The sixth Red Bull Air Race World Championship season is once again going to be a battle right down to the finish in Germany on August 6-7 with Britain's Paul Bonhomme clinging to a slim lead at the top after the 2009 champion won the season opener in Abu Dhabi and the fifth race of the 2010 season in New York in June.
But Austria's Hannes Arch, the 2008 champion, is hot on his heels after winning three straight races in between -- in Perth, Rio de Janeiro and Windsor, Canada -- and coming close to beating Bonhomme in a thrilling race in New York. Britain's Nigel Lamb is also still in the championship hunt with three second place finishes. Here are short summaries of the 2010 season so far:
Race 1 – ABU DHABI (27 March)
Bonhomme prevails in Abu Dhabi heat to win Red Bull Air Race season opener
Paul Bonhomme of Great Britain won the first Red Bull Air Race of the 2010 season in Abu Dhabi with a hard-fought victory in scorching heat, finishing just ahead of compatriot Nigel Lamb (2nd) and Hungary’s Peter Besenyei (3rd) in an eventful battle on the Arabian Gulf. Austria’s Hannes Arch finished a disappointing 11th after posting the fastest time in Qualifying.
Arch, the favourite going in after winning the one Qualifying point, was disqualified in the Top 12 round for dangerous flying. Many other front-runners were also knocked out early on a day of upsets due to disqualifications or technical malfunctions. With temperatures rising above 40 degrees and the strong desert winds suddenly shifting direction just hours before the race, the 2010 season opener over the Arabian Gulf turned into one of the most challenging races in the six-year history of the world championship.
Michael Goulian took a strong fourth place but the American’s day nevertheless ended in disappointment as well when he was unable to fly in the final round of four due to technical problems. Canada’s Pete McLeod, a rookie last year, got a career-best fifth place.
Race 2 – PERTH (18 April)
Arch wins Red Bull Air Race in Perth, Australia’s Hall comes second
Hannes Arch of Austria won the second Red Bull Air Race of the season with Matt Hall of Australia getting a career-best second place in front of an enormous crowd of 140,000 watching from the banks of the Swan River in Perth. Championship leader Paul Bonhomme took third place.
Bonhomme retained the overall championship lead with 22 points after the first two races of the 2010 season. Nigel Lamb of Britain, who was fourth, was in second place on 18 points. Arch jumped into third place overall with 14 points and Hall moved up to fourth, also on 14 points.
It was a thrill-filled final under brilliant blue skies with Hall doing well despite the huge expectations from the home crowd, the biggest at a sporting event in Australia this year.
Bonhomme fell to third place. In an earlier training session, Braziilian rookie Adilson Kindlemann’s plane hit the Swan River after suffering an aerodynamic wing stall. Kindlemann was able to get his wings level just before skimming into the river but the plane flipped over. He was not hurt and was quickly helped out of the water by the rescue team.
Race 3 – RIO DE JANEIRO (9 May)
Arch declared winner as rain hits Rio, Bonhomme’s strong lead washed away
Hannes Arch of Austria was declared the winner of the Red Bull Air Race in Rio de Janeiro when adverse weather conditions made it impossible to continue the racing during the Top 12 round and the results were then based on the previous day's Qualifying session. Britain’s Nigel Lamb was awarded second place based on coming second in Qualifying while championship leader Paul Bonhomme was forced to settle with a disappointing third place in the third race of the 2010 season.
Heavy rain and winds swept across Rio, drenching the 250,000 spectators, during the Top 12 round that initially forced a delay of the flying in front of the city’s Flamengo Beach with pilots in the air to the race track called back to the Race Airport. The pilots were all hoping conditions would improve but organisers eventually decided not to continue with the Top 12 due to the inclement weather and unpromising forecast.
Arch’s second-consecutive victory cut Bonhomme’s championship lead to three points. Bonhomme was on 31 points after collecting nine points for his second-consecutive third place finish while Lamb was second on 28 points for his two second-place finishes in three races this year and Arch on 27 points after collecting a maximum 13 points in Rio – 12 for the victory and one bonus point for winning the Qualifying in front of 400,000 Brazilian fans.
Race 4 – WINDSOR, ONTARIO (6 June)
Hat trick for Arch in Windsor, Chambliss on podium
Austria's Hannes Arch won his third straight race in Windsor, bouncing back with an emphatic victory in Canada just two days after suffering one of the worst pylon hits of his career. Britain's Paul Bonhomme took a close second in the difficult track that straddles the Canada-U.S. border over the Detroit River, his 11th straight podium, while American Kirby Chambliss made the top 3 for the first time this year with third place. Canada’s Pete McLeod was a disappointing ninth in front of his home crowd.
Arch and Bonhomme were locked in another classic duel on a cool and overcast day in front of a huge crowd of 110,000 watching from Windsor and Detroit with about 160,000 spectators in attendance for the two days of high-speed, low-altitude racing. Arch, the 2008 World Champion, saved his best for last and shattered the track record with a time of 1:05:96 in the final.
Australia’s Matt Hall suffered an aerodynamic wing stall in Qualifying in a tight turn on the windswept track, causing it to dip towards the Detroit River. Hall’s wings and right wheel splashed off the top of the water but he was able to quickly regain control of the MXS-R and return safely to the Race Airport. Bonhomme was still leading the championship with 41 points to Arch’s 39.
Race 5 – New York (20 June)
Bonhomme triumphs in Red Bull Air Race New York
Paul Bonhomme of Britain won the first-ever Red Bull Air Race in New York with a scintillating performance under pressure in the most spectacular setting in the eight-year history of the sport. Nigel Lamb took second place in a thrilling four-way battle between the Statue of Liberty and Lower Manhattan while American Kirby Chambliss got his second straight podium with third place.
Bonhomme prevailed in front of a huge crowd of 75,000 spectators watching from both sides of the Hudson River and a live U.S. television audience with one superb run after another through three pressure-packed rounds. Bonhomme had finished behind Arch for the last three races and was desperate to get back on top after the Team Abu Dhabi racer cut his lead in the championship to just one point. Arch pushed Bonhomme to his limits but saw his three-race winning streak shattered in dramatic fashion when he hit a pylon in the Final 4, ending any hope of a podium finish.
It was Bonhomme’s 12th straight podium - a record - and his lead in the championship widened to 53 points while Arch was second overall with 48 points. Arch was gracious in defeat on the biggest stage in the 49-race history of the Red Bull Air Race, a city where organizers dreamed of staging a race since the world’s fastest growing motorsport was launched in 2003.
What was your highlight of 2010 so far? Let us know below...
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