Scorpion Racing

Thanks to all you guys for the fine turnout this weekend! Saturday we saw about 8-10 guys come out (1 day early!) and just have a good time and do some sport flying. Fay brought us scattered rain showers, so it was a good thing the testing session was on Sunday!! We got the field set up, and installed the new single pole-in-a-hole pylons; these replaced our portable pylons with the legs, so now there is no danger of hitting a pylon support!

Sunday was a nice, sunny calm day with plenty of Florida summertime heat! We had about 17 or 18 424 pilots there, with about 1/2 having very little to no previous racing experience. Jim Purdue and I gave a 1 hour discussion on pylon racing and fielded any questions anyone has. We discussed a lot of the basics, got a little more in depth on some key points, and maybe went a little overboard on some things! We gave out some documents to really explain the away all the mysteries of racing, with probably more information than some were ready for. We also hade about 12 428-422 jockeys who helped with teaching the guys as we broke up into small groups and put a very experienced racer with each new guy. These pro pilots gave the 1 on 1 learning that we all need as a new pilot. I want to thank all the guys for pitching in and freely helping all the new guys. I hope this gives each one of them a good feeling and a heads up on what they need to do. I can never than you enough for helping out!

After lunch, we set up a few heat races with the guys that wanted to try it, and I think we all had fun with it! Tim Yousey actually flew a 424 plane in a heat race and really showed the guys how to get around the poles. He laid down a 1:39 and change on the long course with a borrowed plane with no practice! Dang Tim, way to make me feel bad!! I spent my time during these heats as a turn 1 judge and I now have a much healthier respect for the guys down there pushing those buttons. I thought as a racer it would be a piece of cake; was I ever wrong! I will never again get P.O.ed for a guy anticipating my light and missing a short cut. I think I missed my first 2 cut lights on a lane because I anticipated the plane making it there! What an eye opener that was! [:@]

I have all these documents in a single PDF with bookmarks to sections available for reference to any and all who would like them. These are everything from current rules, rule changes and all the basic information we almost all use at any race. If you would like to have a copy of this document, please email me to the location in my signature or PM me here at RCU and I will make sure you get it.

Thanks again for all who made this first time event a success, and I hope it benefited all of you. I hope to see all of you and MORE in Markham Park September 20-21 for the 2008 season final race, and the 2009 opener in Mulberry October 11-12.

dwbebens

Good job Scott. This effort of yours will pay off big time. Also, it was great to hear about all the experienced racers who showed up to help out. I fully expect that your shining example will inspire others around the country to host similar events. Again, congratulations.

Keep up the good work.

Doug Bebensee

PhilMill

Hey Scott ,

So tell me man, Will I be racing anywhere in December?

We could have the first annual Scott Smith Invitational 424 race.!!!I'll be the CD...!!..We'll invite all the 422/428 guys and all the guys at the workshop and anybody who wants to race....Set up an expert and a standard matrix and see who comes out on top....

Standard guys will do 9 laps (like we talked about) and the experts will do 10 laps....Or whatever you think will work best....

I've talked to a number of 428/422 guys and they ALL have expressed a serious interest in racing 424....

I'll be willing to bet that it will be very easy to have a pretty full matrix.....And besides Scott, I'm ready to try my thumbs against yours....!!!LOL

See, I told you I would be bugging you to have a race in December, in light of losing the Tangerine race....

Phil

Scorpion Racing

Thanks Doug, we all can use a little help sometime! I look foward to a great year of racing, with what I hope is a bumper crop of fresh faces in 424.

Phil, so you are thinking an APRA type race with the 424 guys vs. 428 pilots with 424 guys getting the 9 lap benifits? SWEET!! As long as we avoid the 1:45 for 9 laps breakout rule!! Otherwise call me a 428 jockey! Lets see what everyone thinks about it in Sunrise in 3 weeks, but it is a cool idea. It may be better suited a few months later than December due to the planning an event would take, but I think it is a great idea. Lets talk about the 424-428 crossover rule being like the rest of the country, and then do a SEMPRA one group type race.

Sounds like a GOOD time to me!!

PhilMill

Okie Dokie Scott, All I'm trying to do here is to have more races , add a little excitement and get more people racing no matter what class....

I know we can pull this off but it's gonna take some fine tuning of course....And a lot of help from all the racers in this district.....I'm sure they also have some good ideas too...


Yea, I like your idea about talking with everyone at the Sunrise race. Maybe we can get the CD to announce a brief pilots meeting after the first day of racing....I'm just guessing here but, I think this idea we have is gonna be favorable to almost everyone...It all boils down to one thing-more competitive racing.....

I'm hoping to find someone to help me with finding new sites for new races....I'll be glad to meet with the clubs(with another racer more "seasoned" than me..) and see if we can kick this pylon racing in the butt. I'm sure everyone would be in favor of having more than 3 or 4 races in an entire calender year..

One of my buddies from my club in Kissimmee who came to the Mulberry Workshop is all fired up....I gave him a Predator , which he put together, and Tim Yousey flew it this morning in very windy conditions. Got it trimmed and flying pretty good. He's all fired up about racing at Markham Park and Mulberry...So that's me, Rob Berry (new guy and pretty good racer already) and Robert Valazquez......That ought to fill out the matrix a little better. And if all those guys from your Workshop come, dang man, we're gonna have a bunch of pilots for our 424 races....

Let me know if you have any ideas about new sites for racing...

Phil

PhilMill

Hey Ckeene-You out there man?

I'm fully expecting to see you and Barry at the next 2 races right? We need you man.....

And hey Scott, is there any way that you can touch base with all the new guys who were at the workshop? It'd sure be nice if they would race with us at Sunrise and Mulberry...

If they come on Friday - practice day - there will still be lots of help and lots of people willing to get em trimmed and ready to race....

Let's check up on them and make sure they have everything they need huh?

Thanks,

Phil

ckeene9

My Feedback: (-1)

I'm still hangin' around. We won't be making it to the Lauderdale race but will be down in Mulberry in October. We've decided that having only one plane each and the race being 3 weeks or so away we don't have enough time to make some new ones to make going down there worth while. So instead I'm gonna go play jets that weekend and work on getting some more planes equiped for Mulberry!


Christopher

PhilMill

Sounds good Christopher, You sure have a great guy helping you out there man.....And we are all looking forward to seeing you at the races...From what I've seen, I think you could do well at this.....and have a ton of fun too.....

I guess you're right about having enough planes..You do kinda need a good backup......

So I guess we'll see you and Barry at the "Southern 500"!!!!!!

Later,

Phil

js9467

My Feedback: (1)

Hey Scott...

Any chance you will be doing another one of these? I am just beginning, but this sounds like a fun way to learn the ropes and get some experience. I sometimes work in Tampa so I could maybe turn it into a work trip. Im actually trying to work it out so I will be in your area for the race that is coming up..

Jay