Race Format 2009 -- Red Bull Air Race Videos

Race Format 2009

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Date: MAY 26, 2009
Director: Alexander Strohmer (West4Media)
Copyright: Red Bull Air Race GmbH
About this Video: The Red Bull Air Race World Championship has revamped its race format this year as part of its quest to streamline racing and also to accommodate the expanded field of pilots from 12 in 2008 to 15 in 2009. The new format features a Qualifying Day with all pilots racing to be one of the ten fastest to take them directly through to the Top 12 session on Race Day. For the first time ever, Qualifying will also be a race for one World Championship point which will be awarded to the pilot with the best time in Qualifying. A Wild Card session opens Race Day with the five slowest from Qualifying getting a second chance by battling it out for the final two spots in the Top 12. The fastest eight from the Top 12 advance to the Super 8 and the four fastest go all-out against the clock in the Final 4 with the fastest pilot being declared the winner. The race winner collects 12 World Championship points, second place gets 10 and third 9 points a system that goes all the way down to 1 point for 11th place. On top of that, this year the winner of the Qualifying session will pick up the one additional World Championship point, a change that will undoubtedly make Qualifying even more intense for the front-runners than in the past. If, for example, the race winner also wins Qualifying, he would collect a total of 13 points.