I agree Doc. My thinking has always been:

1. You have to finish the race to win. First work on finishing every race

2. You need to develop consistency or else you have no idea where you are, or what you have to improve to win (Think of this as "narrowing your group" or reducing the CEP.)

3. You need to find ways to knock seconds off your time. This is a much broader goal than just saying the plane has to go faster. The plane may not have to go faster, especially if it causes you to fail criteria number one, above.  This is where most racers begin to have problems. Ask Paul about his strategy of running heats with one nitro mix, and then jacking up the nitro for the final.

The Divot McSlow

Well, Bill, we were discussing the racing activities of "Mr. Mouse," Monsieur Gibeault, right?

Thanks for the clarification of my comment.

The Divot

Well, I find that to be odd---

I tried to talk Les out of jumping the nitro up for the finals at the Nats a few years back. He said it was the "Gibeault System." I felt like we had a really good shot with the same plan that got us to the finals....

Guess these Canadians can be pretty cagey about their winning strategies, eh?

The Divot

Motors,

You are addressing the wrong issue---we all know that Paul has published a number of highly informative articles on his Mouserace experience. I benefited from reading those myself--and from talking to Larry Renger, who is a local here in So Cal.

What had me puzzled as the pilot-half of the Canned Ham racing team (Les Akre/Dave Hull) was when Les brought out the can of 60% nitro before the finals one year. Now, for them that knows, Les and Paul are known to practice together since they may be the only two control line racers in Alberta? And sometimes Paul sent a few planes and engines along with Les to contests. So what is a poor rent-a-pilot guy supposed to think when he is assisting one Canadian with another Canadian's equipment and is told that the system is to jack the nitro before the final?

Now, as to whether Les might have forgotten what the Gibeault system was, I'm kinda having my doubts there. Even including the whole heat-stroke issue. In addition to having a very stout pitman's grip on things (I now use more glass on my outboard wings), Les remembers stuff about engines and races that I have to go back and check my notes and even photos to confirm. Like what prop we ran 5 years ago in Clown, kind of thing. Heck, when we get together to fly, he tells me how we had my equipment set up last time it did any good. A mind like a steel trap.

So I'm sticking with my prior conclusion: that one or more of them Canadians is being cagey. Whatever their Mouse system is, it seems to work pretty good, and that's all a rent-a-pilot really needs to know....

Dave

PS--I did a bit of pitting for the Duly as he was getting ready for the Nats this year. Don't think he got the Vintage B-TR straightened out. It was one thing after another on that one. It's a shame though, since we were getting close. Unless of course he pulled an all-nighter and redid the bellcrank mount? I can at least say this--we didn't have an explosion during any of the testing...so no vicegrips were needed to pull out splinters and shrapnel from the pitman.