Just as the Rare Bear® has been "hibernating" in Reno so it seems has this newsletter (No excuses—just waiting for some good news to report). With this issue we want to bring everyone up to speed on the Rare Bear® program. Lyle Shelton has been kind enough to give us his own update about what’s going on. With our new engine program underway the future looks bright for next year. We will have more updates as we progress toward Reno 2002.

UPDATE FROM LYLE SHELTON

This is the first Rare Bear® newsletter since prior to September 1999, when we had our most disastrous year ever of Unlimited racing competition.

We should have been able to compete in September 2000 in Reno, as we had a legal agreement with the 1999 pilot, Matt Jackson, to have the plane returned in "Race Ready" condition to Van Nuys by December 1999. Unfortunately, Jackson did not complete the agreement. Jack Ormes is handling legal action for Rare Bear®. We only went into this arrangement at the insistence, and with the encouragement of Bill Jones of Aircraft Cylinder. Bill was a longtime friend and sponsor-contributor. Bill was killed soon after the agreement in his T-28.

The airframe is still at Reno-Stead airport and the engine is in Van Nuys in a thousand pieces. Efforts at pulling together enough good parts for a ferry engine are being worked out.

We thought we had a very good opportunity of getting the plane ready for Reno 2001. Since Reno 2000, we had been negotiating possible sponsorship with our old friend Jack DeBoer of Candlewood Suites hotels and two of his partners. Things were looking promising and we thought we might be able to prepare and operate competitively as a result. Details were in the process of being worked out when one of the key partners of the sponsorship was killed in an L-39 jet accident. This of course reduced the partnership budget and knocked us out of the proposed dual sponsorship with the Strega team. Strega was able to make an agreement with Jack.

We then considered running this year with a stock ex-military R-3350 engine and to compete at lower than our winning power and speeds, just to run all systems and keep the team coordinated as a working unit. However, after initially looking at the military surplus engine cost, conditions, availability and reliability situations, we decided to cancel for this year. Concentrated efforts for Reno 2002 and adequate sponsor support are now our objectives.

At this point, we have no major sponsor-cash support and very limited Rare Bear® resources to prepare and to run competitively. When you lose your principal sponsor support then you lose other supplemental help, and without this you cannot build winning engines and run your air racer reliably.

We have, officially proven, to be the fastest prop-racing plane in the world with the potential to go faster. So, it is probably better to delay for another year and have more time to get the help and do the work necessary to start winning again.

Our objective is to get a good racing engine with a spare, do 15-20 MPH of drag reduction mods on the airframe, and run into the indefinite future as the world’s fastest winning race plane!

Lyle’s Rare Bear Notes

• To get Rare Bear® going 100% next time, racing will cost a minimum of 250,000.

• Surplus military R-3350-26W engines from AD Skyraiders are costing $25,000 to $50,000 now (not overhauled). A few years ago they were costing about $5,000. Many modified Sea Furies are using them now, driving costs up.

• We have some drag reduction modifications in mind for Rare Bear® that should increase speed 15-20 mph. Cost: about $50,000.

• Crew Chief Greg Shaw, John Slack and Dave Cornell are focused on our next engine program.

• Don Dull, Craig Boyer, Marc Weir and others have been doing work on the Rare Bear® airframe at Stead Airport.

• Shirlee Kurtz will continue to coordinate Rare Bear® merchandise. We’re basically out of stock until we race again. Money resources are being funneled into parts for building a new motor.

• Marc Weir is doing this newsletter again. He and Joni married last November. Belated congratulations! Send any news of Rare Bear® interest to Marc at the newsletter address. Also, Marc has started research on a book about the post-war (1946-49) Cleveland Air Races.

• Wayne Sagar is to continue helping with our website (www.rarebear.com). He presently sponsors us with the hosting of our website. This and subsequent newsletters will be posted on the website.

• Capts Mike Larkin and Gene York, TWA pilots are working to raise $$$ from a group of airline pilots (mostly retired) for our next racing effort.

• Thanks to Tony Dodge of Dodge Bros. Automotive in Granada Hills who is sponsoring some new engine parts for now and engine work later.

• Heard from our team poet and humorist Dave Ward recently. Dave along with some old time Bearcatters, electronics guru Clark Thompson, AP mechanic Bill Coulter and friend Ray Lutz all live in the same general area near Los Alamos, NM where they managed to survive last year’s disastrous fire season.

• Rare Bear® recently acquired a Pitts Special S2B with two seats and a 260HP Lycoming 540. It can fly harder than the body can stand! The "Lil’ Bear" will travel with the "Big Bear" and will be used for press, VIP, crew and sponsor "proficiency" rides and other team support flights as necessary. It will have a paint scheme like its big brother and will add a little variety and fun to our flight operations. Bring your "barf bag"!!!!

• We still have the Rare Bear® office in Reno, sharing with Oscar Margraf. (775) 786-7780, address: 245 E. Liberty Street, Suite 240, Reno, NV 89501.

• If any one knows of any good solid no-nonsense sponsor prospects let us know so they can be contacted and talked to personally.

• Tell your friends to check out our website.

Thank you for your continued interest and loyalty.

Fly Fast!

Lyle Shelton

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