Quote:
Originally Posted by hydroguy2
I don't really have any visions of winning, just don't want to show up and be a big dork. In my short flying career, I haven't even done much XC planning but I plan on working on it.
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Brian,
I thought the same exact thing when I started racing two seasons ago. Very nervous about buffonerizing in my first race.
I'll tell ya now, it (dorkdom) was never even a factor (AFAIK!

). The SARL gang is extremely welcoming, very friendly and helpful, and everyone is out to have a fun and safe race (and wants to help each other do the same). You need a part, someone will probably have it, and will help you put it on.
That first race for me was in Pagosa, and once we started, the juices were flowing, I could see the racer ahead (a speck) and saw a couple planes go through turn 1. After that I saw no one...pretty much concentrated on course, terrain, obstacles and speed. In the zone...the fun zone! Its a pretty typical scenario...you may see one or two ahead of you, and you listen to see if the guy behind you is gaining (via turn calls). But you mostly fly your own race.
People make mistakes in races, missed starts (and ensuing mulligans), missed turns, late turns, failing to climb or descend for winds (guilty in the last race

), drifting off course...etc. Often (as was said earlier) you are the only one to know it. The stopwatch knows of course, but more often than not, we share the goods and "others" of our day, and laugh about it over the BBQ and frosties after the race (and learn from it, of course). I'll let ya know when I run a perfect race (and thus beat Tom Martin...if you know how fast he is, you'll know what I mean!)
If you'd like, let's meet up a day early at Wenatchee, and fly the course together. We did it as a 4-ship in Canada, and a 3-ship in Taylor last year. I'm sure the engineer of that train near Taylor is still talking about those airplanes that did the smoking fly-by! (all legal!)

I did a pre-run solo last year at Wenatchee, and there are a few choices to make...river canyon (low), or direct (with climb)...stuff like that. Good to see it ahead of time, and not at full speed, just course familiarization (if you aint cheatin' you aint tryin'!). Fun course too!
I'm game if you are (and I hope more RVs will make it this year to support Tim's race!!) Purty country along the Columbia River!
So no worries at all...just come out and have fun!
Cheers,
Bob