A little history... On September 9, 2002, Mike Brown's modified Sea Fury, number 232 September Fury, became the fastest Hawker Sea Fury in the world. Brown, owner and pilot, qualified at a blistering 468.266mph to take the third qualifying position at the 2002 National Championship Air Races (NCAR). He broke the previous top-qualifying speed for a Sea Fury set by the Sanders brothers' number 8 Dreadnought at 458.920mph in 1988.

September Fury debuted at the 2000 NCAR but didn't see much action on the nylons after blowing its engine on the first lap of the first Gold Unlimited heat. A year later, the racer had been modified even further, but the races were cancelled because of the September 11 events.

The 2002 NCAR was the first real chance for September Fury and Brown to show their potential. Time spent away from the pylons had been put to good use, with continuous refinements to the racer's airframe. Its wings are devoid of the draginducing oil coolers and the induction scoop normally found on stock Sea Furys, owing to its high-tech, "boil-off," oil-cooling system and alternative-induction system.

At the June Pylon Racing Seminar, Brown flew the racer on the course with an experimental ram-air induction scoop mounted atop the fuselage just behind the engine cowl. Unfortunately, it wasn't efficient, according to Brown. "It worked zero, but we've taken the next step with an over-the-top induction system [OTTIS]." Mounted atop the cowl's leading edge, the OTTIS feeds air efficiently down into the manifold. Other refinements include a direct-injection fuel system and a new Dago Red-style racing canopy.

The hard work paid off with a second-place finish in the Gold Championship final; September Fury had a 455.965mph race average behind the four-time Champion number 4 Dago Red at 466.834mph.