RACING INTO THE FUTURE.Byline: TOM HOFFARTH There's really no point of reference for beginning an explanation of the newest sport of the 21st Century, the Rocket Racing League The Rocket Racing League is a proposed racing league that would use rocket powered aircraft. The formation of the league was announced by Granger Whitelaw two time Indy 500 winning team owner and Peter Diamandis, founder of the Ansari X-Prize, on October 3, 2005, in partnership . Maybe the computer- generated pod-racing scenes from ``Star Wars: Episode I,'' hopefully without the spectacular crashes. ``It's something out of `The Jetsons,''' says Arthur Smith Arthur Smith is a name shared by several people:
``It's just crazy,'' says Granger Whitelaw Granger Whitelaw serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Rocket Racing League, overseeing the league's management, operations, partnerships and corporate affairs. Mr. . And he's the league's president and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. . It's a blast, for sure. Few other sky's-the-limit sports leagues out there could literally launch with a bigger bang. By next fall, real-life 300-mph races that take place some 5,000 feet above a grandstand crowd will signal the emergence of the RRL, the air- brained scheme of space cadet space cadet n. Slang One who shows difficulty in grasping reality or in responding appropriately to it; a spacy person: "the screwups and the space cadets Peter Diamandis Peter H. Diamandis (born 20 May 1961 in Bronx, New York) is considered a key American figure in the development of the personal spaceflight industry, having created many space-related businesses or organizations. . He's the Santa Monica Santa Monica (săn`tə mŏn`ĭkə), city (1990 pop. 86,905), Los Angeles co., S Calif., on Santa Monica Bay; inc. 1886. Tourism and retailing are important, and the city has motion-picture, biotechnology, and software industries. resident who also came up with the X Prize Cup, a $10-million incentive to inspire someone to develop a vehicle and means to accommodate common outerspace travel. Last week in Las Cruces, N.M., the RRL took a futuristic step toward making the league a reality with a successful test of a prototype X-Racer that runs on liquid oxygen and kerosene kerosene or kerosine, colorless, thin mineral oil whose density is between 0.75 and 0.85 grams per cubic centimeter. A mixture of hydrocarbons, it is commonly obtained in the fractional distillation of petroleum as the portion boiling off . ``It went phenomenally well,'' said Whitelaw, an entrepreneur who formed Whitelaw Racing Inc., and funded the Indianapolis 500 victories by Buddy Lazier in 1996 and Eddie Cheever in '98. ``With those 15-foot flames coming out of the back ... it was just spectacular.'' Before Whitelaw can even think about cooling his jets, he's got a league already with three teams committed. The Skywalker-wannabes often come with Air Force or Navy experience with F-16 or F-18 fighter planes, ready to see if they have the right stuff for this adventure. Whitelaw says forming an RRL team is nowhere near as expensive as the $5-million plus to fund an IndyCar roster of cars and drivers. For now, a simple two-page team application form can be printed out off the Web site, www.rocketracingleague.com, and requires just a $500 deposit. Although the RRL calls itself ``an aerospace entertainment organization,'' the competitive element is clear. And since it seems any true sports league has to have some sort of TV deal in place to give it perceived legitimacy, enter Smith, the former head of programming for Fox Sports Net who lately has been churning out reality shows. ``Visually, it will be stunning,'' said Smith, whose next job is to find a network home for the league. ``They had me sold after the first meeting. I love to be doing more sports entertainment, and I've heard a lot of wild ideas about doing stick-and-ball sports, but I think the timing is perfect with the advancements in aeronautics and TV technology to make this work.'' Smith and Whitelaw expect the RRL to follow Formula One's racing model: worldwide competition with a weekend of time qualifying, heat racing, series point standings and prize money. Those who'll watch on TV or the Internet will also be able to race along on something like a Play Station platform. The crowds at the events will follow on hand-held monitors as the action screams overhead on a 3D virtual track visible to the pilots as well as the viewers with the same sort of technology that televised football uses for its first-and-10 lines. Safety -- for the fans as well as the competitors -- is a primary concern. Officials from the Federal Aviation Administration Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), component of the U.S. Department of Transportation that sets standards for the air-worthiness of all civilian aircraft, inspects and licenses them, and regulates civilian and military air traffic through its air traffic control are kept abreast of the league's development. The RRL also recently added Robert S. Walker, a former congressman with an expertise in science and space technology, as its liaison between the league and government commissions. As for the projected demographic base, Granger sees the motor sports fans sitting awestruck awe·struck also awe·strick·en adj. Full of awe. awestruck Adjective overcome or filled with awe Adj. 1. alongside the techno geeks, video gamers and, of course, the X Games X Games Sports medicine The official Olympics of 'extreme sports' sponsored by ESPN, held annually during the summer. See Extreme sports. thrill seekers. ``If this isn't an extreme sport,'' Granger said, ``I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. what is.'' CAPTION(S): 4 photos, 4 boxes Photo: (1) An artist's rendition depicts what competition in the Rocket Racing League could look like when it opens, possibly as early as next fall. Courtesy of Rocket Racing League (2) TONY LA RUSSA (3) KENNY ROGERS (4) SHAWNE MERRIMAN Box: (1) sunday punch (2) HOT ... LUKEWARM ... COLD FISH (3) FANTASY FOOTBALL (4) The Pop Quiz |
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