Very hot today in the afternoon. The morning was quite nice.
24 pilots in 426A matrix. After 8 rounds, the top 12 will get into the finals plus the two guys below the top 12 with the fastest times. We completed six rounds in each matrix today. We will fly two more rounds of qualifying tomorrow in each matrix and then move to the final with 28 pilots for the final.
Matrix A has some fast and furious racing. Roy posted a 1:03.92. Roy finished the day in second place. The Ninja Quickie was really moving!!! The count got faster and faster as the race went on. There were not too many planes lost in Matrix A.
Matrix B was another story. It got HOT in the afternoon. 33 degrees C or so with very little wind. The bad air was REALLY bad!!! I am still a bit scarred and wounded from losing two planes last year so I was flying a bit tentative around pylons 2 and 3. Several times I flew through bad air LONG AFTER the other planes had past. It's very unsettling.
Unfortunately, Mike Tallman experienced bad air at its baddest! Mike's plane rolled right upside down at pylon #3 and went straight into the pavement. Nothing was recoverable. There was a large hole in the pavement where the motor turned its last few revolutions. There were also a number of mid air collisions.
Personally, I had a hard day today. I was chasing the needle valve setting all day and only had acceptable runs in my last two heats. Even though I was slow in most races, I remained clean without cuts and finished each heat with 2nds or 3rds. I finished the day in 10th place.
I have decided to change models to my Ninja backup with a different 426 motor. I tested it after the racing this evening and it seems to be running well.
That's about it for now. No helmet cam video today. I'll strap it on tomorrow.
Check out Chuck Andraka's blog link found on the NMPRA forum and more pictures from the Vess-cam also on the forum. http://www.nmpraforum.com/viewforum.php?f=1&sid=9d617b0c790a71f765e691003a2062e8
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