Firstly Best Wishes for 2026 to all the CL Speed competitors and fans who are receiving this new post.
There are a few things to cover in this post, so let’s go.
Website
There have been some problems with this website’s email database of people who receive these post notifications. We had around 255 people who were on the email list, but behind the scenes, this list got slashed to 27 people (no idea how). The list at 255 had a lot of people on there who were not actively interested in CL Speed, so this is not so bad. I have rebuilt an email list/database from memory and using my personal email lists and this new listing has just under 60 names, it has to be said that these names are all either active competitors or actively interested in CL Speed, if you know someone who is missing then it is very easy for them to get on the list via the subscribe box on the home page.
F2WC’s
We have the F2 World Championship (link below) in Perth, Australia, between the 2nd and 8th May 2026. Some people receiving this post notification are competing, so good luck to you and may the best man win !!
2026 Control Line World Championships
UK Speed flying
The UK CL Speed scene seems to be holding up with competitors, there are just enough new fliers coming to replace those who retire or give up. Mostly the new competitors come in as sport jet fliers but there is a slight migration of these guys towards IC speed.
The UK Speedcom has approved a revised set of 29 IC speed rules that are very aligned with a resurrection of the 29 class in Italy and 29’s will be flown at the very popular Alpe meeting near Udine which is being held on the 13th and 14th June. This meeting will also host Italian Sport Jet, F2A and F2G, it is a great meeting and well worth attending.
The Barton speed calendar has been issued and can be viewed at the following link Contest calendar and results – Open Control Line Speed
The full BMFA CL Speed calendar will be posted shortly.
F2A Podium from the 2024 Udine F2 World Cup meeting.
Italian 29 class
For the last two years there has been a very constructive relationship between the Italian CL speed fliers Paolo Del Bianco and Renato Durigon with Dick Hart, this initially revolved around an additional Sport Jet class which in the UK is called Italian Sport Jet, principally the difference being that the models are fuelled with pump petrol (Gasoline) and typically use Zanin manufactured pulse jets.
This constructive relationship has led to discussions of a similar conceived class for 29 speed models, on the face of it you may ask why 29 models? Well actually it is quite interesting to have what I would like to call an Open International class in CL speed that has a set of rules agreed by the participants and is not as intense as F2A.
The choice of engines for this class is interesting, should one use a 28 car engine (often called truggy engines at this size)? or should the choice be a full block 29 such as the X29 or OPS 29 or even the Nelson 29? How this evolves will be interesting. My personal experience is that it is actually easier getting hold of full block 29’s rather than the 28 car engines as the manufacturers have abandoned the 28 car classes. The Italian factories (OPS and ST) made a good number of 29 speed engines over the years and these are often for sale.
The rules for this Open International class will be published shortly.
Joey Mathison
It is with regret that the news of Joey Mathison’s passing came to us in the autumn of 2025, Joey was a larger than life character in more ways than one.
Fitting tributes can be read at the Flying Lines website at the following link.
Flying Lines: Joey Mathison obituary
B.L December 2025