BERLIN, 1 June 2006 — Over 600,000 people packed Berlin’s historic Tempelhof Airport to watch American Kirby Chambliss win the third leg of the Red Bull Air Race World Series with a total time of 02:53.70, on Saturday. This was the second win for Chambliss who won the season’s first race in Abu Dhabi.
New Air Race records were also set with Chambliss reaching a top speed of 513 kph (319 mph) and Hungarian pilot Besenyei achieving a record 13.8G in his new Edge 540 plane. Berlin pilot Klaus Schrodt came fourth with great support from the local crowd._
Hungarian pilot Peter Besenyei won the race in Barcelona followed by American Mike Mangold and Kirby Chambliss. It is currently a close competition between Besenyei, Mangold and Chambliss who are leading the World Series standings with an even score of 10 points each.
Berlin is a new addition to the Air Race calendar and it is also the first time it has taken place at an international airport. With the first two races of the season being flown over water, Tempelhof will be an exciting contrast and a new challenge for the pilots.
Built in the 1920’s, the airport terminal is one of the largest buildings in the world and its striking architecture will provide an impressive backdrop for the race.
Spectators will also have spectacular views of the pilots as they speed through the specially designed course at speeds reaching over 400kph. But it’s not just about speed -- precision is crucial to success because any mistakes incur penalty points, which are then added to the pilot’s time. The 11 Red Bull Air Race World Series pilots will also be battling with acceleration forces of up to 10G as they negotiate a tough obstacle course made up of 19m high ‘Air Gates.’
All eyes will be on German pilot Klaus Schrodt who will be vying for victory in his home town. Schrodt experienced an unfortunate turn of events at the first race in Abu Dhabi after hitting an Air Gate during the second run, which resulted in disqualification from the race, landing him at the bottom of the rankings. He has managed to turn things around however, coming 4th place in Barcelona and is now placed joint 5th position in the overall world standings alongside Spaniard Alejandro Maclean.
The competition is starting to really heat up and at this stage it is difficult to predict what the outcome will be. Besenyei, Chambliss and Mangold will undoubtedly fight hard to stay at the top of the pack but with seven races still left in the season, anything can happen.
