ORIGINAL: RobertV

Let me give you a firsthand viewpoint of what my entrance into RC pylon has been like so far. It’s a little lengthy but please bear with me. It’s a true outsider’s perspective. I’m relatively new to AMA racing at this point and I’m going to be jumping into Q40 in 2011. Here's a little background to at least tell you what’s driving my desire to race.

I’m Robert Vess from Raleigh, NC. I've been an RC modeler for many years and am very active in most other aspects of the hobby. But I've always been interested in pylon racing and wanted to get involved some day. Man, I can remember those beautiful Formula 1 planes and knew I would race at that level eventually. I worked at a hobby shop in high school in the seventies and former F1 and QM NATS champ Dave Pearce was a salesman that called on us. He was my ''RC hero'' that certainly planted the racing bug in me. My father and I even went to the Tangerine event in Florida to watch him race (I think he won, too!). But I couldn't do it myself at that time because I was soon headed to college.

Jim Katz made the next big impression on me. I think I met him at a “regular” RC event in the early 80’s or so, where he did a pylon demo. I enjoyed his flying/building skills and especially his sense of humor. He was always innovating with everything he did and, as a budding aero engineer at the time, I was drawn to this. I went on to design some airfoils for one or two of his amazing race planes but other distractions still kept me from racing myself. Life went on…

A few years ago, I had an opportunity to do some giant scale air racing on the USRA circuit and had great fun and even success racing in the F1-GT class. During that time, I hooked back up with Jim Katz (who had now been away from pylon for a while) to talk racing because my fire was, once again, burning bright and Jim was inspirational and supportive. At that time, he introduced me to his buddy and former racer, Mike Langlois. We spent some time at Mike's shop talking about speed and even started work on an F-1 alcohol engine build so that I could race in that class of USRA. After some attrition on my race team and a slight ''down-turn'' in the direction of USRA, my focus shifted to other aspects of the hobby again. But I had made some great friends and my desire to race was still strong.

As I continued in my other RC pursuits, Mike and Jim were working hard for a few years to bring first class RC pylon back to North Carolina. They constructed the race course dubbed “Old Julian Airport”, trained workers, and began holding races. I finally managed to get over there to see their Fall 2009 race and was hooked again. A couple of friends and I then participated in their 2010 Summer Shootout race (where I won Club40) and the Fall race where we flew against the best in 424 (I finished 8th). Everyone was so helpful and I learned a bunch. I also met more friends with like interests and enthusiasm. This was what I was looking for and the time was now right for me. But I wanted to go faster!

Local folks like Mike, Jim, John McDermott, and others (like Darroll Cady) quickly became a core discussion group with whom I could talk racing and get ideas of where my direction needed to go. I wanted to race Q40 and they encouraged just that! And they kept no secrets. They have all opened up their vaults to help in any and every way. You need a mentor to start racing and I now had several good ones. They never pressured me with strong opinions about equipment or politics but simply exposed the available choices. And they always exuded positive attitudes, enthusiasm for racing, and the desire to get people like me involved. They’re great gentlemen to be around, too. And they’re fun!

I had a Nelson SS Quickee engine that I bought years ago but never raced and I asked them if it was still competitive and if it could be converted to a Q40 engine. They said that I could have it converted to a Q40 engine and that I could start with that engine and be fast. But I wasn’t satisfied with that answer and said “what are the fastest guys using?'' They said that most people are either using the Nelson or Jett long strokes in Q40. So my next question was “can I convert my Nelson to a long stroke” and the reply was “yes, Henry Nelson will take your SS case and make a LS out of it for around $400''. I jumped at that and soon had my crankcase in the mail to Henry. And I went onto Ebay, chose another suitable short stroke engine, and purchased it at a good price to have converted as a backup.

The guys kept introducing me to new and interesting racing personalities and one was John Vaclav, who I had casually met at the last Julian race. I liked his meticulous attention to the assembly and care of the engines. And when he offered his services to assemble my conversion motor for me, I jumped at the chance and had Henry send him all the parts. As with the others, there were no barriers when talking with John. He was happy that a new guy was coming into racing and took pleasure in making sure I had the same equipment as he or anyone else. The motor showed up this week and it looks great! I can’t wait to race it.

Everything that I have told you about has been absolutely positive and has made me feel very welcome as a newcomer into the top level of AMA racing. I quickly joined the NMPRA, too. And I’ve been reading everything I can find about the Q40 class and pylon, in general. This is where things have begun to change. Most magazine articles have been enlightening, interesting, and have represented the sport in a productive way. But I must say, virtually everything I have read recently on the forums (including the NMPRA one) has been discouraging to say the least. For example, when I look at a thread to see the results and hear the news from the recent Tangerine event (which I wanted to attend), there are two posts about the event and 200 of arguing! This has been true of many other threads. It’s been tough to observe. The very sport that I was finally able to participate in seems to be coming apart at the seams from my perspective!

While the 426/428 debate didn’t affect me personally, one such topic did. The debate over the legality of the very Nelson SS/LS engine that I had just purchased has me very bummed. First, it’s not legal due to some paperwork. Then, the “loose ends” that supposedly made it not legal are tied up and it’s officially legal. But then some are offended by this sudden legality and don’t like the manner in which it occurred. So there is still another motion to make it illegal through some sort of emergency vote. Why? My impression as an outsider is that there must be some underlying issue at the foundation of this. And I don’t want to be a part of the feud. I just want to race and have fun!

So here’s the bottom line. I AM a new racer who is yearning to round the poles with you in the sport you also love. I have at least one other friend who is following the same path at this time. And more are on the fence wanting in, too. We have had received unbelievable support and encouragement from local racers around me that do nothing but increase our desire to race and ensure our success. I have easily purchased and subsequently acquired my own choice of airframe and engine (in a very timely manner) from amidst several options. And I am confident that this equipment will afford me the same possibility of success that anyone else has. This is all a real life, positive entrance into RC pylon that I and anyone else with the desire to do the same sincerely appreciate.
The ONE problem is that much of the press that is circulating about RC Pylon does not reflect these facts or this positive image. It’s discouraging, for sure. Where are the ambassadors? People like me ARE watching.

I want to race and have fun. At least I know that’s what will be happening at Old Julian Airport. The guys there feel the lust for racing that I feel. I’m pretty sure the rest of you do, too.