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RARA Pres conference 2021

By March 3, 2021January 19th, 2024General News

RARA Pres conference 2021

The meeting was opened by Fred Telling at 830am with Limited personnel from each class. 20 attendees with 41 folks on zoom joined. Best news was RARA is moving forward with a go so the battle is on. More good news is outdoor restrictions with crowd gathering is predicted to move to unrestricted by May or sooner.
Marketing.
COVID consideration are leading the Re-envisioned Reno Air Race.
More cooling stations will be positioned around the grounds. A Flight Line Bar will be added due to popular demand, however no word as to pilot discounts yet. Increased in social media including package deals including sales with AirBnBs, breweries, museums, hotels. RARA is trying to improve on-site fan experience. RARA is looking for additional major sponsors.
Race venues could be increasing possibly for all classes.
Many factors obviously are in play but groups are approaching RARA to organize races in their cities.
2021 Edmonton Canada, August. Classes involved, sport/T-6
2021 Thermal Calfornia, November. Classed involved, TBD
2022 Amarillo Texas, May. Classes TBD
2022 Edmonton Canada, August. Classes involved, sport/T-6
2022 Thermal Calfornia, TBD
The interest in venues shows a revival of air racing and anything you can do or help continue this trend will be welcome.
Stead Airport.
Airport construction will have a slight impact on Jets for PRS . In basic terms, the Jets will move west about 1000 ft towards the grandstands for PRS only. Construction should be done prior to NCAR.
PRS
PRS is being redesigned and lengthened. The vision is to increase course time for all. Rookies will benefit with a less rushed PRS and more course time. Certified racers will get more course time. With 7 rookies, we will need the additional time. Dates for the proposed PRS, 6-12 June.
For what it’s worth, RARA has set a 15 March go-no go for PRS decision. More info will follow soon.
The Director of Operations
Terry Matter opened discussions and pointed out some changes in the Rules of Competition. I’ll hit some highlights.
Possible elimination of Wednesday NCAR racing and using that day for extra course time is at play.
If you want a photo shoot after the race day, RARA must be informed. It’s not a permission issue, RARA need to know what you are doing in case an incident takes place so RARA can stay one step ahead of media/social media. Let the class president know so the information can be passed to RARA. Speaking of social media, RARA is implementing rules about incidents and accidents, no one from that class/team can post anything until RARA makes the first media debrief. The rule will be clarified in the 2021 rules of competition.
Race Director
Tony “Bear” Grady will be our new “air boss”, which is now called “Race Director” replacing Shifty for 2021. Tony was mentored by Shifity for the last 3 NCAR and we look forward to working with him. Tony has a few concerns right off the bat. Multi class racers are a safety concern this year considering the year off we took. The class directors have been directed to monitor performance on multi class racers to lead turn issues to help prevent a mishap in 2021. This also is inclusive of a racer racing 2 planes in the same class.
Registration
PRS application due date 15 April 2021
NCAR application Due date 26 June 2021
FILLABLE PDF. ……no more DocuSign. Applications will not be processed without a check or credit card number. 50$ late fee for each missing or late document. Communication with Lori Crown is paramount if you have any issues with your paperwork. CALL her if in doubt. The Jets have a good reputation overall with registration. Best news, registration at the Jet pits will happen again. We will request some volunteers from each team to help a few hours with registration.
Finances and the future of the air races.
One thing is emerging from the fans, they missed air racing in 2020 as did our September family. Thru donations and a few financial moves, RARA stands a good chance at a profitable year but it is not a guarantee, many hurdles still stand in the way. The conference was informative about the avenues RARA is taking and some zoom participants uncovered a few untried resources and new directions RARA should consider. 2021 NCAR will need to be successful so RJI encourages you to contact RARA if you have any ideas and can help.
What to expect next.
In a slight recap, PRS dates and official word will be decided by RARA 15 March. Upon that announcement, expect word from RJI about what’s next and how we will proceed with the pre CJAA formation clinic and preliminary schedules. I need all rookies and certified racers who are planning to attend PRS to contact me by phone or email ASAP. We need a list of confirmed Rookies as I have materials for you plus a quick chat on how to make the PRS training the best for you.
RJI 2021 dues need to be paid plus race number registration reservation should be a priority if you plane to race this year. Major modifications to aircraft need to be reported to the class president prior to the 1 May deadline. The procedure is outlined in RARAs rules of competition if you have any questions. More information will be coming out in the next month on the RARA and RJI website.
We look forward to seeing you at Reno this year for PRS and NCAR. If you have any questions, please contact one of the RJI reps or myself. As soon as you can.
Michael Steiger
President RJI