BUDAPEST, Hungary - Five-times World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb visited the Red Bull Air Race airport to meet the pilots and test his G tolerance in the air ahead of the race in today’s Hungarian capital. A current helicopter pilot himself, Loeb has flown previously with race veteran Peter Besenyei and was therefore prepared to push his limits with a challenging series of loops and rolls in his flight today.
“You can feel the flying is very precise and these planes are built for racing. They can do whatever you like,” said the Frenchman, who took to the air on a picture-perfect sunny day. “Sometimes I couldn’t even understand what was happening – the plane was rolling in one direction and then the pilot took it back the other way.”
Loeb says that his first flight with Besenyei was more sedate but it was a great insight into the challenges the Red Bull Air Race pilots face. “He approached it a bit differently,” explains Loeb. “He took it more gently as he knew it was my first experience. He didn’t want to scare me or make me feel sick. Near the end I was close to being sick and he asked if I wanted any more and I said no. I would have liked to do more but I knew that I couldn’t! He also let me fly a few manoeuvres myself – I did a loop and a roll. That was a great experience.”
As a motorsport legend in his own right, Loeb understands the level of concentration required by the pilots when in the track. He agrees that is imperative to ‘remain ahead’ of the Citroen C4 he races. “You have to be thinking about a lot of things at the same time. You have to be able to anticipate the next corners, while 100% concentrating on the driving. It takes a lot of energy. Even if I want to change a setting on the car I don’t have the time to think about it.”
While at the airport, Loeb also spent some time with fellow French sportsman Nicolas Ivanoff. Comparing notes, the two chatted for a while as Ivanoff talked the rally driver through the mechanics of his Edge 540 race plane. “I’d definitely like to get my plane licence,” said Loeb afterwards. “I’ve got 150 hours on helicopters and I fly my EC120 to travel places but when I have time I would like to learn to fly planes too.”
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