Red Bull Air Race pilot Alejandro Maclean killed during training flight

Spanish aerobatics pilot Alejandro Maclean was killed when his plane slammed into the ground as was performing stunt, said a spokesman for the airfield in Spain where the accident occurred.

Alejandro “Alex” Maclean 41, two-time Spanish aerobatics champion and for several years had been a competitor in the Red Bull Air Race World Championship Series, considered the “Formula One” of aerobatics.

His plane slammed into the ground as he was performing a stunt during a training exercise at the airfield at Casarrubios del Monte, in the central province of Toledo near Madrid, killing him instantly, the spokesman for the airfield said.

Spanish aviation authorities are to investigate the crash.

Photo: www.air-races.com

Paul Bonhomme Worldchampion 2010 Red Bull Air Race

For the second time in line Paul Bonhomme won the Red Bull Air Race Championship today in Lausitz, Germany.

Qualification

The day started with the qualification for the top 12 after the bad weather of yesterday. Michael Goulian and Sergey Rakhmanin of Russia end their 2010 championship campaigns after failing to make it through to the next round.

Rank	Name	Nation	Int. 1	Int. 2	Int. 3	Rnd.	Time	Diff.	Pen
1	Bonhomme Paul	GBR	18.28	34.65	54.18	Q1	1:10.16		0
2	Lamb Nigel	GBR	19.05	35.40	54.69	Q1	1:10.35	+ 0.19	0
3	Dolderer Matthias	GER	19.77	36.23	57.72	Q1	1:13.18	+ 3.02	0
4	Hall Matt	AUS	19.51	35.91	55.93	Q1	1:13.43	+ 3.27	2
5	Besenyei Peter	HUN	19.77	36.22	57.24	Q1	1:13.58	+ 3.42	0
6	Ivanoff Nicolas	FRA	18.44	35.84	55.59	Q1	1:13.87	+ 3.71	2
7	Arch Hannes	AUT	19.50	39.17	1:00.06	Q1	1:14.75	+ 4.59	4
8	Chambliss Kirby	USA	19.27	36.54	57.18	Q1	1:15.10	+ 4.94	0
9	Muroya Yoshihide	JPN	19.93	38.86	1:00.21	Q1	1:16.34	+ 6.18	2
10	McLeod Pete	CAN	19.49	37.08	58.46	Q1	1:16.90	+ 6.74	2
11	Maclean Alejandro	ESP	21.61	39.18	1:00.87	Q1	1:17.84	+ 7.68	2
12	Sonka Martin	CZE	20.60	38.58	1:00.89	Q1	1:18.08	+ 7.92	0
13	Goulian Michael	USA	20.81	37.88	1:01.28	Q1	1:18.33	+ 8.17	2
14	Rakhmanin Sergey	RUS	20.47	38.21	1:03.57	Q1	1:22.46	+ 12.30	6

Top 12

Arch has the fastest run in the T Ivanoff is second, Hall third and Bonhomme fourth. Also advancing to the Super 8 are McLeod (5), Dolderer (6), Chambliss (7) and Lamb (8).

Rank	Name	Nation	Int. 1	Int. 2	Int. 3	Time	Diff.	Pen
1	Arch Hannes	AUT	19.71	35.38	55.85	1:11.39		0
2	Ivanoff Nicolas	FRA	18.75	35.97	55.93	1:12.31	+ 0.92	0
3	Hall Matt	AUS	19.41	36.07	56.77	1:12.53	+ 1.14	0
4	Bonhomme Paul	GBR	18.71	36.96	56.77	1:12.63	+ 1.24	2
5	McLeod Pete	CAN	18.92	36.05	56.87	1:12.63	+ 1.24	0
6	Dolderer Matthias	GER	19.65	36.17	56.67	1:12.66	+ 1.27	0
7	Chambliss Kirby	USA	19.16	36.07	57.02	1:13.54	+ 2.15	0
8	Lamb Nigel	GBR	19.10	35.52	56.06	1:13.77	+ 2.38	2
9	Besenyei Peter	HUN	20.13	38.11	59.01	1:16.58	+ 5.19	4
10	Maclean Alejandro	ESP	21.76	38.76	59.56	1:17.04	+ 5.65	3
11	Sonka Martin	CZE	20.66	38.14	1:00.85	1:17.33	+ 5.94	0
12	Muroya Yoshihide	JPN	19.70	43.56	1:04.84	1:23.76	+ 12.37	9

Super 8

What a performance under pressure by Bonhomme. He did not need to win that Super 8 round. He only needed to finish in the top 4. But he flew nearly a full second faster than he needed to — beating Arch, Lamb and Hall.

Rank	Name	Nation	Int. 1	Int. 2	Int. 3	Time	Diff.	Pen
1	Bonhomme Paul	GBR	18.63	35.07	55.30	1:11.00		0
2	Arch Hannes	AUT	19.33	35.29	55.81	1:11.15	+ 0.15	0
3	Lamb Nigel	GBR	18.73	35.31	55.69	1:11.87	+ 0.87	0
4	Hall Matt	AUS	19.50	36.07	56.73	1:11.96	+ 0.96	0
5	Ivanoff Nicolas	FRA	18.60	36.43	56.56	1:13.26	+ 2.26	0
6	Chambliss Kirby	USA	20.23	36.67	57.49	1:14.06	+ 3.06	0
7	Dolderer Matthias	GER	21.43	38.09	58.61	1:14.49	+ 3.49	2
8	McLeod Pete	CAN	18.79	35.79	56.46	1:14.53	+ 3.53	2

Final Four

Arch wins his fourth race of the year. World Champion Bonhomme runner up, Matt Hall third place and Nigel Lamb fourth place he didn’t start the final four because of a flat tire.

Rank	Name	Nation	Start Speed	Int. 1	Int. 2	Int. 3	Rnd.	Time	Diff.	Pen	Max G
1	Arch Hannes	AUT	362 kph	19.80	35.79	56.80	F4	1:12.30		0	10,1 g
2	Bonhomme Paul	GBR	359 kph	19.35	36.01	56.44	F4	1:12.66	+ 0.36	0	9,6 g
3	Hall Matt	AUS	365 kph	20.42	36.89	1:00.09	F4	1:17.41	+ 5.11	4	9,7 g
4	Lamb Nigel	GBR					F4	DNS

Race

Rank	Name	Nation	Rnd.	Time	Diff	Points
1	Arch Hannes	AUT	F4	1:12.30		12
2	Bonhomme Paul	GBR	F4	1:12.66	+ 0.36	10 + 1
3	Hall Matt	AUS	F4	1:17.41	+ 5.11	9
4	Lamb Nigel	GBR	F4	DNS		8
5	Ivanoff Nicolas	FRA	S8	1:13.26		7
6	Chambliss Kirby	USA	S8	1:14.06	+ 0.80	6
7	Dolderer Matthias	GER	S8	1:14.49	+ 1.23	5
8	McLeod Pete	CAN	S8	1:14.53	+ 1.27	4
9	Besenyei Peter	HUN	T12	1:16.58		3
10	Maclean Alejandro	ESP	T12	1:17.04	+ 0.46	2
11	Sonka Martin	CZE	T12	1:17.33	+ 0.75	1
12	Muroya Yoshihide	JPN	T12	1:23.76	+ 7.18	0
13	Goulian Michael	USA	Q	1:18.33		0
14	Rakhmanin Sergey	RUS	Q	1:22.46	+ 4.13	0

World Championship

Bonhomme, who also won the 2009 championship, finishes the six-race championship with 64 points and two victories — in Abu Dhabi in New York. Arch, the 2008 champion, ends the year with 60 points and four wins — in Perth, Rio, Windsor and Germany. Britain’s Nigel Lamb ended up third.

Rank	Name	Nation	Points
1	Bonhomme Paul	GBR	64
2	Arch Hannes	AUT	60
3	Lamb Nigel	GBR	55
4	Chambliss Kirby	USA	41
5	McLeod Pete	CAN	33
6	Ivanoff Nicolas	FRA	33
7	Hall Matt	AUS	31
8	Dolderer Matthias	GER	26
9	Goulian Michael	USA	24
10	Besenyei Peter	HUN	21
11	Maclean Alejandro	ESP	9
12	Muroya Yoshihide	JPN	5
13	Rakhmanin Sergey	RUS	4
14	Sonka Martin	CZE	2
15	Kindlemann Adilson	BRA	0

Source: Redbullairrace.com
Photo: Rob Vogelaar, ZAPP Group

Qualification Red Bull Air Race EuroSpeedway Lausitz, Germany cancelled by rain

Due heavy rainfall at the Qualification Red Bull Air Race EuroSpeedway Lausitz, Germany only seven of the fourteen pilots able to complete their flight in the track before conditions worsened and the session was cancelled. Race officials will make a decision Sunday morning at 1100 on whether the first Qualifying session will continue, allowing the remaining seven pilots to run. Here the results of the seven pilots who flew the Saturday qaulification:

Rank	Name	Nation	Start Speed	Int. 1	Int. 2	Int. 3	Rnd.	Time	Diff.	Pen	Max G
1	McLeod Pete	CAN	360 kph	19.52	36.33	57.10	Q1	1:13.86		0	10,8 g
2	Chambliss Kirby	USA	366 kph	19.77	38.33	58.75	Q1	1:15.58	+ 1.72	0	10,2 g
3	Dolderer Matthias	GER	349 kph	21.19	39.27	1:00.16	Q1	1:15.83	+ 1.97	2	10,3 g
4	Besenyei Peter	HUN	340 kph	20.90	39.45	1:01.07	Q1	1:17.57	+ 3.71	2	10,0 g
5	Rakhmanin Sergey	RUS	360 kph	21.39	38.53	1:01.19	Q1	1:18.78	+ 4.92	0	9,9 g
6	Maclean Alejandro	ESP	352 kph	23.00	39.90	1:02.51	Q1	1:21.33	+ 7.47	4	9,9 g
7	Sonka Martin	CZE	367 kph	21.30	42.43	1:04.40	Q1	1:21.71	+ 7.85	4	8,8 g

 

Source: REDBULLAIRRACE.Com

Arch confident he can beat Bonhomme to win 2010 title

LAUSITZ, Germany – Austria’s Hannes Arch said on Wednesday that he felt confident he could win the weekend’s Red Bull Air Race’s 2010 season finale at Germany’s EuroSpeedway Lausitz and with, a bit of luck, even overtake Paul Bonhomme to win the world championship. But Bonhomme, the defending champion from Britain who holds a five-point lead over Arch, countered that he was just as confident about winning enough points to clinch a second straight title.

Germany’s Matthias Dolderer said he was optimistic about getting on the podium at his home race — which is also the 50th since the Red Bull Air Race was launched in 2003. The weekend’s race is also one of the highlights of celebrations marking the 10th anniversary of the EuroSpeedway Lausitz, which has the largest and most modern grandstand facility in Europe. The hangars are set up in the pit lane directly in front of the grandstand, giving spectators a privileged view of how the pilots and their teams prepare for the racing.

“My strategy here is to win the race and see what happens,” Arch told dozens of journalists at a news conference in front of the hangars ahead of the first training sessions on Thursday. “I’ll do my best to win the race and then sit back and wait for Paul to make a mistake. This is my best season ever and we’ve never flown better as a team — and everyone knows that.  My goal is to come away from Germany with the championship.”

Arch has won three of the last four races — Perth, Rio and Windsor. The 2008 champion also has what is widely believed to be the fastest plane — an Edge 540 V3. That is the same plane that Dolderer will be flying in front of his home crowd at the world class EuroSpeedway motorsport racing circuit, the first time a Red Bull Air Race has been held at a motorsport track.

Bonhomme not worried about Arch

But Bonhomme has been the more consistent pilot this year, getting on the podium in all five races and with victories in the two other races in Abu Dhabi and New York. Bonhomme, with a five-point lead, would need to finish at least third in Sunday’s race to win the title if Arch wins the one point for Qualifying on Saturday. There are 12 points awarded to the winner, 10 for second and nine for third place.

“There is absolutely no question in me worrying about the points now,” Bonhomme said. “It’s absolutely pointless. What I’ve got to do is enjoy the training, try different tactics and piece it all together. I don’t have to beat Hannes. If I were going to be a tactician, all I have to do is concentrate on Nigel (Lamb), Kirby (Chambliss), Matt (Hall) and Pete (McLeod). Hannes can do what he wants. All I have to do is beat the others.”

Bonhomme, who came in a frustratingly close second in the 2007 and 2008 season, knows that experience in the title battles in the final race could prove to be be a key advantage — as he demonstrated last year with a clutch victory in the season finale in Barcelona to beat Arch at the very end of a thrilling championship.

“Of course that’s an advantage,” Bonhomme said of the experience he has flying under pressure. “But the key is just to be cool. I am very relaxed. A little bit of nervousness you have underneath is sometimes a good thing. We’ll see how it goes in the track in training on Thursday. If we go around the track and Hannes, Nigel and Kirby are all two seconds ahead of me, I’ll suddenly have to start doing some rethinking.”

Arch would like to win in Germany to have bragging rights — the most number of wins in 2010. It would be four if he can win in Germany. In 2008, Bonhomme won four races but Arch won the title with only two wins. Arch would like to turn the tables on Bonhomme this time around by claiming the most victories.

Source: RedBullAirRace.com

RedBull AirRace world championship takes one year off in 2011

Red Bull Air Race GmbH confirmed that for the future success and development of the sport, the World Championship will take a one-year break in 2011.

The organization will use this opportunity to fast track the technological advancements currently in the making which would further improve the already high levels of safety.

There is a need to revise the main organization and commercial areas to realize the full potential of the sport including the development and reinforcement of strong host city partnerships which would secure a long term race calendar.

Source: RedBull AirRaces. www.redbullairraces.com

Champion to be crowned in Germany following Budapest cancellation

The Red Bull Air Race in Budapest has been cancelled this year due to lengthy delays in the permissions process, the organization announced with regret today. Interrupting a six-year tradition of racing in the Hungarian capital, the Red Bull Air Race World Champion will now be crowned after the final race of the 2010 season at EuroSpeedway in Lausitz, Germany on 7th & 8th August.

Budapest has been an annual fixture on the Red Bull Air Race World Championship calendar since 2004 with enormous crowds of more than 600,000 spectators watching the racing from the banks of the Danube River. This year’s race, which would have been the seventh annual race in Budapest, was set for 19th & 20th August.

Red Bull Air Race GmbH CEO Bernd Loidl expressed his disappointment over the Budapest cancellation, which comes just a week after a race cancellation in Portugal due to unexpected delays in reaching a revised host city agreement. But he said he hoped Budapest would be back on the calendar in 2011. Loidl also said the 2011 calendar will be announced after the final round in Germany next month – which will include a return to New York after the historic first race there in June.

“Having safely and successfully executed the Red Bull Air Race World Championship in Budapest for the past six years, it was a tough decision to make,” Loidl said. “Following so close to the cancellation of the Portugal race last week, we are obviously disappointed and every effort will be made to see a return to Budapest in 2011. Securing the future of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship is paramount and making tough decisions is part of that process. We look forward to announcing the 2011 calendar after the final round in Germany including a much anticipated return to New York in the United States.”

The battle for the 2010 Red Bull Air Race World Championship will remain intense at Lausitzring in Germany, where defending champion Paul Bonhomme is holding a five-point lead over 2008 champion Hannes Arch of Austria. Arch has won three of the last five races and is confident he can overtake Bonhomme down the home stretch of the 2010 season to take his second title. The Red Bull Air Race has been a FAI-recognised world championship since 2005.

Ticket Refunds:

For tickets purchased via www.redbullairrace.com – refunds will be made automatically to the purchaser’s credit card, to the face value of the event ticket.

Tickets purchased through ticketing, travel or hospitality agencies are advised to contact their sales agents directly for a refund.

For further information contact: media@redbullairrace.com

Source: Redbullairraces.com

Final round of the World Championship 2010 in Portugal Cancelled

The Red Bull Air Race GmbH today announced that the final round of the 2010 World Championship, which was to be held in Portugal on 4th and 5th September, will be cancelled due to the unexpected delays in reaching a revised host city agreement. 

The negotiation process with Tourism Portugal and the associated cities of Lisbon, Porto and Gaia was positive, however time ran out to execute a race of this size, complexity and of the quality expected of the strong fan base in Portugal.

The 2010 race was originally announced on 21st December 2009 to take place in Portugal’s capital city, Lisbon.  Earlier this year the City of Lisbon, in an effort to secure a longer term agreement for Portugal, approached the Cities of Porto and Gaia to develop a joint proposal which would have seen the race alternate between the north and south of Portugal over the next four years. 

“The Red Bull Air Race is committed to keeping Portugal on the race calendar, however, due to the delays in finalising the agreement, we were faced with making a tough decision to cancel the race for 2010 due to the time available to plan and execute a quality event.” said Mr Bernd Loidl, CEO Red Bull Air Race GmbH.

“Making such a decision is not easy and I would like to take this opportunity to thank our valued sponsors, broadcast partners and fans around the world for their support and understanding.  I would also like to thank the Cities of Lisbon, Porto and Gaia, along with Tourism of Portugal and Tourism of Lisbon, as every effort was made from all sides to reach a revised agreement; however, time simply ran out.  We hope to continue discussions to see the race return to Portugal again in the near future,” Loidl said.

Just five years since it was officially launched, the Red Bull Air Race World Championship has evolved to become the most exhilarating and fastest growing motor sport on the planet and has touched down in spectacular locations around the world from the beaches of Rio de Janeiro to the West Coast of Australia, and most recently its debut in New York on the Hudson River. 

The Red Bull Air Race World Championship is a visual spectacle unlike any other, delivering raw sporting drama set amidst vibrant landscapes.  The sport has quickly built a staggering following around the world with millions captivated by the exciting and dynamic racing format. 

Source: www.redbullairraces.com

Paul Bonhomme wins Red Bull Air Race New York

Paul Bonhomme wins for the second time this year an Air Race. Bonhomme stopped the clock in 1:10.01, the day’s fastest time on the 5.5-km track of 13 Air Gates set up on the Hudson  river. That was a full 2.05 seconds faster than Lamb and 2.08 faster than Chambliss. Arch was 5.35 behind –hurt by the six-second penalty for hitting a pylon. Without the penalty Arch would have beaten Bonhomme.

Top 12

Arch gets a 1:13.31 with a 2 sec penalty for incorrect level flying on gate 8. puts him fifth.

Rank	Name	Nation	Int. 1	Int. 2	Int. 3	Time	Diff.	Pen
1	Bonhomme Paul	GBR	14.48	32.00	53.25	1:10.09		0
2	Lamb Nigel	GBR	14.89	32.86	55.73	1:12.61	+ 2.52	0
3	McLeod Pete	CAN	14.68	32.79	55.77	1:12.84	+ 2.75	0
4	Chambliss Kirby	USA	15.23	33.36	55.30	1:13.19	+ 3.10	0
5	Arch Hannes	AUT	15.02	32.21	54.02	1:13.31	+ 3.22	2
6	Ivanoff Nicolas	FRA	14.93	33.11	55.98	1:13.99	+ 3.90	0
7	Besenyei Peter	HUN	15.03	33.01	56.88	1:14.21	+ 4.12	0
8	Goulian Michael	USA	15.35	33.61	56.45	1:14.41	+ 4.32	0
9	Maclean Alejandro	ESP	15.45	33.80	57.06	1:14.75	+ 4.66	0
10	Dolderer Matthias	GER	15.09	33.40	55.64	1:14.92	+ 4.83	2
11	Sonka Martin	CZE	15.56	34.29	58.41	1:16.78	+ 6.69	0
12	Rakhmanin Sergey	RUS	15.33	34.54	59.53	1:18.17	+ 8.08	0

Super Eight

Paul Bonhomme is first in the super Eight 1.42 for Hannes Arch, who gets 2nd place and moves into the final: 1:11.49 seconds Chambliss and Lamb get the final two tickets to the final. Mcleod in 5th, Ivanoff in 6th Goulian 7th and Peter Besenyei 8th will be done for the day.

Rank	Name	Nation	Int. 1	Int. 2	Int. 3	Time	Diff.	Pen
1	Bonhomme Paul	GBR	14.44	31.94	52.79	1:10.07		0
2	Arch Hannes	AUT	14.60	32.01	54.11	1:11.49	+ 1.42	0
3	Chambliss Kirby	USA	14.90	33.23	54.20	1:11.69	+ 1.62	0
4	Lamb Nigel	GBR	14.97	32.62	55.37	1:12.49	+ 2.42	0
5	McLeod Pete	CAN	14.82	32.80	55.52	1:12.69	+ 2.62	0
6	Ivanoff Nicolas	FRA	15.04	33.01	55.73	1:13.24	+ 3.17	0
7	Goulian Michael	USA	15.22	32.74	55.12	1:14.81	+ 4.74	2
8	Besenyei Peter	HUN	16.72	36.63	1:00.22	1:17.43	+ 7.36	4

Final Four

Bonhomme wins, Lamb second, Chambliss third and Arch 4th after touching gate 8 on the final run.

Rank	Name	Nation	Int. 1	Int. 2	Int. 3	Time	Diff.	Pen
1	Bonhomme Paul	GBR	14.20	31.73	53.17	1:10.01		0
2	Lamb Nigel	GBR	14.70	32.33	54.68	1:12.06	+ 2.05	0
3	Chambliss Kirby	USA	14.62	32.67	54.14	1:12.09	+ 2.08	0
4	Arch Hannes	AUT	14.07	31.07	58.31	1:15.35	+ 5.34	6

Race

Rank	Name	Nation	Rnd.	Time	Diff	Points
1	Bonhomme Paul	GBR	F4	1:10.01		12
2	Lamb Nigel	GBR	F4	1:12.06	+ 2.05	10
3	Chambliss Kirby	USA	F4	1:12.09	+ 2.08	9
4	Arch Hannes	AUT	F4	1:15.35	+ 5.34	8 + 1
5	McLeod Pete	CAN	S8	1:12.69		7
6	Ivanoff Nicolas	FRA	S8	1:13.24	+ 0.55	6
7	Goulian Michael	USA	S8	1:14.81	+ 2.12	5
8	Besenyei Peter	HUN	S8	1:17.43	+ 4.74	4
9	Maclean Alejandro	ESP	T12	1:14.75		3
10	Dolderer Matthias	GER	T12	1:14.92	+ 0.17	2
11	Sonka Martin	CZE	T12	1:16.78	+ 2.03	1
12	Rakhmanin Sergey	RUS	T12	1:18.17	+ 3.42	0

World Championship Standings 2010

Rank	Name	Nation	Points
1	Bonhomme Paul	GBR	53
2	Arch Hannes	AUT	48
3	Lamb Nigel	GBR	47
4	Chambliss Kirby	USA	35
5	McLeod Pete	CAN	29
6	Ivanoff Nicolas	FRA	26
7	Goulian Michael	USA	24
8	Hall Matt	AUS	22
9	Dolderer Matthias	GER	21
10	Besenyei Peter	HUN	18
11	Maclean Alejandro	ESP	7
12	Muroya Yoshihide	JPN	5
13	Rakhmanin Sergey	RUS	4
14	Sonka Martin	CZE	1
15	Kindlemann Adilson	BRA	0

 

Source: Red Bull Air Race.com

Qualification Red Bull Air Race New York June 19

Arch, who has won three straight races, set a track record time of 1:08.18 in the 5.5-kilometer long track. Arch wins the 1 point and is now 1 point behind Paul Bonhomme in the World Champion Standings. Bonhomme was 0.52 seconds behind his Austrian rival. Canada’s Pete McLeod took an impressive third place in the first Qualifying run.

Nigel Lamb, the pre-race favorite in the turn-filled track, was a disappointing sixth in the Qualifying session ahead of Sunday’s race.

First Round

Rank	Name	Nation	Int. 1	Int. 2	Int. 3	Time	Diff.	Pen
1	Arch Hannes	AUT	14.25	31.06	51.26	1:08.18		0
2	Bonhomme Paul	GBR	14.49	32.03	52.26	1:08.98	+ 0.80	0
3	McLeod Pete	CAN	14.94	32.70	54.50	1:11.23	+ 3.05	0
4	Lamb Nigel	GBR	14.62	32.24	53.02	1:12.29	+ 4.11	2
5	Chambliss Kirby	USA	15.28	33.45	54.89	1:12.34	+ 4.16	0
6	Besenyei Peter	HUN	15.03	32.58	55.66	1:12.48	+ 4.30	0
7	Goulian Michael	USA	15.68	33.90	55.31	1:13.07	+ 4.89	0
8	Maclean Alejandro	ESP	15.44	33.52	55.72	1:13.25	+ 5.07	0
9	Ivanoff Nicolas	FRA	15.13	34.92	56.25	1:13.68	+ 5.50	2
10	Dolderer Matthias	GER	15.51	34.68	56.78	1:14.21	+ 6.03	0
11	Sonka Martin	CZE	15.49	36.45	59.90	1:19.73	+ 11.55	4
12	Rakhmanin Sergey	RUS	15.17	33.76	58.73	1:24.72	+ 16.54	10

Second Round

Rank	Name	Nation	Int. 1	Int. 2	Int. 3	Time	Diff.	Pen
1	Bonhomme Paul	GBR	14.65	31.49	51.84	1:08.70		0
2	Chambliss Kirby	USA	14.72	32.64	53.92	1:11.71	+ 3.01	0
3	Goulian Michael	USA	15.04	32.96	55.20	1:12.00	+ 3.30	0
4	Lamb Nigel	GBR	14.49	32.00	55.48	1:12.12	+ 3.42	2
5	Dolderer Matthias	GER	15.08	33.33	54.95	1:12.19	+ 3.49	0
6	Besenyei Peter	HUN	14.89	33.04	55.85	1:12.92	+ 4.22	0
7	McLeod Pete	CAN	14.67	32.74	54.79	1:13.64	+ 4.94	2
8	Ivanoff Nicolas	FRA	15.30	35.11	56.02	1:14.22	+ 5.52	3
9	Maclean Alejandro	ESP	14.88	33.53	57.67	1:14.50	+ 5.80	2
10	Arch Hannes	AUT	14.32	31.16	51.71	1:14.93	+ 6.23	6
11	Sonka Martin	CZE	15.67	34.28	57.93	1:17.99	+ 9.29	2
12	Rakhmanin Sergey	RUS	15.66	34.36	57.81	1:18.23	+ 9.53	2

Overall Results Qualification New York Air Race

Rank	Name	Nation	Int. 1	Int. 2	Int. 3	Rnd.	Time	Diff.	Pen
1	Arch Hannes	AUT	14.25	31.06	51.26	Q1	1:08.18		0
2	Bonhomme Paul	GBR	14.65	31.49	51.84	Q2	1:08.70	+ 0.52	0
3	McLeod Pete	CAN	14.94	32.70	54.50	Q1	1:11.23	+ 3.05	0
4	Chambliss Kirby	USA	14.72	32.64	53.92	Q2	1:11.71	+ 3.53	0
5	Goulian Michael	USA	15.04	32.96	55.20	Q2	1:12.00	+ 3.82	0
6	Lamb Nigel	GBR	14.49	32.00	55.48	Q2	1:12.12	+ 3.94	2
7	Dolderer Matthias	GER	15.08	33.33	54.95	Q2	1:12.19	+ 4.01	0
8	Besenyei Peter	HUN	15.03	32.58	55.66	Q1	1:12.48	+ 4.30	0
9	Maclean Alejandro	ESP	15.44	33.52	55.72	Q1	1:13.25	+ 5.07	0
10	Ivanoff Nicolas	FRA	15.13	34.92	56.25	Q1	1:13.68	+ 5.50	2
11	Sonka Martin	CZE	15.67	34.28	57.93	Q2	1:17.99	+ 9.81	2
12	Rakhmanin Sergey	RUS	15.66	34.36	57.81	Q2	1:18.23	+ 10.05	2

Second  Training Day Friday 18 June

Rank	Name	Nation	Int. 1	Int. 2	Int. 3	Time	Diff.	Pen
1	Lamb Nigel	GBR	14.85	32.75	55.34	1:12.03		0
2	Ivanoff Nicolas	FRA	15.24	32.92	55.19	1:12.12	+ 0.09	0
3	Bonhomme Paul	GBR	14.78	32.14	55.37	1:12.33	+ 0.30	2
4	Arch Hannes	AUT	14.29	34.42	56.29	1:13.17	+ 1.14	2
5	Maclean Alejandro	ESP	15.22	34.31	57.63	1:14.42	+ 2.39	0
6	Goulian Michael	USA	16.24	35.38	58.12	1:16.18	+ 4.15	0
7	McLeod Pete	CAN	14.92	33.67	56.97	1:16.25	+ 4.22	2
8	Besenyei Peter	HUN	15.23	33.74	57.29	1:16.46	+ 4.43	2
9	Rakhmanin Sergey	RUS	15.46	34.16	57.67	1:17.97	+ 5.94	2
10	Sonka Martin	CZE	15.35	34.80	59.29	1:19.17	+ 7.14	2
11	Chambliss Kirby	USA	15.60	33.91	58.19	1:21.72	+ 9.69	8
12	Dolderer Matthias	GER	15.24	35.63		SCO

First Training Day Thursday 17 June

Rank	Name	Nation	Int. 1	Int. 2	Int. 3	Rnd.	Time	Diff.	Pen
1	Arch Hannes	AUT	14.25	33.60	55.44	Run 3	1:11.75		1
2	Lamb Nigel	GBR	14.49	32.76	55.26	Run 2	1:12.02	+ 0.27	0
3	Bonhomme Paul	GBR	14.32	34.31	55.81	Run 2	1:13.17	+ 1.42	2
4	Chambliss Kirby	USA	15.14	33.67	55.08	Run 2	1:13.21	+ 1.46	0
5	Dolderer Matthias	GER	14.93	33.86	56.05	Run 3	1:15.27	+ 3.52	2
6	Maclean Alejandro	ESP	15.24	34.20	58.48	Run 2	1:15.55	+ 3.80	0
7	Ivanoff Nicolas	FRA	14.41	34.41	57.00	Run 2	1:15.79	+ 4.04	5
8	Besenyei Peter	HUN	16.09	35.54	58.79	Run 1	1:16.25	+ 4.50	0
9	Rakhmanin Sergey	RUS	15.20	35.77	1:00.51	Run 2	1:17.76	+ 6.01	4
10	Sonka Martin	CZE	16.57	38.95	1:04.09	Run 3	1:21.26	+ 9.51	7
11	McLeod Pete	CAN	15.35	38.16	1:02.58	Run 2	1:23.16	+ 11.41	9
12	Goulian Michael	USA	21.51	43.10	1:06.22	Run 3	1:23.57	+ 11.82	8

 

Source: RedBullAirRace.com

New York filled with special challenges for Red Bull Air Race

NEW YORK – Jim DiMatteo is the Race Director for the New York Red Bull Air Race on June 19/20. The former U.S. Navy “Top Gun” Captain has spent the last three years leading the planning and organizing for the race in New York. DiMatteo talks about the special challenges that were involved in getting the world’s fastest growing motorsport into the Big Apple.
 
How difficult was it to organize a Red Bull Air Race in New York?
“One of the reasons that New York has taken such a long time to put together is due to the fact that there are so many different stakeholders that have to give approval and ‘buy in’ to the whole thing. From an aviation perspective it’s a very sensitive area, we all know that. The world knows that. But 9/11 is not the only thing. There have also been other situations that occurred over the last few years, including the President’s 747 that flew by the Statue of Liberty (for a photo-op). That caused a huge uproar.”
 
You’ve spent nearly three years working on the race in New York – what took so long?
“The complexities of getting 16 agencies to all agree understandably just took a long time. The agencies included New York City, Jersey City, State of New Jersey, Liberty State Park, the Statute of Liberty, Ellis Island, the Department of Environmental Protection, the police departments, etc.”
 
What other hurdles were there to getting clearance for a race in the heart of the New York/New Jersey area?
“I prefer to call them challenges. As the Race Director, my focus is the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration). We have three of the largest airports in the world all separated by about 10 or 15 miles and smack dab in the middle of it all is our ‘race box.’ It is the most crowded and congested air space on our planet and we’re right in the middle of it. To get the FAA to buy into this also was a very long drawn out process. What they required me to demonstrate all centered around public safety, how we design the course, how they fly in, how they fly out, the temporary flight restriction (TFR), etc. We’ve never had a TFR in the United States before for a Red Bull Air Race, but we have it in New York. To get everyone on the same page just took some time.”
 
How congested is the space and will the TFR apply to the international airports?
“In this region’s airspace there are 50 to 100 airplanes airborne at any one given time. There are a total of four airports in the area: Teterboro, Newark, La Guardia and JFK. These are massive international airports. There’s no way we can interrupt that so our ‘TFR’ does not come close to those airports. We’re closest to Newark airport. Our departure airport is Linden Airfield, which is about 6 miles south of Newark, near the runway center line. We’re well below their aircraft but you will see the 747s and A380s coming in right overhead.”
 
How far away from Linden Airfield is the race track?
“For safety and airspace reasons it’s probably going to take around five minutes flying to get to the track. We have to go down south and over Staten Island towards the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and then up the Hudson. It’s about 18 miles total.”
 
What was the reaction from authorities when first approached about a race in New York?
The typical initial reaction for the people who knew the Red Bull Air Race was: ‘Oh that’s a really cool thing but that’s not going to ever happen here’. And then there were other people who didn’t know anything about the race beforehand who said: ‘Oh that looks cool but it’s not gonna happen here’. Because, really, if you think about it you have not only the congested airspace but also the iconic monuments of Ellis Island and the Statute of Liberty. In addition you’re in this politically sensitive flight path. It’s just a ‘high vis’ issue. When you have ‘high vis’ issues like that, generally, when you ask regulatory people if you can do something their reaction initially is ‘No’. That being said, afterwards, just nibbling away at this big mountain, eventually they turn from saying ‘No’ to ‘Well, let me see’ to ‘This is possible’ to ‘Hey, you know what, I think we can do this’. It was that kind of process.”
 
How was the Red Bull Air Race able to turn that from a ‘No’ to a ‘We can do this’?
“I think it’s a credit to the Red Bull Air Race and a compliment to the professional way we, as a company, run our business. With these types of regulatory agencies, it’s all about credibility. We had to establish credibility with them, through not only personal interaction with briefings and presentations but also other groups inside the U.S. that we have worked with in the past calling on our behalf. There were people in San Diego and Detroit who said ‘Yes, we’ve worked with them, yes they’re very professional, yes, what they tell you they‘re going to do is actually what they do’.”
 
Did the Red Bull Air Race’s track record around the world, with 49 races in eight years, help?
“The reality is they don’t really care what you did overseas because different countries have different rules. They’ll say ‘It’s great you went into Budapest but we’re not going to let you fly under bridges here’.”
 
So the U.S. races in San Francisco, San Diego, Monument Valley and Detroit mattered most?
“Absolutely. The whole track record they were concerned with was: ‘What have you done in the United States? Who have you worked with? Let me call them.’ This has been our objective in the United States, to build our credibility at different locations year after year.”
 
Were there concerns about flying near national monuments in the New York area?
“Certainly. Flying a race in the proximity of an iconic symbol like the Statute of Liberty is a sensitive issue. I was able to use the comparison of aircraft carriers at the races in San Diego. If I got permitted to have foreign nationals flying within 100 feet of a nuclear aircraft carrier — which is a national asset for the United States — we could say that bodes pretty well to the credibility of what we can do as far as flying around the Statute of Liberty.”
 
Have local officials in New York seen other Red Bull Air Races? What are they looking for?
“Yes, some authorities came to see the race first hand. The FAA did not because they already knew of what we do. The decision matrix for cities like New York and in New Jersey is: ‘What kind of benefit will this bring the city and is it safe?’ We showed them an economic impact report, that this race brings tens of millions of dollars to their cities. They understand the positive impact on the economy. Everybody, even New York, is looking to increase tourism. The mayors of these cities like that. They like the positive financial impact the Red Bull Air Race brings their cities and they like the global awareness the race brings.”
 
It sounds like the local authorities eventually became enthusiastic about the race?
“Yes, definitely. Not only are they enthusiastic but what was impressive for me is that they’re New Yorkers and they get things done. They said that often: if they want to do something, they’re going to get it done. It was very impressive to see when their minds changed from ‘What is this? I don’t know if we should do this’ to ‘Yes, I like this, you’ve demonstrated the credibility that is required for me to make this decision’. Once they make this decision in their mind, then boom! They’re New Yorkers and they get it done.”
 
When was that moment?
“It was about a year and a half ago that I went from thinking ‘I don’t know if this ever going to happen’ to ‘Wow, these guys really want this to work’. Once the Mayor of New York and the Mayor of Jersey City and the FAA started giving me signals of ‘Yeah, this could really happen’, once we had this collective approval, that’s when the ball really started rolling.”
 
What role did New York’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg play?
Mayor Bloomberg happens to be a pilot. As a general aviation pilot, Mayor Bloomberg is very supportive of the aviation industry and loves aviation as a whole. I believe he feels this is a positive thing for the city and a positive thing for aviation. He’s a good advocate for aviation. Obviously, if the mayor of New York did not want something to happen then it doesn’t happen. We were fortunate to have this alignment. We worked with Evan Korn, the executive director of the Mayor’s Office of Citywide Event Coordination in New York Cityin addition to Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy of Jersey City.”
 
You’re from California. What have you now learned about New Yorkers?
“New Yorkers are understandably skeptical about these type of things but they love big things. Once they’re into it, they’re really into it. They rightfully want it to be the best Air Race in the world. They’re confident people and they think they have the best city in the world — and arguably they do. So they’re very confident. That’s what I liked. It was impressive that once they decided to do it, they were like: ‘Well, if we’re doing this, we gotta do it ‘New York-style’. It’s gotta be cool. It’s gotta be big. And that’s what it’s gonna be.”
 
And finally: what part of the race is in New York and what part is in New Jersey?
“The air space is divided right down the middle of the Hudson so we’re in New Jersey air space but the authority for the waterways is New York. So New York owns the water all the way up to the Jersey shore, but we’re flying in New Jersey air space. Our pylons are in New York and our air space is in New Jersey. As you can imagine, that was one of the regulatory challenges.”

Source: www.redbullairraces.com

Hannes Arch wins Red Bull Air Race Windsor 2010

Arch saved his best for last, shattering the track record with a time of 1:05.96 in the final. Bonhomme came close, leading after the first interval but couldn’t keep up the pace and finished second in 1:06.59, 0.63 seconds behind Arch. Chambliss was 3.03 behind the Austrian in 1:08.99 while Britain’s Nigel Lamb was fourth in 1:13.34 after hitting a pylon in the final.

Rank	Name	Nation	Rnd.	Time	Diff	Points
1	Arch Hannes	AUT	F4	1:05.96		12
2	Bonhomme Paul	GBR	F4	1:06.59	+ 0.63	10
3	Chambliss Kirby	USA	F4	1:08.99	+ 3.03	9
4	Lamb Nigel	GBR	F4	1:13.34	+ 7.38	8 + 1
5	Dolderer Matthias	GER	S8	1:09.97		7
6	Goulian Michael	USA	S8	1:10.25	+ 0.28	6
7	Ivanoff Nicolas	FRA	S8	1:16.65	+ 6.68	5
8	Rakhmanin Sergey	RUS	S8	1:17.24	+ 7.27	4
9	McLeod Pete	CAN	T12	1:12.72		3
10	Besenyei Peter	HUN	T12	1:14.60	+ 1.88	2
11	Maclean Alejandro	ESP	T12	1:15.16	+ 2.44	1
12	Sonka Martin	CZE	T12	1:18.48	+ 5.76	0
13	Hall Matt	AUS	Q	DSQ		0
14	Muroya Yoshihide	JPN	Q	DNS		0

World Championship Standings 2010

Rank	Name	Nation	Points
1	Bonhomme Paul	GBR	41
2	Arch Hannes	AUT	39
3	Lamb Nigel	GBR	37
4	Chambliss Kirby	USA	26
5	Hall Matt	AUS	22
6	McLeod Pete	CAN	22
7	Ivanoff Nicolas	FRA	20
8	Goulian Michael	USA	19
9	Dolderer Matthias	GER	19
10	Besenyei Peter	HUN	14
11	Muroya Yoshihide	JPN	5
12	Rakhmanin Sergey	RUS	4
13	Maclean Alejandro	ESP	4
14	Sonka Martin	CZE	0
15	Kindlemann Adilson	BRA	0

Matt Hall skims the water in round one of the qualification Windsor 2010

Windsor, Canada

Matt Hall skims the water but just pulls the plane up out of the water! Steve Jones says: “We see it (Hall’s plane) overbanks and a little bit of a wing stall as he’s in that turn and the airplane starts to descend. He unloads the wing but that puts him near the water…he skims off the water and flies away. Very safe, sensible flying by Matt Hall after that incident.”

Hall touches the water in the track but controls it well and makes it back to the airport safely. The plane is damaged but will be recoverable. Matt Hall says: “Our game plane is to get some rest for now. “I haven’t had a look at the aircraft yet. I went straight to medical for some checks as is the normal procedure. I’m about to go and check the plane now. The main damage is on the right aileron. I think the plane is not that badly damaged. It’s going to be a matter of replacing parts. Fingers crossed that we can pull the team back together.”

Paul Bonhomme hits the last gate! He would have been first. That late pylon hit drops Bonhomme down to 8th place! Nigel Lamb wins the first round of the qualification, Lamb is 2.48 seconds ahead of Hannes Arch at the first interval but then gets a 2 second penalty for flying too high right after that.

Round 1

Round 2

Overal Results Qualification

Rank	Name	Nation	Int. 1	Int. 2	Int. 3	Rnd.	Time	Diff.	Pen
1	Lamb Nigel	GBR	19.23	31.45	48.50	Q2	1:09.64		0
2	Bonhomme Paul	GBR	19.11	31.78	48.62	Q2	1:10.11	+ 0.47	0
3	Arch Hannes	AUT	21.67	34.10	51.00	Q1	1:12.71	+ 3.07	2
4	Maclean Alejandro	ESP	20.63	33.67	51.23	Q2	1:13.11	+ 3.47	0
5	Dolderer Matthias	GER	20.62	33.21	51.17	Q2	1:13.13	+ 3.49	0
6	McLeod Pete	CAN	19.63	32.65	50.59	Q2	1:13.78	+ 4.14	0
7	Goulian Michael	USA	20.60	33.96	51.76	Q1	1:14.40	+ 4.76	0
8	Chambliss Kirby	USA	19.75	32.85	50.37	Q2	1:14.57	+ 4.93	2
9	Sonka Martin	CZE	20.99	34.79	53.45	Q1	1:16.59	+ 6.95	0
10	Besenyei Peter	HUN	20.69	34.75	53.54	Q1	1:16.62	+ 6.98	0
11	Ivanoff Nicolas	FRA	22.27	35.54	54.14	Q2	1:18.69	+ 9.05	4
12	Rakhmanin Sergey	RUS	22.59	37.87	56.21	Q1	1:19.08	+ 9.44	4
13	Hall Matt	AUS	19.08	32.24	49.84	Q1	DSQ
14	Muroya Yoshihide	JPN				Q1	DNS

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