August 6, 2024: CL Racing

By Paul Gibeault

Good morning, Control Line (CL) Racing Fans!

Day three of official racing again greeted the racers with good weather, although the wind certainly picked up in the afternoon. It was wisely decided to hold Super Slow Rat Race (SSR) in the morning, while the wind was still light. In this event, the Moldovan-built Brodak AAC .25 is the motor of choice. It yields excellent power and hand-starts well hot or cold. It was the choice of the majority of the field, although Doug Mayer from Hawthorne, California, used his venerable Fox 35 Stunt motor to good effect until a line break wiped out his model and motor just after he finished his heat.

In the first set of back-to-back heats was Mike Greb versus Bob Oge. Bob posted his best time with a 5:44. Mike failed to finish on lap 99 but improved on his second run to record a 5:29. The next heat set was Bill Bischoff versus Charles Barnes Sr. Bill posted a nice 5:40, with Charles trailing at 6:21 with starting difficulties. The last heat set saw Doug Mayer versus Charles Barnes Jr. Doug valiantly tried, but both of his models did not manage to finish. Charles Barnes Jr. endured pitting problems and finished with a 6:49. Standing on their best heats, Mike was clearly ahead in first place, followed by his teammate Bill in second, Bob in third, Charles Sr. in fourth, Charles Jr. in fifth, and Doug in sixth.

A top view of the K&B 4011 engine, showing shutoff installation and an APC propeller.

A bottom view of the K&B 40 engine with shutoff and primer tube installation for instant restarts.

The premier "Big Gun" Texas Quickie Rat (TQR) event was saved till last. There were six Open entries and two Juniors. Junior racers Mason and Tristan Mayer, of California, flew off against one another, but their scores were not available at press time. They did seem to be having fun under the tutelage of their father, Doug Mayer. Wearing smart-looking "Back at It" racing shirts, this “F-Troop Group” will be the one to watch out for in the future.

The first heat set was Bob versus the Paul Gibeault/Mike Hazel Can-Am Team. In the first race, Bob eclipsed Gibeault/Hazel 3:29 to 3:35. In the second race, the author had slower pit stops and Bob went even faster, recording the fastest time of the AMA CL Racing Nats with a 3:14.

In the second set of heats, it was Bill versus Charles Jr. Bill had been going very fast when he developed engine trouble and had to change motors. It was to no gain, as Bill then experienced a split tank seam which left him with a slow 3:53. Charles Jr. also experienced severe pit troubles, recording a slow 4:22. In the final set of heats was Charles Sr. vs. Mike Greb.

The Aggregate Racing Champion Award for this Nats went to the hardworking Mike Greb. The Good Sportsman Award was given to Sandra Lee for her stalwart service timing and lap counting, all while enduring the oppressive heat on the blacktop for all three days of racing.

That concluded the 2024 AMA CL Racing Nats. National Control Line Racing Association President Bill organized a nice pizza dinner after the race, which was enjoyed by all. I am not alone in thanking Bill for organizing and running the Nats events under some rather tough conditions at times. It is only through volunteers like this that allow the Nats to exist. Thanks also to all of the contestants who pitched in to help time and count laps when asked to. Only by helping each other out can we continue to enjoy CL Racing. See you all next year!

Note from AMA: Do you have photos from the Nats that you’d like to share? If so, email them to Clarissa Poston at clarissap@modelaircraft.org. Please include a brief description in your email, naming any individuals pictured in the photo(s), the name of the event that the photo(s) were taken during, and the name of the individual who took the photo(s). Your submission(s) might be posted on AMA’s Flickr page, which can be found at www.flickr.com/photos/modelaircraft/albums!