A collegiate team, the Flying Flashes from Kent State University, won the 45th Air Race Classic. The top 10 winners—along with those for a long list of other prizes—were announced at a banquet at the race terminus in Terre Haute, Indiana, last night. Laura Wilson and Alex Johnson flew as Team 52 in a 2020 Cessna Skyhawk 172SP.
The team also secured the top collegiate award, the Collegiate Challenge Trophy, with the top 10 rounded out with a full field of great competitors. A collegiate team also won last year’s virtual race—Team 49, Emma Hughes, Emily Hause, and Regine Rose Acosta from Western Michigan University.
| Place | Team | Racers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | #52 Flying Flashes | Laura Wilson & Alex Johnson (Kent State University) 2020 Cessna/Skyhawk 172SP |
| 2 | #16 Birds of Paragon | Katie Truedson, Cassie Thompson-Pride & Connie Leege 2022 Piper/Archer PA-28-181 |
| 3 | #46 Comanch-me if you can | Ashley Zook & Elisabeth Millspaugh 1960 Piper/Comanche PA-24-250 |
| 4 | #40 Kay’s Angels | Mel Shrewsbury & Lauren Heisey 1976 Cessna/Skyhawk 172M |
| 5 | #99 The Whole SHE-Bang | Lara Gaerte & Donna Harris 1979 Cessna/Skylane RG R182 |
| 6 | #9 Cardinal Cruisers | Minnetta Gardinier & Jeneanne Visser 1978 Cessna/Cardinal 177B |
| 7 | #15 Team Bernoulli | Naiara Petralanda & Lauren Thompson 1960 Beechcraft/Debonair 33 |
| 8 | #20 DC3 (-1) | Debi Dreyfuss & Joy Halcott 2005 Cessna/Skylane 182T |
| 9 | #1 Michiana Redbirds | Margaret Wint & Sue Glisson 1969 Cessna/Cardinal 177B |
| 10 | #10 Tennessee Flight Training | Bunnie Ambrose & Alexa Baumgartner 1993 Aerospatiale/Tampico TB9 |
Special awards were also on tap for Fastest Cessna and Fastest Piper, as well as one for the team that finished a clean race—but came in last in the non-disqualified standings. The top team featuring members of Women in Aviation International was recognized as well.
Congratulations to Bunnie Ambrose, WAI 86787, and Alexa Baumgartner, WAI 87698, for winning this year's Fastest #WomeninAviation Member Team at #AirRaceClassic22! Team #10 Tennessee Flight Training from Nashville also won 10th overall!👏🎉🛫 pic.twitter.com/2tISN0ix6W
— Women in Aviation (@WomenInAviation) June 27, 2022
Even for those just winning leg prizes, the rewards of flying a good race present themselves clearly. “So far so good,” said veteran ARC racer Gretchen Jahn, who flew a Cessna 182 as Team 3, with fellow racer Terry Fiala—both from the Colorado 99s chapter. “No penalties, and the times match our stopwatch times within a couple of seconds…we are happy with a clean run.”
