The race was held at Vance Brand Municipal Airport in Longmont. The idea started when Stevinson was chatting with an Eclipse jet charter pilot he knew by the name of Marc Arnold. Wouldn't it be interesting, Stevinson thought, to race a Lexus supercar against the jet.
They decided to use Vance Brand's 4,800-foot runway as a racetrack. Airport executives and the FAA had to give multiple clearances before approving the event since it involved shutting down the airport for a full day.
Helping convince them: the winner of this unusual race would donate $5,000 to the other's charity -- the OUR Center if the car won, or Veteran Airlift Command if the plane did. Lexus and Eclipse agreed to match that $5,000, and arranged that both charities would collect regardless of the results.
In the end, the Lexus supercar beat the jet, clocking in at 171 MPH.
(KUSA-TV © 2012 Multimedia Holdings Corporation)