Hannes Arch
Hannes Arch (1st) had the crowds gasping as he hit a pylon early in his first run. The drama continued when he came under investigation for his speed through the start gate. Cleared of any wrongdoing, it looked as though the defending world champion may have blown his chances of securing the point but he was back on form in the second round and proved the critics wrong. Posting a 1:21:06 clean run, Arch increases the pressure on Paul Bonhomme ahead of tomorrow’s race. “I made a mistake because I hadn’t trained with the wind coming from the south,” he said when asked about the pylon hit. “All the other guys had training in those conditions so it was just learning for me in the first run.” Securing today’s single point takes the Austrian a step closer to a second title and he was clearly pleased with the result. “That point is really important for us,” Arch confided. “We know we only have a small chance so that point is one step closer. It makes us happy as I really struggled this last part of the season with penalties. Last night with the engine, that was stressful, so under that pressure it makes me really happy. I think it should be about the same power as when we arrived. It’s hard to say with just two runs today but it’s definitely not less power. The numbers are right and I hope Vito can give me a bit more power for tomorrow. And if I learn a bit from today then it should be quite fast tomorrow.”
Hannes Arch, 3rd October
Nicolas Ivanoff
Nicolas Ivanoff (2rd) remained accurate in the track with a clean and fast run, placing him in second position. “I tried a different line and maybe it was a little bit better,” said the French pilot who achieved a penalty-free 1:22:16 time on his first run. “The second run was better for speed but I made a small mistake in the quadro. I don’t think it was a big problem but with another race line I was faster but not more than Hannes. To be first will be really hard but the good thing is that this week I did well from the beginning so I hope it will be the same tomorrow.”
Nicolas Ivanoff, 3rd October
Matt Hall
Matt Hall (3rd) remained in the top of the results table today and it looks like the former Top Gun has executed a perfect strategy. “I got a personal best today,” said Hall. “I came here this week with an attitude that I still want to learn and develop for next year. I’m not trying to be conservative or defend the lead or anything like that. I definitely went out there in training and tried a lot of different lines and I came up with a line that was safe and fast. I trialled that on training 4 and it worked. I decided to use Qualifying 1 to just qualify then use the second run to re-train – which is exactly what I did.” The methodical plan is paying off for Hall and there is a strong chance that he could add to his podium in Porto if he can continue to stay focused tomorrow. “There’s nothing in the track that is worrying me too much. I’m pretty calm in the track and having a good time,” he added.
Matt Hall, 3rd October
Paul Bonhomme
Paul Bonhomme (4th) insisted that the result in Qualifying would not affect his mood despite picking up an unlikely penalty for hitting a pylon at gate 12 on his second run. “It doesn’t mean anything; I don’t care,” shrugged Bonhomme who was heavily in the spotlight after the unexpected fourth place finish. “I was pleased with my net time of 1:21:82 because the pylon hit wouldn’t have made any difference to that really,” he continued. “I’ve just watched the video of the second run and annoyingly I needn’t have hit that pylon. I just took my eye off it a bit in gate 12 and went into my relaxed mode hence the pylon hit. It was just a little schoolboy error but it’s not a worry.” Missing out on the important extra point up for grabs today wasn’t going to spoil the British pilot’s day either although he admitted that negativity from people around him was starting to wear thin. “People keep giving me some glum looks today and I’m not having any of that. One thing I know last year is that if people start talking like the cat has just died then I will get really pissed off. I know it is important but it is only a sport. We know where we can make up some time and tomorrow is going to be fantastic, I’ve just got to keep my nose clean.”
Paul Bonhomme, 3rd October
Matthias Dolderer
Matthias Dolderer (5th) was only just behind Paul Bonhomme in Qualifying and believes he may have a stab at a podium in Barcelona. His 1:23:07 run secures a place in tomorrow’s Top 12. “The only thing that was disappointing is that I got the penalty, otherwise I would have been in second place,” said the German rookie. “With a slightly smoother run I could have even been first. I am pleased the aeroplane is running well and the team is good. I do like the track.” What will he be looking at improving tomorrow? “I’ll just have to fly more precise in the quadro – that was the first time I got a penalty there. It’s not an easy one, with the high G, but it is the same for everyone. I think I have a chance of a podium tomorrow.”
Nigel Lamb
Nigel Lamb (6th) secures his spot in the next round with a 1:23:39 clean run. The British pilot admitted he took a calculated risk with his flying in the second run. “I was really, really pleased with the first run but looking at the times I took a gamble with the second run,” he said. “I made a plan and decided to take really oblique cuts in the track. What is very disappointing in just not paying enough attention in the quadro and over-rolling. When I practice I never, ever do that. Even if you get just a couple of seconds ahead of the aeroplane it’s just too easy to do things on reflex. The aeroplane is rolling at 420 degrees per second so you’re concentrating on that. You’re concentrating on the rhythm of the roll-out and it’s very easy to over-roll by 30 degrees. It’s an easy mistake to make but it’s a silly mistake.” The deep-thinker is already planning how to improve his chances next year. “Maybe over the winter I need to do some mental exercises to focus on that second and not be too far ahead of myself, he said, quite ironically considering he still has tomorrow to consider. “Maybe it’s a trend and it’s got me into a lot of trouble this year.”
Michael Goulian
Michael Goulian (7th) knew exactly why he’d posted slower times that he had hoped for and said being too catious today was the problem. Picking up a two-second penalty in the first run left him with a time of 1:26:41 which he then surpassed with a 1:23:79 to leave him in sixth place. “Yesterday the pylon hit was a ‘let’s really take a look at where the wind is and don’t go out there like a dummy’ kinda thing,” said Goulian. “Then I saw Hannes hit the pylon today and it was like ‘here we go again, don’t do that’. I didn’t realise that the wind was actually a bit calmer than yesterday. Hannes’ pylon hit gave me a bit of a false impression of the conditions out there and I was too cautious. On the second run I wanted to be faster but I didn’t want to hit anything.” With a faster engine and the victory in Budapest to bolster confidence, the American pilot wasn’t giving up hope for another podium. “I won in Budapest from 8 th spot so it doesn’t really matter,” he said. “Every run is a learning experience and I know that tomorrow you’re gonna have to let it all hang out. Everybody is fast. The top eight or nine guys are capable of being there. Tomorrow is going to be a case of just lighting the fire and going for it. A little bit of luck too. When you finish going through the quadro are you going to wait? Probably not. Are you going to see some pylon hits? Probably so.”
Peter Besenyei
Peter Besenyei (8th) was penalised at the same point in the track in both Qualifying runs but was upbeat nonetheless. “Tomorrow I will be really careful with gate 3,” he said. “Without that penalty it would have been fast. I know where the mistakes are and hopefully I can work on it. I’ll try.” Failing to make the podium so far this year, the Hungarian would like to end the season on a high. “It’s just as important for me to be on the podium as everyone else,” he continued. “There is a chance but there is also a chance that I might not make it into the Super 8. Even a small mistake, you get a penalty and you are out. With no penalties and some luck you can be on the podium. The times are very close.”
Peter Besenyei, 3rd October
Kirby Chambliss
Kirby Chambliss (9th) had a two runs with penalties incurred. He managed to secure his place in the next round but admitted the Barcelona track requires pilots to go all-out. “It was really close,” said Chambliss. “First of all there was a penalty for turning through the first gate. It’s a fraction of a second and if you look at my camera right over my head, I’ve gone through the gate before I even turn. The rule is that the tail has to go through there too. When you’re going at 200kt there’s not a lot of time between my head going through and the tail. I did that twice but I was just going for it. The other one was for the knife-edge. I must have been 22 degrees instead of 20 degrees.” With the championship out of his grasp, the American pilot wasn’t too ruffled to miss out on the single point. “In reality Hannes probably needs that point more than I do. It’s not going to make that much difference for us. Saying that, I’m here to win and I have no other agenda. Honestly, when I went on that last flight I thought even if I have to start from right at the back I don’t care. I’m gonna just go for it and see how fast I can do this. Sometimes you make it, sometimes you don’t.”
Kirby Chambliss, 3rd October
Alejandro Maclean
Alejandro Maclean (10th) seemed very positive after today’s Qualification rounds and was eager to discuss his flights. Automatically moving on to the next round, the Spanish pilot was pleased to be making progress. “If you look at the times without the penalties they were almost identical,” said Maclean. “We are just analysing everything, seeing whether the penalties were fair or not. It looks lie the one in the quadro was fair but maybe not the one at the start gate. However the times are promising in general and I qualified which was the main objective today. I’m happy but just trying to really analyse the data to improve tomorrow.”
Mike Mangold
Mike Mangold (11th) remained philosophical despite a slow day in the track. Posting a 1:25:44 the American just couldn’t make it into the top 10 so will have to race in the Wild card tomorrow. “The adjustments we made yesterday to the fuel servo and fuel pump have helped us move a bit faster today,” said Mangold. “We’re also going to try a few things tonight and hopefully pick up more speed. We’re improving so I’m happy about that. I’m not happy that we’re not at the top but anything’s possible. We’ve seen it before and we’ll see it again.”
Pete McLeod
Pete McLeod (12th) caused excitement for the crowds when he posted a solid run in the first Qualifying round but his 1:26:45 clean second run just wasn’t fast enough to guarantee him a place in tomorrow’s top 12 so he will fly in the Wild Card. The young Canadian seemed to have the track worked out and was one of the few to make it through without penalties. We’ll have to wait and see if McLeod can make it any further in the final race but with a notoriously slow plane, it’s likely he will remain in the bottom half of the table.
Sergey Rakhmanin
Sergey Rakhmanin (13th) flew cleanly in both runs in Qualifying but he was nearly six seconds behind the leader. “I think we can talk about getting another second but that’s about all,” said Rakhmanin, who was working closely with his technician to devise some last minute methods to improve the MXS-R’s aerodynamics. “I was satisfied with my flight, although the time wasn’t good. It is improving but I can’t gain five seconds by tomorrow. We’re going to maybe seal some gaps and probably something else before tomorrow.”
Yoshi Muroya
Yoshi Muroya (14th) picked up six points in each of the Qualifying runs today after multiple penalties through the track and will fly in the Wild Card tomorrow. Although he felt he may have been judged harshly on his first run, where he incurred penalties at three different gates, the Japanese rookie couldn’t do a whole lot better second time and sliced a pylon at the first gate. “I went into the second round with the intention of getting a clean run but with an average time,” said Muroya, who admitted he may have misjudged the onshore wind while concentrating too hard on the quadro. “Obviously there’s room for improvement in consistency but the times through the track are OK considering our plane.”
Glen Dell
Glen Dell (15th) is having a frustratingly poor final race of the season and thinks low G tolerance is causing him extra problems. Dell’s first run in Qualification saw the South African fly too high through gate 3 and then hit the pylon at gate 14. His second run was worse as he made the same mistakes again and added a further two seconds in penalties. “G tolerance is still down and the first run was better but that’s about it,” said Dell, trying to gather some positive thoughts after such a disappointing day. “Maybe it’ll be better tomorrow. Anything above 9G for above two or three seconds just tends to catch me and I have to release.”
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