Rudeboy,

Yes, a good woody can be a very fast plane indeed. In fact, I believe the skill of the pilot is much more important than whether one has a composite plane or a wood one. It's just that I don't consider the Predator and Viper to be good woodies. I think they are good planes for the first attempts at pylon racing (or speed planes) but they are not at the same level as the planes I mentioned above.

I'll take your word for it about the Magnum. I've heard and read on these forums about how fast they are but I've never witnessed it first hand.