Pilot review from second race of 2009
SAN DIEGO, USA - Nicolas Ivanoff (1st) was sensational in the air today, showing just how good he can be when he’s fully focused on the track. A penalty-free run in the Final 4 and two record-shattering times for the Frenchman close to the 1:17 mark saw Ivanoff on the top of the podium and 12 points richer. Only his second career victory, Ivanoff was getting the most from his new Edge 540.
Paul Bonhomme (2nd) is frustratingly still playing bridesmaid but this time the bride was Ivanoff. Suffering with a back injury from Saturday’s Qualifying, the Brit put in a personal best of 1:18:32 in the Final 4 but once again fell short. The 10 points was little consolation for Bonhomme, who says he may have to up the aggression going forward if he’s going to win this year.
Hannes Arch (3rd) had a scare in the Final 4, when he suffered a birdstrike halfway through the course. With a hole ripped in one of the rear surfaces, the defending World Champion carried on through the course, unaware of what exactly had happened. Amazing really that the Austrian was able to finish, as he said after landing safely. Arch managed to stay on top of the championship table despite the result.
Peter Besenyei (4th) was back on top form in San Diego, finally proving why he is known as the ‘Godfather of the championship’. It’s a far cry from the 10th place finish he had in Abu Dhabi and the Hungarian, now flying an MXS-R, narrowly missed out on a much-needed podium after he incurred a 2 second penalty pushing him way off the pace.
Matt Hall (5th), rookie extraordinaire, didn’t disappoint, finishing just out of the top four. The Australian clocked a personal best of 1:20:38 in the track during the Super 8 round but it wasn’t enough to give him a stab at the podium. The Australian finished 5th – like in Abu Dhabi – and secures a further 7 championship points. No rookie has ever scored so highly in their debut season.
Nigel Lamb (6th) was looking fast in San Diego but just couldn’t keep up with the frontrunners who quickly posted improved times in the Super 8, blasting his 1:21:81 out of the game. Lamb’s super light MXS-R was performing well throughout the earlier rounds but he was no match for the fastest four pilots. With 6 points in the bank from the second race, Lamb slips down the table.
Mike Mangold (7th) took it easier in to the track in front of his home crowd but had to battle with an under-performing Edge 540 so couldn’t make the grade in the Super 8. A smooth but slow run soon saw Mangold slip down to 7th place but the twice World Champion still managed to collect 5 points and give a Mother’s Day cheer to the crowd.
Sergey Rakhmanin (8th) rocketed into the track for the Super 8 but was too high coming into the chicane and blew any chances of reaching the Final 4 as a result. The Russian will have to work harder in his new MXS-R in Windsor if he wants to move up from the middle of the pack. 3 points is better than none, but not as good as his 6th place finish in Abu Dhabi.
Glen Dell (9th) only just missed out on the Super 8 round but his improvement in San Diego was evident and the South African, now in his second season, can go home smiling with 3 points under his belt. It looks like the series of mods to his Edge 540 are paying off and 2009 may see Dell able to hold his head up high after all.
Alejandro Maclean (10th) took a gamble flying fast into the course, which paid off in the Wild Card round but may have contributed to the 2 seconds he picked up in the Top 12 for flying too high in the quadro at gate 11. Whatever the reason, the Spaniard leaves the United States with 2 points.
Yoshi Muroya (11th) showed great promise in the Wild Card round with a fast, penalty-free run but couldn’t keep his concentration in the Top 12 and picked up 4 penalty seconds. He banks his first ever championship point and if he can just work on his accuracy in the track, he may climb higher still in Windsor.
Kirby Chambliss (12th) blew his chances in the Top 12 when he was unceremoniously disqualified for exceeding the G limit in the course, which is a risk of hammering into the course at max speed. It was all over before it even started and the American will no doubt leave San Diego with his tail between his legs.
Matthias Dolderer (13th) was disappointed after flying too conservatively in the Wild Card round, particulary between gate 4 and the quadro. Taking too wide an angle lost him important time but he at least managed a penalty-free run, achieving his main objective for the day. It was an anti-climax for the German rookie who showed potential in Abu Dhabi where he collected his first point.
Michael Goulian (14th) can write off another 2009 race with a penalty-filled run in the Wild Card round, leaving no chance of securing any points despite having reversed some performance-limiting mods ahead of his home race.
Pete McLeod (15th) leaves his second race at the bottom of the pack and still no points. An overweight and under-powered Edge 540 is leaving the Canadian trailing the other rookies who have all shown great promise so far. Maybe he can up his game before the home race next month in Windsor, Ontario.
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