McLeod aiming for first World Championship point
WINDSOR ONTARIO, Canada - As the Red Bull Air Race World Championship gears up for its inaugural Canadian round on 13-14 June, local hero Pete McLeod will be hoping the support from the home fans will help in his bid to secure his first Championship point in his rookie season.
The 25-year-old from London, Ontario, is excited that the race will land in his native country this month and is confident the interest in the revolutionary new motorsport will draw out the crowds.
“The Red Bull Air Race is still new in Canada, but for the last couple of years it has received good TV coverage and people are starting to recognise and take interest in the sport,” says McLeod, who is gradually adjusting to being something of a national sporting celebrity. “Life is still pretty normal for me, if people know I’m a race pilot they sometimes react differently, but not many people would just recognise me. I’ve been approached by random fans in airports and things like that, which takes some getting used to, but for the most part I’m still just an average guy.”
Windsor Ontario - The 'Gateway to Canada'
The choice of location is ideal for McLeod who lives about 180km from the city of Windsor in Ontario. In 2008, the Detroit leg of the Championship saw the race cross briefly over Canadian waters near to Windsor for the first time but this year the country plays host independently. Located on the banks of the Detroit River, Windsor is described as the ‘Gateway to Canada’ and is known for its cultural diversity, making it the ideal venue for the Championship which attracts fans from across the globe.
“For sure Windsor is not representative of all of Canada, but represents an industry and border town in this area of the country quite well,” says McLeod of the race location. “I think Canada is so diverse, it would be tough for any one place to represent everything it means to be Canadian.”
Growing up flying floatplanes in the Canadian wilderness, McLeod has seen much of what his native land has to offer in terms of future potential race locations. He says the country really does have the pick of the best natural environments on offer, whether prairie, mountains, forest or coast.
More pressure in home country race
“A dream would be to have a track set up way up north on one of the lakes I used to fly floats on – it’s not a practical race venue, but it would be amazing to blend those two experiences in my life,” he admits, clearly proud of his flying heritage which he shares with his dad who introduced him to flying as a toddler.
With nearly 10 million sq kms of terrain. Canada is an enormous country and McLeod says there are a number of cities on home soil that he’d love to race in, including Toronto and Halifax. He thinks Windsor is a great choice and is looking forward to doing his country proud as he hones his racing skills and hopefully climbs the rankings in the future. McLeod does admit, however, that he’s feeling the pressure as he gets closer to the race.
“In truth, after watching some of the veterans over previous seasons, it sounds like racing in your home country can be the most challenging race of the season,” admits the rookie pilot, who seems incredibly level-headed for his age. “Absolutely there is more pressure from all sides. Fans, media, and sponsors all naturally expect a little more coming from a home country race. The important thing is to recognise the pressure and plan for it.”
McLeod flying slowest race plane in the grid
With an unmodified, stock Edge 540, McLeod is struggling to stake his claim so far, with last place finishes in both Abu Dhabi and San Diego at the start of the season. With the frontrunners increasingly embracing the modification process, the race planes are becoming more and more sophisticated each year and widening the gap for McLeod.
“It’s true, my Edge is the slowest in the grid this year and that is really handicapping me,” confides the pilot, disappointed to be lagging far behind some of his fellow rookies. “But on the other hand, I’m not totally satisfied with my flying either, so for sure there is room to improve despite not making major changes to the race plane until next season. A point in Windsor will depend largely on if I can fly clean and others make mistakes.”
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