Mon, Mar 20, 2006
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.
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