Phoenix Q40 Classic 2017
by Aaron “AJ” Seaholm
aseaholm@gmail.com
Sometimes the Pylon universe gets it right. The Phoenix Q40 Classic, also known as The Classic, is hosted by the Speedworld RC Flyers and is the largest annual Q-40 race in the world. This year, the competition was fierce and included a four-way tie for fourth place.
Dennis Cranfill was the story of the event, as he stood alone atop the leaderboard after two hard-fought days. Dennis is the third of four generations in the Cranfill modeling family. The Cranfills have been involved in RC and Control Line competition since the 1950s. Dennis has raced at the highest levels since the 1990s, but a “big race” victory had eluded him.
That streak came to an end in February 2017, when Dennis and his teammate, Mark Parker, finished with a perfect score. Dennis competed with a CMAD Racing Miss Dara that he won from the Cliff Telford Memorial Scholarship Fund raffle, organized by Tom Scott. I think Cliff, Fred Burgdorf, and Mike Tallman were smiling down on this day.
Congratulations, Dennis! It’s a well-deserved win and an inspiration for the power of perseverance. Here are the results:
Phoenix Q40 Classic
Name Time Points
1. Dennis Cranfill 1:00.95 32
2. Robert Holik 1:01.58 31
3. Travis Flynn 1:00.12 30
4. Gary Schmidt 0:59.84 29
5. Chuck Andraka 0:59.90 29
6. Mark Parker 1:02.85 29
7. Marcello Carvalho 1:00.19 29
8. Gino Del Ponte 0:59.70* 28
9. Mario Salazar 1:02.71 28
*Fast time
It was great to see my friend, Gary Schmidt, back on the board after a long stint overseas. Congratulations on your engagement as well, my friend. You are a lucky man.
One final note about the Phoenix Q40 Classic: Robert Holik finished in second place for the fourth straight year. That level of consistency is incredible, and it is only a matter of time before those second-place finishes turn into first-place wins. Congratulations, Robert!
Scott Smith Memorial Southern 500
Scott Smith was a driving force in the southeast, and we lost him way too soon. Scott used to promote and direct the Southern 500 that was held in Mulberry, Florida. It was a wonderful tribute to Scott to see such a great turnout for this year’s race.
Scotty Smithwick took on the contest director (CD) duties. Thanks, Scotty, for volunteering for such an important and challenging role. CDs make races happen and rarely get enough recognition. Here are the results from the March 25-26, 2017, event:
0-500 (AMA Event 424)
Name Points
1. Conrad Wondolowski 26
2. Randy Kendzoir 23
3. Jack Fehling 13
Q-500 (AMA Event 426)
Name Time Points
1. Matt Fehling 1:01.69 14
2. Ray Brown 1:01.15* 13
3. Marcus Blanchard 1:02.16 13
*Fast time
Q-40 (AMA Event 422)
Name Time Points
1. Tim Yousey 0:59.95 14
2. Randy Bridge 0:58.38* 13
3. Dub Jett 1:01.19 13
*Fast time
Congratulations to all of the Scott Smith Memorial Southern 500 race winners.
Embrace Tech or Die
I turned 40 in March of this year. Besides waking up with more aches and pains, I find myself thinking more about the future of RC Pylon Racing.
It is no secret that we have an aging population and not enough new Pylon racers in the pipeline.
I am a second-generation Pylon Racing pilot and would love to continue the tradition with my 8-year-old son or 11-year-old daughter. At this point, despite my best efforts, they show little to no interest.
A recent conversation with a friend who is a professor helped me better understand what drives this generation. He stated that “drones and phones” are the only way to connect with today’s youth.
I believe the recent debate about stabilization receivers directly relates to this insight. If this sport is to survive, we must embrace technology to capture the attention of the next generation. Smartphone-enabled receiver programming, onboard drone-style cameras, apps to replay flight paths, and other technological advancements are needed to attract today’s youth.
Although we must seek to balance competitive advantage and cost with new technology, we must also consider the appeal to the next generation. I will be observing the impact of stabilization receiver technology. I encourage you to consider the future, in addition to competitive advantages, when forming your position in this debate.
Shout-Out: Tim Lampe
In the spirit of this month’s how-to theme, I wanted to send a shout-out to a new member of our Pylon Racing family, Tim Lampe. Tim has become very active in the sport and his fresh perspectives, engaging forum threads, and creative event coverage have been a breath of fresh air.
He recently completed an Advanced Pylon Products Sweet 1 build thread on the National Miniature Pylon Racing Association (NMPRA) forum that is worth a read. Keep up the great work, Tim!
Fly hard, have fun!
SOURCES:
NMPRA
www.nmpra.net
NMPRA forum
www.nmpra.net/phpBB3
Advanced Pylon Products, LLC
(407) 222-5759
www.advancedpylonproducts.com
CMAD Racing
(513) 604-6464
www.cmadracing.com
