Winds could make Windsor Red Bull Air Race track difficult

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Winds could make Windsor Red Bull Air Race track difficult

Winds could make Windsor Red Bull Air Race track difficult

by Erik Kay, Jun 1, 2010

WINDSOR, Canada – The race track over the Detroit River that straddles the Canada-U.S. border may not at first glance look like the most difficult in the Red Bull Air Race World Championship. But the wide river that separates Windsor from Detroit has turned out to be one of the most challenging in the past and could well cause pilots plenty of problems once again at the fourth race of the 2010 season on June 5/6.

One of the elements that makes the Windsor track so treacherous and capable of causing of upsets is that the strong Midwestern winds coming in from the U.S. side are sometimes partially blocked by the Detroit skyscrapers rising from the riverfront. So the winds can be blowing hard on one section of the track but then suddenly almost non-existent in another section. It was in those difficult conditions that Britain’s Paul Bonhomme excelled last year with a key victory, his first of three in 2009, that put him on course to win the championship. Canada’s Pete McLeod, who learned how to fly in difficult weather conditions in the rugged north of the country, also did well last year, getting the best result of his rookie season at home.

“Windsor could well be the key to the season outcome for the top three pilots,” said Race Director Drew Searle. The Australian voice who gives the now-famous “Smoke on” command to the pilots as they speed into the race track said this year’s course is essentially the same as in 2009 with the exception of a new Twin Knife Edge having replaced the Quadro. The pilots are still struggling to find the ideal line for the two knife edge gates - which are separated by a challenging high-g 270-degree turn.

“The Twin Knife Edge has proved to be a great challenge for the pilots,” Searle said. Everyone’s looking for the perfect line to optimize the effect of the wind and minimize their time. There are many options to navigate the Twin Knife and picking the right line through it is proving to be the critical decision.”

Searle said the Twin Knife is at the western end of the track. “Typically a strong wind pushing the pilot back toward the Twin Knife creates more pressure to get the race line exactly right,” he said. “Ease off and lose valuable time or go for it and risk touching a pylon.”

Strong winds also played a big role in the 2008 race on what is essentially the same track when American Kirby Chambliss came out on top after winning a thrilling final battle against Bonhomme. Steve Jones, a former pilot and now TV analyst, had one of the most spectacular pylon hits of all time ahead of that Detroit 2008 race – flying straight into one of the pylons in the chicane.

“Run in from the Canadian side of the river with a big angle through to the start gate, this will allow you to make a smooth curve for the chicane entry,” Jones said, describing what he views would be a perfect run through race track. “It could be turbulent here if the wind is blowing strongly from the Detroit City side. But don’t let that distract you. Concentrate on an economic pass through the Chicane, staying tight up to the last pylon. This is a big turn so a good Chicane exit is vital if you are to get back into Canada, for Gate 3, with as much speed as possible.”