19:00 End of the liveblog
Paul Bonhomme says: “We’re not worried. We don’t have to beat Hannes tomorrow. We just have to beat the others. Q1 was a good run. I just took my eye off it a bit in Gate 12. We know where Hannes is fast. Our net time was good. We know where we can make up some time.”
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM18:49
So come back right here tomorrow to watch the Red Bull Air Race equivalent of "Game 7" ...or the "World Cup final". Like Batman might have said if he had a computer: "Same Red Bull Air Race channel, same Red Bull Air Race time."
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM18:10
Well, hold on. Maybe we're getting carried away with ourselves. There's still a race tomorow, afterall. It was like a bases-loaded grand slam in the bottom of the 8th inning in Game 6 of the ( baseball) World Series or like a stoppage time goal in the semi-finals of the World Cup or a buzzer-beater from mid-court in Game 6 of the NBA championship.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM18:07
Was that exciting or what? Arch needed the 1 point and got it -- even if the last two days had been difficult. He had to do some de-tuning to his engine on Friday and into the early hours of Saturday to comply with the rules, then had an awful Q1 with a pylon hit. And with any faint hopes of defending his championship slipping away after that horrible Q1, Arch comes up with the goods on his final run. It was the Red Bull Air Race equivalent of a bases-loaded home run in the bottom of the 9th in Game 7 of the World Series. Or the soccer equivalent of a stoppage time goal in the World Cup final.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM18:05
Arch says: “We’ve had so much pressure the last two races. The first run I screwed up and hit a pylon. It was all down to my last run. It’s really important that we got the point. We’ve only got a small chance and the one point is very important. I did lots of mistakes in the Qualifying. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t work. I just tried to do my best. I’ll try my best tomorrow.”
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM17:51
What an exciting Qualifying! Bonhomme was well ahead of Arch at the midway point of his run, 0.20 seconds to be precise, and then something went wrong. He'll need a cup of tea after that one.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM17:45
17:43 End of Qualifying Two
That's Bonhomme's first pylon hit in a race in AGES!
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM17:44Arch and his team are celebrating in the hangar at the Red Bull Air Race Airport. what a thrilling comeback for Team Arch. He's got the 1 point and just 3 points behind Bonhomme in the championship.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM17:43
Bonhomme's time is 1:27.82 seconds.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM17:43
Oh no! Bonhomme hits a gate! Arch wins the point.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM17:43
Bonhomme's 3rd interval is 0.71 behind ARch.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM17:42
Bonhomme's second interval is 0.20 ahead of Arch.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM17:42
Bonhomme's first interval is 0.07 ahead of arch.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM17:42
"This is a huge run for the Englishman," says MC Joe McGrath.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM17:41
Here comes Bonhomme. Will he beat Arch? The last run of the day. It's Arch or Bonhomme. This is the showdown we've all been waiting for. Who gets the 1 point today?
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM17:41
Hall finishes in 1:22.49, far behind Arch.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM17:40
Hall is close, 0.28 behind Arch at the midway point.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM17:39
So it's only Matt Hall, up next, or Paul Bonhomme who can take that 1 point today away from Arch. What excitement! If Arch gets the point, Bonhomme's lead in the championship will melt to just 3 (three!) points.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM17:38
Ivanoff had the fastest Q1 time of 1:22.16 but Arch was 1:10 faster at the start of Q2. Ivanoff stops the clock in Q2 in 1:23.30 -- 2 second penalty incorrect knife on gate 3. holds him in 2nd place.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM17:37
Only 4 pilots left with a chance to knock Arch off the top. Ivanoff up first but he gets a 2-second penalty early on.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM17:36
Maclean has a penalty-filled run and gets a time of 1:27.67, holds him in 10th place
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM17:34
There are 250,000 spectators here for Qualifying today! The Race Tower just announced that.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM17:29
Lamb has a "very strange" run, according to MC Joe McGrath. He gets four -- count 'em 4! -- two-second penalties for a net time of 1:30.58. He holds onto 6th place on the strength of his good Q1.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM17:28
What a difference a few penalties make! Chambliss had the fastest time of the day but got two 2-second penalties and his time of 1:25.00 is 3.94 behind Arch. If Chambliss had avoided penalties, he'd be in first right now. Instead, he's in 9th place.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM17:25
Besenyei is a second faster in Q2 with 1:24.57 but is stuck back in 8th place.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM17:21
Well-spotted SK. McLeod and Rakhmanin are indeed both on 1:26.45. But they're both well outside the top 10 so it won't really matter. They'll both be in the Wild Card tomorrow.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM17:20
Pete McLeod has another clean run with a time of 1:26.45. Good enough for 12th place. The Canadian loves these tricky tracks, just like his home course in Windsor where he got a championship point, and if it were up to him there'd be a bit more wind gusting in here off the Mediterranean. It's his best chance to compensate for his heavy plane. That's some pretty nifty flying for a rookie.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM17:19
Dell's time was actually just forgettable. We didn't want to publish that because it was so patetico.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM17:18
Mangold is a bit faster but the American two-time champ stays stuck in 10th place with a 1:25.44. He's a happy camper because he's got a good chance of a top 10 spot and direct ticket to the Top 12 tomorrow.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM17:16
Goulian's got the speed and his time is pretty good 1:23.79. Holds him in 7th place
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM17:12
Pylon hits used to mean you had time for a quick trip to the loo. Not anymore. These Air Gators actually practice all year long to get the damaged pylons repaired and back up as fast as possible. The clock starts running when they get on the barge and it stops when they get off it. Their best time is 1:14 and they want to get down under 1 minute.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM17:10
Dell is indeed having a bad day. Hits pylon and gets 2 more 2-second penalties.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM17:08
Sergey Rakhmanin has one of the most elegant flying styles in the championship. It's a pleasure to watch him on the track, like just now. But he's had engine problems this year and just doesn't have the power. His time is decent, 1:26.45. But it leaves him stuck in 11th place.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM17:05
Muroya from Japan is pressing for a good time but it's another error-filled run. He hits the first gate! When did that last happen? His time of 1:31.64 includes 6 seconds in penalty. He's stuck in 14th. He'll get another chance on Sunday to qualify for a spot in the Top 12. Only the 10 fastest today get automatic berths in the Top 12 tomorrow. The 5 slowest will battle it out in the Wild Card on Sunday for those last 2 tickets.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM17:00
Ach du lieber Gott! Dolderer had a rip-roaring Q2 and would have been just 0.01 second behind Arch. But he gets hit with 2-second penalty and can't better his Q1 time. Schade.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM16:57
To put Arch's Q2 run into perspective, that was an incredible 1.10 seconds faster than the previous best run of the day by Ivanoff. Truly amazing run even though he was under a lot of pressure.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM16:56
OK, so Vito and the rest of Arch's team can stop worrying too much after that performance...
by CorriganKirsten at 10/3/2009 PM16:55
Arch hits a home run with that one. "Sensational!" shouts the Spanish Public Address announcer. Espectacular! Not only is Arch back in the game with a ticket to the top 10 with that -- he might get the 1 point for fastest Qualifier with that. Wow, gut gemacht Hannes!
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM16:54
Arch stops the clock in 1:21.06. Unreal. What a clutch performance. He's in first place now
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM16:53
Arch having a good run, in first place at the midway point.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM16:52
Pressure in on Arch now. He needs to get a top 10 spot here otherwise he's in big trouble
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM16:51
16:51 Just seconds before Qualifying Two
Back at the airport the hangars are starting to empty out again as Q2 is almost upon us. Arch's technician Vito looks deep in thought while across the tarmac Team Bonhomme is working hard with last minute preparations – Wade and Jim are making use of every last second. Elsewhere Maclean and Besenyei have electric fans set up to cool the engines in between flights... time's up though, this is it!
by CorriganKirsten at 10/3/2009 PM16:51
We're 30 seconds away from Q2. "Hannes Arch, clear for the track. Smoke on"
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM16:50
It's all about safey, Mr. Anonymous. The plane manufacturers make recomendations on maximum Gs. No other motor sport has G forces like this.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM16:49
In other words, "The pilot with the higher number of higher finishing positions" will win the championship this year if there is a tie on points.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM16:45
@s in case of a tie on points Paul Bonhomme would become the World Champion. The rules say that in case of a tie on points, the pilot with the most wins is the champion. If there is a tie there as well, the pilot with the most 2nd place finishes wins, and so on until a winner is determined. So far Bonhomme has two wins and three 2nd place finishes, while Arch has one win and two 2nd place finishes. So if Arch wins tomorrow he would have two wins and two seconds while Bonhomme also would have two wins and at least three seconds.
by Erik Kay at 10/3/2009 PM16:43
And the plot thickens! Arch had a Qualifying run to forget there. But he knows he has nothing to lose and botching Q1 doesn't really matter. Coming 2nd in Barcelona won't change anything. He's got to win to have any chance of catching Bonhomme and he knows it. But the Austrian knows that even if he fails to win the Qualifying point today, "tomorrow is another day." Bonhomme, by contrast, had a very solid training run. "That was a nice fly-about," he might say. But the Brit knows that a good day in Qualifying doesn't mean much either. Even if he wins the Qualifying point today, it's still not enough to clinch the championship. If he wants the trophy this time around, Bonhomme will have to fly well tomorrow too.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM16:34
That was some pretty smooth and clutch flying under pressure. Bonhomme knows he doesn't have to win this race to win the championship and he makes sure he puts down a clean run in Q1. Watch for him to crank up the pace a bit more in Q2. But don't be surprised if he doesn't win the Qualifying point today. He's got a 4-point lead and doesn't need it.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM16:21
16:19 End of Qualifying One
Bonhomme's time 1:22.75 is good enough for 2nd.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM16:19
And now the moment we've all been waiting for: Bonhomme. Will the man who came soooooo close in 2007 and 2008 finally win the title this year?
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM16:16
Only two pilots left in Q1: Matt Hall and then Paul Bonhomme, the two fastest in Friday's 4th and final training session. Hall likes the coastal conditions here in Barcelona, which he says remind him of his home on Australia's east coast. His Q1 run is very clean and his time a solid 1:23.19. Puts him in 3rd place. "Thanks mate," he says when he hears his time.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM16:16
The flying Frenchman Nicolas Ivanoff likes these sorts of challenging tracks. He won in San Diego which also had a big bad mean quadro like here in Barcelona. Ivanoff knocks Dolderer off the top of the time sheets with a time of 1:22.16 -- Auf Wiedersehen! Matthias.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM16:13
Espectacular Alex, as the locals here in Barcelona would say.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM16:10
Alejandro Maclean of Spain has been under a lot of pressure at his home race. He gets a 2-second penalty right off that bat for "incorrect knife" on gate 3. His time is 1:25.14, good enough for 3rd place.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM16:10
If anyone deserves a podium here, it's Lamb. He's been soooooooo close through the first half of the year with 4th in Abu Dhabi, 5th in San Diego and 7th in Windsor before the season started to go wrong with 9th in Budapest and 11th in Porto. Lamb's time is: 1:23.39 and knocks Chambliss out of 2nd place. He's just a fraction of a second behind Dolderer.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM16:08
Nigel Lamb gets his fans on their feet as he moves into first place at the midway point
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM16:06
Chambliss has the speed to win the race tomorrow. But not if he makes mistakes. The American who won the 2006 championship gets hit with a 2-second penalty right at the start for correct level flying. What a bummer! His time is 1:25.26 puts him in second place.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM16:04
Peter Besenyei of Hungary would like to build upon his 4th place in the last race in Porto. He likes tough tracks like this. He's having a good run he gets a 2-second penalty and ends up 1:25.51. Still good enough for 2nd place so far.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM16:02
Pete McLeod of Canada has a very good run. He's got a heavy plane and slow engine but flies superbly through the track and moves ahead of Mangold into 3rd with a time of 1.26.69. Way to go, Pete!
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM15:58
American Mike Mangold is lying in 4th place in the championship, just 2 measley points behind Matt Hall. He has a good, clean Qualifying 1 run right there and his time of 1:27.11 is good enough for 3rd place so far. But there are still 8 pilots to fly in Q1.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM15:56
Just had confirmation that Arch's start speed was within the rules - they've just finished downloading data from the plane and he'll be breathing a sigh of relief but these distractions won't be helping his concentration
by CorriganKirsten at 10/3/2009 PM15:55
Good news for Arch. He's just been released from the parc ferme.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM15:53
"That's a very tough call there by the stewards on Goulian," says MC Joe McGrath.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM15:53
Goulian get booked for an "incorrect knife" on gate 10. But his time is still pretty good -- 1:26.41 -- and good enough for second place behind Dolderer.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM15:52
Oh no! Goulian was having a great run but gets a late penalty!
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM15:51
South Africa's Glen Dell has a mistake-filled run, which included a pylon hit. The Air Gators are back in action. Dell's time of 1:37.25 drops him to the bottom of the table.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM15:48
"It's just going from bad to worse for the Austrian," Master of Ceremonies Joe McGrath tells the big crowd as the TV monitors show pictures of Arch's plane as it heads for inspection and Bonhomme smiling.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM15:45
Russia's Sergey Rakhmanin gets through the 6.4-km track with its 15 Air Gates cleanly. But slowly. His time is 1:27.65, 4.58 slower than Dolderer's.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM15:44
And another penalty for Muroya. And then a third 2-second penalty. His time looked so promissing but ends up a very mediocre 1:28.92, with 6 total seconds penalty. "Incorrect level for gates 4, 11 and 14," says Race Director Jim DiMatteo.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM15:42
Japan's Yoshi Muroya was ahead of Dolderer at the midway point but gets a 2 second penalty!
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM15:40
Arch lands back at the Red Bull Air Race Airport about 20 km north of the track. It was an awful run and he's under a lot of pressure. But he's got another chance in an hour in Qualifying 2.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM15:39
Matthias Dolderer aces the Quadro twice and gets a very good time of 1:23.07, putting him more than 5 seconds ahead of Arch.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM15:38
It was that tricky Quadro that got Arch in trouble. It's a tough enough gate to make it through at 370 km/h on a good day. Just throw some wind into the equation and it makes it really tricky.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM15:36
The Air Gators are out there in action. They are getting so fast. It used to take 5 minutes or so to repair a burst pylon. Now then can do it in less than half that time. Their goal is to do it in less than 1 minute one day.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM15:34
Arch's time in that first Qualifying time was a dreadful 1:28.80 -- including 6 seconds in penalty time for touching a gate. He was flying in the 1:20 range in training on Thursday. Was ist los, Hannes?
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM15:33
Arch will have to head straight for the Parc Fermé when he gets back... his speed at the start gate is under investigation. We'll let you know the outcome as soon as he's back here.
by CorriganKirsten at 10/3/2009 PM15:33
Arch touches a gate and will have to go to parc ferme to check his entry speed. He was close to the 370 km/h limit.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM15:32
oh no! Arch touches a gate!
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM15:31
Next onto the grid it's South African Glen Dell and US pilot Michael Goulian... and the call is given for Arch to enter the track so all eyes on the video screens!
by CorriganKirsten at 10/3/2009 PM15:30
Here we go. Race Director Jimmy DiMatteo tells Arch: "You're clear for the track, Smoke On!"
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM15:30
15:29 Qualifying One is about to start
It's good to see that Dolderer has his lucky charm with him in Budapest, Alena Gerber. Sponsored by Playboy, Dolderer had the best result of his career in Budapest -- 5th place. The German Playmate of the Month last October was in Budapest and "helped distract the other guys", as Dolderer put it.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM15:29
Who has been doing well this week in training? Arch and Bonhomme obviously have fast planes. But also surprising has been Matthias Dolderer. He's had some excellent runs in training and has a powerful engine. Keep your eyes on the German rookie. Also, Michael Goulian seems to be back on track. The American won Budapest but had a dreadful race in Porto. Matt Hall of Australia also is looking sharp and eager to hold onto 3rd spot in front of a pack of three pilots nipping on his heels. Another pilot who could pleasantly surprise this weekend is Pete McLeod. The Canadian rookie, who grew up flying float planes in northern Canada, is very good in tough conditions and likes this track. He's got a slow, heavy plane but is flying well here -- and it's the kind of track that others with faster, lighter planes can make mistakes on. If McLeod gets into the points again here, remember you read it here first.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM15:26
"It feels like race day today," said Sarah Thomas, manager of the media centre, after looking out at the huge crowd on the beach. Indeed, the atmosphere is tense. Lots at stake today for Arch and Bonhomme. It's not quite "do-or-die" yet for the two championship leaders. But it's getting pretty close.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM15:22
It's getting busy at the gridstand as the first few pilots leave the airport and make their way towards the track area. Rakhmanin and Muroya are being pushed out of their hangars now.
by CorriganKirsten at 10/3/2009 PM15:20
Hi Micky. Don't worry about not being able to see a livestream. You've got the live ticker right here. It's almost as good as being there, some would say even better. You won't miss a thing. Promise.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM15:15
We just had the chance to chat with Ueli Gegenschatz, one of the world's most famous base jumpers who was just packing up after doing two base jumps from 1,000m and 1,600m: "It's a great crowd even though it's only Saturday and Qualifying. It's going to be amazing tomorrow for the race. The three beaches are packed already today. It's a lot of fun to fly in here like this. Tomorrow I'll do the same thing: a base jump from 1,000 metres from the helicopter and then with the Wingsuit from 1,600 metres. It's a little higher and gives us more time to play with the suit."
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM15:05
"It's a great day and a beautiful venue," Race Director Jim DiMatteo tells the TV monitors. "When the weather kicks up and the winds kick up from the sea, it can make it a very challenging race course as we've seen in training this week. It's a perfect end to the season. It's a fantastic city."
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM14:46
Alejandro Maclean just gave a short interview on the TV monitors to the crowd: "I think it's exciting to race at home with all these local fans and all these people cheering for me. It does bring me a lot of energy. It does bring me a lot of responsiblity as well. It's just great."
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 PM14:33
Hannes Arch's Edge 540 has been cleared for flight after yesterday's exclusion from the final training run following the discovery of higher than allowed compression ratios. Technician Vito Wyprächtiger was working until 4am to replace the pistons and cylinders in the engine after a reading of 11:1 was recorded yesterday. The team is confident that the work may have even improved performance... the new engine has been re-configured using the old cylinders and pistons from the original engine used by Arch in the previous rounds of the 2009 championship. Wyprächtiger says that because they have already been "broken in" the engine could work more efficiently than with the newer components. It's fighting talk but we'll have to see if his prediction is accurate after Arch's flight.
by CorriganKirsten at 10/3/2009 AM13:59
Hola! from the Red Bull Air Race Airport where the sun is shining and the teams are completing their last minute preparations ahead of today's Qualifying round. The hangars are quiet as the pilots take time to prepare mentally for the challenge ahead and the tension is mounting...
by CorriganKirsten at 10/3/2009 AM13:57
We had the chance to talk to some of the pilots about what they thought is the toughest part of this track. The answer was just about unanimous: the Quadro. They're getting so incredible fast through the four-gate, 270-degree turn now. It took Arch just 6.3 seconds to do the quadro in training on Thursday -- a year or two ago the fastest quadro times were around 9 second. Here's a story with more info on why the pilots are faster through the Quadro now: www.redbullairrace.com
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 AM13:30
The big crowd just got to see a giant Catalan flag delivered by "air mail" -- by a team of base jumpers. Was quite a sight.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 AM13:18
It's getting loud here too. There were some very loud fly-bys by jet fighters just now to get the crowd warmed up. There's already a huge gathering on the beaches for the pre-race show that starts in a few minutes.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 AM13:00
It will be anything but a day at the beach for Paul Bonhomme Hannes Arch. They're locked in a ferocious battle for the 2009 Red Bull Air Race World Championship with the Brit clinging to a slim 4-point lead over the Austrian, the defending champion. There's 1 point up for grabs today for the fastest Qualifier and 12 more at stake for the winner of Sunday's race.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 AM12:39
Hola bon dia as they say here in Barcelona. The tension is starting to build already 3 hours before Qualifying starts. It's another beautiful day on the beaches of Barcelona with balmy temperatures of about 22 degrees and a gentle 17-kmh breeze from the north.
by Erik Kay - Live Ticker Editor at 10/3/2009 AM12:37
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