New MXS-R with 350 horsepower
LONDON, Great Britain - The smell of fear will be in the air this season as Russian pilot Sergey Rakhmanin unveils his all-new 350hp MXS-R race plane in Abu Dhabi on 17-18 April. Already revered by his fellow competitors for his considerable flying achievements gained in his pre-racing career, this potentially unstoppable combination of man and machine could see Rakhmanin moving up the ranks in 2009.
Flying the Edge 540 since his rookie season in 2007, the St Petersburg pilot placed his order for the MXS-R before the 2008 season kicked off but waited until the end of the year to take delivery. He will race the new plane from the traditional season opener in Abu Dhabi next month. Trained in the former USSR as a dedicated aerobatic pilot, Rakhmanin is considered among the very top of the world's elite and his fellow competitors are right to be worried.
"This plane has good potential"
"The results of Nigel Lamb and Alex Maclean were changing to better performance with each race," said Rakhmanin, who closely watched how the two MXS planes performed in their inaugural season. "For me it means that this plane has good potential. I clearly understand that some time is required to adapt myself to flying on this plane and I will be focused on this first of all."
Rakhmanin travelled across the globe to the MX Aircraft operation in North Carolina, USA, in December so he could commence race training as soon as possible. He's currently back there, working hard to ensure he's fully familiar with the new plane. Rakhmanin aims to have flown 25 hours on the MXS-R by the first round of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship.
Yet to take a place on the podium, the pensive Russian could well be building up to a breakthrough performance in 2009 if his assessment of the MXS-R is correct. Rakhmanin recognised the potential of the plane even before Nigel Lamb made his debut with it last year. "I chose the MXS-R for many reasons but often you have to choose something when it is not possible to rely on the experience of others and you just have to trust your own instinct."
From Edge 540 to MXS-R
With two years flying a 'stock' Edge 540 in the Championship under his belt, the 47-year-old is well-placed to make valuable comparisons between the two race planes. He does stress however that the highly-modified versions favoured by the likes of Bonhomme and Arch are very different to the version he has competed in. Rakhmanin's scientific approach and in depth knowledge of aerodynamics allowed him to carefully assess the merits of each. He made the decision to swap to the MXS-R rather than head down the modification route with the Edge 540.
"These planes are different in construction, materials and technology used," said Rakhmanin. "Reactions of plane to pilot actions are dependent on technical adjustments on the plane and many other factors. I think therefore it makes sense to talk only about physical magnitudes such as speed, angular velocity, dynamical and aerodynamical characteristics.
"I can tell exactly that the MXS-R is better taking into account these characteristics than the plane I was flying before. It is difficult for me however to compare my new plane with modified Edge 540 planes of other pilots."
Failure teaches success
The combination of Rakhmanin's ability, the MXS-R’s performance and two years' race experience is likely to be a daunting prospect for pilots like Peter Besenyei, Mike Goulian and Nigel Lamb who have stayed around the middle of the pack for the past few seasons. Perhaps the most unnerving part for the other pilots however, is the calm and calculated attitude the Russian has towards his less than spectacular results to date.
"There is nothing new for me in this status. Before I was able to get higher places on the podium in Aerobatic Championships I was also staying behind and it was a good motivation to analyse the reasons for that, looking for better solutions and it provided a natural base from which to move forward - failure teaches success."
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