The most famous combination of race plane and pilot was Jimmy Doolittle and the big red and white R-1 Thomson Trophy racer. Jimmy Doolittle set the world speed record in the R-1 in 1932 at 296 mph.

The Gee Bee R-1 has always been a dream of Lee Oman. In December of 1996, Lee decided to make his dream a reality, building the only flying Gee Bee R-1 of the present. The airplane soon will be ready to take off.