Kelly Pike attempted to break the world R/C glider FAI world speed record at Torrey Pines in 1973, but his average of 106 mph was not enough to break the existing record of 113.24 held by the Soviet Union. On one pass, he flew by and was clocked at 120.61 mph, but the resulting second pass was much slower. Torrey Pines Gulls member and then R/C columnist Paul Denson was Contest Director at the Speed Record Trials.
Another TPG tradition...the Redman Rules contests began at Torrey in the 1970s. These consisted of events such as limbo and beer can bowling. Many Gulls sharpened their piloting skills in these unique fun events...training that would help the club in the years to come. These were as much of a "race" as a "fun fly". Everyone flew their older, "well loved" gliders and it didn't really matter much if the task was not completed. What was more important was that we all had fun, increased our piloting skills, and cheered for other pilots whenever they were successful. Sometimes a cookout followed with nearly all of the Gulls (and families) in attendance at Torrey.
The Gulls sponsored their first "one-design" contest in 1973. In a "one-design" contest, each pilot would fly the same type of plane...thus giving a test of pilot skill rather than aircraft superiority. A least that was the idea. Paul Denson was the first Contest Director for this sort of contest. The all-foam Canyon Products Schweizer 1-26 was chosen as the club plane. This 1/7 not-at-all-scale version of the famous full scale sailplane was best described as a "dog" to fly. However, since it was made of foam, it was considered more durable than its balsa counterparts (in the same way that we think EPP foam is more durable than the older styrofoam gliders today). Nearly everyone bought a "foamy" and put in the necessary radio gear overnight. Back then, the Kraft "Brick" receiver and servo combination gear worked well and made installation a snap. And who cared if the "foamy" weighed a bit more than it was supposed to...? Pilots would launch at the same time for each round, dive through the start gate when time started and fly the usual slope circuit that we use today. Flagmen near the north face would signal for a turn with different colored flags. Youngsters would love to wave the flags when the correct model came by...("hey was that the one I'm supposed to be watching or was that yours...oh well, wave the flag anyway!"). Foamies were the backbone of the Torrey Pines Gulls...they brought us together and gave everyone the skills needed to really become good pilots. But, clearly, something a little more aerodynamic would be even more fun.
Ken Banks and several others introduced us to the idea of converting u-control kits to radio controlled gliders for use as a one design sloper. The kits were available just about in any hobby shop, were inexpensive, and had better performance than the foamy. As long as your glider was built from a u-control, you were allowed to enter it in the "one-design" slope race. Therefore, club members bought Spitfires, Zeros, and especially popular Mustang P-51 u-control kits and flew them at Torrey. Radios were installed in the rather thick wing section (symmetrical airfoil) and were usually aileron, elevator only. They were somewhat slow because of the airfoil, but much more agile than the foamy. The speeds increased, the fun increased, the action increased and so did the balsa spread along the side of the cliffs.
During the eighties, we used a wider range of gliders for slope races. F3B type ships, smaller very mobile wingeron gliders (Pivot, V-max, etc...). Slowly, the old rudder and elevator gliders were either forgotten or given a separate category for the races. Generally, however, the action was with the aileron composite ships. Several groups such as the California Slope Racers came into existence and these system of racing became popular elsewhere on the Pacific coast. That is not to say that it all started at Torrey Pines, but that Torrey Pines is such a great place to fly that we attracted a wider and wider audience. Another TPG short lived one-design of the 1980s was the Ridge Runt. Also, the plastic molded Cheetah was a popular racing and combat model. This was followed In the 1990s by Charlie Richardson's Fun One slope racer, etc.