2024 Competitor of the Year
Racer Leighton Mangels wins Competitor
title
Leighton Mangels leads a Racing
plane into the air at the 2024 Jim Walker Memorial Spring
Tune-Up in Portland, Ore.
Flying Lines photo.
Yearlong strong performance gives Oregon
contestant first championship
Leighton Mangels of North Plains, Ore., captured the 2024
Northwest CL Competitor of the Year title by posting Flying
Lines standings points in four Racing
categories. Not only did Leighton pile up the most
Racing points, he swept first place in the standings for
all four events: Northwest Sport Race, Northwest Super
Sport Race, Flying Clown Race and Dallas Sport Goodyear.
In a year when many contestants did not attend every
contest, points were widely spread out and totals for the
top competitors were lower than usual. Mangels' 37
points was a statistical tie with second place John
Thompson of Eugene, Ore., but Mangels' victories in races
over Thompson broke the tie. Third place went to
Russ Hester of Florence, Ore., who scored 36 points in
Combat events, taking first place in Overall Combat, 80mph
Combat, 15 Fast Combat and 1/2-A Combat.
The annual Competitor of the Year title recognizes the flier who scored the most points in Northwest control-line competition standings as compiled by Flying Lines.
The number of people or teams scoring points in competition in 2024 rose slightly from the 2023 season. Forty-four fliers scored points in 2024, compared with 41 in 2023.
Note that the number of people scoring standings points is not the total number of competitors; it is only the number of people placing first through fourth in sanctioned competition.
Twenty-four fliers scored Stunt points, 11 scored Racing points, 10 scored Combat points, eight scored Navy Carrier points, eight scored Scale points and five scored Speed points.
Again, these totals reflect only placement, not actual number of competitors. The presence of out-of-region fliers in a contest can result in no points, or fewer points, being scored toward Northwest standings for some events.
The Competitor of the Year recognition has been given since 1980, the second year of Flying Lines newsletter publication. Here is the history, giving the top three finishers each year:
Competitor of the Year, 1980-2024
1980: 1, John Thompson 2, Bill Varner 3, Jim
Cameron
1981: Dick Salter, Thompson, Dave Green
1982: Dick Salter, Thompson, Mike Hazel
1983: Green, Thompson, Glenn Salter
1984: Green, Dick Salter, Gary Byerly
1985: Green, John Hall, Mel Lyne
1986: Green, Lyne, Dick Salter
1987: Dick Salter, Glenn Salter, Green
1988: Not available
1989-90: Flying Lines not published
1991: Joe Rice, Rich McConnell, Tom Strom
1992: Rice, Todd Ryan, Hall
1993: Ryan, Rice, McConnell
1994: Ryan, Chris Cox, Nitroholics Racing Team
1995: Ryan, Jeff Rein, Don McClave
1996: Ryan, Stephen Cox, Rick Meadows
1997: Ryan, Paul Gibeault, Stephen Cox
1998: Ryan, Lyne, Dan Rutherford
1999: Ryan, Shawn Parker, Mike Conner
2000: Ryan, Lyne, Scott Riese
2001: Chris Cox, Ryan, Lyne
2002: Jeff Rein, Bruce Hunt, Nils Norling
2003: Dan Rutherford, Keith Varley, Lyne
2004: Rutherford, Paul Walker, Chris Cox
2005: Pat Johnston, Riese, Hunt
2006: Johnston, Hunt, Walker
2007: Johnston, Walker, Rein
2008: Hunt, Walker, Johnston
2009: Rein, Hunt, Robert Smith
2010: Hunt, Rein, Walker
2011: Alan Resinger, Smith, Pete Peterson
2012: Chris Cox, Walker, Smith
2013: Thompson, Walker, Howard Rush
2014: Thompson, Walker, Smith/Buzz Wilson (tie)
2015: Chris Cox/Rush (tie), Dave Royer
2016: Hazel, Smith, Mike Haverly
2017: Thompson, Walker, Mike Rule
2018: Hazel, Chris Cox/Walker (tie)
2019: Russ Hester, Chris Cox,
Walker/Rush/Thompson (tie)
2021: Hazel, Smith, Bob Welch
2022: Rush, Cox, Jerry Eichten
2023: Hazel, Welch, Cox
2024: Leighton Mangels, Thompson, Hester
Click here for final 2024 standings
Current standings are on the NW Standings Page
Below are the final 2024 Competitor of the Year rankings, along with the categories in which points were scored.
2024 OVERALL STANDINGS
1. Leighton Mangels -- Racing -- 37
2. John Thompson -- Combat, Racing,
Speed, Stunt -- 37
3. Russ Hester -- Combat -- 36
4. Mike Hazel -- Combat, Carrier, Racing,
Speed, Stunt -- 35
5. Jerry Eichten -- Stunt -- 33
6. Bob Welch -- Stunt -- 30
7. Mark Schluter -- Carrier, Racing, Stunt -- 27
8. Jim Schneider -- Carrer, Scale, Stunt
-- 25
9. Randy Ling -- Stunt -- 22
Mike Haverly -- Stunt -- 22
11. Paul Walker -- Stunt -- 21
12. Slav Malovan -- Combat -- 20.7
13. Chris Cox -- Stunt -- 18
Kris
Millard -- Carrier -- 18
15. Gene Pape -- Combat -- 17
16. Rod Claus -- Stunt -- 16
Ken
Burdick -- Racing, Speed -- 16
18. John Leidle -- Stunt -- 14
Walter Hicks --
Stunt -- 14
20. Jim Cameron -- Stunt -- 13
21. Fred Underwood -- Stunt -- 12
22. Doug Powers -- Racing -- 11
23. John Knoppi -- Combat, Racing, Speed
-- 9.5
24. Howard Rush -- Stunt -- 9
Pat Johnston --
Stunt -- 9
Tim Wescott -- Stunt -- 9
Gary Weems -- Stunt -- 9
28. Jim McCartney -- Carrier, Scale,
Stunt -- 8
29. Jim Green -- Combat -- 7.2
30. Orin Humphries -- Carrier, Scale --
7
31. Scott Danner -- Stunt -- 7
32. Robert Smith -- Combat -- 6
Greg Machen -- Combat -- 6
Jess Walls --
Racing, Stunt -- 6
Mark Scarborough -- Stunt
-- 6
36. Bruce Tunberg -- Racing -- 5
37. Gary Dowler -- Scale, Stunt -- 4
38. Gary Harris -- Combat, Racing -- 3.7
39. Mike Potter -- Carrier -- 2
Jim Booker -- Speed -- 2
41. Chris Nicholls -- Carrier -- 1
Niels Madsen -- Racing -- 1
Geral Godfrey -- Scale -- 1
Steve Ashmore -- Stunt -- 1
Flying Lines keeps track of standings in all AMA rulebook and Northwest official events, in all Northwest sanctioned contests.
2023 Standings and Competitor of the Year | 2022 Standings and Competitor of the Year | 2021 Final Standings and Competitor of the Year | 2019 Final Standings and Competitor of the Year | 2018 Final Standings and Competitor of the Year | 2017 Final Standings and Competitor of the Year | 2016 Final Standings and Competitor of the Year | 2015 Final Standings and Competitor of the Year | 2014 Final Standings and Competitor of the Year | 2013 Final Standings and Competitor of the Year | 2012 final standings and Competitor of the Year | 2011 Final Standings and Competitor of the Year | 2010 Final Standings and Competitor of the Year | 2009 Final Standings and Competitor of the Year | 2008 Final Standings and Competitor of the Year | 2007 Final Standings and Competitor of the Year | 2006 Final Standings and Competitor of Year | 2005 Final Standings and Competitor of Year
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This page
was updated Dec. 8, 2024