SALZBURG, Austria - It was not only the biggest class of rookies that the Red Bull Air Race World Championship has ever seen. But the four high fliers in 2009 from Australia, Germany, Japan and Canada were also by far the most successful crop of newcomers in the five-year history of the high-speed, low-altitude championship.
Matt Hall, Matthias Dolderer, Yoshi Muroya and Pete McLeod all exceeded their own lofty expectations and dazzled crowds around the world en route to scoring an astonishing total of 69 points. That is an impressive haul indeed when you consider that Austria’s Hannes Arch got just 3 points in his rookie year in 2007 before taking the title a year later.
Dream season for Aussie Matt Hall
Australia’s Hall shattered all rookie records with 36 points and third place overall after getting a podium in Porto and bettering the previous best result for a rookie set by American Michael Goulian with fifth place overall in 2006.
“The first year results were obviously much better than expected,” said Hall, who left the Australian Air Force to join the championship and gave the veterans a run for their money all season. “I had some goals which focussed on consistency and safety with the aim of getting to the Super 8 at some point during the season. Unfortunately, my last race was not as consistent and safe as the rest. So while I nurse a little disappointment about that, the overall season is still a dream run for me.”
Germany’s Matthias Dolderer the one to watch
Hall drew the headlines all season as the rookie to keep an eye on, but the Australian was actually eclipsed by Dolderer in the second half. The German had the stronger finish, scoring 22 points in the last three races (compared to 17 for Hall) that left him only behind world championship winner Paul Bonhomme of Britain and Hannes Arch of Austria in the second half. It was Dolderer’s slower start - just 1 point from the first three races compared to Hall’s 19 - that prevented him from rising any higher than ninth overall.
“I’m more than pleased,” said Dolderer, who emerged as a serious challenger to win a race in the final three races with a hot new engine - he got third in Barcelona and had the speed to do even better than that. “This year we achieved all our goals by making a top 10 place overall. Getting on the podium in Barcelona was the icing on the cake. The field is more closely matched than ever before. I’m not surprised we were able to challenge the veterans in our first season. We were well prepared.”
Dolderer said he can hardly wait for the 2010 season and already has set his goals a notch higher than in 2009: “Top 3,” he said. “We’re looking forward to the most competitive world championship ever next year. Everyone is working hard in the winter and working on their set-ups to be able to make a move up higher.”
High hopes for Japan’s Yoshi Muroya
Muroya, the first Asian pilot in the championship, also had a relatively modest start with just 1 point through the first three races - for 11th place at the second stop in San Diego. Muroya, who won the dubious distinction of having the most pylon hits this year (50), had struggled at times in the first half - a low point came in the third race in Windsor when he was unable to race after a heavy pylon hit in training. But Muroya bounced back strongly down the home stretch and surprised the rest of the field with two strong performances in Porto (2 points for 10th) and Barcelona (6 points for 6th) to move up to 13th overall.
“My plan worked out right on schedule,” Muroya said. “My aim for the season was 8 points so getting 9 was perfect. Of course I’m quite happy to get 6th place in Barcelona. I think my flying skills grew quickly even though at the first race in Abu Dhabi it seemed almost like it would be impossible to fly through the track.”
Muroya, who said he hopes there will be a race in Japan one day, said he learned in his rookie season that having a top plane is crucial to getting a top spot. But he is nevertheless optimistic he can continue his ascent next year and get into the top half of the field. “I’m just working on my own game plane and the other pilots don’t matter to me at all,” he said.
Canada’s Pete McLeod looking forward to 2010
McLeod, at 25 the youngest pilot ever to make it into the championship, struggled to get into the points all season but his lack of tangible results in every race but the 1-point he won at his home race in Windsor was due mainly to his under-performing plane. In fact, McLeod caught the eye of many of the veterans and fans alike for some fantastic flying on difficult tracks and under pressure - like in front of a huge crowd at his home race and for mastering a tricky Quadro in Barcelona.
“Overall, my rookie season was a big success,” McLeod said. “That being said, I’ve nevertheless got a lot of work to do into 2010 both on the race plane and the team. The performance gap of the plane was much bigger than expected but it didn’t prevent me from achieving most of my goals.”
McLeod, who is also one of the friendliest and most approachable pilots in the race, was still only a few seconds behind the leaders in most races - an achievement considering that past rookies were often 15 to 20 seconds off the pace.
“I wasn’t a threat in 2009,” he said. “I keep telling the other guys they ‘don’t have to worry about me’. I hope they keep listening. My goal is to win a championship by 30. I’ll build another part of the foundation I need in 2010 by focussing on the team behind me, the equipment and bringing on sponsors to help me reach my goal. It’s going to be an even more exciting year.”
Add a comment
Comments