I know that it has been a while since my last President’s report. Exciting things are happening within the USRA and I believe 2005 is going to be a banner year! So, let’s get to it!!!
Sponsor news
I’m happy to report that all of the USRA’s premier sponsors are returning this year!! Zenoah, CRT and JR have agreed to return and support the USRA in the 2005 racing season.
Zenoah
We would like to welcome Zenoah back for their 3rd year as the title sponsor for the 2005 USRA Racing Series. Thanks to Zenoah, the USRA has seen increased visibility from their aggressive advertising and the $15000.00 worth of prizes doesn’t hurt either. Pete Bergstrom has been a great friend of Giant Scale Racing and was instrumental in getting Zenoah to re-up. Thanks to Pete and Zenoah for their continued support of GSR.
CRT
Tom Easterday and his company CRT have again come through with a very generous sponsorship of the F-1 Class and new to this year will be sponsoring of the Unlimited Class. Tom’s passion for the last couple of years has been the promotion of the F1 Pro Class by posting a $3000.00 purse per race. His sponsorship has created new interest in Formula 1 and helped maintain the F1 Pro as the premier class in GSR.
Now we are proud to announce CRT will sponsor the Unlimited Class as well as F1 Pro with a $3000.00 per race purse. This purse is based on 10 Unlimited entries. This is sure to attract new pilots and renew the enthusiasm in the Unlimited Class. There are quite a few new Unlimited's being built right now so get busy and take advantage of Tom and CRT’s generosity. Tom continues to be a champion for GSR. The little things that Mr. Easterday does to help his fellow racers are what impresses the most. For example, the heat money paid out at the Parker race. The list is endless. Thanks again, Tom!!
JR
JR radios and Horizon Hobby are stepping up their sponsorship of the USRA in big way by promoting the Race over Rantoul in Illinois. JR has been a supporter of the USRA in the past but, has taken the next step with the promotion of a race. Peter Goldsmith has jumped in with both feet and feels that Giant Scale Racing is something worth getting behind. His support is greatly appreciated!
Rookie of the Year
The Rookie of the Year program is back again in 2005. The USRA will be the sponsor of the Rookie of the Year. The winning pilot will be getting a trophy, commemorative jacket and a new JR 9303 courtesy of JR & Horizon Hobby. The scale class pilot with fewer than 3 previous scale races and with the most points at the end of the season will be declared the winner. The best way to win the ROTY is to attend all 3 races in 2005, so make your plans now!
Official USRA Publication
I am proud to announce that the Fly R/C has become the official publication of the USRA. Fly R/C is a beautiful magazine with great event coverage and good reviews. They will make a strong partnership the USRA. Go pick up one of their magazines. It’s well worth it!!
2005 Race Season
It’s hard to believe that it is March already! It’s time to get busy preparing for the up coming racing season. We have 3 great races on the schedule for this year.
The first race of the season will be in Rantoul, IL. June 16 – 19. Horizon Hobby has stepped up to the plate to promote this event. The Horizon people have a lot of plans for the race. Mike McConville , Dave Riebe and Doug Cronkite are some of the big names in R/C that will be racing against us in Illinois. There is an Aircraft museum at the Airport and this is where the Banquet will be held. Along with the Zenoah and JR prizes, $100.00 of each entry will be paid back in prize money. There will be several of the best R/C pilot in the world doing the lunchtime shows. Fly R/C magazine will be doing the coverage on the event. Having vast experience in event coordination assures that Racing over Rantoul will be a major success.
The next race on the schedule is the 6th Annual North Coast Challenge, August 19 – 21. Tony, Chris, Dennis and Tom are working hard to put on another top-notch event. The city of Ashtabula is looking forward to the return of the Giant Scale Racers. Along with their new pylons the NCC will be using the USRA timing equipment.
Last but not least is the 3rd Annual Blue Water River Run in Parker, AZ. Denny and Barb are already at work making the October 20-23 race the best one yet. The KennyMac says that the Blue Water Casino has installed the new Blackjack tables! This race gets better every year and is assured to be a great time again this year.
2005 Rule Changes
The USRA board has been working on the 2005 Rules Review. There are no radical changes to the rules. We on the USRA board feel these changes will have a positive effect on the racing members and the races themselves. Of the new changes taking place is the decision to change the Bi-Plane and the Thompson Trophy Class to a stock gas engine. 80cc will be the maximum displacement. These classes will use the same prepared fuel as the AT-6 & F1-GT classes. There are already quite a few bipes getting prepared with GT-80’s for the upcoming 2005 racing season.
A new rule this year for the gas classes is the use of onboard ignition switches. Last year a lot of time was lost when engines in the gas classes had trouble shutting down. We hope that this will speed the heats along.
Another new rule this year is to have fail-safes programmed to kill engines. By programming Failsafes to kill engines, we hope to keep aircraft with radio trouble within our airport boundaries and limit potential physical and property damage.
A very important new rule states that the pilot’s transmitter is the only radio contact with the race plane while on the racecourse. There were changes to the by-laws such as mandatory board meetings at all races. If you have any questions about the new rules or procedures, contact your district reps for further explanations.
Timing and Scoring System
On Sunday March 6th, Mark Zeal, Jake Hanbury and I spent the day cleaning up the USRA’s timing and scoring system. The system works great and now 2 more people know how to maintain and set it up. Mark is preparing an operating manual for the system and a wiring schematic for quick setup and maintenance. Thanks, Mark.
Elections
This is an election year for all USRA board positions. Fred Sargent and I will be vacating our positions so the USRA will need the President and Vice President positions filled. So, are you are an aspiring to be a board member? Do you want to nominate someone? Take time to consider who you would want to run the USRA for the 2006 – 2007 term.
Take the time to contact you district representatives if you have any questions or suggestions for the USRA. We are here to serve the membership and it is important to us that your voice is heard.
Final Thoughts
I hope that all of you are busy working on the projects that will get you out to the races this year. We are going to have a fantastic year! I look forward to seeing you all at the events of the 2005 USRA Racing Season powered by Zenoah.
Til’ next time-
Scott Hanbury
USRA-President