previously.

1st – Andrew Davies
2nd – Barry Murphy
3rd – Glenn Matthews

Q500

Jim Orenshaw & Gary Whitbourn have remained in first and second places respectively with myself (John Schmidli) moving from 5th position up to 3rd position.

1st – Jim Orenshaw
2nd – Gary Whitbourn
3rd – John Schmidli

Check Out Season Championship >>>

Next Race

The next race on the calendar is back at Munro on March 18th -19th.

There has been a number of additions to the calendar so make sure you have these new dates penciled in to your diary so you don’t miss any races.

Check Out Complete Calendar >>>

Event Report and Photos – John Schmidli

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. They are chosen from a pool of photos taken by myself and others when time permits.

If a perspective is not being represented, I am more than happy to publish any written content or photos that are supplied to me provided it is fair and reasonable.

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