Started in 1997 by Eric Whyte and Erik Anderson, the AirVenture Cup offers its own twist on the traditional point-to-point air race. Namely, it is not run in a straight line, but in a series of straight legs forming a circle. This allows participants to end up where they started, reducing logistical headaches and easing the transition from AirVenture Cup on Sunday to hopping down to Oshkosh for AirVenture proper by Monday.
Still, this is a cross-country race covering 430 miles, so something more reliable than thumbscrew power settings and the-world-ends-in-20-minutes fuel consumption are required. Lately, sport pylon racers saw that simply pulling back the loud lever could make them good cross-country racers as well, so a majority of the faster Sport folks joined the already multi-class AirVenture Cup this year.
