The first race of the 2006 Red Bull Air Race World Series took place Saturday 18th March, along the famous 'Corniche' stretch in Abu Dhabi.

American Kirby Chambliss succeeded in beating 10 other world class pilots to win the first competition of the season with a total time of 3:33.37. Thousands of spectators lined the shores to witness plane and pilot perform a range of difficult manoeuvres as they raced through a unique obstacle course in the sky at top speeds reaching more than 400kph.

American Mike Mangold, last year's Red Bull Air Race World Series champion, came second, followed by Hungary's Peter Besenyei. Mangold, a former U.S. Air Force Top Gun pilot, had been the hot favourite to win this year's opening race, held in the United Arab Emirates for the second year in a row, but suffered a 10-second penalty in the second round after hitting the last air gate on the course.

The race was originally scheduled to take place on Friday 17th March but was postponed due to strong and treacherous north-easterly winds which prohibited the planes from flying. Fortunately today the pilots were given the all clear for take-off. Although crowd numbers were lower than the 200,000 spectators who turned up yesterday, due to Saturday being a regular working day in the UAE, the race was as exciting as anticipated.

The organizers note that the "Red Bull Air Race is a new aviation competition that requires pilots to execute complex precision-perfect manoeuvres between 60ft high inflatable 'Air Gates' and complete the course in the fastest possible time. It's an extremely tough race that exerts the highest demands on flying skills and human endurance. Pilots fly close to the ground on an extremely tight course and are constantly subjected to acceleration forces which can reach up to 10G. There is no margin for error. Only the best of the best can take part and these guys are at the top of their game."

The Series consists of nine races that will take place between March and November around the world in countries including; Spain, England, USA, Australia, Germany and Turkey.

FMI: www.redbullairrace.com