Kindlemann puts Rio dream on hold and looks forward to Europe comeback

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Kindlemann puts Rio dream on hold and looks forward to Europe comeback

Adilson Kindlemann misses an opportunity to shine in front of the Brazilian crowd © Getty Images for Red Bull Air Race

Kindlemann puts Rio dream on hold and looks forward to Europe comeback

by Erik Kay, May 6, 2010

RIO DE JANEIRO – Adilson Kindlemann had been dreaming of flying in a Red Bull Air Race in front of a million of his fellow Brazilians for the last three years but an accident three weeks ago in Perth that wrecked his MXS-R forced him to put those ambitions on hold.

The affable Brazilian, who was captivated by the sport as a spectator at the first race in Brazil in 2007, survived the first accident in the six-year history of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship with barely a scratch and is still a little bit amazed himself at his good fortune. It will nevertheless take about three months for a full return to the competition as there are several prerequisites that need to be fulfilled, including training in a new race plane as well as additional requirements from the Sporting Medical Director.

“Yeah for sure I’m disappointed that I won’t be flying in Rio – it’s been my dream for the last three years,” Kindlemann said ahead of the third race of the 2010 season in Rio de Janeiro this weekend. “But I’m a realist. It was never going to be easy because there was so little time between the races. Sometimes I’m disappointed but most of the time I’m happy because I’m 100 percent fit and the only thing I lost in the river in Perth was my airplane and my sunglasses.”

'STILL HARD TO BELIEVE IT’S REAL'

Kindlemann’s plane hit the Swan River in Perth during a training run, the first accident in the 45-race history of the sport. He only suffered a minor whiplash injury and was quickly rescued with the help of divers in a textbook operation that took just a few short minutes.

“Sometimes it’s still not real for me,” said Kindlemann, who studied films of the accident to better understand what happened. “It’s difficult to believe it’s real.” He has since spent a lot of his time with his family in Curitiba and started sketching out plans for his comeback now set for the European leg of the season in Germany, Hungary and Portugal.

“I have to re-start everything,” he said. “The plan is to start to fly as soon as possible. I really want to fly. I’ll start training with a new plane. I have some options on a race plane but nothing is fixed yet. I’ve got some meetings. It would be really nice to start training in a plane in the next week or 10 days. Not yet a race plane, though. That’ll take more time. There’s a lot of work to do to get a new race plane ready. Then I’ll start flying aerobatics first and then later on moving into some race manoeuvres. It’s a long process. But I’m looking forward to it.”

TAKES TIME

Kindlemann – and Technical Director Adrian Judd – said they were duly impressed with the strength of the MXS-R. “It’s amazing,” said Kindlemann. “I knew the plane was strong but if you look at the cockpit area you can see now that it’s really, really strong. It’s been proven now.”

Red Bull Air Race Aviation Director Heinz Moeller said that even though Kindlemann was clear to fly planes he still needs a bit more time before he can fly in a race again. “We have additional requirements for race pilots and right now he’s trying to get the full clearance back,” Moeller said. “It just takes time. We expect it’ll take until about the middle of the year and when everything is okay, he can race. The medical is all in place. But our higher requirements mean it just takes some time to get it all done.”

Kindlemann is confident he will get a chance to race in Brazil and hopes it will return to his homeland next year. The race has become hugely popular in South America’s biggest country – another record crowd of a million spectators is expected for Sunday’s race.

“It’s a special country,” he said. “You can find the origins of aviation in Brazil,” he added, referring to Alberto Santos Dumont, an early pioneer of aviation who made the first officially witnessed fixed-wing aircraft flight in 1906. “The Brazilian people love motorsports like Formula One and the Red Bull Air Race. They love speed, they love emotion. Everyone’s been sending me messages ‘Adi, we’re still with you’ and they say they hope I can come back as soon as possible. This location has a great future. Yeah, it’s still definitely my dream to race in Brazil.”