2025 National Championship Air Races Begin on September 10

The Sport Class is being removed from this year’s National Championship Air Races (NCAR), scheduled for September 10 to 14 in Roswell, New Mexico, due to “operational concerns” revealed in recent practice sessions. This leaves six classes to compete in the event.

This year marks the first NCAR event outside of Reno, Nevada, in over six decades. The move to Roswell brought new opportunities — and, predictably, some growing pains. This year’s pylon racing seminar certified 60 pilots across six classes, including 17 from Sport, and served as the primary trial for the new race environment.

“As one of the most diverse and technically demanding classes in our lineup, the Sport Class has distinct operational needs,” said Fred Telling, Chairman and CEO of the Reno Air Racing Association (RARA). “Though we are disappointed they won’t be flying in Roswell this year, we continue to share a common vision that the Sport Class is an important part of the National Championship Air Races, and we look forward to working together toward their return in 2026.”

The class includes everything from kitplanes to highly modified Experimentals, and its rapid growth in recent years has added new layers of complexity to course design and safety protocols.

Organizers maintain that the Sport Class remains a vital part of NCAR’s future and are already looking toward its return in 2026. In the meantime, fans can still expect a full air racing schedule, military and civilian airshows, and a strong return of the Biplane class as part of the event’s first year in Roswell.

For now, one of the most dynamic classes in air racing is sitting this one out… but the runway is already being cleared for its comeback next season.

“We feel this decision is the right one for 2025, and feel it shows our commitment, along with RARA’s, to a culture of safety and long-term success,” added Bob Mills, President of the Sport Class Air Racing Association. “We’re confident this extra time will allow the operational and logistics concerns we have to overcome which will allow Sport Class to consider a return to NCAR in 2026.”

FMI: https://airrace.org