Red Bull Air Race World Series
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| Red Bull Air Race World Series | |
|---|---|
| Image:Red Bull Air Race Logo.PNG | |
| Sport | Air Racing |
| Founded | 2003 |
| No. of teams | 10 |
| Country | World Wide |
| Current champions | Image:Flag of the United States.svg Kirby Chambliss (pilot) Image:Flag of Austria.svg Red Bull (team) |
The Red Bull Air Race World Series, established in 2005 and created by Red Bull, is an international series of air races with the participation of the world's most skilled pilots, in which competitors have to navigate a challenging obstacle course in the sky, in the fastest possible time. Pilots fly individually against the clock and have to complete tight turns through a slalom course consisting of specially designed pylons, known as ‘air gates’
Image:Air Race San Francisco 05.jpg The races are held mainly on airfields, but also above cities, sea or natural wonders. They are accompanied by a supporting programme of show flights. Races are flown on weekends following three training rounds and one qualification round. The exciting event attracts huge crowds of people, and is also broadcast live throughout the world by major TV channels, the views from the onboard cameras providing spectacular shots.
At the races, currently 11 pilots compete against each other. The race winner is the competitor who accomplishes the best time after two runs of the same course. Pilots race on a twisted course with five groups of specially erected spinnaker pylon obstacles. Flying against the rules results in disqualification or in a time penalty added to the flying time. The first six ranked pilots of each race leg get points from 6 to 1 from top down. The air racer with the most points at the end of the series becomes Red Bull Air Race world champion. The champion of the 2005 season was Mike Mangold from the USA. The champion in 2006 was fellow American Kirby Chambliss.
Contents |
[edit] History
The idea of the Red Bull Air Race came about in 2001, following Red Bull's efforts to create a new aviation event. The aim of the event was to challenge some of the world's best pilots in speed, precision and skill.<ref name="Red Bull Hist">http://www.redbullairrace.com/content1.php?seite2=history</ref> With these criteria, Red Bull approached Péter Besenyei, then two-time World Aerobatics champion, seeking to use his skill and experience to adapt the concept in to real race situations. Two years of planning culminated in the first Red Bull Air Race being held in Zeltweg, Austria in 2003 during the AirPower show.<ref name="Red Bull Hist"/>
[edit] 2006 race calendar and winners
2006 Red Bull Air Race World Series consists of a total of 9 legs.
* Denotes race cancelled, results based on qualifying rounds.<ref name="Longleat race cancelled" />
[edit] Perth, Western Australia
Perth, Western Australia hosted the last of nine races of the 2006 series over the Swan River on Sunday 19 November 2006.
As a lead up to the race an Air Festival was held over the river on 17, 18 and 19 November including aircraft history and heritage as well aircraft fly overs, and aerial and static aircraft displays.
Highlights from previous races and interviews with the pilots were screened on six video screens on the river foreshore. A "Paddock Walk" to see the pilots and aircraft closeup was held between 8.30am and 10am on the morning of the race on Langley Park.
[edit] Scoring
The championship is decided by points, which are awarded according to the place in which a pilot classifies at each round. Points are allocated as follows:
| 1st place | 6 points |
| 2nd place | 5 points |
| 3rd place | 4 points |
| 4th place | 3 points |
| 5th place | 2 points |
| 6th place | 1 point |
[edit] Competitors
Final standing of the pilots and the teams participated in 2006 at the Red Bull Air Race World Series is as follows:
- Former racers
- Image:Flag of Lithuania.svg Jurgis Kairys – Winner of first Red Bull Air Race 2003 in Zeltweg, Austria
- Image:Flag of the United States.svg David Martin
[edit] Rules
[edit] 3 seconds penalty
- Incorrect passing of a gate
- too high
- incorrect knife flying
- incorrect level flying
- Incorrect aerobatic manoeuvre
- incorrect aerobatic manoeuvre
[edit] 10 seconds penalty
- Touching a gate
- touching a gate
[edit] Disqualification
- Dangerous flying
- crowdline
- dangerous flying
- flying into clouds
- flying too low
- touching the surface
- Not flying the course
- course deviation
- not executing aerobatic manoeuvre
[edit] References
<references />
[edit] External links
- Red Bull Air Race and Festival, Perth, Western Australia, November 17 - 19 2006
- Feel the Gee's as a Red Bull Air Race Pilot!
- Red Bull Air Race
- Red Bull Air Race World Series
- Jurgis Kairys’s Personal website
- about David Martin
- BBC Wiltshire coverage of the cancelled September 2006 race at Longleat
2006 Numbers
