NEW YORK – Racing in a new, sparkling white Edge 540 V3, Germany’s Matthias Dolderer is determined to move up from the middle of the table, where he has remained for the first half of the 2010 Red Bull Air Race season.
Currently placed ninth, Dolderer is relying heavily on his technician Kelley Brow; the driving force of the team’s aggressive stance on engine power and race plane performance. As the only American in an otherwise European setup, it could be an interesting situation for the US fans, whose loyalties may be tested if Team Dolderer does well in New York this weekend.
As a former tech for 2006 world champion and fellow American Kirby Chambliss, the unassuming man from Missouri has earned his stripes in the race environment and is now putting those hard-earned skills to good use with the ambitious German team. Brow was also technician to Hannes Arch in 2008 but had to return to the States halfway through the season to complete an aircraft restoration project before being headhunted by Dolderer for his rookie season in 2009.
Drawn to the rookie team
“I met Kirby 25 years ago and he’s a good friend of mine,” explains Brow of his introduction to the Red Bull Air Race and his history with the various teams. “I watched him come from a local level to what he is now and he was the reason I first became involved. Some people think there might be bad blood with the others but there’s really not. Kirby’s been my friend for so long and I’ve got an excellent relationship with Hannes and his technician Vito. But what really drew me to Matthias was the fact that he was a rookie coming up and that means more. It’s a bit more fun from my side and there’s so much we can do.”
Despite having impressive credentials for the job, Brow is grounded and modest about his contribution to Dolderer’s increasing success. His meticulous nature and refreshing modesty means he is also a good team player – essential for building a well-balanced race outfit. It is no coincidence that a modification programme introduced halfway through 2009 led to improved performances for Dolderer in the latter part of the season, culminating in a 3rd place podium in the final race in Barcelona.
“I have a background building stock cars and race cars,” continues Brow. “I got my pilot’s licence at 17 and owned airplanes but didn’t like the work other people were doing on them for me. That was the reason I got my aircraft mechanic’s licence and once I had it, I started rebuilding planes for other people. Initially I did it for myself but eventually turned it into a business.”
Edge 540 pedigree
A strong supporter of the Edge 540 race plane and its manufacturer Zivko Aeronautics, Brow is excited about the remaining half of the team’s second season as Dolderer prepares to unleash the all-new V3 machine into the New York track. Having worked solidly on the Edge 540 with both Chambiss and Arch, Brow knows the race plane inside-out and has absolute faith in its pedigree – as do the teams he’s worked with. Arch was first to unveil his V3 in Abu Dhabi this year while Chambliss expects delivery of his by Christmas.
“They have a quality product that has been so well tested and I trust them. I appreciate their engineering abilities,” Brow says of Zivko’s handiwork. “Kirby had one of the first 540s around and I got to watch him put that airplane through everything you can imagine and more. It’s quite the airplane. It wasn’t really designed to be taken apart but the V3 has been. They listened and designed something that is the same but fine-tuned for this environment. It’s a lot more user-friendly for the technicians and the changes aerodynamically are really good too.”
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