Reno Air Race Tickets are Now Available!

Biplanes are represented by small, aerobatic aircraft like the Pitts Special, the Mong and the Smith Miniplane, gives pilots a chance to apply their skills to racing on a 3.18-mile course at speeds exceeding 200 mph.  

Short Take Off and Landing (STOL) Drag fly with independent spirit, STOL drag racing is purely about who stops at the finish line first. STOL drag racers fly on a designated track, about 2,000 feet in each direction, landing on or after a while chalk line. Precision and perfect timing are crucial, as any aircraft that don’t make a complete stop between runs are disqualified.

Jet Aircraft were inaugurated in 2002 as an invitation-only class, featuring match racing with Czech-built Aerovodochody L-39 “Albatros” jets. Today the class has opened the field by adding other aircraft such as Provost, Iskra, L-29 and DeHavilland Vampires. This class truly stands for the “Fastest Motor Sport” with speeds exceeding 500 miles per hour.  

Formula 1 Planes are all powered by a Continental O-200 engine (the same 100 hp engine used in a Cessna 150). The fastest Formula 1 aircraft exceed 250 mph on the 3.12-mile race course in Reno. Many Formula 1 aircraft are built by the pilots that race them and are a relatively inexpensive way to enjoy the excitement and satisfaction of air racing.

Sport aircraft highlight the new and innovative work being done in the development of high-performance kit-built aircraft. Competition in the Sport Class is fierce, with the rapid introduction of race-driven engine and air frame technology. Sport Class aircraft race on a 6.37-mile course at speeds reaching nearly 350 mph.

The T-6  features racing between stock aircraft, including the original T-6 “Texan,” the Canadian-built “Harvard,” and the US Navy “SNJ” version aircraft. The fastest T-6 aircraft generally post race speeds into the 220-230 mph range on the 5.06-mile course at Reno. Because the aircraft are all of the same type, the T-6 Class provides some of the most exciting racing at Reno, with an emphasis on strategy and pilot skill rather than raw horsepower  

Unlimited Aircraft are all powered, with the exception of very few “scratch-built” aircraft, by stock or modified WWII fighters with the P-51 Mustangs, F-8F Bearcats and Hawker Sea Fury being flown most often. The Unlimited Class flies in speeds exceeding 500 mph.