WE HEAR YOU!
We know there is a fair amount of frustration as well as a lot of opinions and questions out there from our Air Racing family. First, we just want to acknowledge that everyone is entitled to their opinions, and we respect that. We hope to clear up some misunderstanding by giving a deeper dive into some of what the organization has been working through over the past couple of years, starting with the relocation process.
First and foremost, for anyone out there thinking RARA had any part in the decision to leave Reno, we did not. We were told in late 2022 we could have one more race in 2023…period. We tried hard to change minds and even reached out to leaders in the community, but there were not enough people in influential positions who were willing to go to bat in a meaningful way to get the decision reversed. We know this was heartbreaking for the fans, it was also heartbreaking for RARA and for the Reno community, particularly small businesses and non-profit organizations who benefited greatly from the event. We were presented with a decision…do we have one final event, then throw in the towel, or do we go for it and try to keep the event alive by searching for a new home, understanding that it would be a long, difficult, expensive process that may or may not yield any viable location? The RARA board met and discussed these options, ultimately deciding (unanimously, we should say) that the event is worth saving. Our next step was to speak to race class leadership and our volunteer department leadership to make sure there was sufficient support for RARA to seek a new home. We recognized that without the support of these two groups, there would be no point in starting a search. Thankfully, all classes were supportive, and an overwhelming majority of our volunteer leaders were willing to join us on this journey to get the Air Races established in a new home. Feeling encouraged and united we decided to move forward with the plan to search for a new location.
When we announced that 2023 would be the final race in Reno and that we would seek a new home, to our great surprise, we received 38 inquiries from different locations around the country expressing interest in becoming that home. Encouraged, we released an RFP in May of that year to give them and any other interested parties more information about what it would take to host the event. We established a site selection committee that consisted of RARA board members, operational personnel and race pilots, all with extensive experience at NCAR who could help determine the viability of all potential locations. From the initial 38 inquiries, eleven then took the next step and participated in two required bidders’ conferences in Reno that summer where we gave them a two-day deep dive into the event, expenses, logistical and operational needs, etc. In August, 2023 six of those eleven then submitted full proposals to become the next home of the National Championship Air Races. Those locations were: Buckeye, AZ, Roswell, NM, Casper, WY, Pueblo, CO, Thermal, CA and Wendover, UT.
Before we move on, we know there are some who think there were other options near Reno. While there were a couple places we considered as possibly viable, none of them submitted a response to the RFP, attended the bidders’ conferences, nor was there a willingness to make anywhere near the necessary investment or improvements in order to make a site ready to host our event. It is also important to point out that none of the potential new locations matched Reno from a combined operational and economic standpoint, and in fact, there are few, if any in the entire country that could have matched Reno. We knew that going in, and it was verified through the entire vetting process. Some locations had advantages economically but couldn’t host all classes or had safety issues that were insurmountable. Some had plenty of space, but insufficient safety, security or emergency services, and some were logistically and economically challenged but provided plenty of space and operational capabilities. However different the event might look in a new location, we were still confident that we would be able to operate and preserve it for the future.
We then embarked on a year-long journey to select the new home of the air races. The first step was to visit all six locations to assess the capabilities of the community, event site, operational, safety and emergency service capacities as well as other factors in order to determine whether all six could be fully viable options. These visits included various members of the site selection committee with decades of experience who were willing to lend their operational expertise to our evaluation process. After about six months of site visits, based on the information gathered, we narrowed the field to Casper, Pueblo and Roswell. These were the three locations that had the potential operational capacity to host all seven classes of aircraft that participate in NCAR.
The next step was to take an even deeper dive into the final three locations. These visits included many of the same people but added leadership from the race classes who had the opportunity to meet with the communities, be flown over the proposed racecourses and lend their advice and opinions to the process. We met extensively with community leaders from all three locations to get more specific details on how their city could handle the event, including the fact that all of the locations would have required more than $10 million in investments from the local communities or states in order to prepare them for the air races. To their credit, all were willing to do what it took to get their airports ready.
Ultimately, when taking all factors into account including race class and operations input, economics, safety, security, emergency services, air space availability, threat of development encroachment, and many more, it was put to a final vote by the RARA board. It was a tough decision, but the location that checked the most boxes and would give us the opportunity to race all 7 classes in the first year was Roswell, and that is how the board voted.
We fully understood the challenges of moving a 60-year event from an area of more than 500k people to one of just under 50k people, but the commitment and investment from the State of New Mexico and the City of Roswell to preparing the site and helping us to market the event for future growth was significant. It’s important to note that what we had in Reno was developed and evolved over almost six decades. Trying to replicate every nuance in a new location in just a year’s time was never a realistic goal, but we felt Roswell gave us the best chance and the most significant head start. We won’t sugar coat it, the last year has been extremely challenging. For all the difficulties we knew we would face, there were so many more we couldn’t have predicted. RARA’s staff and board have worked tirelessly, but equally our volunteers have been incredible, taking time away from their families and jobs to help us prepare for our first event in the new home, training new volunteers, and sitting in on countless meetings. We are truly humbled by their dedication, and nothing has exemplified the true heart of the September Family like what we’ve all seen from our volunteers through this process.
In January 2025 we held a racecourse evaluation period for all the classes to assess the proposed courses and make any requested changes prior to our first Roswell Pylon Racing Seminar (PRS) in May. The courses were adjusted, the permanent pylons were fabricated and placed, and many requested changes were addressed. Then in late May we held PRS, after which we received even more input as to the necessities for the classes to participate in NCAR. Up through this point and into June, while there were a number of issues raised, we had every reason to believe they were solvable in the available time and that all seven race classes would participate in NCAR in September. Following PRS the Sport Class gave us their concerns in mid-June so RARA and the city set to work on resolving those issues. After working for nearly a month to address their concerns and preserve their participation, the Sport class ultimately informed us of their withdrawal in July. This was very disappointing as we felt we could resolve enough issues for the majority of the class to participate, and our goal was always to host all seven race classes, but we worked with them to get a joint message on their withdrawal out to our fans.
During this time, we opened up the racer registration period, but after a short period of time we noted that there were no Unlimited registrations. So, we started reaching out and doing everything we could to ensure that they would participate in the event. This is a large part of the reason we extended the registration period longer than initially planned, which naturally delayed our ability to announce participants. Despite those efforts, the Unlimited class informed us on the evening of August 8th that they had held a meeting and decided to withdraw from participation in the 2025 NCAR. No specific reasons were given at that time, but they noted that they would share them at a later date. Obviously, we were again disappointed, but we worked with the class to get a joint release of the news to our fans as quickly as possible.
Regarding both Sport and Unlimited future participation, we will be meeting with both groups following this inaugural event to discuss all issues and work toward securing their participation in future events, starting in 2026. Initial conversations indicate that they share that desire, so we are hopeful that we will get it done.
Through all this time RARA has been working with the FAA and the City of Roswell to ensure that all safety related racecourse concerns raised by the classes are addressed, and we have completed registration for the Formula 1, Biplane, T6, Jet and STOL Drag classes to compete at the event in September. We have worked hard to bring warbird demonstrations and displays to the event and are making announcements as those are confirmed. We know it’s not racing, but those aircraft are an integral part of our history and an incredibly important part of our event.
We are open to respond to anyone who has a question via our website, our social media outlets, and the Air Racing Fan Page on Facebook, a neutral site that has agreed to be a host for such questions. We hope you’ll continue to support us as we strive to bring you what we feel will be an excellent first showing in Roswell despite the absence of the Sport and Unlimited Classes and look forward to celebrating their return, and implementing what we are sure will be many lessons learned in this first year. We don’t expect it to be perfect, but with our September Family there, it can be a truly amazing start for this next era of air racing.
Sincerely,
The National Championship Air Races
