High Times

Red Bull Air Race set to soar again over Abu Dhabi

The Red Bull Air Race World Series is set for take-off in Abu Dhabi. This will be the fifth year in a row that the extraordinary event has been staged in the capital.

The race is on April 17-18.

Fifteen of the world’s top race pilots, including four new pilots from four countries and four continents are joining the Red Bull Air Race World Championship this year, the largest crop of rookies in the history of the world’s fastest growing motorsport.

Canada’s Pete McLeod, 24, will be the youngestever pilot in the high-speed, precision flying race, while the three other rookies - Japan’s Yoshihide Muroya (35), Australia’s Matt Hall (37), Germany’s Matthias Dolderer (38) - are all also younger than reigning World Champion Hannes Arch (41) who joined in 2007.

After the traditional season opener in Abu Dhabi, the series moves to North America for races in San Diego and Windsor, Canada, before heading back over the Atlantic to Europe for stops in Budapest, Porto and Barcelona.

In 2006 one million spectators packed the beachfront of the Catalonian capital to witness this breathtaking sport and Barcelona will host the final race of the season where the 2009 World Champion will be crowned.

But before that there’s the serious business of Abu Dhabi.
“We are really excited to be kicking off the 2009 Red Bull Air Race World Championship in Abu Dhabi for what will be our fifth race in the stunning United Arab Emirates capital,” says Bernd Loidl, CEO of Red Bull Air Race.

“This year we’ll have a new race track in a slightly adapted location starting from the UAE Flag side and spectators can watch all the action from the wonderful new public beach area along the Corniche.
“The Red Bull Air Race Airport will be set up at Mina Zayed where fans will have the opportunity to meet the pilots and get up close to their planes during the Public Pit Lane Walk on Qualifying Day which takes place on Friday 17 April.”

Flying at speeds reaching 370 km/hr and pulling up to 12 gs, the pilots will navigate unique and demanding ‘race tracks’, negotiating 20-metre high inflatable air gates in their bid to become the 2009 world champ. Austrian Hannes Arch, who became the first European to win the championship last year, will be seeking to defend his title against a talented crop of pilots who have all been busy honing their skills in the off-season and working on improvements to their planes.
The expanded field of 15 pilots has led to the creation of a slick new race format that includes a wild card session to open race
day. The first day will provide constant race action and four pilots going up against each other in an all-out final for victory and
spots on the podium.