Having a blast: Return of STIHL Air Races
The Reno Air Racing Association (RARA) announced a successful return of the STIHL National Championship Air Races in 2021 after being forced to shutter in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I am pleased to report that we had successful 57th STIHL National Championship Air Races,” said RARA Board Chairman and CEO Fred Telling.
“From the standpoint of safety, we had no incidents or accidents, and from the financial side we were able to cover our expenses and start to move beyond the ravages of the pandemic. Our outlook is positive, and we have identified a number of opportunities to improve our operations and help us generate revenue to build for 2022 and beyond,” said Telling.
The 58th STIHL National Championship Air Races are scheduled for September 14-18, 2022.
Telling reported that the organization is launching several initiatives in a campaign called “Racing for the Future.”
Building on one of the major elements that led to the success of its 2020 Save the Races donation campaign, the CEO announced the first component of Racing for the Future will be RARA’s flight training scholarship program.
“We are continuing our commitment to increase the value of the STIHL National Championship Air Races by utilizing its history and influence on jump-start aviation careers for young people,” he said.
Assisted by a matching grant from the Ray Foundation, RARA has set aside funds that will support training for up to 10 students to complete their private pilot’s license.
“We are building on the success of our STEM education program to provide education and training support in aviation. In doing so, we hope to extend our connection to our community beyond our annual week of air racing in September,” said Telling.
In another element of the Racing for the Future campaign, RARA will be releasing not only short recaps of its livestream content, but also introducing “Reno Air Race Rewind,” a series of online videos that recap the 2021 STIHL National Championship Air Races with added behind the scenes footage and interviews not seen on the livestream during the races.
Each of the seven race classes will have three to five videos that show exciting footage from the races coupled with the new footage added to take fans behind the scenes with the aircraft and race teams.
Racing for the Future will also incorporate revised sponsorships that include year-round visibility and marketing opportunities for companies wishing to support RARA while gaining valuable visibility and brand presence from these new initiatives, the firm said.
STIHL Inc., located in Virginia Beach, Va., manufactures gasoline-powered handheld outdoor power equipment and chainsaws sold through a network of more than 10,000 authorized local STIHL dealers from coast to coast – not big box stores.
