2012 Nevada Air Race Course Changes

Following the tragic accident of 2011 which cost veteran show pilot Jimmy Leeward and ten spectators their lives when his P-51 crashed into the crowd, the 2012 course was changed to move the final straight to more than 1,000 feet from the grandstand with a gentler final curve; additionally the Air Races’ insurance premiums had such a substantial hike that it was necessary to enter into a co-branded sponsorship deal with the Nevada Tourism Commission reportedly valued at $600,000.00 resulting in the name of the event being changed to the “TravelNevada.com National Championship Air Races.”

More than 100,000 were in attendance when Steven Hinson won the “Unlimited Gold” final race in his highly-modified P-51 Mustang “Strega.” Runner-up in the final was former Astronaut Robert “Hoot” Gibson in the Hawker Sea Fury “September Fury“, and third was Dennis Sanders in the T.20 Sea Fury, “Dreadnought.”