Ahead of an adrenaline-filled weekend, we take a look at all the competing pilots in the Red Bull Air Race.
Hannes Arch – Dynamic, driven and daring
Date of Birth: 22/09/1967
Resides in: Salzburg
Plane: Edge 540
Website: hannesarch.com
Arch became the first European to win the world championship in 2008. An accomplished all-round adventurer who has climbed many of the world’s most dizzying mountains and leaped off many cliffs as a BASE jumper, Arch has pushed the development of the race forward with his hard-charging spirit.
“My favourite moment was winning my first race in Budapest in 2008. It’s what you dream about as a race pilot – to win!” says Arch, who has been wait-ing eagerly for return of the Red Bull Air Race.
Kirby Chambliss – Power and precision
Date of Birth: 18/10/1959
Resides in: Tucson, Arizona
Plane: Edge 540
Website: teamchambliss.com
Chambliss is one of the most consistently successful pilots in the history of the championship, with two world titles and eight race wins. The American veteran has been a competitive force in the sport throughout his career and landed on the podium at least once in all seven years he competed since 2003.
“The Red Bull Air Race is a perfect match for me,” says Chambliss.The Texan has his very own hangar and a runway that is built right in the backyard of his house in Arizona.
Michael Goulian – A true showman
Date of Birth: 04/09/1968
Resides in: Maynard, Massachusetts
Plane: Edge 540
Website: mikegoulian.com
Goulian is a fierce competitor in the sky who makes every roll, pull and tumble of his flight a deliberate execution of precision. His performance in the air is often a perfect marriage between man and machine. His relentless pursuit for perfection has won the admiration of many of his fellow pilots as well as the sport’s followers far and wide.
“For me the Red Bull Air Race is a challenge of how well I can do against my ability,” explains Goulian. “You try to go up there and make each run a little bit better than the run before. That’s the fun part of the sport for me. It’s not so much racing against everyone else – it’s racing against myself.”
Martin Sonka – A gifted pilot
Date of Birth: 26/03/1978
Resides in: Sezimovo Usti
Plane: Edge 540
Website: martin-sonka.cz
Sonka is a decorated Czech Air Force pilot with a decade of aerobatics experience to call upon. He was widely admired for his steady improvement in his rookie season in 2010 when he opted to be patient and focused on improving his flying through the Air Gates rather than paying too much attention on getting good results quickly.
“Joining the Red Bull Air Race was a very big thing for me and I enjoyed seeing the improvements in my flying,” says Sonka, who holds four Unlimited Championship titles.
Matt Hall – Mean machine
Date of Birth: 16/09/1971
Resides in: Merewether
Plane: MXS
Website: matthallracing.com
Hall set new standards for the race in his first season by taking a record-breaking third place overall and becoming the first rookie to win a spot on the podium.
The Australian ace, a former top gun pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), followed up that remarkable rookie season with two podiums in 2010, including a strong second place finish in his home race.
“What’s really important to me is motivating people and improving. This flying is the best I’ve ever done,” says the Australian.
Paul Bonhomme – Reigning world champion
Date of Birth: 22/09/1964
Resides in: Cambridge
Plane: Edge 540
Website: teambonhomme.com
Bonhomme has won a record 13 races and been on the podium 36 times 2003. The double champion (2009 and 2010) also took second place in the previous two world championships in 2007 and 2008.
“You’ve got the fastest motorsport on the planet with the Red Bull Air Race, and that’s special,” says Bonhomme. “People can latch onto the romance of flying mixed in with the excitement of a really good competition.” Bonhomme has only improved with age and is the most formidable pilot in the sport’s history.
Matthias Dolderer – Ready to climb the ranks
Date of Birth: 15/09/1970
Resides in: Tannheim
Plane: Edge 540
Website: matthiasdolderer.com
Dolderer has been one of the most promising newcomers to the race since his debut in Abu Dhabi in 2009. The German ace surprised the field of experienced pilots and made the podium in his first season, taking third place in Barcelona, Spain.
“The most fascinating thing about the Red Bull Air Race is the low level flying, the precision and the speed,” says Dolderer.“It’s a race against the clock and it’s a competition with the best pilots in the world.”
Nicolas Ivanoff – An artist in the air
Date of Birth: 04/07/1967
Resides in: Paris
Plane: Edge 540
Website: nicolasivanoff.com
Ivanoff established himself as a bonafide title contender with his victory in San Diego and podium-filled first half of the 2009 season. The Frenchman’s skill flying through tight turns makes other pilots stop and watch.
A Corsican with Russian and Greek heritage, Ivanoff is always a bit of a mystery.He might fly brilliantly in one race to end up on the podium but then he might struggle with penalties in the next race and not even make it to the Top 8. He takes an artistic approach to flying.
Pete McLeod – The youngest pilot
Date of Birth: 23/02/1984
Resides in: London, Ontario Plane: Edge 540
Website: petemcleodracing.com
McLeod showed tremendous promise and made great improvement in his first two seasons, jumping from 15th place in 2009 to fifth in 2010.
McLeod, Canada’s most high profile young aviator, made history in 2009 when he became the youngest pilot ever and only Canadian to fly in the championship.
“For me the Red Bull Air Race is an expression of some of the great things of life – being in an aeroplane, being fast, high performance, being close to the ground, the lifestyle, the travel,” he says.
Nigel Lamb – A legend in the air
Date of Birth: 17/08/1956
Resides in: Oxfordshire, GB
Plane: MXS
Website: nigellamb.com
Lamb is one of the most accomplished and respected pilots in the history of the race. He took a career best third place overall in 2010 and his steady rise in the rankings has proven that pilots get better with age. “I think deep in most people’s hearts is a fascination with birds and the environment of the air,” says Lamb.
“To create a sport which has such an easy connect for people who don’t know anything about flying makes the race so interesting and captivating – it hooks people between the ages of 5 and 80.”
Yoshihide Muroya – An exciting contender
Date of Birth: 27/01/1973
Resides in: Fukishima, Japan
Plane: Edge 540
Website: yoshi-muroya.jp
Muroya, the first pilot to hail from Asia, has helped raise the popularity of the sport in East Asia, especially in his home country of Japan. Muroya has brought numerous innovations to the sport, in particular introducing prerace meditation. He has remained one of the most stoically optimistic pilots in the field despite enduring several untimely mechanical problems that sidelined him for part of the 2010 season.
“The Red Bull Air Race is a motorsport and quite different from pure aerobatics so it’s really exciting for the pilots and the public,” says Muroya. “It’s really quite tight racing against each other. As a pilot, it’s a lot of fun to fly the race.”
Peter Besenyei – Godfather of the Red Bull Air Race
Date of Birth: 08/06/1956
Resides in: Herceghalom,Budapest
Plane: Corvus Racer
Website: besenyei.peter.com
Besenyei has been a driving force behind the creation and development of the race and is sometimes referred to as the ‘godfather’ of the sport because of his pioneering work in perfecting the high-speed, low-level format.
The Hungarian ace was a top title contender in the first five years of the sport.
“The Red Bull Air Race is a fantastic opportunity to fly low at high speeds,” says the experienced 57-year- old. I really enjoy the racing and the way we fly. It’s a great challenge.”
