Reno, Nev. – Over fifteen hundred pages of supporting documents have been submitted by six cities vying to become the new home of the National Championship Air Races (NCAR) after responding to a request for proposal distributed by the Reno Air Racing Association (RARA) earlier this year. RARA is looking for a new venue for the event after announcing its departure from Reno following the final race in September. The world-renowned event has contributed over $100 million annually in economic impact to the region, while also establishing itself as the global standard for air racing. The National Championship Air Races is the only event in the world to feature seven classes of exciting air racing action in one incredible venue. Six closed-course pylon contests and the immensely popular and entertaining STOL Drag combine to create a motorsport experience like no other.
“Seeing the interest to host the National Championship Air Races at each of these unique venues gives me great hope for the future of air racing,” said Fred Telling, CEO and chairman of the board for the Reno Air Racing Association. “We’re looking for our next home, somewhere we can celebrate many more anniversaries, so we’ve assembled an expert committee that is putting an extreme amount of care and diligence into choosing our next location.”
The bidders that responded to the request for proposals include:
- Casper, Wyo.
- Buckeye, Ariz.
- Pueblo, Colo.
- Roswell, N. Mex.
- Thermal, Calif.
- Wendover, Utah
The National Championship Air Races is a unique event that has called northern Nevada home since its founding in 1964, nearly 60 years ago. In the past 10 years alone, the event has attracted more than one million visitors to the region, generated more than $750 million for the economy and contributed significant aviation related education and outreach to schools and non-profits all around the area.
The committee researching the bid submissions is made up of RARA personnel from all areas, including operations, safety, security, business development and more. The race classes are also represented in the group and will continue to be an integral part of the selection process. At this point, the selection committee is thoroughly vetting the different proposals and will conduct site visits later this year. There are numerous factors to consider, but a few of the critical requirements for the event include considerable open landavailable for the racecourses, suitable runways, ramp and hangar space, administrative and security facilities, as well as proximity to hotels, commercial airports and restaurants.
“We only want to go through this process once and because of that, we’re going to make sure our next location is the best fit for the future of the air races,” said Terry Matter, board member and chairman of the selection committee. “Each of the bidders’ proposals were thoroughly prepared and completely addressed the RARA RFP requirements. We are so grateful for their initial attendance at the bidders’ conferences and at NCAR in September, and for the time and effort each one of them put into their proposal preparation. It is very exciting to know that our new home will be in one of these great cities. Soon our Site Selection Committee will visit these locations to further evaluate their ability to be the future host of the National Championship Air Races.” A final decision is expected to be announced early next year as the organization prepares for a final air show in Reno in 2024 before moving to the new location in 2025.