Erik Kay's Porto Live Ticker (Race Day)

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Erik Kay's Porto Live Ticker (Race Day)

Erik Kay's Porto Live Ticker (Race Day)

Pre-Race

• Ola e bem vindo and welcome back to Porto, Portugal for the 5th Red Bull Air Race of the 2009 season. We had a brilliant Qualifying session yesterday, probably the most exciting of the year. It was full of surprises and major upsets. We'll get into all that in a few minutes. The racing starts at 2 p.m. with the Wild Card. Right now the big crowd here on the banks of the Douro River is settling in and watching the pre-race show. - 9/13/2009 12:08:24 PM

• It's a lovely day with bright blue skies and temperatures of aorund 23 degrees here in Porto with a gentle breeze coming in off the Atlantic from the west. Pretty close to ideal flying conditions. Who remembers all that fog on Thursday and Friday now? - 9/13/2009 12:16:38 PM

• In case you missed yesterday's Live Ticker, here's a quick recap of Qualifying: Bonhomme won it with the fastest run of the day in Q1. Arch had a nightmare day, hitting a pylon in Q2, and instead of winning the 1 championship point up for grab like he was hoping for, the Austrian fell to 9th place and only just missed being relegated to the Wild Card session that starts in 40 minutes. So with the fastest Quali time, Bonhomme doubled his lead at the top to 2 points -- he's now on 43 points. Other big surprises: American Kirby Chambliss was 2nd even though he only got to fly in 1 Qualifying session due to an over-G problem. That's impressive. Another surprise was three rookies getting the next 3 spots: Australia's Matt Hall was 3rd, Japan's Yoshi Muroya 4th and Germany's Matthias Dolderer 5th. - 9/13/2009 12:21:53 PM

• But, to be honest, it would be unwise to bet the house against any of the pilots today. Porto is the fastest track on the circuit and the first 8 pilots were all within 2 seconds of Bonhomme -- that is really close. On no other track are the times so closely bunched together as here. In other words, a 2-second penalty can drop you from 1st to 9th faster than it takes to read this post. - 9/13/2009 12:29:23 PM

• All the teams have been working extremely hard and investing heavily in improving their aircraft this year and those efforts have been paying off. The rookies have nearly a full season of experience and are also piling the pressure on the front-runners. As Matt Hall put it: "There will be a lot of people hoping that this is their race as everyone has been putting a lot of mid-season work into their aircraft." - 9/13/2009 12:32:36 PM

• The crowd is huge again here in Porto and Gaia -- and as enthusiastic as always. You can see hundreds of thousands of people lining the streets, the alleys and the rooftops on both sides of the steep valley rising out of the Douro River. There were 200,000 people here for the Qualifying yesterday and there could be over 600,000 here today, coming from as far away as the capital of Lisbon 300 km to the south. It's one of the reasons the pilots love racing in Portugal.- 9/13/2009 12:36:37 PM

• What was that? It wasn't a Red Bull Air Race plane that just buzzed through the course but a SATA A-310 taking a quick run up and down the valley. - 9/13/2009 12:39:22

• Paul Bonhomme said: "I hope so, but it's a long day. Today there are 12 points on the table. It's only the day that it matters.- 9/13/2009 12:46:29

• Hannes Arch said: "You just analyse your mistakes. The rookies flew well. I know what I did wrong yesterday and I'll try to do better today. I'll just focus on myself." Kay - 9/13/2009 12:47:20

• Paul Bonhomme: "I'm not even thinking about championship. I'm looking forward to a cold beer afterwards." - 9/13/2009 12:47:39

• Hannes Arch: "I don't want him in front of me here today. He's a really good pilot if he's not distracted." - 9/13/2009 12:48:11 PM

• Bonhomme: "To fly any track well you have to concentrate. It's not just a drag race here. You have to concentrate here."- 9/13/2009 12:48:33

• Hannes Arch: "We'll see how he does today. He's doing quite well. I want to fly like Paul is flying and then add a little bit more." - 9/13/2009 12:48:59 PM

• Race MC Joe McGrath offers this observation to the crowd after watching Bonhomme and Arch give a live interview from the Red Bull Air Race Runway: "Very interesting. Bonhomme looks very relaxed."- 9/13/2009 12:50:18 PM

• That was a quick little interview on the TV monitors that Bonhomme and Arch gave. Bonhomme said he is not thinking about the possibility of clinching the championship today in the penultimate race of the season. He would have to win and Arch would have to do very poorly for that to happen. Arch also seemed very relaxed and not bothered by his blunders in Qualifying. He put that chapter behind him and has one goal today: to finish in front of Bonhomme. Arch said he's not going to worry about anyone else but his own flying. - 9/13/2009 12:57:01 PM

Wild Card

• And here we go! The Wild Card is just about to start with the four slowest pilots from yesterday battling it out for two available tickets for the Top 12. - 9/13/2009 1:00:24

• Here comes Pete McLeod of Canada. He crosses the starting line at 317 kph! - 9/13/2009 1:01:19 PM

• McLeod's time is 1:15.65, hurt by a 2-second penalty. Strip away the penalty and his time was pretty good. He flew a 1:17.45 yesterday in Qualifying with 4 seconds in penatlies. It may still be enough to advance to the next round. Next up is Sergey Rakhmanin of Russia. - 9/13/2009 1:03:22 PM

• Whoa! Just got word there are 720,000 spectators here today! It's the biggest crowd at a race this year! There are still more people streaming in! - 9/13/2009 1:10:00 PM

• Rakhmanin moves into first place ahead of McLeod with a time of 1:13.95. That could be fast enough for a Top 12 spot. Next up Mike Mangold and Nicolas Ivanoff.- 9/13/2009 1:11:56 PM

• Mangold moves ahead of Rakhmanin at the midway point. His time is 1:13.28, 0.67 ahead of Rakhmanin. That guarantees the American a spot in the Top 12. That also knocks McLeod out. Bummer for Pete. Now it's Ivanoff up. Will he knock Rakhmanin out?- 9/13/2009 1:14:49 PM

• Ivanoff has really had a complex season -- not surprising for a Frenchman. He was first in San Diego and third in Abu Dhabi but when we all started writing about him finally becoming a star, he fell to 9th in Windsor and 8th in Budapest. Go figure? 9/13/2009 1:16:55 PM

• Ivanoff is having a great run but gets hit with a 2-second penalty at the very end of his run that drops him down to 2nd place in 1:13.69. Doesn't matter. He's still faster than Rakhmanin. But just barely. Ivanoff sounds very happy despite the penalty. "Okay, zank you," he says after hearing his time and position. - 9/13/2009 1:18:46 PM 3:18

• Race MC Joe McGrath offers this bit of wisdom about Ivanoff's run. "If he can just tidy up his misdemeanors, he should do well." Indeed, Ivanoff looked pretty sharp there. Take away that penalty and he could be up around the podium contenders. - 9/13/2009 1:20:38 PM

• So it's Mangold and Ivanoff advancing while Rakhmanin and McLeod can start packing for Barcelona. The Russian and Canadian did so much better on the turn-filled course in Windsor and their planes just didn't seem as suited to this fast straight track as some of the others. But good news for Sergey and Pete: the season finale in Barcelona is a turn-filled track. - 9/13/2009 1:22:28 PM

• Once again your correspondent has been sipping too many Red Bulls here in the media centre and will now have to excuse himself for a short run to the loo. Fortunately we've got a break in the action now until 1500 when the Top 12 start. The Breitling Jets are coming in for another spectacular air show -- some people say that coming to see their exhibition is by itself enough to make a trip to the race worthwhile. 9/13/2009 1:27:55 PM

• Wow, was that a show! The Breitling Jets gave this big crowd goose bumps. Our favourite part is when they fly straight up from just a few metres above the river to several thousand metres up with the smoke trailing. - 9/13/2009 1:55:21 PM

• This is such an amazing Porto thing. There is a crowd of 1,500 spectators watching the planes take off and land at the Red Bull Air Race Runway about 5 km west of the track over near the Atlantic Ocean. What great enthusiasm. There isn't much to see from behind the fences out there except the planes landing and taking off. But the Portuguese love their race so much that they flock over there too. It's hard to recall a more enthusiastic crowd. The whole region is into this race.- 9/13/2009 1:57:17 PM

Top 12

• Mangold up first with an excellent time 1:11.74. Mike's over the moon with that time.- 9/13/2009 2:02:23 PM

• Ivanoff was having another good run but gets yet another annoying penalty late in his run. His time is 1:13.67, leaving him in 2nd place behind Mangold. Can anyone figure these French people out? - 9/13/2009 2:05:24 PM

• Goulian can't knock Mangold off the top. He looked so sharp in Budapest with his first career victory but just can't seem to get it together here. His time is 1:12.43, good enough for second place. It's going to be tough to advance to the next round with that time. Arch coming in next! - 9/13/2009 2:07:48 PM

• Talk about pressure. Arch needs to get a good time here to ensure a spot in the Top 8 -- otherwise Bonhomme could move far in front in the championship with only one race left after this. - 9/13/2009 2:08:29 PM

• Arch is 0.65 ahead of Mangold at the midway point and looking good. "The silver bullet is back in the sky," says MC Joe McGrath. - 9/13/2009 2:09:10 PM

• Arch is up to 1 second in front of Mangold at the third interval and finishes with a time of 1:10.53 -- that's a very, very good time. "That is good news for Arch," says McGrath. - 9/13/2009 2:10:02 PM

• Arch is a full 1.21 ahead of Mangold. That was the Red Bull Air Race equivalent of a home run for the Austrian. There were two outs in the 9th inning and he knocked the ball out of the park. Clutch performance by Arch! - 9/13/2009 2:12:14 PM

• Peter Besenyei had a solid run as well but was still well behind Arch in 1:11.41. - 9/13/2009 2:13:06 PM

• Ugh! What a bummer for Lamb. He was having a good run but gets a 2-second penalty for incorrect level flying through one gate. His time of 1:13.01 is good enough only for 5th place -- he would have been 2nd without the pen. It will be tough to get into the next round with that time. But there are 3 rookies who still have to fly. How will they cope with the pressure of this huge crowd?- 9/13/2009 2:16:14 PM

• Alejandro Maclean has a great run, moving into 2nd place behind Arch with a time of 1:11.37. Well done Alex! He's had a rough year so far...this looks like he's coming up with the right answer to that earlier disappointment before his home race in Barcelona next month. - 9/13/2009 2:18:19 PM

• Ach, du lieber Gott! Germany's Matthias Dolderer knocks Arch off the top of the table with a brilliant time of 1:09.51. "Yahoo!" Dolderer shouts. - 9/13/2009 2:20:31 PM

• Japan's Yoshi Muroya gets hit with a 2-second penalty and gets dropped to 7th place with a time of 1:12.77. The rookie lost the magic touch he had yesterday when he got a career-best 4th place in Qualifying. It'll be tough to advance with that time, Yoshi. - 9/13/2009 2:24:00 PM

• Australia's Matt Hall up next. The former RAAF fighter pilot is focused on avoiding penalties and would love to get on the podium for the first time here.- 9/13/2009 2:24:43 PM

• Hall's time is very good, a 1:10.97 that leaves him in 3rd place. Only two pilots still to fly: Kirby Chambliss and Paul Bonhomme. - 9/13/2009 2:25:32 PM

• Hall's strong run just knocked Lamb out of the Super 8. Muroya and Goulian could be knocked out too if Chambliss, up next, and Bonhomme fly faster.- 9/13/2009 2:26:54 PM

• Chambliss gets close to the 12g limit at 11.6 but stays under the limit today. Chambliss takes the lead with a superb time of 1:08.88. That looks like the fastest run on the track this year. That's 6.6 km in 68 seconds. - 9/13/2009 2:28:04 PM

• Bonhomme gets the "Smoke on" from Race Director Bernd Piff and you can feel the tension rising here in Porto. - 9/13/2009 2:28:48 PM

• Bonhomme is 0.55 behind Chambliss at the midway point. - 9/13/2009 2:29:37 PM

• But he's flying his usual smooth style and doesn't look like he's pushing it at all. Smart man. He knows he just needs to get into the Top 8 here. Save the best for later.- 9/13/2009 2:30:09 PM

• Bonhomme crosses the line in 1:09.17, leaving him 0.29 behind Chambliss.- 9/13/2009 2:30:46 PM

• So it's Chambliss, Bonhomme, Dolderer and Arch in the top four so far followed by Hall, Maclean, Besenyei and Mangold. The race is over for Goulian, Muroya, Lamb and Ivanoff - 9/13/2009 2:32:45 PM

• More surprises today. Dolderer grabbing 3rd in front of Arch. Impressive stuff from the German rookie. Another surprise: Maclean taking 6th place. He's struggled this year. It's his best result in the Top 12 this year. He was 8th in Abu Dhabi but fell to 10th in San Diego, 10th in Windsor and 11th in Windsor.- 9/13/2009 2:34:47 PM

• Perhaps the biggest surprise of all is Goulian. What the heck happened, Mike? The American was 1st in Budapest and we thought he was going to be challenging for the win here. Ivanoff, who won in San Diego, also fails to make the Super 8. What a great year this is and what a fantastic race Porto puts on.- 9/13/2009 2:36:17 PM

Super 8

• And we're off with the Super 8. Mangold is in the track for the 3rd time today. If he advances to the Final 4, it would mean 4 flights for the American. - 9/13/2009 2:40:03 PM

• Mangold gets hit with a 2-second penalty and his time of 1:13.86 is nothing to write home about. Maybe he was getting tired. It would have been incredible if Mangold made it through the Wild Card to the Top 12 to the Super 8 and into the Final 4. That's never happened before. And, unfortunately for Mangold, it doesn't look like it's going to happen today either. - 9/13/2009 2:42:16 PM

• Arch comes into the track and is half a second ahead of Mangold at the first interval and 0.98 seconds in front at the midway point.- 9/13/2009 2:42:56 PM

• Arch's time is 1.09.57 and puts him well ahead of Mangold. Nice run, Hannes. Six pilots still up.- 9/13/2009 2:44:03 PM

• Like Mangold, Besenyei picks up a costly 2-second penalty. He was having a very good run. But it will be almost impossible to get into the Final 4 after that. His time is 1:12.86, good enough for 2nd place behind Arch. Five pilots still to fly with 4 tickets to the final up for grabs.- 9/13/2009 2:46:24 PM

• Maclean gets a DQ for over-g. He gets clocked at 12.3g on one turn, over the 12g limit. Adios Alex. That's good news for Arch, Besenyei and Mangold.- Live Ticker Editor edited by Red Bull Air Race at 9/13/2009 2:49:36 PM

• Dolderer gets a 2-second penalty just after the start. 9/13/2009 2:50:57 PM

• Dolderer then gets a second 2-second penalty before the midway point. What a nightmare! - 9/13/2009 2:51:19 PM

• "That is a rookie mistake and that is definitely going to put him out of the final 4," says MC Joe McGrath of Dolderer's error-filled run. Auf Wiedersehen, Matthias! Good news for Arch, Besenyei and Mangold. They're still alive.- 9/13/2009 2:52:28 PM

• Word just out that Chambliss won't be starting in the Final 4. Shock! Due to technical problem with his aircraft.- 9/13/2009 2:53:33 PM

• Could Mangold actually make it into the Final 4?? - 9/13/2009 2:54:27 PM

• Hall's having a typical solid run. His time is 1:11.60 -- it gets the Aussie into the Final 4 for the first time in his career. "Thanks mate!" he says. That's one happy camper. - 9/13/2009 2:55:30 PM

• So with tickets in the final now are Arch, Hall and Besenyei. Only Bonhomme left to fly. It'll either be Bonhomme getting the 4th and final slot or Mangold. Jeez, this is intense. We need a drink.- 9/13/2009 2:57:27 PM

• Hall has been having a great year but had never made it to the Final 4 before. He got close in Abu Dhabi and San Diego with 5th place. He slipped to 7th when he "flew like a wally" in Windsor and also got 7th in Budapest. He really wanted to get to the Final 4. And he's made it.- 9/13/2009 2:58:44 PM

• Here comes Bonhomme. There was a little delay there and he was able to burn off some fuel. He should be a bit lighter now. But will he push it? Or will he play it safe? He needs to get to the Final 4 or Arch could move back in front. - 9/13/2009 2:59:58 PM

• Bonhomme is having a great run. He's just 0.03 behind at the midway point. Wow. - 9/13/2009 3:00:33 PM

• Bonhomme stops the clock in 1:09.99, 0.42 behind Arch. What a race!- 9/13/2009 3:01:32 PM

• Both Arch and Bonhomme hit "home runs" in that pressure-packed run. They showed why they're so far in front of the championship this year with some pretty classy flying under some intense pressure. The smallest of mistakes by either of them and they would have been knocked out of the Final 4. - 9/13/2009 3:02:53 PM

• Also into the Final 4 are Hall with a career-best 3rd place and Besenyei, who despite that 2-second penalty slips into Final 4. Way to go Peter! First time in the Final 4 since San Diego - 9/13/2009 3:13:24 PM

• Chambliss said he had to pull out due to some problems with his engine. "It's a shame because I felt super comfortable in the track."- 9/13/2009 3:14:17 PM

Final 4

• Here comes Arch, up first to open up the Final 4. The crowd is going crazy. They all know what's at stake here: The Red Bull Air Race Championship. Bonhomme's got a 2-point lead. That could change right now! - 9/13/2009 3:14:57 PM

• Arch has a good first run but judges are taking a closer look at one gate. But whew! green light. no penalty!- 9/13/2009 3:15:53 PM

• His second lap is clean, and Arch posts a time of 1:10.17. He'll wait aloft for the other 3 finalists to go through the track.- 9/13/2009 3:16:51 PM

• Besenyei up next. But he gets another 2-second penalty! Wrong time for a penalty, Peter! But he knows that better than anyone. The Hungarian's time of 1:14.10 -- it'll be tough to get on the podium for the first time with a time like that. So Arch is guaranteed at least 3rd place now. Hall and Bonhomme still to fly.- 9/13/2009 3:19:09 PM

• "The door has never been more widen open for Hall to get on the podium," says MC Joe McGrath. Well, sort of. He had a good shot in Windsor but flew too aggressively. Then in Budapest he said he was too relaxed. Will Hall get the balance right this time? We'll know in about 2 minutes!- 9/13/2009 3:20:32 PM

• But it's true, Joe. Hall has never made it to the Final 4 and this is his big shot!- 9/13/2009 3:20:57 PM

• Great first half for Matt. - 9/13/2009 3:21:20 PM

• He's behind Arch but well ahead of Besenyei at interval 3 - 9/13/2009 3:21:44 PM

• Hall stops the clock in 1:11.23, 1.06 behind Hall but in front of Besenyei. So Hall is guaranteed 3rd place. And he could move up to 2nd if Bonhomme can't beat him next. Stay tuned. - 9/13/2009 3:22:39 PM

• "Number 55, Bonhomme, you're cleared into the track -- Smoke on!" says Bernd Piff. The crowd grows silent. Everyone knows this is it. First place in Porto and in the championship? Or will he come up short? - 9/13/2009 3:23:49 PM

• He's a bit behind Arch at the first interval - 9/13/2009 3:24:18 PM

• Bonhomme is 0.33 ahead of Arch at the midway point. Whoa! - 9/13/2009 3:24:39 PM

• Bonhomme is still ahead at the 3rd interval. - 9/13/2009 3:24:49 PM

• And Bonhomme wins!!!!!!! - 9/13/2009 3:25:03 PM

• Stop the presses! Bonhomme wins with a time of 1:09.23! Arch takes second, Hall third and Besenyei fourth - 9/13/2009 3:25:50 PM

• "Thank you Porto! It's a beautiful city and we love it here," says Bonhomme while doing a few midair rolls after getting the results read to him over the radio. That's his second victory of the season to match three second-place finishes.- 9/13/2009 3:26:39 PM

• What a race! Just un-friggin-believable. Bonhomme gets the win with Arch hot on his heels. Their championship battle will be continued next month in Barcelona with more spine-tingling action. Matt Hall gets a career-best third and Besenyei 4th. Mangold jumps from the Wild Card to 5th, Dolderer takes a solid 6th, Maclean an improved 7th and Chambliss, disappointingly, ends up 8th. - 9/13/2009 3:30:05 PM

• Thanks all for watching and commenting! We'll be back with a live stream on October 4th from Barcelona - season finale! Will Bonhomme become Red Bull Air Race World Champion 2009? by Red Bull Air Race at 9/13/2009 3:30:46 PM

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