JEDDAH, 7 June 2005 — After the first round staged in Abu Dhabi in April, the 2005 Red Bull Air Race World Series will hold its second round in Rotterdam, Holland, on June 12, 2005, according to an announcement yesterday.
“Once again, the Red Bull Air Race is joining between the water and the sky with its track being built in the Maas River. The nine pilots will soar down the world’s largest port between the colossal container ships,” the Red Bull spokesman said.
The 1.4 km race track will feature air-filled pylons defining the flying maneuvers to be performed by each pilot in the qualifications, round 1 and round 2 in which only the first 4 pilots who scored the best timings in the previous round will be qualified to compete, he added.
Hungarian Pilot Peter Besenyei, who won Abu Dhabi’s race with an excellent time of 1:36:67 minutes, will defend his title in Rotterdam to get the winning place’s six points. His major competitor will most likely be UK’s Steve Jones who ranked second two months ago with 1:44:72 minutes, i.e. 7:55 seconds behind Besenyei.
American Mike Mangold’s third place will be the primary target of French pilot Nicolas Ivanoff, who suffered from a 6-point penalty for several mistakes he had made, resulting in a 4th position with 13:01 seconds behind Mangold.
Dutch Frank Versteegh, who was disqualified from the race after a severe penalty, will use his country’s round to gather his strength and try to secure the podium or be among the top six pilots.
The Rotterdam race includes the following pilots: Peter Besenyei (Hungary), Steve Jones (UK), Mike Mangold (USA), Nicolas Ivanoff (France), Klaus Schrodt (Germany), Paul Bonhomme (UK), Kirby Chambliss (USA), Alexander Maclean (Spain) and Frank Versteegh (Holland).
