Nigel Lamb (1st) was disappointed with his second training run despite posting the best result of the day (1:12:03) to finish up at the top of the time sheets in training. “I know it’s not a good net time and it depends what your definition of a good result is,” said the Team Breitling pilot who needs a win in New York to chip away at Paul Bonhomme’s four-point lead overall. “I wanted to post a really good net time and I didn’t. I’m disappointed. I should have been quicker and it’s a hollow feeling. We’ve had very little time in the track. I’ve got a little bit of experimenting in the bank but sadly my in-cockpit camera didn’t work at all in the first training run so I’ve got nothing to go on except for memory.”
Nicolas Ivanoff (2nd) demonstrated the flash of brilliance we sometimes see in the track with a good 1:12:12 run, just a whisker behind Lamb. “I was faster but if you check the time of the second session both Paul and Hannes are faster than me without the penalties,” said the French pilot. “I am still two seconds behind these guys and I don’t think I can make that up. The plane is performing well here because it’s a turning track but whenever I have a straight line, like before the vertical turning manoeuvre, I am losing speed. I don’t have enough power. Especially when you negotiate the second 270, you have to take the turn a bit wider for the first knife-edge. With the wind it was a bit different second time and it’s not so easy.”
Paul Bonhomme (3rd) played down his training result (1:12:33), which included a penalty for incorrect level flight. “We’re actually very pleased with our flying today and I had a net time of 1:10:33 this afternoon,” said the defending champion. “This morning it was more of an R&D session in the track and I flew round with low power and with all the panels open to keep the engine cool. This afternoon I got a penalty for gate 7, which was justified as I wasn’t level but I’m very pleased with the net time. If we can just iron out the penalty we’ll be fine and I know why it happened. I’m looking forward to tomorrow and getting a good Qualifying run in.”
Hannes Arch (4th) was fastest in the morning session but slipped down the table in the afternoon. He wasn’t fazed by the result and was keeping a clear head for tomorrow’s Qualifying. “You can feel there’s lots of pressure here and you have to focus on not getting distracted,” he said. “It’s fine and I got a penalty for being a bit high but minus two seconds and I’m there. I don’t think I’m taking it any easier. I’m just trying to not make any mistakes and that’s the big difference. I don’t know what the secrets are here. Nicolas is always a podium contender especially on the tight tracks. He always flies really direct lines but the risk is bigger. If his runs are without penalties, he’s really fast. When you look at the other guys you can always see what they could have done better – if I could do the same with myself that would be great.”
Alejandro Maclean (5th) laid down a 1:14 clean run but felt that wouldn’t be enough for success in the Big Apple. “I’m just trying to squeeze a few seconds and I realise that flying a clean track isn’t enough,” said the Spaniard. “At least I am able to make clean runs without mistakes. It’s an awesome race but with huge responsibility. I’m definitely enjoying it here in New York.”
Michael Goulian (6th) improved with each training flight after starting the day with the wrong line in the track. The US local hero posted a 1:16 clean run but was aware that the podium could be out of reach this weekend. “If I fly the plane the best I can, I think it’s a 6th place machine,” confided Goulian, flying with his slower engine after mechanical problems in Windsor with the new one. “I need Kirby, Matthias and Pete to make a mistake to push me up to the front. Consistency will be the key this weekend.”
Pete McLeod (7th) was more relaxed ahead of the New York race after the intense spotlight of the home round at the start of the month. “It’s a different environment for me here and although I wouldn’t call it a vacation, it’s easier to focus more on the flying,” said the Canadian pilot who flew a 1:16:25 with a two-second penalty for being too high in gate 12. “Even though we’ve had short training time, I feel better prepared going into Qualifying that I did in Windsor. I like the track here; it’s interesting and a little bumpy due to all the buildings on all sides. We made a small adjustment to the plane and it’s stabilised it. I’m pretty happy with it right now.”
Peter Besenyei (8th) continued to push the new Corvus harder in the track as his team refines the set-up continually throughout its second race. “We cannot change big things but we are permanently improving the plane as we learn more about it,” Besenyei said, after laying down a 1:16 run in training. “It definitely feels better and the plane is feeling nice. It’s getting better and better. I like the track although when I first saw it I thought it was too tight and unflyable but it’s good.”
Sergey Rakhmanin (9th) was also around the 1:16 mark in training but felt there was lots of work to be done if he is to pick up points in New York. “It’s an interesting track but it’s not easy and it takes time to be comfortable here. It’s not easy to fly or remember but it’s OK. Wind from any direction will make it very difficult. There are several things that are difficult here, in particular the 270 turn from both directions, and it’s not a standard turn. If the wind is good for one direction then it’s bad coming the other way.”
Martin Sonka (10th) was at the back of the pack with a 1:19 run but felt encouraged that he was making progress in what had appeared an impossible track at first glance. “The first day when I saw the track from about 500ft, it looked so tight and everything was so close. It looked impossible to fly and to even stay over the track,” said Sonka. “When you fly between the pylons it’s actually fine. I like the tracks where you have to manoeuvre and there are no straight lines as it’s good for my aeroplane. Our tactic will be to fly cleanly as always. If others make mistakes we’ll be there so long as we don’t make mistakes ourselves. Mostly mistakes happen for me when I’m pushing a bit harder and trying to fly a faster track. It doesn’t always work but that’s how I get my experience.”
Kirby Chambliss (11th) was way off the pace in training even with a new engine. “I think it’s better than what we had but we’re still probably not there,” said the pilot from Arizona. “It’s not what I hoped for but I’m optimistic that I can go out there and come out here on the podium. The pylon hit was just a bit silly on the way out and I was trying to take more of an angle than I could get by with, especially with the wind. We’ve still got a good shot at it.”
Matthias Dolderer (12th) was not in good spirits after a disappointing run in both training sessions. After looking low in the first run, the German pilot flying the new Edge 540 V3 was asked to leave the track in the final session. “It’s a new track and a new plane,” explained Dolderer. “I got into the chicane and was about to hit the second pylon and that looked a bit scary in the first run. After that it wasn’t too bad. On the final run, after the second 270 I experienced a really hard bump and one of the wings was pulled down. It gave me the feeling that something was pulling on the aileron. That was the reason I pulled out of the track. We’ve sorted the problem. I’d put a lot of expectation on myself here and I need to reduce that and just try to have fun out there.”
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