RENO, Nev. (August 12, 2021) – The field is set for this year’s STIHL National Championship Air Races with 145 planes and 155 pilots racing for glory Sept. 15-19 just north of downtown Reno, Nev.

Hours of preparation, certification and practice brings one of the largest fields of racers to the outdoor event. This year is the first year the field includes the event’s newest racing class, STOL (Short Take-Off and Landing) Drag, with an impressive 25 competitors looking to take home the first championship in the sport that has become a social media phenomenon.

While the core of the event boasts the world’s fastest motorsport with seven race classes going head-to-head at speeds often exceeding 500 mph, the Reno Air Races also features an impressive air show as well as on-ground displays, competitions and vendors.

Fans will see demonstrations by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey, F-35A Lightning II, Tucker’s Air Patrol and Jim Peitz Aerosports. On the ground fans will get to experience the National Aviation Heritage Invitation, the GRADD-NVBAA STEM Education Discovery Zone and the racing pits, an aviation fan favorite.

2021 Pilots and Planes

Unlimited  
0Spam CanJohn Maloney
2GoldfingerJohn Michael Brown
4Sweet and lovelyJeff LaVelle
6Shanty IrishJohn J. Dowd, Jr.
8DreadnoughtJoel Swager
11Miss AmericaBrent Hisey
31Speedball AliceDan Vance
41Lady BMichael Kelly Pfleger
44BlondieBrant Seghetti
55Man O’ WarKen Gottschall
62BUNNYTom Nightingale
63Pretty PollyPatrick Nightingale
81Wee Willy IIRob Patterson
114ArgonautSherman G. Smoot
924924GDennis Sanders
PACEPaceSteve Hinton
   
 Alternate pilots not already flying
 Mark Watt
  Mark Moodie
JET  
1AthenaRobert McCormack
3Pole DancerJ. Kevin Roll
6SluggoJoe Gano
8Race 8David Sterling
11IvanJerry Kerby
19Blue IceCharlie Camilleri
24Just LuckyPeter A. Zaccagnino
29BallistaAaron Hogue
35Race 35Michael Wayne McCauley
37Red ThunderAlexandre Eckmann
38BanditScott Farnsworth
54Robin 1Jeff Turney
61Miss IndependenceJoseph Swindel
73SubitoCyrill Wipfli
77ViperPeter Stravrides
83Race 83Scott Farnsworth
84Tumbling GooseScott Gusakov
139DarkStarDianna Stanger
555PhoenixMark Johnson “Magic”
777Red Thunder IIAlexandre Eckmann
PACE Pace 1Jay Obernolte
PACE Pace 2J. Kevin Roll
PACE Pace 3Malte Bruegmann
  
 Alternate pilots not already flying
 Michael Steiger
  Phill Fogg
Biplane 
3Smokin’ HotSam Swift
6Miss DianneRob Caster
10Bad MoJoJake Stewart
13Miss GiannaJeffrey Lo
17Yellow FeverEric Zine
18RB SpecialJohn A. D’Alessandris
22Nice and EZNicholas Kellikidis
23Red SquirrelTom Marden
25Shake N’ BakeTommy Suell
33Black HawkAnthony Oshinuga
40Gone Full BoogieMichael W. Stewart
66Second HandScott Thomson
69The Yellow BomberMarie-Claire LaBerge
76RudolfDave Holmgren
84PantherAlan D. Hoover
247Slow RollScott McDonald
314Red RyderScott Prewitt
11XRed LadyRobert Schmidle
7XRacer XPatrick McGarry
  
 Alternate pilots not already flying
 David Roelofs
  Kevin Harper
Formula 1  
9OutlawScott Holmes
11EndeavorSteve Senegal
20Never EasyVernon Robert Austen
27Once MoreKent S. Jackson
34LimitlessJustin Meaders
39Monkey NinjaJake Speidel
48The Atomic PumpkinBlaire Hamilton
52FeistySteve Temple
54Miss MinJames L. Jordan
57Heat StrokeCarl Robinson
72The ACME SpecialMatt Moore
74Phat Ass CassShaun Milke
79No Strings AttachedJustin Phillipson
81SleeperSwaid Lamar Rahn
96iLikeCakeJustin Inman
121OutatimeEric Dienst
   
 Alternate pilots not already flying
  Mathew Hughes
Sport  
2Modo MioVince Walker
3MojoSean E. VanHatten
15Lucky GirlVicky Benzing
22GreenstreakRichard Vandam
24Race 24Jim Rust
26Race 26Robert L. Swortzel
28Coming In HotPeter A. Zaccagnino
30One MomentAndrew Findlay
31TenacityMark Frederickson
34White LightningJohn Flanagan
35Racing RivetsShawn Jordan
36Race 36Paul Downing
39Race 39Jeff Lavelle
42RelentlessKevin Eldredge
49Rocket 6Bob Mills
54Navy 8Chris McMillian
56Bad DingoGeorge Catalano
60Miss’d TuesdayDelton (Dee) Child
66Jus Pass’n ThruErnie O. Sutter
67Swiss ThunderPeter Balmer
68WasabinoughtElliot Seguin
76Race 76Jason Rovey
80Miss Ruby SSkylor Piper
90BreathlessConrad Huffstutler
91Breaking WindRyan Moran
92Summer HawkDavid Robinson
99Martins LegacyDave Morss
101General LeeLee Ulrich
130ZebulonOlivier Langeard
151Clas Thunder IMathias Haid
181GA1Karl Grove
270Whiskey TangoDan West
314Phantom RocketScott Prewitt
611Ramp Rat’s RideJoe Coraggio
777Guardian AngelMatt Ramsey
888Triple EightNeil Wischer
12 PACETaylor MadeMark Frederick
PACE #69Pace 69Malte Bruegmann
   
 Alternate pilots not already flying
  James Stringer
STOL  
2Bush AirMilne “CC” Pocock
3Lawn Mower IIIHarold Stockman
03The Dirty BirdJeffery Pohl
4STOLFoxBryan Bowen
7SkywagonKurt Leaders
11GrasshopperDavid Kerley
16MAGAWilliam “Butch” V. Kingston
17Race 17Kevin Sloane
21Race 21Kevin Palmer
22The BeastJeff Whiteley
30Texian“Corey” Slone
43DocCollin Caneva
44Yee Haw 6Steve Henry
46G WagonWarren Grobberlaar
48Devil GirlEddie Sanches
53Race 53Joseph “Joe” Dory
56SargeToby Ashley
62The DogAustin Clemens
69Doodle ClipperKatie Waito
73Race 73Tim Schelhorn
80ECHOWilliam “Bo” Ellis
85Honey BadgerCathy Page
88Hard LiquorNat Esser
94Super CubRick Boardman
99Hot RodKyle Moses
T-6  
2Bare EssentialsChris LeFave
4Race 4Michael Kelly Pfleger
5Big RedGordo Sanders
6Six-CatNick S. Macy
14Barons RevengeChris Rushing
25VicariousJason Karlin
43Midnight Miss IIIJoel Stinnett
49Miss EllaneousBill Muszala
50AbracadabraVitaly Pecherskyy
66GunslingerVic McMann
69ErosLee Oman
73Miss Humboldt HunnyLoren Marburg
88Radial VelocityJohn S. Lohmar
90Race 90Greg McNeely
PACEPACE 1Rob Sandberg
   
 Alternate pilots not already flying
 Gene McNeely
  Rick Siegfried

*Racer list is subject to change.
**Italicized and bolded entries are 2019 Gold Champions. Plane and pilot may be different this year or 2019 champion may not be in the field.

Qualifying begins Monday, Sept. 13 and racing begins Wednesday, Sept. 15. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling 1-800-514-3849 ahead of the event. For rolled over or renewed tickets please see the FAQ on the website. For more information, visit AirRace.org.

###

About the National Championship Air Races       
The National Championship Air Races are held every September just north of Reno by the Reno Air Racing Association, a 501(c)(3). The event has become an institution for Northern Nevada and aviation enthusiasts from around the world with seven racing classes, a large display of static aircraft and several military and civilian flight demonstrations. Independent economic impact studies show that the event generates as much as $100 million annually for the local economy. For more information on the National Championship Air Races, visit AirRace.org.