Annual Air-Race Classic begins at Grand Forks International Airport

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — For the first time in its 46-year history, the all-women annual Air Race Classic began its takeoff from Grand Forks International Airport.

“The Air-Race Classic, it’s been 6 years in the making since 2017. We had to delay it due to Covid so we’re really excited that we finally got everyone here, there’s a great turn-out here today. There’s been a lot of work put into this and I think UND Aerospace it really excited about how it’s all come together.” says Walter Criswell of Grand Forks.

The competition that spans across 12 states began with 42 teams and 100 racers taking off from Grand Forks and ending Friday in Miami.

More than 40 aircraft took off at 30-second intervals for the race.

Those who attended cheered on the teams as they prepared for takeoff.

“This is the first time we’ve ever hosted this race we’ve participated in it for a number of years. When they land, they’ll collect all that data and figure out how long it took and stuff like that.” says Criswell.

UND had its very own team in the 2,684-mile race.

The team “Frozen Force” included Grace Heron who is racing in her second Air Race Classic, and Sadie Blace and Tracy Mitchell who are racing in their first Air Race Classic.

Teams are racing against their own best time, not against one another.

This creates a level playing field, enabling slower planes to compete against faster aircraft on an equal basis.

In the days leading up to the race there was a series of unique events to get people excited for the race.