A pair of Sport Class racers passing the finish pylon.
Rare Bear, a modified F8F Bearcat, running up on the ramp. Winner of the Gold Race, Unlimited category, 2007.
232 September Fury, Winner of the Gold Race, Unlimited category, 2006.
P-51D Mustang Dago Red
An F/A-18 Hornet sitting on the tarmac at the completion of the 2008 Reno Air Races.
The Reno Air Races, also known as the National Championship Air Races, take place each September at the Reno Stead Airport a few miles north of Reno, Nevada, USA. Air racing is billed as 'the world's fastest motor sport' and Reno is one of the few remaining venues. Begun in 1964, the Reno Air Races feature multi-lap, multi-aircraft races between extremely high performance aircraft on closed ovoid courses which range between about 3 miles (Biplanes and Formula One) and about 8 miles (Jet, Unlimited) in length per lap.
Aircraft in the Unlimited class, which consists almost entirely of both modified and stock World War II fighters, routinely reach speeds in excess of 400 miles per hour. In 2003, Skip Holm piloted Terry Bland's modified P-51D Mustang, Dago Red, and reached an all-time speed record of 507.105 mph in a six-lap race around the eight-and-a-half mile course. The recently added Sport Class racers, mostly homebuilt aircraft, are already reaching speeds in excess of 350 mph.
The Reno Air Races include several days of qualifying followed by four and a half days of multi-aircraft heat racing culminating in the Unlimited Class Gold Race on Sunday afternoon. The event also features civil airshow acts and military flight demonstrations between races, plus vendor areas and a large civil and military static aircraft display.
Deaths
Over the course of the sport's 44-year history, there have been a total of 19 deaths due to crashes and collisions in the course of competition and airshow.[1] In 2007 alone, three pilots died over the course of four days in separate incidents (Gary Hubler, Steve Dari, & Brad Morehouse),[2] prompting the temporary suspension of the event.[3] Races were resumed on Saturday after various safety meetings.[4]
