World Championship & World Cup Competition. Australia confirmed its ranking in theF2C Team Race class by taking out first and second place. The team of Rob Fitzgerald and Mark Ellins, World Champions in 2010 and again in 2016, set a world record time of 6 mins 22.8 seconds to complete 200 laps. There was little between the competitors. Second place was Murray Wilson and Mark Poschkens in a time of 6:23.3 and the French Team of Thierry Ougen and Roland Surugue completed in 6:28.6. Australia won Gold and Silver plus the team prize for F2C Team Racing.

See picture gallery of World Cup, World Championships and supporting events (courtesy Neil ‘Nobby’ Baker).

The control-line aero-modelling sport and it is officially a sport, is little known in Perth but is well known overseas. Little known also is the fact that the WA Model Aircraft Sports Centre at Whiteman Park has the best facilities in Australia.

According to one of the Czech Republic Team, the Control-Line Aero modelling World Championships 2016 held at the WA Model Aircraft Sports Centre, Whiteman Park, Perth, Western Australia was “the best he had attended in the last ten years!”

The facilities were excellent; the weather was like a European summer and the dedicated team of volunteer workers ensured that all ran smoothly. Individuals and teams from 31 countries vied for the honour of being World Champion in four classes – F2A Speed, F2B Aerobatics, F2C Team Race and F2D Combat. No prize money was available but these trophies were!

F2A Speed was won by Paul Eisner of Great Britain with a speed of 304.3 kilometres per hour. In second place was Peter Halman of Great Britain with a speed of 303 kilometres per hour. Italian, Luca Grossi’s model attained a speed of 302.8 kph.

F2A Aerobatics was won by Orestes Hernandez from USA who beat the former 2014 World Champion Igor Burger of Slovakia. Igor had to settle for runner up and Richard Kornmeier of Germany came third.

F2A Combat final was between Russia and Ukraine. Illia Rediuk, a junior pilot, took the honour of being World Champion by beating Pavel Narkevich.

Report by Lorraine Stivey

Comprehensive results  for both World Championships and World Cup Competition click this link: http://www.cl-wch2016per.org/

F2A Speed Report

The World Championships were held at Whiteman Park north east of Perth WA, at a purpose built flying site with a speed circle that was a smooth concrete surface and an excellent pylon made by Steve Walton.
The facility had benches under a roofed area which allowed the competitors to work on their models in full view of the public.
Some of the World Champs I have been to previously, did not have this luxury and as a result, the models were bought out just before their turn to fly so you did not get to see the models or speak to the fliers.
One thing I did notice was the friendliness of the competitors to exchange information and ideas. The only difficulty at times was the language; however, communication was either done via a third party interpreter or hand signals in some cases.
Like in all other F2 categories, ARF models, mostly from Russia /Ukraine, were very evident. Thankfully the English team used models of the home built variety, which is always refreshing to see.
By far the most popular motor was the Ukrainian Profi. produced by Alex Osovik. There was also a few Zalps and the British team used the Halman 15.
Thanks must go to the Speed Contest Director, Andy Kerr, the multitude of scrutineers and the judges of flight etc. for all their work.
Timing was done electronically by Transitrace with no need for hand operated stopwatches, and as far as I am aware, there were no problems encountered. It helped to have the designer of the unit, Goran Ohlson, monitoring it. A few of the individual com-petitors had their own unit as well.
During practice and the World Cup held before the World champs, it was obvious that Peter Halman and Paul Eisner of the U.K. were the ones to beat, both regularly doing 300+ kph without troubles. In the World Cup, Paul had a 303 kph run but the shutoff went off accidentally before he completed the required 9 laps.
After every flight their motors and models were stripped and checked /cleaned, even after perfect runs and not blowing a plug. In fact, Peter used a plug for about six runs and was still ok.
Engines should not blow plugs all the time and worse detonating the piston and head. It is not all about too much compression. Sometimes if the compression setting is too low, the tendency is to lean the needle off to get it on pipe, resulting in the engine “going over”, which in turn, can cause detonation which can flare the top of the piston causing it to rub on the liner creating more problems, wiping oil off the bore and also heating up piston making the situation even worse. In this case the piston needs to be very gently relieved at very top.
All good motors have a tapered relief at the very top of piston down in length by about 1-1.5 mm. The piston diameter is about .001″ smaller in this section.
One highlight for me was to see Carl Dodge (USA), then current World Champion, fly his 1972 -1976 PINK LADY conventional model powered by a much modified TWA that he had used in the 1972 -1976 World Champi-onships. I saw the sister model in 1976 at the W/C in Holland at that time powered by Carl’s own bar stock motor.
The TWA engine was made by Bill Wisneiski in 1966 to win the W/C, the first win for a tuned pipe motor; Bill was an engine designer at K&B.
Carl did not fly his modern models as he has trouble keeping up to a 300 Kph model at his age. I can relate to that! Carl flew in the spirit of the comp, great to see. It fired me up to get my standard TWA out in my Pink Lady to fly at our next speed comp in Victoria in July. I have just made a new piston for it and I will fly it as per 1972 rules.
The world cup was won by Peter Halman closely followed by Paul Eisner, and third was Alex Osovyk.
Of the Australians, Murray Wilson had been going well before he left for Perth, doing 300 kph a couple of times, but not consistently. His model had been performing the week before in Perth, then things deteriorated and it kept going off during the run, or not coming on pipe if set richer and blowing plugs /detonating.
In the World Championships, Andrew Heath and Ian Gapps could not find the speed that they had in the past despite working hard during the 2 comps, Andrew was the fastest Aussie at 289.9 the same as Murray’s best but Andrew had a faster back up flight.
Murray was lucky to get a time as in the first round he and Ian were DQ’d for handle not contacting the pylon. A protest was lodged which in turn was upheld. The finding was that the crossbar was always contacting the yoke at one point it does not have to be two.
I ended up crewing for the Canadian Paul Gibeault (J.Bolt) as he was the only Canadian flying so he could have an outside helper and we also helped Neil’s Lyhne Hansen from Denmark. I enjoyed it as it gave me something to do as I was not allowed to help the Aussies. The rules state you have to be on the speed team to help.
As expected the top placings were between the two English guys but a challenge by the Italian Luca Grossi nearly changed things as he had been doing speeds in the 304+ range in practice, he was the last flyer at the end of the comp so we all watched the readout display with interest as he was doing around 305 kph but did not sustain that speed so he had to shut off.
So final placings were Paul Eisner 304.3 closely followed by Peter Halman 303.00 and Luca Grossi 302.8 Alex Osovyk 4th. Unfortunately for Britain, they did not win their usual team prize as they only had two fliers competing as the regular 3rd member Ken Morrissey could not come due to a bad illness. I hope he gets well soon, his models are just as fast as the other Brits so it could have been inter-esting.
No new obvious developments, just fine tuning and matching all the critical are-as of, prop/ pipe/ needle setting/ plug/and compression, and a good piston and liner.
Pipes on Profi’s appeared stock looking, but I do not know the various lengths and stinger diameters.
The Italians had home-made pipes from s/s sheet rolled and welded having multiple angles but straight sections.
One different setup was G. Emelyanov (Russia) had a home-made motor with the carb on the inside of model i.e. 180 degrees to a normal one it also had an inside of thrust line tank and a balsa fairing covering it slid down the wing at root. I noticed he did not use in W/C only in World Cup.
Models now all look the same. Alloy and carbon fiber wings were used.
Quite a few flights started of fast but went off later, most likely going for max pitch but then the engine gets too hot and cannot maintain the load /heat, or going to lean, it is a fine line between a good run and a bad speed.
I do not see where more speed can be gained in future, there must be a limit to how much mixture we can get up through motor, as that is the heart of the matter, better pipes could maybe give improve-ments, also better props. If engines rev much faster prop efficiency may drop?

Robin Heirn

 

 

 

 

2014 Victorian C/L State Championships. 4 days of ‘world class’ competition across the Easter holiday break, pictures, reports and results below.

RACING ROUNDUP FROM THE V.S.C. 2014

The hoped for perfect Easter weather was somewhat elusive.  However, all events were flown over the four-day holiday break.  Rain delayed the start on Friday and it was decided F2F would be first away.

Six teams lined up for some spirited racing.  Trent McDermott from Queensland was defending the title he won last year, this time teaming up with Murray Wilson.  Their Nelson was really howling in a new model built by Norm Kirton over in the west.  With Trent’s good landings and Murray’s super fast stops, they recorded a 3.57.82 heat and followed it up with a win in the 200 lap final in the very smart time of 7.46.60.  It was an easy win in the end as the other teams both retired at a little over the halfway mark due to a ‘racing incident’ on landing.

Of the other teams, Richard Justic and Paul Stein had a best of 4.11.44 with a Vorobiev.  Ryan Leknys and Julian Reichardt were hot on their heels with a 4.14.72 and Grant Potter and Ray Harvey just missed the final with a best of 4.18.28 for the 100 laps.

It was then time for the serious stuff….F2C.   Eight teams ensured a good contest.  The standout heat time was a smokin’ third round 2.57.53 by Murray Wilson and Mark Poschkens.  Times like that will give them a big boost in confidence for the upcoming World Championships in Poland.

Rob Fitzgerald and Mark Ellins are understandably saving their good gear for the Worlds, which is now only a few months away.  They also had to deal with a nasty cut on pitman Mark Ellin’s hand that compromised his usual faultless catching. So the heat times were not up to their usual lofty standards.  However, in the final this amazing team got it all together to run out easy winners in 6.11.48 from Murray and Mark in 6.39.90.

Grant Potter and Ray Harvey made the final with a smart 3.11 but had to withdraw with a broken leading edge.  Colin Ray and Steve Walton jumped in and were going well until the first stop when a missed catch put paid to their chances.

Of the others, Ryan Leknys and Julian Reichardt had good airspeed and were getting much better starts while Paul Stein and Ric Justic were a little off their usual pace.  The New Zealanders, Graeme Christie and Roger Palmer, gained lots more experience as they prepared to represent their country in Poland.  Harry Bailey and Ken Hunting were hoping for a Stephen Bradbury moment where all the leaders fell over… and slow and steady triumphs!  Unfortunately for them, nothing like that happened at Frankston this Easter.

Classic FAI was next…and this is an event where Harry and Ken didn’t need any favours from the others!  Their beautifully finished AAC Parra powered Klotznorutski racer was very capable of winning on its own.  Their best heat time was 4.32.16 but the setup should easily do a sub 3.20.  Murray Wilson and Mark Poschkens did exactly that with a quick 4.19.94.

After a compression adjustment on the AAC Parra (about ¾’s of a bee’s whathesaid) for the second round, John Hallowell and Richard Justic posted a 4.19.97 in hardworking CD Graeme Wilson’s notebook.  That’s just 3/100^th of a second away from a coin flip for pole position in the final.

Andrew Nugent and Mark Ellins again found that lacking a competitive engine with decent fits was too big a hurdle to overcome and they could only manage a best of 4.37.00 using their old Picus model and For a engine.  We are all very much looking forward to a supply of new engines!   Rob Fitzgerald and Paul Stein are usually right there at the business end, but strangely the usual fast times for the Concours winning Epsadon weren’t forthcoming at the 2014 V.S.C.

Trent McDermott and Neil Baker practiced well but could not get a setting on the Fora when the heats started.  Adam Kobelt is improving his piloting race craft with every flight and Ron Lacey is getting back to his best as he quietly slips into the role of becoming a gun pitman again.   Ron was using an old modified Nelson model with a new Fora up front. Colin Ray was filling in for ‘Big Thommo’ and flying for Steve Walton.  Although a fast time proved elusive today, Steve’s neat Fora powered racer has heaps of potential and a breakthrough to a major final is not far away.

The final proved to be a battle between outright speed and consistency.  Harry’s ultra lightweight Klotzorutskis and Murray’s  Ron Wilson inspired model were up against the conventional weight Tiger flown by John and Ric.   The Tiger won the Nats just a few months ago and was looking for the Victorian State title as well.

Andrew Nugent commented that the yellow Tiger was like a ‘washing machine’. Just turn it on, the settings are there and it always runs the same way…. That’s a good way to illustrate the story!   Ric rarely took more than a flick to start the AAC Parra and it just did it’s job, going round and round with a near perfect tune until the hand went up for a conventional one lap shut down.

On the other hand, Murray and Posh showed bursts of speed while fighting an inconsistent setting.  They had ½ lap or shorter shutdowns and were rapidly gaining time.  Unfortunately for them, they were also short on range and an extra stop meant little chance of upsetting the yellow Tiger.   Harry and Ken’s flight also had its up and downs. On song, they were probably the fastest of all, but the Parra wouldn’t stay like that for the entire 200 laps.

So John and Ric followed up their Nats win with a V.S.C. victory in 8.50.72, just in front of Murray and Poshy on 8.55.63.  Harry and Ken were third on 9.29.69. All in all, the State’s big dance for Classic FAI at Frankston saw lots of top racing from the entry of eight teams.  Next race is scheduled for Albury on the 17-18^th May.

Super Sunday at Knox began with Vintage A.   The overcast conditions were good to fly in. At least the rain had cleared for a while.  The first heat saw Andrew Nugent and John Hallowell post a 3.20.38 to just pip the Cosmic Ray’s on 3.22.53. Both teams were disappointed as they knew a time in the teens was necessary to have any chance of making to top three.  So John and Andrew finished in forth place and Colin and Jim made 5^th.

The second heat proved that point as Murray Wilson and Neil Baker did a 3.14.59 and Trent McDermott and Mark Ellins recorded a 3.15.44.  This team backed up in the second round with a 3.15.01.  That’s top consistency!

Highlight of the day was no doubt the eyebrow raising effort of Harry Bailey and Ken Hunting.  The Olympian was going fast and sounding great with the R250 swinging a Graupner 7×7 Speed prop.  A stunning 3.12 FTD was the result.

Perennial finalists Rob Fitzgerald and Paul Stein had a DNF 44 in the first round and withdrew with equipment problems.  This left the door open for another team to be one of the three fastest qualifiers.   A lot was expected from the multi talented team of Grant Potter and Ray Harvey.  A fuel feed problem saw them retire without troubling the timekeepers for a full heat.

The final was a beauty and any of the three teams could have been declared the winner.   All were evenly matched for airspeed.  Last year’s winners Wilson/Baker missed a kangaroo catch with the Olympian and lost time while both McDermott/Ellins and Bailey ran out of fuel with only a few laps to go and had to do an extra pit stop!  In the end, the slipped catch cost less time than the extra pit stop.   Murray and Neil were home first again in 7.00.40 ahead of McDermott/Ellins in 7.05.09 and Bailey/Hunting on 7.07.69.

Next up at Knox was Classic B.   Just six teams fronted for the race under the watchful eye of CD Keith Baddock.  Last years winner Queenslander Trent McDermott again had the 2010 World Champion pitman Mark Ellins at the oily end of the lines. However, after some promising practice flights, their day started badly when a plug blew late in the warm up.  A second round 3.12 was never going to be fast enough at the Vic State Champs.  Last year with the same model they did a best heat of 3.00.00.

Harry Bailey and Ken Hunting were, as usual, right in the mix to take the title.  The Irvine 25/Galaxie combination surprised no one with a smart 2.59.85 heat. Jim and Colin Ray missed out on the final last year by 7/100^th of a second… The practice form was good with the Crescendo and OS 25FX circulating fast with plenty of laps.  But when the time came to race, the quick re-starts suddenly disappeared.  Could it be next year for the Cosmic Rays? Grant Potter was flying Steve Walton’s great looking racer, but there were still a few things that needed sorting before posting a time of under three minutes for the 70 lap heat.

Ric Justic was on the handle for Paul Stein. The grey OS FX Rocket has amazing airspeed and this was reflected in their first round time of 2.51.28 which is the second fastest heat time ever behind their 2.50.60 in South Australia last month. John Hallowell and Murray Wilson did a 3.00.46 heat that was good enough to put them into the top three.

John and Murray’s race plan went like clockwork with Murray’s mighty flick and with Andrew Nugent on battery, they made two slick stops in the 140 lap final.  Ric and Paul had ground handling issues and one slow stop.  Harry and Ken had to make an extra stop with the Irvine and that put them squarely behind the 8 ball.   In the end, it was a relatively easy victory with John and Murray finishing on 6.02.44 almost half a minute ahead of the other two teams.

 

27 Goodyear was run at the State Champs for the first time.  Just 5 teams came to play…back it in for at least 10 next year.  Trent McDermott wasn’t feeling the best and decided to leave early to head back to Queensland and that would have made it an even half dozen.

Fastest qualifiers were Graeme and Murray Wilson using a Nelson to record 5.16.50.  Adam Kobelt and Rob Owen had wandered over from the combat circle to have a go… and they did rather well to post a 5.17.47.   Rob, of course has been pitting almost forever, but Adam is new to race flying and this highly skilled combat ace is taking to it like a duck to water!

Third fastest were John Hallowell and Andrew Nugent with their bright blue Mr D and R250 swinging an 8×5 APC.  Airspeed was close to the mark with high 27’s and low 28’s for ten laps.  Remember, if you go under 27/10, even by 1/10 second, the Speed Police will immediately call you in for an extra pitstop.

Kobelt/Owen won the final in fine style in 11.01.25 with over half a minute’s daylight to Wilson/Wilson.  Hallowell/Nugent had problems during the race. They never recovered and finished third.

It was probably the most fun of any of the VSC events.  Paul Stein has promised to finish his 27 Goodyear by Albury, so we’ll have even closer racing very soon. Bet it’s fast and battleship grey!  And here is an observation.  It would be really good if all lap counter/timekeepers would take it upon themselves and call out “model coming in’ if the pitman is busy and entirely focused on re-starting his engine.  This particularly applies to this event that we have many inexperienced people flying and pitting.

A HUGE thank you to all the CDs, particularly Graeme Wilson and Keith Baddock. Both worked tirelessly to run the racing events.  Here’s to next year!

John Hallowell
AUS 1984

F2F TEAM RACE
1	McDermott/Wilson	5:09.82	3:57.82	7:46.60
2	Justic/Stein	4:43.03	4:11.44	DNF102
3	Leknys/Reichardt	4:14.72	DNS	DISQ116
4	Potter/Harvey	4:46.56	4:18.28
5	Bailey/Hunting	6:09.19	4:38.25
6	Fitzgerald/Christie/Baker	DNS	WDN
F2C TEAM RACE
1	Fitzgerald/Ellins	DISQ	DNF70	3:16.88	DNF34	6:11.48
2	Wilson/Poschkens	3:10.87	3:09.75	2:58.53	DNF27	6:39.90
3	Ray/Walton	3:21.94	3:28.22	3:26.00	DNF96	DNF33
4	Potter/Harvey	3:58.84	3:29.62	3:11.10	3:22.00	WDN
5	Justic/Stein	4:01.85	3:34.53	DNF97	3:35.32
6	Leknys/Reichardt	DNF	DNF87	DNF36	3:58.18
7	Christie/Palmer	DNF25	4:39.15	DNF92	DNF36
8	Bailey/Hunting	6:42.19	5:38.50	4:53.97	5:07.94
F2A SPEED
1	Robin Hiern	12.83	ATT	NT	280.59kph
2	Murray Wilson	13.04	12.90	12.90	279.06kph
3	Richard Justic	NT	12.91	13.03	278.85kph
4	John Walker	13.76	14.08	13.31	270.47kph
5	Andy Kerr	NT	NT	NT
CLASSIC FAI TEAM RACE
1	Hallowell/Justic	4:24.32	4:19.97	8:50.72
2	Wilson/Poschkens	4:19.94	5:01.13	8:55.63
3	Bailey/Hunting	5:01.72	4:32.16	9:29.69
4	Nugent/Ellins	DNF69	4:37.00
5	Kobelt/Lacey	4:58.00	4:37.40
6	Fitzgerald/Stein	5:05.31	4:51.09
7	McDermott/Baker	DNF70	5:29.63
8	Ray/Walton	DNF8	5:48.97
F2D COMBAT
1	Murray Wilson	W	W	W
2	Adam Kobelt	W	L	L
3	Robert Owen	L	L	W
4	Trent McDermott	L	W	L
VINTAGE A TEAM RACE
1	Wilson/Baker	3:14.59	3:18.81	7:00.40
2	McDermott/Ellins	3:15.44	3:15.10	7:05.09
3	Bailey/Hunting	3:12.82	DNS	7:07.69
4	Hallowell/Nugent	3:20.38	DNF76
5	Ray/Ray	3:22.53	4:05.68
6	Justic/Kerr	3:31.05	3:51.87
7	Potter/Harvey	DNF57	DNF48
8	Fitzgerald/Stein	DNF44	DNS
CLASSIC B TEAM RACE
1	Hallowell/Wilson	3:00.46	DNS	6:02.44
2	Justic/Stein	2:51.28	DNS	6:29.19
3	Bailey/Hunting	3:24.30	2:59.85	6:33.07
4	McDermott/Ellins	DNF50	3:12.12
5	Potter/Walton	3:54.75	3:24.16
6	Ray/Ray	3:58.28	3:32.16
COMBINED SPEED
1	Robin Hiern	1	15.08	14.87	NT	242.10kph	100.24%
2	Robin Hiern	5	13.53	NT	NT	266.08kph	99.26%
3	Richard Justic	3	10.41	NT	10.91	277.69kph	92.99%
4	Robin Hiern	4	NT	NT	13.71		90.74%
5	Robin Hiern	2	11.36	11.65	NT	255.00kph	87.15%
6	Noel Wake	5	15.32	15.50	15.95	234.99kph	86.66%
7	Noel Wake	P	30.43	NT	NT	190.44kph	79.29%
8	Vern Marquet	P	43.09	NT	42.20	137.32kph	57%
9	John Walker	SJ	NT	NT	ATT
VINTAGE COMBAT
1	Ken Maier	W	–	W	B	W
2	Harry Bailey	L	W	W	W	L
3	Murray Wilson	W	–	B	L
=4	Robert Owen	W	–	L
=4	Tony Caselli	B	W	L
=6	Trent McDermott	L	L
=6	Nigel Robertson	L	L
GOODYEAR
1	Wilson/Ellins	9:11.03
2	Justic/Owen	10:46.19
3	Bailey/Hunting	DNF116
27 GOODYEAR
1	Kobelt/Owen	5:17.47	DNS	11:01.25
2	Wilson/Wilson	5:24.84	5:16.50	11:35.47
3	Hallowell/Nugent	5:29.94	5:47.40	12:13.41
4	Bailey/Hunting	6:19.84	6:03.03
5	Stein/Justic	6:07.09	6:11.53
1/2A COMBAT
1	Murray Wilson	W	W	L	W	W
2	Tony Caselli	L	W	W	W	L
3	Max Potter	L	W	W	L	W
4	Adam Kobelt	W	L	W	L	L
=5	Harry Bailey	W	L	L
=5	Robert Owen	W	L	L

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

27 Diesel Goodyear at Albury,  2/1/14 Although it was only a demonstration contest, 27 Diesel Goodyear was among the most popular events at the 67^th Nationals in Albury with ten teams participating and all recording times.  There were a few more teams from NSW who almost made it.  Had they been at the field it is fair to say we would not have been able to get through a second round before the 6pm curfew

The CD was Rob Fitzgerald and the competition was flown on the superb grass surface at Alexandra Park. It was great to see experienced pilots and pitmen alike without their ‘race faces’ on.  Everyone seemed intent on having a good time. And indeed they did.  We did run out of time to run a 200 lap final, so results were decided on best heat times.  And these were OH SO CLOSE!   For example Thommo and Steve missed out on the top three by a mere 69/100^th of a second. And Bruce and Kerry were only 34/100^th of a second behind them!

An attraction of this speed limited racing is the amazing variety of engines used. There were R250’s, Nelsons, Rossis, PAWs. Foras and probably a few others.  There are also a large variety of Goodyear designs to build.  Let’s face it… we all have our favourites.  Just set them up to circulate at a whisker over 27 seconds for 10 laps and you’re in business.  Go under 27/10 and you’re pinged!  Speed Policeman Andrew Heath was there at the Nats to call any offending team in for an extra pit stop.  I’m fairly sure all models flew at or near the correct speed.

At the end of the day, it was fitting that Graeme Wilson flew the winning model, ably pitted by Murray.  Graeme has put in an enormous effort as overall CD for Control Line at these Nats and it was great to see him rewarded with a win.

John Hallowell
AUS 1984

Results

27 GOODYEAR
ENTRANT	ROUND 1	ROUND 2
G.Wilson/M.Wilson	5.38.04	5.14.04
M.McDermott/T.McDermott	5.18.71	5.19.59
M.Ellins/A.Linwood	5.59.47	5.20.12
I.Thompson/S.Walton	5.20.81	5.39.59.
B.DeChastel/K.Ewart	5.23.09	5.21.15
T.Linwood/W.Leadbeatter	5.51.41	5.28.28
R.Justic/M.Poschkens	5.56.06	5.28.56
J.Hallowell/A.Nugent	DQ	5.44.22
A.Kerr/R.Parsons	5.51.68	DNF49
H.Bailey/K.Hunting	6.56.66	DNF52

 

Class 2 Team Race at Albury,  30/12/13

There is no doubt Class 2 is one of the best racing classes around.  Results are always close and certainly this year was no exception… just a scant second between first and second!  It was clearly the tightest final of the Nats.

Six teams lined up to do battle.  Perennial finalists and frequent Class 2 winners Harry Bailey and Mark Ellins were expected to do well with their highly successful Montezuma’s Revenge and Nova Rossi .21.  A 2.56.62 heat saw them qualify easily for the final.

Harry’s Monty racer was built an astounding 15 years ago and since its first win at the Easter Nats in Waikerie back in ’98, it has seven firsts, two seconds and a third. To that total, you can add a win in Open Rat at the 12/13 Nats.  What a marvelous engine that Nova Rossi has been since being set up originally by Robin Heirn.  Primary flicker has always been Mark Ellins.

Last years winners Murray Wilson and Alan Lumsden had the speed to do a repeat with the powerful Nelson .29.  They beat Harry and Mark by less than a second 12 months ago!  However, this year the stops were not as fast as the .21 engined models and the best they could manage was two 3.02’s.

Fastest heat time and first choice for the final went to John Hallowell and Ric Justic with a 2.53.28, ably assisted by Andy Kerr on battery.  Their Rex .21 racer was right on song and ready for the fray.

The Macca Racing team of Trent and Mark McDermott showed they were right in the mix with two smart times of 2.57.03 and 2.56.97. The Cosmics have not yet sorted out their special OS.21 car engine, so they chose to fly ‘old reliable’ and were not on the pace needed to make the top three.  Shane Leknys and Steve Walton bought a Super Tigre .29 racer from the west but unfortunately did not get to show its potential. Next time!

So it was 3 versions of ‘Monty’s Revenge’ and 3 different Nova Rossi .21 engines that were there to contest the final.   There was nothing in it on speed with all three models evenly matched.  No doubt this race was going to be decided in the pits with all teams needing three stops for the 140 laps.

Although it is possible to get 47-50 laps with these engines, it is safer to go for 35-40 laps and run a touch rich.  It’s easy to knock out a plug when running a fraction lean, as the Maccas found when they came down for what would have been their last stop to find the plug gone.  According to timekeeper Rob Fitzgerald, they were just in the lead but now their race was over and they finished on 109 laps..

It was left to Harry and John to battle it out in the middle and when Harry’s shutoff was accidently tripped on takeoff, Ric and John thought the race was theirs.. .J   However brilliant work in the pits by World Champ Mark just got them across the line first by one second… 6.04.97 against 6.05.91.   Well done to Harry and Mark. It really was a fantastic team race and I for one can’t wait to do it all again!

John Hallowell
AUS 1984

Results

CLASS 2 TEAM RACE
ENTRANT	ROUND 1	ROUND 2	FINAL	PLACE
WILSON/LUMSDEN	3:02.62	3:02.78		4
RAY/RAY	3:41.25	3:39.72		5
LEKYNS/WALTON	DNF 1	DNS		6
BAILEY/ELLINS	2:56.62	DNS	6:04.97	1
HALLOWELL/JUSTIC	3:00.07	2:53.28	6:05.91	2
McDERMOTT/McDERMOTT	2:57.03	2:56.97	DNF 109	3

Classic B Team Race at Albury,  29/12/13

Classic B was run at the verdant Alexandra Park, a really great place to fly. We are very fortunate to have such a superb facility available for the Nationals.  Seven teams lined up with what was always going to be a close contest.  Weather was warm, probably around 30c and the light breeze was perfect for flying.

Ric Justic and Paul Stein were surprisingly the only team to dip under 3 minutes for the 70 lap heat. Their 2.55.28 with the modified Rocket and OS FX virtually guaranteed them a spot in the final so they wisely chose to rest themselves and their gear in round two.

Jim and Colin Ray were practicing early in a bid to get their Crescendo and OS FX sorted. They went close in round one by posting a 3.07.06. However, the Macca Racing team did a 3.06.34 in the second round to just tip out the Cosmics by less than a second!  As always, Classic B racing is super close.

Those Maccas are like pepper and salt.  They’re in everything and usually end up in the pointy end.  The Ray Harvey built Dalesman had good speed and sharp stops, so Trent and Mark managed to sneak into the final.

Harry Bailey and Ken Hunting had the Irvine working near to its best in the Galaxie and a first round 3.04.04 let the other teams know they had better get serious. The West Aussies, Ian Thompson and Steve Walton had a very nicely built racer with a good turn of speed.  After a sorting out session in the first round, a smart 3.08.94 was written into CD Graeme Wilson’s scorebook.  It was a good time, but it was still a couple of seconds west of the top three.

John Hallowell and Murray Wilson arrived full of promise after finding some amazing speed in practice leading up to the Nats.  However, Murphy was about and selected the magenta Rocket as his target.  Fuel feed issues saw a big drop in performance and a very slow time.  It will be a challenge to make amends in the upcoming Sth Oz and Vic. State Champs. Then it will be surely be ‘game on’.

Last year’s winner and reigning Nats Classic B champ Mark Ellins has Poshy doing the pit work for him. The ‘Mighty Marks’ team had some issues in round one, but got it together in the second round to record a 3.10.56.  Not quite quick enough as they needed to better 3.06 to make the final.

As is now the usual tradition, Classic B times were really close.  Apart from Ric and Paul’s sub 3minutes, the other teams had times of 3.04. 3.06. 3.07, 3.08, 3.10 and 3.19.

The final was always going to be a beauty and did not disappoint.  The flying was clean and the pit stops were quick.  All models had good airspeed.  In the end it was Ric and Paul home first in a new 140 lap record time of 5.45.78. The Dalesman and OS FX combination saw Trent and Mark post a PB final time of 5.51.91.   Harry and Ken were not on 50 lap range with the Irvine and needed an extra stop for their 6.19.34.  It is safe to say that this final was the fastest ever Classic B final when all the times are added together.  Congratulations to the winners on a fine performance.

John Hallowell
AUS 1984

Results

CLASSIC B TEAM RACE
ENTRANT	ROUND 1	ROUND 2	FINAL	PLACE
THOMPSON/WALTON	4:27.73	3:08.94		5
JUSTIC/STEIN	2:55.28	DNS	5:45.78	1
RAY/RAY	3:07.06	3:19.25		4
BAILEY/HUNTING	3:04.04	3:13.67	6:19.34	3
ELLINS/POSCHKENS	3:57.21	3:10.56		6
HALLOWELL/WILSON	DNF 67	3:19.50		7
McDERMOTT/McDERMOTT	3:09.13	3:06.34	5:51.91	2

 

Vintage A Team Race at Albury,  30/12/13

Vintage A at the Nationals was run for the 24^th consecutive time, this year on the lush surface of Alexandra Park. This 67^th Nats competition attracted 10 teams, the same number as the demonstration event of 27 Diesel Goodyear.  What that means is open to interpretation. Weather was the usual warm 30c and winds were just strong enough to know which side of the circle was best for takeoff.  As expected, all competitors were using Rothwell R250’s swinging APC 7×7’s except for Harry Bailey who used a higher revving Graupner 7×7.

The first heat was soon away under the watchful eye of CD Graeme Wilson. It was no surprise to see Rob Fitzgerald and Paul Stein blitz the field and set the standard with a stunning 3.15.1.  It was ‘catch me if you can’ as Rob and Paul threw down the gauntlet at the feet of the other teams, most of who stood there open mouthed…

Harry Bailey and Ken Hunting emerged as the only serious challenger with a hot second round 3.18.56. However, the Macca Racing team of Trent and Mark McDermott were not far behind with a second round 3.20.16 in the last heat of the day.  That’s called performing when it counts!

The above three teams became the finalists and the others were left to ponder what went wrong and plan ahead for their 2014 State Champs.  Among those were Murray Wilson and Neil Baker. Murray’s model is clearly the fastest in the country when it’s on song, although Murray will be the first to admit the perfect run was somewhat elusive at this Albury Nats.

Was great to see a couple of West Aussie teams in the mix. Colin and Shane Leknys flew well put in two consistent times in the low to mid 3.30’s.  The ‘combateer’ team of the Bellis brothers, Richard and Bruce, did really well in the second round to post a 3.27.06.

The Cosmics, Jim and Colin Ray, also made a 3.27 in the second round as did John Hallowell and Andrew Nugent.  However, it’s just not fast enough. Somehow, another ten seconds has to be found.  I can assure you we will be looking under rocks in the next couple of months in an endeavour to find the secret…

Andy Kerr and Richard Justic had a best time in the second round of 3.40.81, strangely off the pace for this multi talented duo.  The same can be said for 2012 World Champs F2C finalists ‘SuperMarks’ Ellins and Poschkens. A best of 3.41.25 in the first round is light years away from a potential best time.

The 160 lap final was good to watch with favourites Fitz and Paul showing a clean pair of heels to Harry, Ken and the Maccas.  Apart from a hiccup and tumble at the first stop, Fitzy and Paul then put on a clinic with smooth landings and spotless catching.  Their dominant display stopped the lap counter’s watch on 6.48.78.   Harry and Ken finished on 7.03.72 while the Maccas went lean in the last part of the race, causing the R250 to cut on takeoff.   They eventually completed the race in 7.38.84.  At the end of the day, it was yet another very successful Nationals Vintage A competition.

John Hallowell
AUS 1984

Results

VINTAGE A TEAM RACE
ENTRANT	ROUND 1	ROUND 2	FINAL	PLACE
FITZGERALD/STEIN	3:15.01	3:28.34	6:48.78	1
LEKNYS/LEKNYS	3:32.75	3:36.34		8
RAY/RAY	3:56.25	3:27.63		5
HUNTING/BAILEY	3:25.06	3:18.56	7:03.72	2
ELLINS/POSCHKENS	3:41.25	DNF43		10
HALLOWELL/NUGENT	3:28.66	3:27.84		6
WILSON/BAKER	DNF 24	3:28.34		7
BELLIS/BELLIS	4:46.81	3;27.06		4
McDERMOTT/McDERMOTT	3:59.60	3:20.16	7:38.84	3
JUSTIC/KERR	4:34.34	3:40.81		9

 

Classic FAI  Team Race at Albury,  01/01/14

The weather gods were kind at Albury this year with the usual extreme heat holding off during most of the Nats.  Light winds were prevalent and this gave us near perfect flying conditions.

The inaugural Classic FAI T/R race commenced with 15 traditional styled team racers competing in a Concours  d’ Elegance.  Professionally judged by former FAI team race winner and stunt flyer Brian Ether and expert control line builder Tony Bonello, all the models were laid out for display on the concrete at the Twin Cities flying site. After some model rearranging where the judges put the best models to the front, and Ooo’s and Ahhh’s from the spectators, Paul Steins beautiful Espadon was the eventual winner. Paul accepted a bottle of Australian Sparkling wine as his prize. This was a classy start to the days racing. Thanks to both judges for taking their time to contribute to this first ever Nationals event.

There is great engine rivalry between the Parra and Fora engines.  Both have had their success.  This time the Parra engine was to do well, taking the first 4 places. Eventual winners John Hallowell and Richard Justic have a particularly good Parra. This example is easy to tune and will hold a setting through any hard race or final. Combined with John’s reliable and nicely finished Tiger design, this team was going to be hard to beat.

On .012 lines last year, a heat time of around 4.20 was on the pace. These times were achieved with Foras.  The Parra is now matching those heat times on the larger.015 lines. Times of note at the Albury Nats were fastest time of the day by Hallowell/Justic on 4.19.10 closely followed by Fitzgerald/Stein on 4.19.68.  Paul is using a ABC version of the Parra engine. Hot on their heels was Harry Bailey and Ken Hunting on 4.20.41.  This was using Harry’s new Klotznurski model with AAC Parra power. Harry said after the racing that he would probably have to fit an exhaust primer. The compression seal on these motors is not as good as it could be. This combined with a very narrow sealing band around the piston is not conducive to good restarts, especially when hot.

The next best time of 4.25 was young Murray Wilson teamed with the Whyalla Wanderer Mark “Poshie” Poschkens.  Any time these two enter the circle you know you are in for a real team race. Their 3^rd place in F2C at the last World Champs clearly shows that.

The remaining teams including Mark and myself, the Macca’s from Ipswich, Leknys/Leknys and Thompson/Walton from Perth, all had equipment problems and will have to lift their game to earn a place in the finals at future major competitions.

The final itself was terrific with 3 very competent teams with good equipment going as hard as they could for 1^st place at the National Championships. All were away quickly. Model speeds for the 3 teams were about the same.  After the first couple of stops Hallowell/Justic were slightly ahead because of better restarts. Paul’s Parra was getting hot causing an extra stop. Ken Hunting had to prime Harry’s Parra manually to get reliable starts. Meanwhile, John and Richard were pulling ahead helped by superior stops.  At the 200 lap mark it was Hallowell/Justic first in 8.47.06, second Fitzgerald/Stein 9.11.41 and just 1 second away in third were Harry and Ken on 9.12.50.  It was definitely at great final, fitting for this very first Nats Classic FAI Team Race.

The next big comp will be the South Australian State Champs in March, following by the Victorian State Champs at Easter. See you there,

Andrew Nugent

Results

CLASSIC FAI TEAM RACE
ENTRANT	ROUND 1	ROUND 2	FINAL	PLACE
THOMPSON/ WALTON	5.33.50	DISQ 33		7
HALLOWELL/JUSTIC	4.26.40	4.19.10	8.47.06	1
BAILEY/HUNTING	4.20.41	4.39.84	9.12.50	3
NUGENT/ELLINS	4.37.16	DNF 88		5
WILSON/POSCHKENS	4.39.85	4.25.40		4
FITZGERALD/STEIN	4.24.22	4.19.68	9.11.41	2
McDERMOTT/McDERMOTT	6.44.97	DNF 4		8
LEKNYS/LEKNYS	5.03.90	4.41.59		6

 

F2C TEAM RACE
ENTRANT	ROUND 1	ROUND 2	ROUND 3	ROUND 4	FINAL	PLACE
MURRAY WILSON/MARK POSHKENS	3.13.50	3.12.46	3.32.09	3.06.69	7.06.45	2
ROB FITZGERALD/MARK ELLINS	3.01.25	3.05.34	DNF 67	DNF 67	6.24.44	1
IAN THOMPSON/STEVE WALTON	DNF 68	3.21.12	3.19.25	DNS	8.16.66	3
RICHARD JUSTIC/PAUL STEIN	3.25.37	DNF 96	3.29.47	3.34.81		4
HARRY BAILEY/KEN HUNTING	DNF 28	4.50.69	5.02.53	6.35.47		7
SHANE LEKYNS/COLIN LEKYNS	3.27.47	DNF 34	3.51.69	DNF 29		5
TRENT McDERMOTT/JULIAN REICHARDT	DNF 67	DNF 45	4.08.00	3.43.94		6

 

F2F
ENTRANT	ROUND 1	ROUND 2	FINAL	PLACE
THOMPSON/WALTON	4:13.47	4:06.47		5
LEKNYS/LEKNYS	4:09.68	3:58.25	9:23.98	1
HUNTING/ BAILEY	4:59.00	5:55.78		8
WILSON/YOUNG	DNS	DNS		9
BELLIS/BELLIS	DSQ	4:09.57		6
FITZGERALD/BAKER	3:59.41	DNS	DNF 1	2
DE CHASTEL/EWART	4:14.81	4:10.65		7
McDERMOTT/McDERMOTT	3:54.41	3:55.50	DQ lost wheel	3
JUSTIC/ STEIN	4:06.34	4:00.72		4

 

BENDIX TEAM RACE
ENTRANT	FINAL	PLACE
RAY/RAY	9:25.81	2
HALLOWELL/WILSON	7:13.28	1
McDERMOTT/McDERMOTT	DNF 135	3

 

F2A SPEED
ENTRANT	RD1	RD2	RD3	RD4	FASTEST	KPH	PLACE
BRUCE DeCHASTEL	13.60	13.03	13.17	13.73	13.03	276.28	4
IAN GAPPS	12.77	NT	NT	NT	12.77	281.91	3
MURRAY WILSON	NT	NT	13.39	14.03	13.39	268.85	6
RICHARD JUSTIC	12.95	12.78	12.73	12.70	12.70	283.46	2
ANDREW HEATH	12.54	12.35	12.34	12.80	12.34	291.73	1
ANDY KERR	NT	13.05	NT	15.17	13.05	275.86	5

 

Combined Speed

COMBINED SPEED
ENTRANT	CLASS	RD 1/ATT 1	RD 1/ATT 2	RD 2/ ATT 1	RD 2/ ATT 2	RD 3/ ATT 1	RD 3/ ATT 2
DAVID AXON	JET	13.96	–	ATT	13.61	ATT	12.90
BRUCE DECHASTEL	5	15.63	–	ATT	NT	ATT	NT
	PROTO	ATT	27.37	24.76	–	DNS	–
RICHARD JUSTIC	3	11.33	–	11.40	–	10.58	–
J JACOBSON	5	ATT	NT	ATT	16.22	DNS	–
	PROTO	ATT	NT	25.45	–	ATT	NT
RON BLOMBERY	2	ATT	NT	12.16	–	ATT	NT
	5	15.76	–	ATT	NT	ATT	NT
FRAN JACOBOEN	PROTO	ATT	NT	DNS	–	DNS	–
ENTRANT	CLASS	FASTEST	RECORD	PERCENTAGE	PLACE
DAVID AXON	JET	12.90	11.45	88.76	4
BRUCE DECHASTEL	5	15.63	13.43	85.92	5
	PROTO	24.76	24.12	97.42	1
RICHARD JUSTIC	3	10.58	9.69	91.58	3
J JACOBSON	5	16.22	13.43	82.80	7
	PROTO	25.45	24.12	94.78	2
RON BLOMBERY	2	12.16	9.90	81.40	8
	5	15.76	13.43	85.22	6
FRAN JACOBOEN	PROTO	–			9

 

F2D COMBAT
ENTRANT	RD 1	RD 2	RD 3	RD 4	RD 5	PLACE
ADAM KOBELT	L	L				=5
BRUCE BELLIS	W	W	L	W	W	1
RICHARD BELLIS	W	W	L	L	(W)	3
MICHAEL COMISKEY	L	W	W	L	(L)	4
TRENT McDERMOTT	L	L				=5
TOM LINWOOD	W	L	W	W	L	2

 

 

OPEN COMBAT
ENTRANT	RD 1	RD 2	RD 3	RD 4	RD 5	RD 6	PLACE
MURRAY WILSON	W	W	W	B	L	L	2
WARREN LEADBETTER	W	L	B	L	L  f/o 1		5
KEN MAIER	L	W	L		W f/o 1	L f/o 2	4
MICHAEL COMISKEY	L	W	L			W f/o 2	3
TOM LINWOOD	W	W	W	W	W	W	1
TONY CASELLI	L	L					=7
TRENT McDERMOTT	L	L					=7

 

1/2 A COMBAT
ENTRANT	RD 1	RD 2	RD 3	RD 4	RD 5	RD 6	RD 7	PLACE
ADAM KOBELT	W	L	B	L				=4
MARIS DISLERS	L	L						=6
MARK ELLINS	W	W	W	L	L			3
MURRAY WILSON	W	W	W	W	B	L	L	2
MATT BREADY	L	L						=6
IAN THOMPSON	L	L						=6
HARRY BAILEY	W	W	L	W	W	W	W	1
TONY CASELLI	L	W	L					=4

 

VINTAGE COMBAT
ENTRANT	RD 1	REPECHARGE	RD 2	RD 3	RD 4	RD 5	PLACE
ROY SUMMERSBY	L	L					15
NIGEL ROBERTSON	W		L				11
MARIS DISLERS	W		BYE	L			8
JASON ANGLBERGER	L	L					15
PETER ANGLBERGER	BYE	W	L				11
WARREN LEADBEATER	W		BYE	L			8
KEN MAIER	L	W	W	L			8
IAN THOMPSON	L	W	BYE	L			8
GRAEME WILSON	W		W	W	L	L	4
HARRY BAILEY	L	L					15
MICHAEL COMISKEY	L	W	L				11
TRENT McDERMOTT	W		BYE	W	L	W	3
MARK McDERMOTT	L	L					15
TOM LINWOOD	W		W	W	W	W	1
TONY CASELLI	W		W	W	W	L	2

 

2.5cc RAT RACE
ENTRANT	ROUND 1	ROUND 2	FINAL	PLACE
WILSON/LUMSDEN	309	DNS	574	1
LEKNYS/LEKNYS	208	285	520	2
HUNTING/BAILEY	DNS	213		4
JUSTIC/ELLINS	DNS	193		5
McDERMOTT/McDERMOTT	173	192		6
DeCHASTEL/EWART	219	250	400	3
LEADBEATER/LINWOOD	DNF 0	DNS		7

 

OPEN RAT RACE
ENTRANT	ROUND 1	ROUND 2	FINAL	PLACE
ELLINS/WALTON	2.56.97	DNS	6.48.06	2
BAILEY/HUNTING	3.01.03	DNS	DISQ 43	4
WILSON/BAKER	2.24.19	DNS	DNF 125	3
HALLOWELL/McDERMOTT	2.43.37	DNS	5.16.87	1
LINWOOD/LINWOOD	5.43.69	3.38.25		5

 

GOODYEAR
ENTRANT	ROUND 1	ROUND 2	FINAL	PLACE
BAILEY/HUNTING	7:42.62	5:16.68	10:09.91	3
WILSON/ELLINS	4:37.82	DNS	8:11.22	1
JUSTIC/OWEN	4:46.56	4:25.50	9:31.29	2
McDERMOTT/McDERMOTT	DNF 72	DISQ		4
DECHASTEL/EWART	DNF 43	DNS		6
FITZGERALD/POSCHKENS	DNF 68	DNF48		5

 

 

F2A speed, F2C, Classic B, Vintage A, Classic FAI & 27 Goodyear team racing. 

Classic B team race.

The lovely weather continued for Classic B and it was late Saturday afternoon before the screaming .25 engines shattered the serenity of a tranquil Albury countryside. However, the control line modellers loved this ‘beautiful noise’ and seven teams proceeded with practice to get ready for the heats.

The first heat saw John Hallowell and Murray Wilson cross the line first in a 3.02.03 with the OS FX 25 Streak ahead of Steve Rothwell and Chris Sculley’s OS FX  Rocket on 3.13.10.  Chris and Steve had some battery issues that slowed them down. Not far behind were Harry Bailey and Ken Hunting with a 3.21.75. John and Murray decided to sit on their time with the expectation that it was unlikely 3 teams would be faster.  Probably wouldn’t be game to do that at the upcoming Nats!

Harry and Ken improved to 3.13.37 in round two. When switching roles with Ken flying his model, they could not get it on the pace and two four minute plus times were posted.

Paul Stein had Richard Justic flying his super Rocket, which now has FX grunt up front.  The boys were wound up and were going to take advantage of a 2 up heat against Mark Ellins who was holding the handle for Jim Ray. They sure did…  and recorded a very fast 2.54.53, the second fastest Classic B heat of all time. Only Rothwell/Sculley’s 2.52.54 in Albury at the same time last year is quicker.  The third fastest time is 2.55.75 by Hallowell/M.Wilson with the Irvine Rocket. This was on grass at the 2012 Vic State Champs.

Mark and Jim finished on 3.27.60 with the OS25FX Crescendo.   They had the starting sorted by the second round and looked a real chance to make the final but just missed out when the watch was stopped on 3.08.47.   Ryan Leknys and Steve Walton couldn’t get rid of the gremlins in the gear and did not post a time.

It was time for the final.  The race promised to be a beauty with near perfect conditions in the circle.  All were swiftly away with Justic/Stein and Hallowell/Wilson neck and neck.  Once again, the OS 25 FX Rocket of Rothwell/Sculley was having issues and spent too much time on the ground. Despite their impressive airspeed, they could only manage third.  When the dust settled, it was a narrow win for John and Murray with Andrew Nugent on battery in what was the third fastest final time ever in Classic B, a 5.54.83.   They also have a 5.53.12, the second fastest time, but it is Paul and Fitz who hold the current record of 5.49.40 on grass at the 2010 Vic State Champs.   There are a lot of Classic B teams aiming to break that time.

Not long now until Sunday morning, December 29th where we will get the chance to line up again for more extra close Classic B racing at the Albury Nats.  Can’t wait!

John Hallowell
AUS 1984

Vintage A team race

After F2A and F2C had finished their early rounds, it was Vintage A that was to start the ball rolling for the other events.  Six teams entered and that made it easy to run 3 up heats.

The first race saw Andrew Nugent and John Hallowell post an FTD 3.23.44 for the 80 lap heat.  Steve Rothwell and Chris Sculley stopped on 77 laps, but not to worry, they had a second chance and did not waste it with 3.27 .76 second round which allowed them to sneak into the final.  And the 2010 Dalby National Champs were not going to waste the opportunity!

Andy Kerr and Richard Justic had the old faithful yellow Voodoo wound up and running great with an excellent tune. Their time of 3.27.25 was good enough for second segment choice in the final.

Murray Wilson was helping out Jim Ray, as regular pilot Colin was unavailable this weekend.  However, despite some good speed in practice, even the efforts of the mighty ‘Murrinator’ couldn’t put Jim’s times into the top three …

Harry Bailey and Ken Hunting again doubled up on the entries but a fast time was to prove elusive on the day.  It was photographic and time keeping duties for the 160 lap final for this pair.

As you would expect, all three R250’s were away with just a flick of the propeller. Speed was fairly even between the two Voodoo 5 racers of Rothwell/Sculley and Justic/Kerr, but alas, Hallowell/Nugent were under compressed and were falling behind.  Otherwise it would have been a real photo finish.  So Steve and Chris took the chocolates by about one lap from Richard and Andy. They now again have the taste for Vintage A success. What a great Nats it is going to be!

John Hallowell
AUS 1984

27 Goodyear team race

For the second time this year, it was 27 Goodyear time in Albury.  Again, there was strong support for this popular new racing class.  The good news for enthusiasts is that 27 Goodyear will be run as a demonstration event at the upcoming Albury Nationals.  It is scheduled for Thursday, January 2^nd and will most likely be flown on grass at the Twin Cities club after 1/2A Combat and Junior 2.5 Rat.  It is hoped that some more of the NSW teams that actually got this class up and running will make the effort to turn up and help show the rest of Australia what 27 Goodyear is all about.

Six teams rolled out their lines and began to check settings against their stopwatches.  Richard Justic and Ryan Leknys were struggling to get the Cox Conquest/Argander combo above the 27 second line.   Most of the others were just over the limit and not flying in fear of the Speed Police requesting an extra pit stop.

Apart from racing at a very easy to fly speed, one of the attractions of this 27 Goodyear class is the variety of models and engines.  There was a diesel Cox Conquest, R250, Fora Jnr, Oliver Mk4 and even a couple of OS 15 FP’s.  At this stage, the diesel only rule will not be enforced, as there is a need to encourage as many teams as possible to take part now and then later at the Nats.  We all know it takes time to build new models!  Mr D’s, Arganders and Ol’ Blues were popular designs.

Steve Rothwell and Chris Sculley have been flying this event in NSW for some time now and their experience showed.  They reeled of an impressive 5.02 first round and decided to sit on that time for the second round.

Graeme and Murray Wilson were in the mix with an Ollie Mk4.  However, times of 6.03.28 and 5.50.38 were not quite fast enough this time.   Harry Bailey and Ken Hunting again swapped models and piloting duties but their combined best time of 5.45.37 was going to leave them short of making the 200 laps final.

Having got the excess speed problem almost under control, Ryan Leknys and Richard Justic proceeded to reel off a 5.19.56 (which included a penalty stop) and then a fully legal but slower 5.30.09.   John Hallowell and Andrew Nugent had the bright blue R250 powered Mr D. wound up near the max. on the APC 8×6 prop.  At one stage the Speed Police clocked them at 27.1. Close!  In the second round they got their act together with a 5.10.75, good enough for second choice in the final.

The final saw three evenly matched teams do battle in what seemed like slow motion at 27+ seconds for ten laps… that is when you compare it to F2C racers that fly faster than 17/10!   Rothwell/Sculley’s Fora was doing most of the overtaking and opened up a small lead.  Chris was as busy in the pits as a one armed wallpaper hanger.  And it all paid off handsomely as they crossed the finish line first with daylight between them and the other placings.   John and Andrew were runners up with Ryan and Rick less than a lap behind in third.

All in all, some real fun racing in an event where you don’t have to fly like our World Champs stars Rob Fitzgerald or Murray Wilson.  Just taking part at a nice and easy pace is all that’s required here.  27 Goodyear caters for pilots of all levels. It caters for the time honored Aussie tradition to ‘have a go’. Can’t wait to see them all in action in early January at the Albury Nats.

John Hallowell
AUS 1984

Classic FAI team race

WOW! What a great afternoon’s racing again at Albury in NSW.

7 entries enjoyed brilliant weather to fly their Classic era team racers. The Fora and Parra engines were the weapons of choice. Teams came from as far away as Perth, Adelaide, Whyalla, Sydney and Canberra to compete. Not one racing incident occurred due to the slower speeds these models are moving at. Average times in 3 up traffic are about 23 sec for 10 laps.

Stand out teams were eventual winners, Murray Wilson and Mark Poshkens with Murray’s Ron Wilson designed replica model with Fora power.  Murray has tinkered with this model over recent months to attain the necessary consistency to compete in this event. They combined this with F2C style ½ lap shut downs to run away with a clear win by a comfortable margin.

Next stand out performer was John Hallowell’s new Parra powered Tiger model. John now has the cooling and tank working really well . This bright yellow racer was superbly pitted by Richard Justic from Canberra.  It did not miss a beat in a very competitive heat.  I timed this model in the final and the tune was again perfect from start to finish. John’s Tiger will be very competitive at the upcoming Nats in Albury in the New Year.

Steve Walton and Ian Thompson  from Perth completed two  good times with their Russian design racer with a Fora up front. Mark and I had some gremlins in the system of my new Orion model with Parra power. I think there were some cabbages in the system and this gave 2010 F2C W/C Mark Ellins some challenging moments in the pit stops. But don’t worry… we will back again at the Nats to redeem ourselves and challenge for top spot on the podium. Paul Stein and Rob Fitzgerald did a nice 4.32 to make the final and eventual 2^nd place with Paul’s familiar Espadon/Parra combination. Harry Bailey and Ken Hunting were kept busy swapping pitman and pilot roles and competing as 2 teams.

The final was a beauty and, “hey!”… everybody finished unlike some more expensive classes.  Murray’s quick half lap landings and Poshies lightning restarts helped them to 1^st place in 8.44 at the end of a very competitive 200 lap final.  John and Fitzy battled it out for the minor placings with only 1 sec separating them at the end.  John and Ric were going for a 4 stopper with 40 lap range and just needed another lap to get the right shutdown position for pit stops in order to save precious seconds.  The glide was longer than it should have been on two landings so they finished on 9.04.  Paul and Fitzy, always consistent, were 2^nd with 9.03. Well done to all. Especially to Graeme Wilson who was Contest Director for this race as well as most of the other events over the weekend.

If you haven’t seen a Classic FAI race before then you must come along to the Nats on New Year’s Day, see some really beautiful models and enjoy some very competitive racing.

Andrew Nugent.

F2A Speed		Rd 1	Rd 2	Rd 3	Rd 4	Best	KM/H
1	Andrew Heath	12.85	N/T	12.59	12.55	12.55	286.85
2	Andy Kerr	12.89	12.65	N/T	12.82	12.65	284.58
3	Richard Justic	N/T	12.81	12.72	13.02	12.72	283.01
4	Ian Gapps	N/T	13.45	12.79	13.34	12.79	281.46
5	Murray Wilson	13.06	N/T	13.34	12.92	12.92	278.63
F2C Team Race			Rd 1	Rd 2	Rd 3	Rd 4	Final
1	M.Wilson/M.Poschkens		3.07.92	3.02.70	3.09.46	3.08.44	6.23.75
2	H.Bailey/K.Hunting		DNS	DNS	4.52.28	5.07.75	9.26.06
3	R.Leknys/S.Rothwell		Disq	Disq	DNF 34	3.47.34	DNF 116
4	R.Fitzgerald/M.Ellins		3.06.78	Disq	dnf 99	3.08.50
5	R.Justic/P.Stein		DNF 62	DNF 0	DNF 87	3.44.85
6	I.Thompson/S.Walton		DNF 57	DNF 0	DNF 92	DNS

 

	Vintage A Team Race	Rd 1	Rd 2	Final
1	S.Rothwell/C.Scully	DNF 77	3.27.76	6.58.84
2	R.Justic/A.Kerr	3.27.25	DNS	7.01.94
3	J.Hallowell/A.Nugent	3.23.44	DNS	7.15.97
4	K.Hunting/H.Bailey	5.11.78	3.36.03
5	H.Bailey/K.Hunting	4.46.16	3.43.07
6	M.Wilson/J.Ray	4.56.80	4.33.78
	Classic B Team Race	Rd 1	Rd 2	Final
1	J.Hallowell/M.Wilson	3.02.03	DNS	5.54.63
2	R.Justic/P.Stein	2.54.53	DNS	5.57.78
3	S.Rothwell/C.Scully	3.13.10	3.01.32	7.13.13
4	M.Ellins/J.Ray	3.27.60	3.08.47
5	H.Bailey/K.Hunting	3.21.75	3.14.37
6	K.Hunting/H.Bailey	4.27.87	4.43.50
7	R.Leknys/S.Walton	DNF 52	DNS
	27 Goodyear	Rd 1	Rd 2	Final
1	S.Rothwell/C.Scully	5.02.75	DNS	10.32.54
2	J.Hallowell/A.Nugent	5.44.97	5.10.75	10.55.47
3	R.Leknys/R.Justic	5.19.56	5.30.09	10.57.94
4	K.Hunting/H.Bailey	6.32.66	5.45.37
5	G.Wilson/M.Wilson	6.03.28	5.50.38
6	H.Bailey/K.Hunting	7.35.56	6.59.47
	Classic FAI Team Race		Rd 1	Rd 2	Final
1	M.Wilson/M.Poschkens		4.58.94	4.15.47	8.44.97
2	R.Fitzgerald/P.Stein		4.32.81	5.08.96	9.03.28
3	J.Hallowell/R.Justic		4.25.59	DNS	9.04.72
4	A.Nugent/M.Ellins		4.34.07	4.43.44
5	I.Thompson/S.Walton		4.44.16	4.47.93
6	H.Bailey/K.Hunting		4.55.31	5.09.09
7	K.Hunting/H.Bailey		DNF 98	6.48.53

 

 

 

 

2013 Victorian C/L State Championships. 4 days of ‘world class’ competition across the Easter holiday break, pictures, reports and results below.

Vintage A & Classic B T/R at the 2013 Victorian State Champs.

Super Sunday was, in reality, Soggy Sunday.  The light rain was persistent all morning and it was well into early afternoon before the weather cleared.   The racing was soon underway with C.D. Keith Baddock marshalling the troops and getting them organized to make up for lost time.

Vintage A was first away and most of the nine teams entered took advantage of the traditional 5 minutes practice to fine tune settings before the first round. With just one or two exceptions, the bulk of the reasonable times were around the 3.30 mark.  There was no doubt the air was slow this Easter as a check of last years much faster Vintage A times certainly raises the eyebrows!

The first heat was really close with the Cosmic Rays crossing the line first in 3.29.40 with a margin of just over one second from Hallowell/Nugent on 3.30.63.  John and Andrew’s second round time was two seconds slower instead of two seconds faster which would have put them in contention for a finals berth..

Jim and Colin’s second round time was a second slower, so they missed out on the final by about half a second!  Life can be a bitch…  and wait until you read what happened later in Classic B!

Grant Potter was flying for Julian Reichardt but the gear wasn’t working as it should for this highly regarded NSW team and the result was a couple of times in the 3.50’s.  My bet is that they had very little, if any, practice before this event.  Ken Hunting and Andy Kerr also were down on time spent flying but after a slow first round, they got their act together in round two when a 3.38 was written down beside their names in CD Keith Baddock’s score sheet.

Nobby Baker and Murray Wilson were having some issues with landings but their superior airspeed made sure of a spot in the final.   All the way from Queensland, Trent McDermott was fortunate to acquire the pitting services of F2C whiz Mark Ellins. Their very quick Dimpled Dumpling posted a FTD 3.17.62 in round one to qualify first for the big rumble.

Paul Stein and Rob Fitzgerald were their usual efficient selves. They really revel in getting the job done. So it was no surprise when they lifted their game in the second round to post a 3.24.47, which was very good for the heavy conditions.

West Australians Steve Walton and Trevor Letchford had  gear issues and got nowhere near their potential.  The same can be said for the 2012 Victorian State Champs Vintage A winners, Harry Bailey and Peter Roberts. Last year these two recorded a smoking 3.17 heat!  Not this time.

Now for the final.  All were away smartly and everyone was going fast.  It was always going to be close and any mishaps along the way were bound to be costly.  The bouncy Knox grass is always a test. Two of the three pilots and one pitman contested the final of last years F2C World Championship.  As is usual, to win a Vintage A final down under, you have to beat some of the world’s best team race competitors.

In the end, it was Murray and Nobby crossing the line first for yet another well deserved win in this highly competitive event. Rob and Paul were just over 4 seconds behind with Trent and Mark a further 9 seconds back.  All competitors used the fabulous R250 diesel engine.  What a great pity you can’t buy one any more. The good news is we can get to do it all again next year.

Classic B was next, although there was a long delay for the start as Vintage Combat had to be completed first.   Classic B is renowned for the super close times it produces and this State Championship was no exception.  The entry list was a lot less than normal and was made even thinner when Ken Hunting pulled out at the last moment.  After a few tuning flights, the competition got underway.

The first heat was a cracker with Trent and Mark failing to go under 3 minutes by…wait for it… one hundredth of a second!   Richard and Paul were just over a lap behind on 3.03.34 with Harry and Peter not far behind on 3.10.36.

Last years winners John and Murray were hoping for a repeat performance.   A sticky filler valve put paid to their chances in round one, so the pressure was on for round two.  With Andrew Nugent doing a top job on battery, they rose to the occasion with a FTD 2.58.03 giving them first choice for the 140 lap final.

Harry Bailey and Peter Roberts were slightly off their normal pace with the Irvine/Galaxie combination.  They can usually go sub three minutes but today, they were at least 10 seconds away from that, with a best of 3.09.10

As usual, Richard Justic and Paul Stein find a way to make the final…. This time, it was much to the chagrin of the Cosmics Rays, Colin & Jim.  It was 3.03.34 for Richard & Paul and 3.03.41 for Jim & Colin.  That’s a mere 7/100^th of one second!!  Thinking back, just how could they have made their time a fraction quicker?  Probably a dozen things would come to mind.  Guess that’s why we keep coming back to try again and somehow perform the race a little better.

The final was expected to be keenly fought and very tight.  However, there was disappointment at the start when Paul and Richard failed to take to the air with what was later said to be a plug failure in the Irvine 25.  This left last years winning Streak and the Dalesman V to battle it out for line honors.  Modified OS FX 25’s were screaming loud in both racers, but it was the Rob Carroll modded one in the Dalesman that was clearly faster.

It was always going to be close, but in the end, it was Queenslander Trent McDermott’s Dalesman, expertly pitted by Mark Ellins with John Taylor on battery, that brought home the bacon by a little over 3 seconds from John, Murray and Andrew.  Well done to the winners. Bring on the next Classic B event!

John Hallowell
AUS 1984

 

F2A – SPEED		Rd1	Rd2	Rd3	km/h
1	A Kerr	N/T	12.79	12.86	281.46
2	A.Heath	13.52	13.08	12.86	279.93
3	I.Gapps	N/T	12.9	N/T	279.06
4	R.Justic	N/T	13.12	14.21	274.39
5	R.Blombery	N/T	13.13	14.16	274.18
6	R.Hiern	N/T	13.42	13.27	271.28
7	M.Wilson	N/T	15.78	N/T	228.93
8	M.Poschkens	N/T	N/T	–	0
	F2B – AEROBATICS
1	P.J.Rowland
2	R.Towell
3	R.Bond
	F2C – TEAM RACE	Rd1	Rd2	Rd3	Rd4	Final
1	M.Wilson/M.Poschkens	3.12.31	3.16.84	3.17.53	DQ	6.30.59
2	R.Justic/P.Stein	3.23.63	dnf 56	3.24.41	DQ	6.56.28
3	R.Fitzgerald/M.Ellins	3.10.25	3.03.90	3.20.81	DNS	7.28.83
4	T.Letchford/D.Gannon	5.04.87	dnf 25	3.23.90	DNS
5	I.Thomson/S.Walton	3.44.94	3.40.00	3.27.97	3.45.47
6	C.Ray/N.Baker	DNS	DNS	3.47.75	4.04.08
7	G.Potter/J.Reichardt	4.41.88	DNF 65	0	0
	F2D – COMBAT	Rd1	Rd2	Rd3	Rd4	Rd5	Rd6
1	A.Kobelt	W	L	W	W	W	W
2	M.Poschkens	W	W	W	W	L	L
3	B.Bellis	L	W	W	L		W
4	M.Wilson	W	L	W	L		L
5	R.Bellis	W	L	L
	M.Comiskey	L	W	L
	R.Comiskey	W	L	L
	T.McDermott	L	W	L
9	T.Linwood	L	L
	F2F – TEAM RACE	Rd1	Rd2	Final
1	J.Hallowell/T.McDermott	4.02.34	3.56.59	8.03.66
2	R.Justic/P.Stein	3.55.34	DNS	9.09.60
3	I.Thomson/S.Walton	4.11.96	DNF 15	DNF 0
4	M.Ellins/M.Wilson	DNS	4.25.03
5	K.Hunting/H.Bailey	DNF 66	4.31.38
6	G.Potter/J.Reichardt	4.46.50	4.51.91
	VINTAGE STUNT
1	D.Nobes
2	P.Koch
3	D.Lacy
	VINTAGE A TEAM RACE	Rd1	Rd2	Final
1	M.Wilson/N.Baker	3.28.50	3.35.69	6.48.19
2	R.Fitzgerald/P.Stein	3.29.28	3.24.47	6.52.53
3	T.McDermott/M.Ellins	3.17.62	DNS	7.01.97
4	C.Ray/J.Ray	3.29.40	3.30.88
5	J.Hallowell/A.Nugent	3.30.63	3.32.78
6	K.Hunting/A.Kerr	5.29.31	3.38.28
7	G.Potter/J.Reichardt	3.57.22	3.50.28
8	T.Letchford/S.Walton	4.17.22	3.52.44
9	H.Bailey/P.Roberts	3.57.00	DNF 1
	VINTAGE COMBAT	Rd1	Rep	Rd2	Rd3	Rd4	Rd5
1	B.Bellis	W			W	W	W
2	K.Maier	L	W		W	W	L
3	W.Leadbeatter	W			W	L	W
4	T.Linwood	W		W	W	L	L
5	H.Bailey	L	W		L
	T.Caselli	B	L		L
	T.McDermott	L	W		L
	M.Wilson	W			L
9	R.Bellis	W		L
11	A.Kobelt	L	L
	N.Robertson	L	L
	CLASSIC B TEAM RACE	Rd1	Rd2	Final
1	T.McDermott/M.Ellins	3.00.00	DNS	5.57.06
2	J.Hallowell/M.Wilson	3.07.59	2.58.03	6.00.78
3	R.Justic/P.Stein	3.03.34	DNS	DNF 0
4	C.Ray/J.Ray	3.03.41	3.13.57
5	H.Bailey/P.Roberts	3.10.06	3.09.00
	COMBINED SPEED	Class	Rd1	Rd2	Rd3	%
1	R.Blombery	5	13.8	13.99	13.97	99.6
2	J.Taylor	SP JET	12.89	12.65	13	98.41
3	R.Hiern	5	13.99	14.06	–	98.28
4	R.Hiern	P	26.86	27.04	26.67	90.4
5	N.Wake	5	16.07	15.92	–	86.3
6	R.Hiern	4	15.45	0	0	78.2
7	N.Wake	P	34.83	33.72	0	71.5
8	D.Axon	SP JET	N/T	0	0	0
	CLASSIC AEROBATICS
1	P.J.Rowland
2	R.Towell
3	T.Bonello
	GOODYEAR	Rd1	Rd2	Final
1	M.Wilson/M.Ellins	3.52.38	DNS	DNF 174
2	A.Kobelt/M.Bready	5.12.97	4.21.81	DNF 94
3	R.Fitzgerald/M.Poschkens	4.15.88	DNS	DNF 88
4	H.Bailey/K.Hunting	6.41.38	4.41.97
5	T.McDermott/J.Taylor	9.01.40	DNF 65
	1/2A COMBAT	Rd1	Rd2	Rd3	Rd4	Rd5
1	A.Kobelt	W	W	B	L	W
2	T.Caselli	L	W	W	W	L
3	M.Wilson	W	L	L
4	H.Bailey	L	L
5	M.Bready	W/D	W/D

Speed & Team Racing

 

VINTAGE A T/R
		Heat 1	Heat 2	Final	Engine
1	R. Justic/P. Stein	3:15:64		6:52:14	R250
2	G. Wilson/M. Ellins	3;21:44		7:08:01	R250
3	J. Hallowell/A. Nugent	3:29:78	3:26:63	7:15:38	R250
5	S. Rothwell/C. Sculley	3:32:62	DNF 36		R250
4	M.Wilson/N.Baker	3:58:44	3:35:44		R250
CLASSIC   B T/R
		Heat 1		Final	Engine
1	J. Hallowell/M. Wilson	3:01:69		6:08:25	Irvine
2	R. Justic/P. Stein	3:03:35		6:14:31	Enya
3	S. Rothwell/C. Sculley	2:52:54	(record)	DNF 60	OS FX
4	G. Wilson/M. Ellins	3:17:79			Brodak
CLASSIC   FAI T/R
		Heat 1		Final	Engine
1	R. Justic/P. Stein	4:18:47		8:43:31	Fora
2	A. Nugent/M. Ellins	4:26:37		8:46:53	Fora
3	M. Wilson/N. Baker	4:29:60		10:06:34	Fora
4	J. Hallowell/M. Wilson	4:36:47			R250
Combined   Speed
	ENTRANT		CLASS	RD 1	RD 2	RD 3	%	Km/h
1	Andrew	Heath	FAI	12.21			99.01	294.84
2	Noel	Wake	5	15.48	18.22		88.82	232.56
3	Richard	Justic	3	11.18	11.02	11.17	87.93	262.86
4	Noel	Wake	1	N/T
	Paul	Stein	PERKY	43.86
	Andrew	Nugent	PERKY	48.22

 

 

VINTAGE A, CLASSIC B & CLASSIC FAI TEAM RACING AT ALBURY, SEPT. 30TH, 2012

Despite the absence of some top modellers who had only just returned from the World Champs and British Nats, it was still a great weekend of racing on the Albury hard stand.

Classic B was first away and provided the standout performance of the meet with Chris Sculley and Steve Rothwell setting a new heat record of 2.52.54 with the OSFX powered modified Rocket.  Well done! Next fastest were Hallowell/M.Wilson on 3.01, Justic/Stein on 3.03 and G.Wilson/Ellins on 3.17.

These NSW hotshots have now skipped ahead of Victorian rivals Hallowell/M.Wilson on 2.55.75 and Justic/Stein on 2.56.38. Throw Harry Bailey and the SuperMacs into the mix and the Nats competition in 3 months time promises to be a beauty!

Hallowell/M.Wilson won the final in 6.08 followed by Justic Stein on 6.14.31.  Rothwell/Sculley retired at 60 laps after Steve aggravated an old foot injury while piloting.

Vintage A gave more close racing with Richard Justic and Paul Stein crossing the line first in 6.52.14 ahead of G.Wilson/Ellins on 7.08.01 and Hallowell/Nugent on 7.15.38.    Justic/Stein had the fastest heat of 3.15.64 followed by G.Wilson/Ellins on 3.21.44 and Hallowell/Nugent on 3.26.63.  Rothwell /Sculley were again hampered by injury and eventually withdrew.

Classic FAI was the final racing event and proved to be a Fora fest!  Again it was Richard Justic and Paul Stein who were fastest in the heats with a blistering 4.18.47 with the big winged Espadon.  Andrew Nugent and Mark Ellins were not far behind on 4.26.31 followed by Murray Wilson and Neil Baker on 4.29.60.  Unfortunately Rothwell/Sculley again had to withdraw.

John Hallowell’s R250 Tiger had an excellent run but could not match the speed of the Foras and recorded a best of 4.36.37.  Not surprising when you consider the 21st century technology in schnuerle ported ABC Fora Junior compared with an original Ollie replica of an engine designed almost 60 years ago!  The main problem is range. While you can do 40+ laps at good speed on 15cc of Vintage A fuel, suddenly you have 50% less or only 10cc to get the required 35 laps in Classic FAI.  The only way is to choke right down and then the speed goes down as well.  There will be a Fora a in the Tiger for the next meet and the R250 will be back in what it was designed for and does brilliantly… hauling a Vintage A around at blistering speed!

The final was a heart stopper and was eventually won by Justic/Stein in 8.43.31 from Nugent/Ellins on 8.46.53.  Murray and Lege soldiered on despite a collapsing undercart, which made the landings resemble something you might see on the Benny Hill show.

Although F2C was not run and Speed flying was mainly confined to practice, the social factor of the weekend was high with all modellers enjoying top meals at some of the local pubs. All in all, considering the chilly wind and low entry numbers, it is safe to say all who attended this Albury meet had a really good time.