Tag Archives: VMPRA

Event Report – Munro Nov 2025

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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.

Check out the Gallery for this race >>>

Results

These are the placings for this race weekend, plus the fastest times. For all the results, see the “Result” button below.

Class – FA1

Places:
1st Beau Murphy
2nd Rick Townsend
3rd Tom Wetherill

Fastest Time (Red Box): 57.10 Beau Murphy
No. of competitors: 7

Class – F3T

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

Fastest Time (Red Box): 63.19 Andrew Davies.
No. of competitors: 9

Class – Q500

Places:
1st John Schmidli
2nd Eddie Rich
3rd Alan Whitbourn

Fastest Time (Red Box): 100.44 John Schmidli
No. of competitors: 9

Class – E2K

Places:
1st James Hurley
2nd Glenn Matthews
3rd John Schmidli

Fastest Time (Red Box): 78.24 James Hurley (Short Course).
No. of competitors: 5

Check out the full results >>>

Season Championship

That’s a wrap for F3D and F3T for this season, and the results are…

FA1

1st – Anthony Thurgood
2nd – Brian Steele
3rd – Andrew Davies

F3T

No change at the top two positions, but Andrew Davies has popped up into third place, displacing Jim Orenshaw back down to fourth.

1st – Brian Steele
2nd – Anthony Thurgood
3rd – Andrew Davies

Q500

With one event to go at Western Port, Jim Orenshaw has wrapped up this season’s championship for Q500.

1st – Jim Orenshaw
2nd – Eddie Rich
3rd – John Schmidli

Check Out Season Championship >>>

Next Race Events:
– Westernport December 09, 2025.

The next full three-class pylon race will be the first event for 2026 and held at Munro on February 21-22.

Please check out the updated calendar as most of next year’s events are now listed.

Check Out Complete Calendar >>>
 

Report  – John Schmidli.
Photos – 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.

Quick Reference

Event Results
Season Championship
Event Calendar
Gallery

Event Report – Warrnambool Oct 2025

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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.

Check out the Gallery for this race >>>

Results

These are the placings for this race weekend, plus the fastest times. For all the results, see the “Result” button below.

Class – FA1

Places:
1st Anthony Thurgood
2nd Glen Matthews
3rd Tom Wetherill

Fastest Time (Red Box): 65.98 Anthony Thurgood
No. of competitors: 5

Class – F3T

Places:
1st Brian Steele
2nd Andrew Davies
3rd John Schmidli

Fastest Time (Red Box): 66.24 Brian Steele.
No. of competitors: 8

Class – Q500

Places:
1st Jim Orenshaw
2nd Eddie Rich
3rd Alan Swift

Fastest Time (Red Box): 99.82 John Schmidli
No. of competitors: 7

Check out the full results >>>

Season Championship

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

Check Out Season Championship >>>

Next Race Events:
– Munro Nov 22 – 23.

Please check out the updated calendar as most of next year’s events are now listed.

Check Out Complete Calendar >>>
 

Report  – Tom Wetherill.
Photos – 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.

Quick Reference

Event Results
Season Championship
Event Calendar
Gallery

Event Report – Newbridge, September 2025

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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.

Check out the Gallery for this race >>>

Results

These are the placings for this race weekend, plus the fastest times. For all the results, see the “Result” button below.

Class – FA1

Places:
1st Rick Townsend
2nd Anthony Thurgood
3rd Andrew Davies

Fastest Time (Red Box): 61.71 Rick Townsend
No. of competitors: 5

Class – F3T

Places:
1st Brian Steele
2nd Tom Wetherill
3rd Jim Orenshaw

Fastest Time (Red Box): 67.79 Andrew Davies.
No. of competitors: 6

Class – Q500

Places:
1st Jim Orenshaw
2nd Eddie Rich
3rd Jim Orenshaw

Fastest Time (Red Box): 103.48 Jim Orenshaw
No. of competitors: 5

Check out the full results >>>

Season Championship

FA1

No change in the top 3 positions.

1st – Anthony Thurgood
2nd – Brian Steele
3rd – Andrew Davies

F3T

No change in the top 3 positions.

1st – Brian Steele
2nd – Anthony Thurgood
3rd – Jim Orenshaw

Q500

No change at the top position but Eddie has moved up a position displacing Alan into 3rd position.

1st – Jim Orenshaw
2nd – Eddie Rich
3rd – Alan Whitbourn

Check Out Season Championship >>>

Next Race Events:
– Warrnambool Oct 18 – 19.

Check Out Complete Calendar >>>
 

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.

Quick Reference

Event Results
Season Championship
Event Calendar
Gallery

Event Report – Cohuna, August 2025

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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. 

See you all at Newbridge 13 & 14 September 

Eddy

Check out the Gallery for this race >>>

Results

These are the placings for this race weekend, plus the fastest times. For all the results, see the “Result” button below.

Class – FA1

Places:
1st Rick Townsend
2nd Brian Steele
3rd Anthony Thurgood

Fastest Time (Red Box): 59.91 Rick Townsend
No. of competitors: 4

Class – F3T

Places:
1st Jim Orenshaw
2nd Andrew Davies
3rd Brian Steele

Fastest Time (Red Box): 67.77 Andrew Davies.
No. of competitors: 7

Class – Q500

Places:
1st Jim Orenshaw
2nd Gary Davidson
3rd Alan Whitbourn

Fastest Time (Red Box): 95.71 Jim Orenshaw
No. of competitors: 8

Check out the full results >>>

Season Championship

FA1

No change in the top 3 positions.

1st – Anthony Thurgood
2nd – Brian Steele
3rd – Andrew Davies

F3T

No change in the top 3 positions.

1st – Brian Steele
2nd – Anthony Thurgood
3rd – Jim Orenshaw

Q500

No change in the top 3 positions.

1st – Jim Orenshaw
2nd – Alan Whitbourn
3rd – Eddie Rich

Check Out Season Championship >>>

Next Race Events:
– Newbridge (Rick’s Field) Sept 13 – 14.

Check Out Complete Calendar >>>
 

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.

Quick Reference

Event Results
Season Championship
Event Calendar
Gallery

Event Report – Bendigo, July 2025

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We’ve probably just had the best weather in quite some time—sunshine and light winds made for excellent conditions. That said, scraping 3mm of ice off the windscreens early in the morning was a bit of a challenge!

A big thank you to the Bendigo club for preparing the field, to Andy for running the canteen, and a special shout-out to Dammo and Jack for their work as pylon judges over both days.

Of course, thanks to all of you for helping run the competition—your efforts are what make these events possible.

It was great to have John back, safe and refreshed after his UK holiday with Caroline. His help on the computer was much appreciated. And thank you all for putting up with me as CD once again!

Your camaraderie and shared passion for this great sport and hobby make it all the more enjoyable.

Looking ahead, the next event is the State Championships at Cohuna on August 16th and 17th. Please make the effort to attend and support these competitions—without your involvement, there is no future for them.

Eddie Rich

Check out the Gallery for this race >>>

Results

These are the placings for this race weekend, plus the fastest times. For all the results, see the “Result” button below.

Class – FA1

Places:
1st Rick Townsend
2nd Andrew Davies
3rd Brian Steele

Fastest Time (Red Box): 61.80 Rick Townsend
No. of competitors: 4

Class – F3T

Places:
1st Andrew Davies
2nd Brian Steele
3rd John Schmidli

Fastest Time (Red Box): 66.47 Anthony Thurgood.
No. of competitors: 7

Class – Q500

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

Fastest Time (Red Box): 96.33 Jim Orenshaw
No. of competitors: 8

Check out the full results >>>

Season Championship

FA1

No change in the top 2 positions, but Andrew Davies has moved up into 3rd place.

1st – Anthony Thurgood
2nd – Brian Steele
3rd – Andrew Davies

F3T

Brian Steele remained in the top spot, Anthony Thurgood moved up to 2 position from 5th, pushing Jim Orenshaw down a place into 3rd.

1st – Brian Steele
2nd – Anthony Thurgood
3rd – Jim Orenshaw

Q500

Again, there has been no change in the top 3 placings.

1st – Jim Orenshaw
2nd – Alan Whitbourn
3rd – Eddie Rich

Check Out Season Championship >>>

Next Race Events:
– Cohuna (The Home of Pylon Racing in Victoria) August 16-17, 2025.

Check Out Complete Calendar >>>
 

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.

Quick Reference

Event Results
Season Championship
Event Calendar
Gallery

Event Report – AMPRA Championships 2025

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Munro, Victoria | 7 – 8 June 2025

AMPRA Championships 2025 – A Thrilling Weekend at Munro

The AMPRA Championships 2025, held at Barry Murphy’s pristine Munro field in Victoria, delivered yet another exciting weekend of high-speed racing, camaraderie and tradition. The absence of interstate competitors was primarily due to their prior commitments to attend the World Championships that will be held in Germany next month. Some familiar Victorian faces were also missing due to other travel and personal commitments. However. the enthusiasm and competitive spirit of those who attended made this event one to remember.

A Legacy of Passion

AMPRA (Australian Miniature Pylon Racing Association) and VMPRA (Victorian Miniature Pylon Racing Association) have long upheld the rich tradition of pylon racing in Australia, fostering a community that thrives on speed, precision, and sportsmanship. This year’s AMPRA championship proved that, regardless of numbers, the passion for the sport remains as strong as ever.

Challenging Weather, Fierce Competition

Competitors began arriving as early as Wednesday to set up camp, with the rest joining during the day on Friday, eager to get some testing and practice flights in to be prepared for the weekend events. A storm front was covering much of Victoria, dumping snow on the mountains and bringing much needed rainfall to many areas impacted by drought.

Though conditions remained cold throughout the weekend, Saturday served up a mix of many seasonal weather patterns (except summer), which resulted in limited rounds being flown: four rounds of Q500 and three of F3D. The colder temperatures and strong winds contributed to slower times, but racers pressed on undeterred – occasionally seeking refuge around the stove in the pit building area.

Sunday, however, provided ideal racing conditions, allowing for six rounds of F3T and two additional rounds of Q500. The improved weather led to much faster times, showcasing the best performances of the weekend.

Results & Standout Performances

All classed were flown over 10 ½ laps which is normal practice for VMPRA as it reduces the number of course workers required to run the event.

Q500: Seven pilots competed, with Anthony Thurgood securing first place, followed by Alan Whitbourne in second and Jim Orenshaw in third. Popular models being flown included the QStang. Anthony also posted the fastest time in the category—an impressive 95.3 seconds.

F3T: This class attracted six entries, offering close, thrilling racing action. F3T was taken by Anthony Thurgood flying an RB-51, with Tom Wetherill in second and Jim Orenshaw third – both flying Precious Metal models. Brian Steele recorded the fastest time at 65.38 seconds, closely followed by Tom Wetherill with 65.65 seconds. Both pilots, and Jim were using Profi-power.

F3D: Despite the harshest weather conditions and low sun restricting racing to only three rounds, the competition remained fierce. Brian Steele claimed victory, with Tom Wetherill taking second and Barry Murphy securing third place. Anthony had an unfortunate plowing incident with his model. The field is now ready to sew potatoes.

A Feast to Remember

The traditional Munro Saturday night feast—prepared by Gary and Alan Whitbourne—was a highlight of the event. Pilots and supporters gathered to enjoy a hearty meal, recount thrilling moments from the past events, and strengthen the bonds that make this community so special.

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Wendy Dean for expertly managing the timing system, Eddie Rich for serving as CD and to all those who helped man the pylons and serving as starter throughout the weekend. Their dedication ensured smooth and fair racing, minimal re-runs and contributing to the success of the event. Also, special thanks to Barry Murphy for making available this excellent racing facility.

Despite the unpredictable weather and smaller turnout, the AMPRA Championships 2025 showcased resilience, skill, and unwavering enthusiasm for the sport. Here’s to another year of high-speed racing and great competition—see you at the next event!

Results

These are the placings for this race weekend.

Class – FA1

Places:
1st Brian Steele
2nd Tom Wetherill
3rd Barry Murphy (Big Ball Baz)

Class – F3T

Places:
1st Anthony Thurgood
2nd Tom Wetherill
3rd Jim Orenshaw

Class – Q500

Places:
1st Anthony Thurgood
2nd Alan Whitbourne
3rd Jim Orenshaw

Championship Placings

Check Out Season Championship >>>

Next Race Events:
– Bendigo July 19 – 20, 2025.

Check Out Complete Calendar >>>
 

Report  – Collin “Co” Caller.
Photos – Eddie Rich 

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.

Quick Reference

Event Results
Season Championship
Event Calendar

Event Report – Hamilton, May 2025

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Back on the weekend of May 17 to 18, the VMPRA went to Hamilton for a race weekend. Numbers were a little down unusual, particularly for F3D.

On Saturday morning, conditions were rather grey and wet. Because of the low number of competitors and the fact that we had almost enough help from the club, we decided to run F3D and Q500 together, eliminating the long waits between F3D rounds. This would have worked well, except for regular stops for rain showers. We only managed to complete 5 rounds of the class on Saturday.

Sunday morning gave us far better weather conditions, and having flown the other two classes on Saturday, we ran 8 rounds of F3T. We managed to get through these rounds reasonably quickly with a slightly earlier finish than usual. Thank you to the Hamilton Club for hosting this event and providing splendid catering and a field in good condition.


The next event is an AMPRA at Munro on June 7 – 8. Hopefully, we can get good numbers at this event, being one of our highlights of the year.

Results

These are the placings for this race weekend, plus the fastest times. For all the results, see the “Result” button below.

Class – FA1

Places:
1st Brian Steele
2nd Anthony Thurgood
3rd N/A

Fastest Time (Red Box): 71.21 Anthony Thurgood
No. of competitors: 2

Class – F3T

Places:
1st Brian Steele
2nd Jim Orenshaw
3rd Anthony Thurgood

Fastest Time (Red Box): 70.19 Brian Steele.
No. of competitors: 5

Class – Q500

Places:
1st Alan Whitbourne
2nd Eddie Rich
3rd Jim Orenshaw

Fastest Time (Red Box): 102.01 Alan Whitbourn
No. of competitors: 6

Check out the full results >>>

Season Championship

FA1

Anthony Thurgood is still in top position. Brian Steele has moved up into 2nd place from 3rd.

1st – Anthony Thurgood
2nd – Brian Steele
3rd – Glenn Matthews

F3T

No changes at the top 2 positions. Jim Orenshaw has moved from 6th placing into 3rd.

1st – Brian Steele
2nd – Andrew Davies
3rd – Jim Orenshaw

Q500

Again, there has been no change in the top 3 placings.

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

Check Out Season Championship >>>

Next Race Events:
– AMPRA Champs, Munro June 7 -8, 2025.

Check Out Complete Calendar >>>
 

Report  – John Schmidli.
Photos – 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.

Quick Reference

Event Results
Season Championship
Event Calendar

Event Report – Mt Wallace (Q500 & Sports), May 2025

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The VMPRA finally raced the Mt Wallace state field after several past cancellations. It was blowy, but we completed 5 rounds of Q500 with 7 competitors. It was also fabulous to have 2 home club members competing in the Sports race, both flying Scanners and doing quite well for their first time flying pylon.

Event Gallery

Results

These are the placings for this race weekend, plus the fastest times. For all the results, see the “Result” button below.

Class – Q500

Places:
1st John Schmidli
2nd Tom Allen
3rd Eddie Rich

Fastest Time (Red Box): 101.44 Jim Orenshaw
No. of competitors: 7

Check out the full results >>>

Season Championship

Q500

Again, there has been no change in the top 3 placings.

1st – Jim Orenshaw
2nd – John Schmidli
3rd – Eddie Rich

Check Out Season Championship >>>
Check Out Complete Calendar >>>
 

Report  – John Schmidli.
Photos – 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.

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Event Report – Warrnambool, April 2025

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It was a pleasure to return to the Warrnambool Model Aircraft Club for another exciting pylon racing weekend on April 12–13. As always, the Warrnambool club were fantastic hosts, and a big shoutout to the members managing the No.1 pylon—they did an outstanding job.

Saturday brought ideal flying conditions, while Sunday remained fine but noticeably windier. The weekend turned out to be a real test of endurance, with a higher-than-usual attrition rate. By the end, only two competitors remained in F3D and F3T, and just three in Q500.

It was great to have Steve and Jo Taylor join us from Queensland. It was wonderful to have Steve racing with us.

Event Gallery

Results

These are the placings for this race weekend, plus the fastest times. For all the results, see the “Result” button below.

Class – FA1

Places:
1st Anthony Thurgood
2nd Glenn Matthews
3rd Brian Steele

Fastest Time (Red Box): 71.76 Brian Steele
No. of competitors: 5

Class – F3T

Places:
1st Andrew Davies
2nd Brian Steele
3rd John Schmidli

Fastest Time (Red Box): 69.82 Andrew Davies.
No. of competitors: 9

Class – Q500

Places:
1st Jim Orenshaw
2nd John Schmidli
3rd Eddie Rich

Fastest Time (Red Box): 97.76 Jim Orenshaw
No. of competitors: 8

Check out the full results >>>

Season Championship

FA1

No change in the top 3 placings.

1st – Anthony Thurgood
2nd – Glenn Matthews
3rd – Brian Steele

F3T

Brian Steele consolidated his top position, ahead by 6 points, Andrew Davies moved from 4th to 2 nd place, pushing Anthony Thurgood down a place into 3rd position.

1st – Brian Steele
2nd – Andrew Davies
3rd – Anthony Thurgood

Q500

Again, there has been no change in the top 3 placings.

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

Check Out Season Championship >>>

Next Race Events:
– Mount Wallace – May 4 – Q500/Sports (Come Try Race).
– Hamilton – May 17 – 18 – F3D, F3T & Q500.

Check Out Complete Calendar >>>
 

Report  – John Schmidli.
Photos – 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.

Quick Reference

Event Results
Season Championship
Event Calendar
Event Gallery

Event Report – Munro, March 2025

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Image 1 of 9

Event Gallery

Results

These are the placings for this race weekend, plus the fastest times. For all the results, see the “Result” button below.

Class – FA1

Places:
1st Anthony Thurgood
2nd Barry Murphy
3rd Glenn Matthews

Fastest Time (Red Box): 64.23 Anthony Thurgood
No. of competitors: 5

Class – F3T

Places:
1st Brian Steele
2nd Jim Orenshaw
3rd Anthony Thurgood

Fastest Time (Red Box): 66.46 Brian Steele.
No. of competitors: 8

Class – Q500

Places:
1st John Schmidli
2nd Jim Orenshaw
3rd Allan Whitbourne

Fastest Time (Red Box): 96.47 Jim Orenshaw
No. of competitors: 7

Check out the full results >>>

Season Championship

FA1

No change in the top 3 placings.

1st – Anthony Thurgood
2nd – Glenn Matthews
3rd – Brian Steele

F3T

No change in the top 3 placings.

1st – Brian Steele
2nd – Anthony Thurgood
3rd – Glenn Matthews

Q500

Again, there has been no change in the top 3 placings.

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

Check Out Season Championship >>>

Next Race Events:
– Warrnambool April 12-13.

Check Out Complete Calendar >>>
 

Report  – John Schmidli.
Photos – 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.

Quick Reference

Event Results
Season Championship
Event Calendar
Event Gallery