More than 1,500 pages of supporting documents have been submitted by six cities vying to become the new home of the National Championship Air Races.
The Reno Air Racing Association (RARA) put out a request for proposals earlier this year after announcing that 2023 would be the last year for the races in Reno.
The six cities are:
- Casper, Wyoming
- Buckeye, Arizona
- Pueblo, Colorado
- Roswell, New Mexico
- Thermal, California
- Wendover, Utah
“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 committee researching the bid submissions is made up of RARA personnel from all areas, including operations, safety, security, business development, and more, according to officials.
The race classes are also represented in the group and will continue to be an integral part of the selection process, they added.
Members of the selection committee will visit each city sometime in 2023.
“There are numerous factors to consider, but a few of the critical requirements for the event include considerable open land available for the racecourses, suitable runways, ramp and hangar space, administrative and security facilities, as well as proximity to hotels, commercial airports, and restaurants,” race officials explained.
“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.
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.
For more information: AirRace.org.
