LONDON, 29 July 2007 — The Red Bull Air Race World Series began in London yesterday for a two-day sixth race of the season and the first to take place here. The world’s fastest pilots are involved in a race through a slalom course just meters above the River Thames, navigating through 20-meter high air-filled pylons at speeds reaching 400 kph and coping with forces of up to 10G.
The weather over London was, however, typically English -- Windy and wet, and while it was creating a major challenge for most of the Red Bull Air Race pilots, it was just a walk in the park for British fliers Paul Bonhomme, Nigel Lamb and Steve Jones, who are used to stormy skies.
“It’s very windy and that’s making a very interesting track at the moment,” said Bonhomme. “It’s really good. There’s lots of sideways flying.” Skies over the Thames were partially cloudy with winds from the southwest reaching nearly 21 knots. The windy conditions put the pilots to the test as they maneuvered through the high-speed course set up on the River Thames, in front of city’s O2 Arena, and could make the London competition one of the most challenging in the Red Bull Air Race World Series, at least for the foreign contenders.
“We’re used to the weather here,” added Bonhomme. “Everybody’s been taking the mickey out of us because we’ve been walking around in t-shirts pretending it’s summer.”
Despite the windy and sometimes wet conditions, Bonhomme is predicting “lovely” weather today -- the day of the race.
American pilot Mike Mangold (Team C
bra/Edge 540) topped Friday’s training session with a time of 1:27.56, ahead of local favorite Paul Bonhomme (Team Matador/Edge 540) and fellow American Kirby Chambliss (Team Red Bull/Edge 540).Mangold’s excellent performance has made him a main challenger to the British pilots.
The pylons, known as ‘Air Gates’, have been built on floating barges on the river and the course framed by the Thames Barrier, the skyscrapers of Canary Wharf and the Greenwich Peninsula, which is dominated by London’s newest entertainment destination, the O2. The London Air Race, which is a totally carbon neutral event, has the backing of London Mayor Ken Livingstone, as well as the Metropolitan Police and the boroughs of Greenwich, Newham and Tower Hamlets.
“The Red Bull Air Race is another exciting addition to London’s events calendar and has the wonderful backdrop of the River Thames and London skyline,” the mayor said on the eve of the event.
The qualifying rounds were held yesterday, which will be followed by the heart-stopping race action today.
After London, the race heads to Budapest, Hungary, on Aug. 19 and 20, followed by further races in Portugal, the United States and Australia. Last year, a total of some six million spectators turned out for the eight races held worldwide.
