The 2006 Red Bull Air Race World Champion Kirby Chambliss tells us what makes him tick
Salad or steak? Probably salad with a little bit of steak on it!
iPod or vinyl? iPod.
Minivan or motorcycle? Definitely motorcycle. I raced motocross as a kid, and I have four motorcycles at home – and I don’t have a minivan. I love riding motorcycles, the only problem is finding the time. If I had more free time, I’d spend it on bikes.
Night on the town or quiet night at home? Probably a quiet night at home.
Suit or casual? Oh, definitely casual.
Golf or football? Ah… probably neither one. I like extreme sports. If I watch sport on television, it’s liable to be something out there; I’d watch motocross in preference to seeing some guy hitting a ball with a stick. Nothing against Tiger Woods and those guys, but I’m just not into that. I’m getting more into car racing, actually. I didn’t used to be a NASCAR guy, but now I know Brian Vickers and the Red Bull guys, I sometimes follow it. I like Formula One too, when I have the chance to watch it.
Diplomat or straight-shooter? Me? Definitely a straight-shooter.
Flying or jumping? I like both, aha!
Mozart or Motörhead? Probably Motörhead.
Vegas or Vermont vacation? Definitely Vermont – I hate Vegas! Well, actually that’s a little strong; I don’t have anything against it as a town, but with the airlines I spent many, many nights in Vegas and I’m not a gambler – at least not in that way – so I didn’t really enjoy it. It’s kinda plastic and the casinos tend to be full of smoke, which I don’t care for much. It’s just not my place.
Supermodel or girl next door? Supermodel.
Head-to-head or Final 4? Definitely Final 4…
Edge 540 or MXS-R? I’ll let you know after the race! Seriously, the MXS-R is showing really strong potential now they’ve got the weight down. Y’know, I love the Edge 540. I did the test flying early on and it feels like I’ve been flying the aeroplane forever. It’s a fantastic machine, but I’m here to win. So if the MXS-R shows huge potential, and you need to have an MXS-R to beat the MXS-R, then I’m going to get an MXS-R…
Fine dining or takeaway pizza? Hmmm… y’know I think I’d go for fine dining.
News section first or sports section first? If I have a newspaper, I’ll definitely read the news section first.
Aerobatics or racing? I gotta say both! It’s not really a straight choice because they’re totally different. OK you want to win whatever the competition, but the strategies involved in aerobatics and racing are miles apart. In competition aerobatics you are looking for very, very precise figures. Here it’s about the clock: You’re flying really close to the water, trying to shave fractions of seconds. It’s not the same thing at all.
Yosemite or Disneyland? Definitely Disneyland with my daughter.
Shopping mall or Internet shopping? Internet. Like most guys, I know what I want; I don’t have to browse. My belief is that if I have to look in a magazine to see if I need something, I probably don’t need it. I know what I need, I go on the Internet, find it, buy it, bang! And with shipping I don’t even have to leave home to pick it up. I’m not a shopping mall kind of guy!
Beard or shave? Hmmm… Shave.
Twelve or 15 Red Bull Air Race pilots? Hey, the more the merrier right?
Training in the gym or training on the road? Definitely in the gym!
Book or TV? Again, I’m happy with either.
Abu Dhabi or San Diego? I like Abu Dhabi, but San Diego’s closer to home, so I’m going to go with San Diego. Not having to cope with an 11-hour time change is definitely a good thing. It’s nice to have the home crowd, too. I mean, I want to win wherever I’m at, but it’s always nice to win in the States.
Money or glory? Take the money every time!
Interview by Matt Youson (Red Bull Air Race Magazine)
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