Bonhomme top in Windsor training, McLeod experiments on track

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Bonhomme top in Windsor training, McLeod experiments on track

Paul Bonhomme tops Training 1 in Windsor

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Bonhomme top in Windsor training, McLeod experiments on track

by Erik Kay, Jun 3, 2010

WINDSOR, Ontario - Paul Bonhomme topped the time sheets in the first training session on Thursday ahead of the weekend’s Red Bull Air Race World Championship in Windsor with Hannes Arch of Austria and Australia’s Matt Hall close behind on the challenging track set up on the Detroit River. Canada’s Pete McLeod used his time in the track to experiment in search of the best racing lines.

Bonhomme, the defending champion who won the Windsor race a year ago, set the pace on a windy overcast morning with a time of 1:11.97 on the track that straddles the Canada-U.S. border. Arch, the hottest pilot in the championship at the moment with wins in the last two races, was just 0.72 behind even though he picked up a 1-second penalty. Hall was 1.89 behind in 1:13.86.

The pilots generally use the first training sessions to get an initial look at the track, test the racing lines and get a feel for the wind conditions. They only use the timings in the first session as a rough indication of where they stand before opening up the throttle in the Friday training sessions that precede the Qualifying on Saturday.

“The track is interesting and keeps you busy,” Bonhomme said, noting the wind on the track was much stronger than expected. “I’m pleased with the time. We’re near the top, which is good. The wind is definitely going to be a factor.” Bonhomme was able to adjust to changes in the winds last year to get atop the podium but knows that Arch, Hall and Britain’s Nigel Lamb (4th on Thursday) -- as well as the two Americans Michael Goulian (5th) and Kirby Chambliss (7th) -- are all capable of winning the race, the fourth of the eight-stop 2010 season.

“It’s a lot harder out there in the track than expected,” said Arch, the 2008 champion. “My flying was quite rough. I was just trying to figure out how to get through the track. I had two pylon hits. On one I wasn’t really focused. The other was like ‘I don’t know how I can do it’. It was just a concentration thing. So I think I’ve found my lines. I just need to smooth them out and work on getting faster in the track.”

The Windsor race marks the midway point of the 2010 season with Bonhomme (31 championship points) clinging to a shrinking over Lamb and the hard-charging Arch. The next stop is in two weeks in New York.

McLeod, hoping for a top four finish, used the training session to experiment on difficult sections and was one of four pilots who did not complete a run due to disqualification. “It’s an interesting track, a tight technical track,” McLeod said after his first run. “I’m looking forward to some more training time in the track so I can clean it up for the race. Last year there was so much energy from the crowd for me to race here and I’m looking forward to another best result in Windsor. A top four would be great.”

Pilots, reporters on the ground and crew members will be posting information, pictures and video clips of the action on and off the track on the Live Blog. The Red Bull Air Race Live Blog welcomes contributions. You can follow or join the Live blog here.