Here's some more shots of Rare Bear during its early years. You can see the old paint scheme of overall white with gold trim. I also included the right side cockpit view. The words: "Experimental" is clearly seen. FAA says the letters must be 2" in height.
In response to your reply..... Oh yeah, they raced the Hellcat against the other warbirds. But they were in the Bronze race and almost all of the other warbird racers were stock save for the racing numbers painted on their tails and maybe some fancy paint schemes. . You could almost close your eyes, and hear the distinctive whine of the Merlins and a couple of Tempest's P+W 4360's. Then there's the unmistakable throaty roar of the Hellcat, giving chase on their tails....
Was the Hellcat eventually overtaken? Yep. Even then, everyone in the audience had a big smile on their collective faces. They really enjoyed that "Cat."
Don't know if you're familiar with the categories of racers in the warbirds class. There are three classifications: Gold -for the unlimiteds where almost anything goes so long as its piston powered. Then there's the Silver for those who didn't qualify for the Gold. Then there's the Bronze race. Of course, we have the jets, Goodyears, T-6's, Sports and biplanes. I can't remember the rest, if there are any.
About fifteen years ago, there was a great uproar between two T-6 camps. They had such a rivalry that the losing team demanded that the winning team tear down their engine to show they were not cheating (engines and airframes must be stock, but they can save weight by removing the back seat, sealing up the panels and polishing the finishes). They complied, but not before things almost came to blows. The Air Race Committee kicked both teams off the field for that season.
Of course there are many other things that happen; both tragic and funny. Never a dull moment.. The Committee decided to amend the qualifications of racers and pilots such that safety overruled everything which is a good thing. Still, the unlimiteds were almost stock in all three categories.