In anticipation of this weekend’s Red Bull Air Race in Perth, Alejandro Maclean has unveiled a pair of striking winglets following fast on the heels of Nigel Lamb but also boasts an array of further modifications to boot. The Spanish pilot says now is the time to showcase the team’s new 2010 MXS-R in its full glory complete with the eye-catching winglets that helped Lamb to secure a 2nd place in Abu Dhabi.
“Abu Dhabi probably wasn’t the right place to present these winglets since we didn’t have all the gadgets or mods implemented on the plane,” explains Maclean, who finished in a disappointing 12th place in the season opener last month. “This year we have a completely new MXS-R and even if it looks almost identical to last year’s, it has more than 50 changes.”
Maclean says most of the modifications to the all-carbon fibre race plane are related to weight saving or aerodynamics. He also says energy management has been a big consideration. “We’ve got a completely new cowling, new ailerons and some wing design mods,” adds Maclean. “There are also some mods inside the cockpit and as everyone will see in Perth, we have a totally new set of winglets rather than wingtips as you will have seen with Team Breitling in Abu Dhabi.”
COLLABORATION
A joint initiative between the two teams – both avid supporters of MX Aircraft – it will be interesting to see if the Spanish pilot can replicate the success of the British team here in Australia. Maclean does have the advantage of seeing the winglets in action in the UAE capital race and is comfortable that the second round of the 2010 championship is the right time to add the distinctive wing mods after they proved beneficial to Lamb.
“We didn’t have our set of winglets ready for the first race but after seeing Nigel Lamb’s performance and results in Abu Dhabi, we are really excited to try our set and see how they can help, especially keeping the energy of the plane during high-G manoeuvres and helping to reduce drag during acceleration,” says Maclean.
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