Ok.. but the question posed was.. Given the EXACT SAME SETUP.. would the pilots winning today still win? The answer is.. a resounding YES.

Equipment matters, setup matters, practice matters, skill matters. All of it.. When you get to the top level of ANY competition all factors must be there. Equipment, preparation, skill, practice. You can't be at the top lacking any facet of the equation.

As a reference.. I flew a 35% Cap232 in the 1998 and 1999 Masters, finishing 8th and 9th respectively. These in fact were borrowed aircraft both times. Had these been my airplanes, I could have certainly flown better as I could have practiced more.

Oh.. and FYI.. 35% and 40% airplanes DO NOT fly the same. The 35% is good for sure.. and really is where our models start to fly really well, but the 40% airplanes do in fact fly much better IMO.

Doug Cronkhite
Team JR