Day 11 saw the rest of the Adventure Division racers firmly kicking themselves in the pants to get to the finish line. After an impromptu swim party in Lake Powell the night before, the pilots found a great camping site out in the middle of the desert with an ideal dirt road from which to launch.
Weather Guru Tom predicted that winds and conditions would be favorable for the racers to make it to goal with ease. Dean, James, and Trey all woke up before sunrise (perhaps for the first time) in preparations to fly the rest of the 200km journey all the way from Page, AZ to Mesquite, NV.
What they found, is that morning launch conditions can be tough - especially at 4000ft MSL. The dreaded "switching 2's" wind conditions made choosing a launch direction difficult - and all the pilots struggled taking off from the narrow roads cut out of sage brush, dirt, and scab rock. A slightly frustrated Trey German was last to takeoff heading towards Kanab, Utah.
At this point, they were racing towards the goal. Team James Dean was no more as James raced ahead of the rest and landed at the Kanab airport. Dean was accompanied by his mentor - David Wainwright on this last flying day and pulled in shortly after James. Trey followed landing in the strip between the taxiway and the runway, just as James was finishing refuel and departing again. The Kanab airport staff was friendly and accommodating - but he did request that next time they "use the fucking radio."
Fair enough sir, fair enough.
James called in and landed at St. George airport, just near the border of Utah/Arizona/Nevada. Only 30 miles left to go! The only obstacle that stood between him and the finish line pylons was a giant, jagged series of mountains, slot canyons, true desert heat, and a stuck/tangled brake toggle on his Dudek Nucleon XX. Yes, we pilots tend to get in a hurry when the goal is near, and James missed untangling his left brake before pulling up to launch.
Now forced to make a wide right-turn departure, James was a bit worried as he didn't know exactly how to deal with this issue in the air. He made a quick message exchange with the race team as he was crossing over the Virgin River Gorge at over 7000', and they got him sorted out with a modified flare technique on landing.
Just a spec - James approaches from Virgin River Gorge
James landed at the finish line with no drama, just after 15:40MST/14:40 local.
Between the air gates James.... fuck it, do what you like sir.
Trey made the decision in-flight to bypass the St. George airspace and land near a freeway exit near the entrance to the Virgin River Gorge. Luckily his trusty entourage was there quickly to fuel him up for a quick departure. Talk about an adventure.
Top-Gun Trevor doing what he does best - chasing paramotors around the skies.
Trey had a short 20-mile flight to the finish line, and even enjoyed some Chase-Plane support footage from our Top-Gun Trevor. Trey finally touched down at 16:15MST/15:15 local time in Mesquite. He promptly dawned his Adventurists-themed leather helmet and posed with champagne, his green wayfarers, and a Camel.
Dean and Dave were coming in hot on his heels, and also enjoyed some company from the Icarus Chase plane - and touched down at 16:25M/15:25 Local time. He landed a bit short of the pylons, but was dedicated enough to kite his wing all the way up through the gates - well done sir.
Celebratory champagne for the remaining three Adventurous souls.
Byron, Miroslav, and Scotty had resurfaced, and were there to congratulate their airborne brethren - and the entire group just camped out on the hot tarmac for a couple hours to enjoy cold libations and decompress sharing flying stories. It was a long journey, and they were all happy to be reunited.
The entire group is now en route to Zion National Park, where the race team has booked a massive cabin to celebrate this incredible flying journey - there's sure to be more stories and photos from what is likely to be the most upscale of Adventurists' Finish Parties yet. Until then, congratulate these brave souls when you see them in the skies, and thanks for following!
*Dean at Horseshoe Bend*
The scene this evening is all a bit Dawson's Creek.
The Adventure Class of #JamesDeanGernobyl, plus Camp Icarus Entourage, is camped outside Wahweap, Page, AZ around a winsome fire, after a delectable dip in Lake Powell and an afternoon scramble up to Horseshoe Bend, on a bellyful of Big John's Texas BBQ.
What the hell happened to the World's Toughest Air Race?
Here's what you missed.
**1. Beam Up Scotty, he's done. ** He broke his pull start cable today. Again. Having downgraded to Adventure Class so as to escape the winter weather clogging his flight deck with snow all the time and catch up with his three remaining comrades, he was looking forward to getting some fun flying in cool company. However 24 hours in to this jolly he has had yet another mechanical failure on his machine. In the remaining Icarus window he has no hope of obtaining another spare part and fixing it and flying on, so he has packed his Yooda Polini 190 away for the last time. She was running better than ever last thing yesterday, apparently. Sad to miss that...
**2. Meet Bailey III. ** Or, Lord Bailey III to you. James, Trey and Dean all took off from Monument Valley this morning after a somewhat leisurely start to the day. Dave flew with them and was first away; habit of a lifetime. There was some head scratching as to the best strategy for these pilots in what would not be straightforward conditions. It was cirrus and clear at first light but the cloud-runes did foretell of gusty, changeable weather. The remoteness of their location meant in practical terms that they could not try and make a straight run towards Page, some 70 miles west across a starkly beautiful Navajo wasteland, with no safe landing options, or retrieval options, if things went south. So they went South instead, deliberately, and followed Highway 163 towards Kayenta, thus keeping the (admittedly shite) option of landing out by the tarmac in an emergency. We all knew they would not make the indirect route to Page on a single tank of fuel, in what was turning into a headwind. So, they'd take to the skies, head south, and just land on the road when they ran out of fuel, and await rescue/pickup. A truly Adventurist flight plan.
This plan was short-lived however. Once airborne, all pilots fought a vicious headwind and serious gusts. Dean and Dave both almost 180'd on the tracking and Dean reported getting thrown around like a rag-doll and landing vertically when he finally managed to get back down to earth.
*artists impression of Dean shit-show Monument Valley to Kayenta flight/fight*
James was less lucky. His engine seized, forcing his second engine-out landing this trip. He landed safely, Trey with him, and they regrouped at Kayenta airport whilst awaiting rendez-vous with their support crews. More on this bit shortly.
When it happened the first time we all chuckled inwardly at his foresight in bringing a second complete paramotor as a spare, admitting that he was not much of a mechanic. It was kind of the same when he ripped that wing 2 days back. Don't bring a sewing kit...bring another wing. Now what was he going to pull out of his shady regions in the name of Icarus?
Oh, just the *third motor* he had stashed in that RV all along. Yup, another full Bailey 4-stroke V5. I asked mockingly if he was Mr Bailey's single best customer. "Um....Yes. I only brought the 4-strokes. Got two of the 2-stroke Hornets at home too".
*James proudly displays Bailey Mark 3 - (strokes 9-12) - ready to rock and roll from Page come sun-up tomorrow. Cue inappropriate jokes about how many strokes it takes to finish the Icarus. At least I assume they were inappropriate. And jokes. Shit actually that may have just been paramotor chat*
Scotty cast an eye over the seized second engine and diagnosed oil pump. People nodded sagely. James and I glazed over a bit.
**3. Where'd you put the keys, girl? And other tales of Olympic standard faffing** James accidentally flew off this morning with the keys to his support vehicle, manned admirably by girlfriend Juliet and containing an apparently inexhaustible supply of spare parts. She sat dolefully at Monument Valley's airport whilst we gave chase to James, and tried in vain to contact him in a region of zero cell reception (apologies, we have also struggled to broadcast as a result), mid-very demanding flight. And engine failure, as we later learned. It was a blessing in disguise that he fell from the skies a good way short of Page, just 20 miles or so from the stricken RV. Trey's ground crew regrouped with Trey and James and returned the keys to Juliet once we had established their safe landing.
*James and Trey pass the time on the tarmac at Kayenta while their crews do the necessary*
The whole group was able to rendez-vous in Page a couple of hours later, no harm done. However it did contribute to an overall feeling of inertia which has pervaded the remaining pilots today, not helped by gusty, inconsistent winds. It was a classic bout of para-waiting. Many calls of "so what are we doing?" aimed at no-one in particular, inviting no particular response.
They are all resolute about an early start tomorrow however, buoyed by a much more favourable forecast from our Weather Genie, Weather Tom. You can read that good news [here](http://www.icarustrophy.com/blog/2016/10/1/icarus-trophy-weather-2016). Our boys have just over 200kms to complete of the 2016 Icarus Trophy. Tomorrow could be the day. If you have an alarm, set it for 6am Arizona time and hassle them, they'll thank you for it from Mesquite, Margarita in hand.
Trey got into a bit of thorny trouble yesterday after his engine quit on the Icarus Trophy. Enjoy 5 minutes worth of the adventure, vicariously, through his selfie-cam.
After a stunning finish in Mesquite, NV at 9:22 local time - **David Wainwright** promptly hijacked the HQ van and drove it straight back to Monument Valley, UT to meet up with mates. He was scary, and he smelled of onions - so we didn’t protest.
He enjoyed a Monument Valley “fun flight” (without auxiliary fuel, clothes, equipment) at the crack of dawn on day 8 - then socialized with some of the pilots who have been following his epic Journey. David was met with lots of support and high fives from the American PPG community at Monument Valley. Well deserved, as this course was exceptionally hard to tackle and Dave ran it like the champion he is. Well done sir!
**Team Biro** of the Adventure Division spent the better part of day 7 doing the same - enjoying the scenery and “easy” flying in the nation’s most coveted paramotor flying site. On day 8, it was back to business. They suited up, grabbed their gear, and departed at 7:10 in the AM as the rest of the fly-in was just waking up. The morning desert air was a mix of non-threatening VIRGA and high cirrus clouds. As they continued their spirit quest flying westward, the skies opened up as they approached Rainbow Plateau. This proved to be the best scenery the pair had encountered thus far, and not for a lack of trying.
*“The air was smooth the entire way and as we reached the Rainbow Plateau I was blown away by the beauty below! This by far was the prettiest leg of the entire trip! The earth below looked alien with reds, pinks and tans all mixed together like twisted taffy.”* —Byron Leisek
After passing Rainbow Plateau, Team Biro was heading straight for Page, AZ - the gateway to the Grand Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, Lake Powell, and some fantastic barbecue. (Yes, it’s a big deal - thanks to Big Dave’s Texas BBQ)
After “filling up” at Big Dave’s, the pair continued their adventure into the unknown. After the first few miles west of Glen Canyon Dam and Navajo Bridges, the afternoon heat began to kick in and demanding conditions awaited. Byron and Miroslav reportedly experienced their most challenging flight yet. The Leg from Page, Arizona to Kanab, Utah was (as expected) thermic desert heat - but there were no breaks between thermals. Byron was on a mission to land near an animal shelter that he had visited in years past, but with the conditions ramping up to 17mph headwinds and severe turbulence - they had to play it safe and head to the airport. Both were exhausted, and decided to rest for the rest of the day while waiting out weather. They stayed in the pilot’s lounge of the airport, as they made plans for their final 85 miles of the journey past St. George into Mesquite, NV.
**Scotty Duncan,** now part of the moving party dubbed “Camp Icarus,” was fresh off their trip to the Bonneville Salt Flats. The group decided to “road move” up to Pryce, UT - having to make up time for their diversion to the epic flying site in western Utah.
He departed with Trey, James, and Dean from Buck Davis Field (‘merica) and continued on to Green River, Arches National Park, and stopped off in Canyonlands airfield near Moab, UT. Scotty unfortunately tweaked a recurring knee injury on landing, and decided to preserve his strength and hitch a ride to Monument Valley, UT to meet up with his mate David Wainwright - as well as the Adventurists crew. Scotty has had some unfortunate luck in this race, but we are inspired by his ability to keep on chugging along and having a great attitude while flying these epic locations. Don’t worry Scotty, the best is yet to come! We hear the plan is to get in some great local flights in Monument Valley, then continue on the adventure with the rest of the pilots.
We’ll continue to follow the teams all the way into the finish line in Mesquite, Nevada - and give them the finish line celebration they deserve for this massive effort.
Day 7 update - everyone has found their "happy place."
It's day 7 and it looks like the first pilots may cross the finish line today! We've got an outstanding forecast in the region for clear skies and tailwinds for all the pilots today.
**David Wainwright** is currently racing for the gold, he overnighted near Kanab, UT and thinks he can finish the last 90 miles in one morning flight. Still a lot to navigate, including wild southern Utah back country, the congested desert town of St. George, and the Virgin River gorge - a thermic, windy pass that transitions from the corners of Utah and Arizona into Nevada. Scary!
Noteworthy accomplishment of day 6 - smashed two incredibly long flights, as well as a prop tip and throttle controller on his paramotor. Ouch! 280 miles flown.
**Byron and Miroslav** rendezvoused in Monument Valley yesterday. The team has a history here, as they both took a flying trip in 2014 to the “holy grail” of PPG sites - and are taking the time to rest up and enjoy some scenery. This is also the site of the famous “Gathering at Monument Valley,” a paramotor fly-in event. They were greeted by pilots from all over the US upon arrival, and have been enjoying the company ever since. It’s also rumored that Byron made a short local flight out to a Navajo medicine man yesterday afternoon with Mr. Shane - but that couldn’t be confirmed - we won’t ask. Byron and Miro have every intention of spending day 7 hanging out with other pilots and doing some tourist activities.
Noteworthy accomplishment of day 6 - both pilots, taking different routes, discovered new parts of the country few people have ever seen. 96 miles flown for Byron, and Miroslav played down 170 in total for day 6.
**Trey, Dean, and James** flew from Morgan County to Heber city Utah yesterday. This is the famed decision point that separates the race vs. adventure division routes, and the core of the adventure division decided to pick up and move out west to another famous PPG flying site called the Bonneville Salt Flats to take a break and do some fun flying. “Camp Icarus” as they’ve dubbed it was set up late last night in the center of the eerie desert salt flats, and they plan to do some local flying today then drive their gear out to Price, UT in hopes to get a taste of the race division checkpoint in southern Utah. Dean had a significant life event - inspired by the words of a Montana rancher from earlier in the race, he decided it was best if he got a “brand” put on his backside. We couldn’t be more proud…
James, Trey, and Dean flew about 50 miles before packing it up and deviating to the Salt Flats for the remainder of the day. Mental note for HQ - must add Salt Flats to the route for 2017...
**Scotty** - well, Scotty was once again dealt the short straw on weather forecast for day 6. If you remember, he had a bit of engine trouble on day 1, and had to wait for parts to do a top-end rebuild. He’s been scratching and clawing his way back to the top of the leaderboard since then, but he just hasn’t been able to escape a series of storms that have been freezing out and pounding the northern parts of the course. Late in the day, after seeing the forecast, Scotty decided to join the rest of his mates in Utah and hitch a ride with the race team to catch up to James/Dean/Trey. This does mean that he is no longer competing in the race division - which is a bummer. But Scotty has made a great choice to join the rest of the pilots down where the weather is fair and have a great adventure with mates.
We at HQ couldn't be happier. As much as the Icarus Trophy is an extremely competitive air race, it exists on two levels. The experience is just as great, if not better if you have yourself a proper adventure with new friends in a new land.
Some days you're the lamp-post - Scotty Duncan tale of (Mis)Adventure
So the Scotty fans, and that's all of us, will know that he is back in the race after a miraculous repair job to his Polini 190 engine after his very first flight of the Icarus on Sunday morning. After two days holed up in a barn bonding with George, its kindly owner, and awaiting Mr UPS with his spare parts delivery, he finally got his motor running on Tuesday evening. 
However, the weather gods have not been kind and after sitting out a couple of weather cycles and some pudding rain he finally got away at 10am on Wednesday morning. After one very cold and rather wet flight he spent the afternoon in Deer Lodge,fully 2 days behind the race leader Dave.
He's still caught up in the last of the squally wintery weather, where the rest of the pilots are flying into clearer, more stable conditions.
This morning he ran out of fuel and landed fully 5 Kms short of his intended fuel stop. That is a very, very long walk.
Lastly, he's currently trying to source some tooth floss (maybe those cable ties we mentioned)because he has broken his pull cord trying to start his engine.
I'm half expecting him to get dive bombed by a lone magpie. Hopefully he'll enjoy better luck and a following wind from here.
Where Dreams are Born: The Icarus X. Dean Kelly Tale of Adventure
Katy, HQ, day 5
*He's joining the Big Guns.
*
*Having a support crew to look after your motor and keep you well fed does open up plenty of opportunity for sight-seeing. And hell-raising. And tank posing.*
I hope you're enjoying following along, and getting caught up in the majesty and badassery of what these pilots are attempting. It does seem quite...ambitious....to the naked eye, and the more you know about the sport of paramotoring, the more ambitious the Icarus Trophy seems to be. Most elite pilots don't fancy the look of it; any fool can be uncomfortable, why sign up to fly outside your comfort zone, with lots of gear attached, possibly for 12 days straight? And some of those take-off elevations are testing even for them.
Dean Kelly is proving, so far, how it pays to be ambitious, and how much fun there is to be had in Adventure Class. He is by some distance the least experienced pilot in the group and he is nailing it so far. Every time he lands we get messages from him describing how that last flight was the highest, the coldest, and most turbulent and challenging, the most beautiful, the most memorable (and yes, the most arousing) of his life. He is reaping the rewards.
Dean is a student of Dave Wainwright and competed in the Icarus X Australia in July. This was his first long-distance cross-country flight and at that point he had no ambition to take on the full Icarus Trophy. However he had such a good time and learned so much on the ITX, that he decided to take the plunge. He's a great example of an Adventurist type progressing from learning to fly, dipping a toe in the kid of flying involved on the Icarus Trophy, and then just grasping the nettle and going for it. I love this kind of shit, it's what I go to work for.
Here are the risk management factors he is employing, and we are providing as the organisers, which make this an Odyssean, rather than a kamikaze, challenge.
1. He's flying adventure class. This means he can progress forward by means other than flight. If there is a stretch that he doesn't like the look of, or doesn't feel up to, he is encouraged to go by land, or sit out the weather until conditions are more favourable, and try again. We keep track of how far he has flown, and we know his main ambition for the Trophy is to fly as much of the course as possible. With this in mind we can help him make those calls and succeed according to his own race plan.
2. He's supported. Travis is on the road with him for direct and moral support. They are raising hell whenever ground-dwelling, and he is getting proper rest between flights. As evidenced by all the unscheduled nudity and high trans-fat meal choices. (NB Travis must try harder)
Travis also has Dean's spare parts, which removes the headache of breaking a prop or damaging your wing and needing to get to the support vehicles to get yourself out of trouble again. Dean brought two spare props (the most likely thing you'll damage if you screw up a launch and face-plant, and the most common thing to screw up when you are a newer pilot) and has used them both already.
3. We have multiple lines of communication with him. As with all the pilots we check that the route plan he described to us during his pilot briefing 1:1 is still valid, and if his plans change he knows to tell us, and we know to check his actual path vs. his intended route. We know, probably before the pilots do in some cases, whether he's on track or getting into sketchy territory
4. He's flying in a team. #JamesDean is a thing, and for much of the time, Trey is teaming up too. #JamesDeanGerman. Their route plan is sensible for their experience level, using airports rather than fuel stations in towns ([FAR103 regulations](http://www.icarustrophy.com/blog/2016/7/13/rule-workshop-far103-compliance) ban flying over populated areas so you need to be a pretty kick-ass pilot to land that accurately close to roads and towns and power lines) for easier landings and take-offs. Plus they have a party to greet them every time they stop. They must think they are goddamn rock stars or something.
Most of the supported Adventure Class racers slept through their alarm and got a late start - departing from Dillon, MT around 10am. **Team James Dean**, despite numerous protests from Dean, did the sensible thing and departed from the airport as opposed to a sketchy gas station - good move guys. They made it all the way down to Blackfoot airport, and there was much rejoice. **Trey** and his entourage caught up at Blackfoot moments after, reportedly cold and slightly soaked. We’re waiting for an update from our media team, but it looks like the guys are currently enjoying lunch at a burger joint.
**David Wainwright** was in a great position for an early-morning departure from Pocatello, ID to race towards the Utah border. Pocatello is nestled in to a nice little mountain range that separates Idaho from Utah. Morning temps were about 0 degrees C - with dark clouds and friendly virga all throughout the land. The mountain pass kept the ceilings up, and Dave was able to make it to Tremonton, UT for an easy fuel stop. He departed from Tremonton to head south and try to blast down the Wasatch, but was stopped midday by ominous looking t-storms, rain, and lightning that awaited him in Salt Lake Valley. He’s currently waiting it out in North Ogden, and it's not looking great for the afternoon.
**Strategy** - Get himself down to Spanish Fork Canyon and pass over into the San Rafael Swell where the weather will be a little more desert-y.
**Team Biro** (Byron and Miro) began their day in Arco, ID - just outside of the Craters of the Moon National Monument. Epic. They departed before sunrise from a nice airport where the manager let them sleep on a couch - after casually showing them the concealed handgun he kept in case one of his visitors was not so friendly.
They made great speed moving toward Blackfoot, Idaho crossing lava slides and barren planes, dodging dark lenticular clouds and rain squalls. They made such good time, they decided to continue south after getting close to Blackfoot - bypassing Pocatello and flying all the way to McCammon, Idaho. Byron stopped for gas - while Miro bypassed and soared the ridge next to the high clouds and crossed over east to Lava Hot Springs.
Byron quickly departed McCammon after a refuel stop and joined his Central-European friend nine miles to the east in a nicely developed public hot spring where they proceeded to send the race team topless hot tub pics for the 3rd time this race.
**Strategy** - 1. Do everything cool and relaxing you could possibly do. 2. Make the race team uncomfortable with the hot springs pics.
**Scotty** got his motor back together and departed north of Missoula this morning - and had a very cold flight all the way to Deer Lodge. After a 2-hour break, he’s warmed back up and currently departing to catch up with Dave leading the race class. He’s got a good chance too, Dave is stuck by weather and not likely to progress the rest of the day, while Scotty has some flyable conditions and mad skills.
**Strategy** - Become the Dark Horse.
We'll keep reporting as we see it - and we want to thank all our viewers for the support and love the racers are getting on their media channels
Here's a quick recap on what the hell is going on out there.
It looks to the casual observer as if Trey is way out in front in Idaho falls. But look closer and you'll notice that his route looks A LOT like Route 15. That's because he's in Idaho Falls having driven there with his buddies for a day looking at a nuclear reactor. He'll be back in the air tomorrow. Is that allowed? Hell yes. This guy is in Adventure Division, meaning he can fly as much or as little as he likes until the finish party. He plans to fly every kilometre of the race division route, and a few more besides.
Meanwhile James/Dean (#JamesDean) are airborne, heading towards Dillon where there is an airport, imagine they'll be refuelling there. Both up a solid 3 hours this morning, sterling work chaps.
Miro is under Nick's Viper 2 wing and making good progress south after his earlier shit show. He'll be flying solo for the foreseeable, here's hoping he catches up with Byron who has now got out of the hot tub at Challis and gone to refuel. Miro does appear to be on Byron's heading, south west towards Sun Valley and the Craters of the Moon. That route looks not very direct, especially vs. Dave's straight cut towards Idaho Falls. However Byron reckons on picking up a strong westerly later on today and catching up, having taken in the jaw-dropping Craters.
Scotty is still in Evaro, way up north of Missoula in Montana, where he fell in a heap 2 hours into the race. He has cleaned the engine meticulously and assures us it will take him a matter of minutes to reassemble the beast once FedEx delivers his new rings, so we hope he'll be back in the air and back in the race imminently.
A quick note on race versus adventure categories:
Byron is travelling as fast as Dave and Miro, the race class pilots. He cannot 'beat' the to the Race Division Trophy as he is accepting outside support. So far this has consisted of letting us make him a cup of tea or refusing to back track 500 metres into a field to launch instead of flying straight from his overnight lodgings. Marginal stuff but it all adds up. Race division cannot accept any outside assistance that would not be 'open access' they can hitchhike, and buy stuff, and wrangle for themselves. But they cannot have dedicated support, from the Icarus Crew, or from the support crews of the Adventure class pilots, who can have as much support as they want. Pilots can help other pilots, however.
Here's a real time example:
Dave can buy his own pizza - race class, self-supported
Byron can buy Dave a pizza - pilot to pilot
Shane can buy Byron a pizza - adventure class - can accept help (and pizza)
Byron can give some of his pizza from Shane to Dave - pilot to pilot
Shane cannot buy Dave a pizza, or give him his leftovers
Dave can rootle through the trash and steal the leftovers of Shane or Byron's pizza - self support, open access.
It seems a bit ungentlemanly but there we are. Hopefully fair and clear.
Miro has now been downgraded to adventure division - not that he'll care about that right now, such will be the relief of getting back in the air.
Harry | Adventurists
The Adventurists propaganda division. Because everyone needs to let some stupid into their lives.
All the updates from the Icarus HQ team, under one virtual roof.
That team is:
Reporting Stateside, the two Icarus Trophy Race Chiefs Shane Denherder and Katy Willings are providing live updates and commentary. From the other side of the pond, Dan Wedgwood and Rosa Earp will be providing round the clock coverage of the world's toughest air race.
