Takes Back Lead In World Series
Paul Bonhomme’s superior flying performance landed him the
top standing in the 2007 Red Bull Air Race World Series’
pivotal, penultimate stop in San Diego’s Embarcadero Bay.
Over 50,000 spectators around the San Diego Bay watched the British
pilot celebrate his 43rd birthday today with a winning finishing
time of 1:23.80.
Bonhomme, from Cambridgeshire, beat American pilot Kirby
Chambliss in the final round and wrestled back the lead in the
World Series standings from Chambliss's fellow countryman Mike
Mangold, completing a double blow for the US pilots on home soil.
Bonhomme collects six points and goes into the final race of the
season on 4th November in Perth, Australia leading Mangold by 2
points.
Chambliss took second spot and Nigel Lamb, also from Britain,
took his first ever podium place, coming in third.
“If someone had come up to me a week ago and offered me a
win here with Mike back in fifth, I would have snatched it with
both hands,” said Bonhomme.
“I’m chuffed. I’m in a much better position
now than I had been. I had been hoping to go to Perth not being any
points behind.”
“I felt relaxed. It was the last race of the day and I
went for it. I was concentrating hard and looking at all the
tactics that the other people have been using and it paid off. I
was analysing everything all day, just looking at what
everyone’s been up to and what I’ve been up to and it
paid off on the last run.”
Even though it supposedly “never rains in Southern
California”, a series of heavy showers in the hours before
the race and powerful winds off the Pacific Ocean all day made the
difficult course over the bay even more treacherous.
The southwestern port of San Diego more than lived up to its
reputation as America’s “finest city". Its breathtaking
backdrop in front of the waterfront skyline and alongside U.S. Navy
battleships in the bay has been one of the most spectacular this
season.
The Red Bull Air Race pilots fly through a slalom course of
inflated Air Gates just metres above the surface at speeds of up to
250 mph and endure forces of up to 10G. Last year more than six
million spectators attended the eight races of the
championship.
Red Bull Air Race San Diego results:
- Paul Bonhomme, GBR, Team Matador, 1:23.80 minutes
- Kirby Chambliss, USA, Team Red Bull, +1,11 seconds
- Nigel Lamb, GBR, Team Breitling, +4,23 seconds