By Robbie Culver
The 2025 EAA AirVenture Cup Cross-Country Air Race was held July 20, 2025, starting at Wausau Downtown Airport (KAUW) and finishing at Merrill Municipal (KRRL). This year’s route included mandatory checkpoints at Shawano, Wisconsin (KEZS); Menominee, Michigan (KMNM); Escanaba, Michigan (KESC); Manistique, Michigan (KISQ); Marquette, Michigan (KSAW); Land O’ Lakes, Wisconsin (KLNL); and Tomahawk, Wisconsin (KTKV).
The race is divided into two categories: experimental and production aircraft. Subcategories are divided by engine size and landing gear configuration.
Eric Whyte, chairman of the AirVenture Cup race said, “This year was the 27th running of the race. We had a huge field; we had 97 airplanes run the course. … Everything from a Turbine Legend down to a Cessna 150. We had a ton of participation, the weather was excellent, and everybody had a really good time!”
More information can be found at AirVentureCupRace.com.
This year’s winners were:
Experimental classes:
Turbine
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| Turbine Legend | Marty Abbott | 1:06:52 | 383.34 |
| Lancair Legacy | Shane & Kayla Daly | 1:23:49 | 305.82 |
Unlimited
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| Lancair Legacy | Andrew Findlay & Karen Madden | 1:26:30 | 296.33 |
| Lancair IV | Joseph & Amanda Czabaranek | 1:30:53 | 282.04 |
Sport
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| Glasair III | Timothy & Danielle Slater | 1:30:04 | 284.59 |
| Lancair Legacy | Dick Key & Michele Sonier | 1:32:49 | 276.16 |
Sport SX
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| SX-300 | Harry Hinckley & Aaron Pierce | 1:23:40 | 306.36 |
| SX-300 | Keith Phillips & Trevor Bone | 1:26:19 | 296.96 |
Sport FX
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| Glasair I TD | Bruce Hammer | 1:33:55 | 272.93 |
Rocket F1
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| Rocket F1 | Wayne Hadath | 1:46:15 | 241.25 |
| Harmon Rocket 2 | Jim Stone | 1:51:36 | 241.25 |
Formula RG White
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| Lancair 360 | Nick Biondo & Zach Beavers | 1:41:42 | 252.04 |
Formula RG Blue
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| Lancair 360 | Craig & Jordan Schulze | 1:44:51 | 244.47 |
Formula RG Red
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| Lancair 320 | William Rossman & Tom Boyd | 1:57:37 | 217.93 |
Formula FX Blue
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| Glasair IIS | Gonzalo Artigas & Jorge Huston | 2:02:10 | 209.82 |
Formula FX Red
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| Long-EZ | Dave Adams | 1:53:23 | 226.07 |
| Long-EZ | Joe & Matthew Conlon | 1:57:45 | 217.68 |
Formula CZ
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| Cozy III | Jorgen Skovberg | 1:57:46 | 217.65 |
| Cozy Mk IV | Bob Bittner | 1:58:22 | 216.55 |
Formula I
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| Cassutt IIIM | Dominic Cacolici | 2:41:40 | 158.56 |
RV White
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| RV-8 | Matthew & Angela King | 2:01:36 | 210.80 |
| RV-8 | Aidan Bilger | 2:08:26 | 199.58 |
RV Blue
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| RV-7 | Bryan Weinzettle | 1:57:36 | 217.96 |
| RV-7 | Matthew Koschak | 2:08:32 | 199.42 |
RV Red
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| RV-8 | Jeremy & Dinah Heidinger | 2:09:33 | 197.86 |
| RV-4 | Curtis Cumberland | 2:11:31 | 194.90 |
RV-10
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| RV-10 | Bob Crooks & Bruce Witmer | 2:12:25 | 193.57 |
| RV-10 | Rick Emerian & Jimmy Shamp | 2:15:48 | 188.75 |
Sprint T
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| Sling TSI | Dan Smith & Amanda Ward | 2:40:26 | 159.77 |
Sprint T RG
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| Risen 916SV | James Mauch & Reed Hatch | 2:03:10 | 208.11 |
Sprint
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| Cruikshank BC-1 | Thomas Simpkinson | 2:24:26 | 177.47 |
| Long-EZ | Jay Van Every | 2:29:49 | 171.09 |
Factory Classes:
Jet ME
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| Eclipse 500 | Jeff Rochelle & Tony Dubs | 1:15:25 | 339.88 |
Jet SE
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet | Casey Jones II & Cindy Wittke | 1:26:44 | 295.53 |
Twin 1T
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| Aerostar 601 | Carol (Joe) Ford & Norman Howell | 1:53:27 | 225.94 |
Twin 1
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| Rockwell Twin Commander | Ed Cole | 2:10:21 | 196.64 |
Twin 2-T
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| Piper Aztec | Alan Blackburn III & Shelby Blackburn | 2:19:21 | 183.94 |
Twin 3
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| Piper PA-30 | Andrew & Eileen Weingram | 2:18:36 | 184.94 |
FAC1RG
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| Piper PA 24-400 | John Gritschke & Trace Gamache | 1:57:25 | 218.30 |
| Meyers 200D | Jason & Dane Pruitt | 2:02:02 | 210.05 |
FAC1FX-T
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| Lancair Columbia 400 | Jeff Montgomery & Paul Hermoso | 2:05:51 | 203.67 |
| Piper PA-32 | Michael Scheppa & Dave Boulos | 2:42:59 | 157.27 |
FAC1FX
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| GB1 | Serrhal & Patty Adams | 1:56:39 | 219.74 |
Skywagon
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| Cessna 185F | Laura & Allen Floyd | 2:33:35 | 166.90 |
| Cessna 185F | Ken & Deb Long | 2:40:12 | 160.00 |
FAC2RG
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| Beechcraft J35 Bonanza | John Conroy | 2:10:21 | 196.64 |
| Piper PA-24 | Jonathon & Grant Lorek | 2:14:17 | 190.88 |
FAC3RG
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| Mooney M20J | Rebecca Cutri-Kohart & Byron Rodgers | 2:14:23 | 190.74 |
| Mooney M20J | Joel Ludwigson & Lynette Apitz | 2:21:42 | 180.89 |
FAC3FX
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| Cessna 182M | Michael & Tyler Unerti | 2:38:06 | 162.13 |
| Cirrus SR-20 | Tim Mathson & Martin Gyuro | 2:38:58 | 161.24 |
FAC4RG
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| Mooney M20C | Steven & Collin Dieck | 2:32:04 | 168.56 |
FAC4FX
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| Piper Warrior II | David Stuart & Vinnie Elsinger | 2:50:31 | 150.32 |
| Cessna 172P | Heidi & Scott Snyder | 2:59:47 | 142.58 |
FAC6
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| Cessna 150M | Dan Bauknecht & Mark Westen | 4:23:07 | 97.42 |
Heavy Metal – Stearman / Biplane
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| Stearman PT-17 | Kevin Clark & John Nolan | 3:53:00 | 110.01 |
Heavy Metal – T-34
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| Beechcraft T-34 | Patrick Doyle | 3:18:18 | 129.26 |
Heavy Metal – T-6
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| North American SNJ-5 | Virgil Tatman & John Ballew | 2:19:46 | 183.40 |
Light Sport
| Aircraft | Pilot | Total time | Total Average Speed |
| Aeroprakt A-32 | Brad Lewiztke & John Ballew | 3:22:02 | 126.87 |
| RV-12iS | Randall Sweet | 3:28:55 | 122.69 |