Windsor Mayor welcomes pilots at Red Bull Air Race Airport

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Windsor Mayor welcomes pilots at Red Bull Air Race Airport

Bernd Loidl and the Mayor of Windsor, Eddie Francis

Getty Images for Red Bull Air Race

Windsor Mayor welcomes pilots at Red Bull Air Race Airport

by Erik Kay, Jun 2, 2010

WINDSOR, Ontario - Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis welcomed the Red Bull Air Race pilots back to Canada on Wednesday at a ceremony formally opening the Race Airport ahead of the fourth round of the eight-race 2010 season this weekend on a now-famous track over the Detroit River that straddles the Canada-U.S. border.

Defending champion Paul Bonhomme of Britain said he was looking forward to another thrilling battle on the difficult track set up between Windsor and Detroit after he mastered a nerve-wracking shift in winds on race day to win here a year ago. Canada’s Pete McLeod, who is fifth in the championship this year, said he will be looking for a career-best result in front of hundreds of thousands of fans from his home country after getting his best finish as a rookie last year in Windsor.

“This is perhaps the best part of my job -- once a year I get to stand here and declare ‘Welcome to Red Bull City’,” Francis told the pilots and journalists at a news conference at the Race Airport. “It’s the opportunity for us as a community to come together and turn our attention to one of the most spectacular sporting events that we’ve come to be a part of. We too feel like part of a family. The people of Windsor are really excited to be part of another great event.”

Red Bull Air Race CEO Bernd Loidl said he and the pilots have been looking forward to returning to Windsor after being overwhelmed by the enthusiasm at last year’s race, which was watched by 215,000 spectators on both the Windsor and Detroit sides of the river. “We arrived here as guests last year but we left as friends and true partners,” he said. “It was clear from the start that this location was special. We experienced something really outstanding -- a great warm welcome and tremendous cooperation from not only the authorities involved but also from the people of Windsor and from Ontario, and from far beyond.”

Loidl said the tremendous warmth and enthusiasm for the race in Windsor is a telling illustration of the Red Bull Air Race’s rapid development. “It is the fastest growing motorsport in the world and we’ll prove that once again in Windsor. We’re looking forward to a great race weekend.”

Bonhomme leads the championship with 31 points but compatriot Nigel Lamb (28 points) and Hannes Arch of Austria (27 points) are hot on his heels. Lamb and Arch said they were feeling confident for the race in Windsor. Bonhomme, who has been on the podium for a record-breaking 10 straight races, said it would be another tight battle. “We love Windsor because everyone looks after us so well,” he said. “We’re looking forward to another great race. The wind can cause a bit of drama here. Last year we trained all week with an easterly wind and then on race day it turned westerly. It should be an interesting race.”

McLeod said: “I’m just stoked to be racing again on my home soil. There’s so much positive energy here in Windsor. I’m hoping to have a good race. I like the track. It’s a tight, technical track.”