Skyrace ’95 Race Report

The race action continued and between events the spectators were treated to airshow displays. The Roulettes showed what Pc-9s are all about, the Navy Historic Flight Grumman Tracker strutted its stuff, and Chris Sperou did solo aerobatics in a Pitts Special and later corkscrewed the Pitts around a Beech Debonair. The Army’s Red Berets parachute team landed on target and there was a Wwii attack sequence involving the two Sea Furies and Guido Zuccoli’s Fiat G-59B, Vh-Lix, now in single-seat configuration and with a Wwii Western Desert campaign camouflage paint scheme. The two Sea Furies also gave an aerobatic display during which Guido Zuccoli’s aircraft used two wingtip-mounted smoke generators. It looked fantastic. Two of the three C-47/Dc-3s present gave a formation flying display and the Southern Cross replica, Vh-Usu, complete with newly replaced centre engine, gave all a look of how flying was in the 1930s.

Bob Hoover returned to be part of Skyrace ’95 and in addition to flying the race start pace plane he gave his world-famous aerobatic routine in an Aero Commander twin — with both engines shut down! This particular aircraft was the very machine that Hoover had used for the same routine in America before it was exported to Australia. One has to see Hoover perform to believe what he does with the big twin.

The organisers had promised that there would be some jet action this year and they were true to form. Bac Strikemaster Vh-Aky was present and in the Jet Fury demonstration competed against two Sea Furies, Vh-Hfa, flown by Guido Zuccoli, and Zk-Sfr, flown by New Zealander Robbie Booth. Booth won by one second with the Strikemaster, flown by Raaf pilot Flt Lt Scott, second. All the indications are that there will be a jets-only race next year.

In the Cabin Twin Class, Keith Astrella took out line honours in his Cessna 310, Vh-Nxa, while Kym Brougham came second in a Baron, Vh-Ion. The Cabin Single 250 Class saw Darren McGilivray win in Ct-4A Vh-Cdr, and Jason Krizaic take second place with Ct-4 Vh-Mct. A category that showed that you don’t need to have a production aircraft to win was the Cabin Single 300. In this race Barry Hempel enjoyed a solid win in his Lancair 320 Vh-Jlr, with Steve Lapthorn coming second in a Glasair Vh-Sha while the next aircraft was Bill Finlen’s Beech V35 Bonanza Vh-Tye, which trailed 27 seconds behind.

The Aerostar class was a three-horse race but very evenly matched. The twins fairly zoomed around the race circuit as a tight group but in the end it was Rod Hall in Vh-Mll who won followed by Chris Clearihan in Vh-Hju.

The two races that all the fans had eagerly waited for were the Radial 1500 Class and the Unlimited Class. They were not to be disappointed. The Radial 1500 Class got underway with five aircraft thundering down the main straight. Almost immediately a trail of white smoke was seen to pour from the right-hand exhaust stacks on Guido Zuccoli’s Trojan Vh-Zuc. Guido continued until he had almost completed a lap of the circuit when he pulled up and out of the race. Still trailing smoke, the aircraft landed and then experienced a bad nose-wheel shimmy. With oil splattered all down the right side, the Trojan taxied straight to the pits. When interviewed later Zuccoli said that when he came in for the landing the engine was vibrating, there was no oil pressure, that everything was in the red and he felt the aircraft could only be kept in the air for a short time.

The race continued in the meantime with Paul Weymouth in Vh-Avc, Judy Pay in Vh-Naw and Don Kendell of airline fame in a close bunch. At the last two laps of the six-lap event Weymouth and Pay were closely matched but Weymouth pulled ahead to take the $30,000 checkered flag. Judy came in second with Don Kendell third and John Rayner fourth.

The last race event of the day was the most thrilling of the whole meeting. This was the Unlimited Class and consisted of the two Sea Furies, flown by Guido Zuccoli and Robbie Booth. The Strikemaster did not compete, reportedly due to a minor engine problem. Robbie Booth won the Skyrace 94 Unlimited Class and the fans were considering the possibility of him winning once again. It was not to be.

The two big warbirds came down the straight together and then Bob Hoover advised, “Gentlemen, you have a race.” It was on. For the first few laps there was no clear indication of how the event would go. Then Booth was seen to be a few lengths behind and perhaps 30 metres above Zuccoli. As the two came around for the last and final pass the fans could see that it was going to be a very close finish. How right they were. Zuccoli was in front and, with the fans jumping up and down and cheering, Booth closed on him and dived to try and pip him at the post. As Zuccoli crossed the finish line Booth was right next to him but half a fuselage length back on his right side. Given a few more seconds the outcome might have been different. It was truly a very thrilling end to the close of the Skyrace ’95 air races.

A short time after Guido Zuccoli collected the winner’s trophy and a $60,000 cheque the race organisers said that the 1996 programme will be even bigger and with more international entries. This year also attracted a number of international visitors as spectators. Organising Committee Chairman Hugh Targett said that the competitors had advised that they want to come back next year and that the event was backed by Tasmanians as a real family event. An estimated 20,000 people viewed the air racing and airshow during the last four days. It was also apparent that the organisers had used the knowledge gained from last year’s race to improve ground facilities and layout as well as run a continuous programme during the day.

The recent import of a batch of T-6 aircraft will boost the potential numbers for the 1996 event and already the organisers are talking of more Unlimited class entries from overseas, remembering that the Quwilton Biel/Robbie Booth Sea Fury from New Zealand had already given a good international flavour to the event. With two air race meetings behind them the organisers now have a good catalogue of experience to draw on to use for the next gathering. As a result 1996 Skyrace Tasmania can only be a bigger, better, even more thrilling air race meeting with expected added involvement from both within Australia and overseas and possibly even jet racing. For anyone with an interest in warbirds and fast aircraft at low level Skyrace Tasmania at Valleyfield will be THE place to be in 1996.