Red Bull
Air Race Finale – Perth Western Australia
by David Morrell
David Morrell
Photography
Foreign
Correspondent For ILIPS Group International
Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania & The Pacific
Rim
The final leg in the Red Bull Air Race for 2006 was held
in Perth Western Australia on the banks of the mighty
Swan River with an overwhelming response from the 300,000
spectators. The people of Perth opened their arms and
were treated to a fan-tastic, spectacular and
exhilarating event over three days, culminating in the
final race day of the 2006 season on a warm Sunday
afternoon. Thousands lined the banks of the river and
made every vantage point their own, including viewing
from apartment buildings, aboard river boats, and even on
plastic chairs in knee high water.
All came to see fast planes and fast pilots and were not
disappointed!
The Red Bull Air Racing event ~ staged in Perth for the
first time ~ was an outstanding success for everyone
involved in putting together this incredible show. Easy
access to the rivers’ edge made it a day for the
entire family to enjoy. Large groups took to pleasure
craft to gain a greater view of the aircraft in action.
There were no shortage of facilities for the large
capacity crowd, both in Langley Park and in South Perth.
Langley Park was the stage for the temporary grass runway
which many years ago was formerly Perth’s airport.
Although a warm and sunny 25-30 degrees C for most of the
event days, the afternoon sea breezes ~ known by all as
the “Freemantle Doctor” ~ helped keep the
crowds cool.
The media took to Langley Park on Saturday (the day
before the final race) for some one-on-one interviews
with both pilots and crews, involved in either flying or
preparing some of the fastest racing planes gracing
International skies to date.
At first glance ~ and to the untrained eye ~ the aircraft
look like any normal, propeller-driven aircraft, however,
upon closer inspection, these "speed machines of the
sky" are very sleek and ultra-lightweight. Robust
power from their engines helps to ensure that the
critical power-to-weight-ratio is always in each
pilot’s favour.
A walk around the paddock area revealed a few interesting
stories and truths from the pilots about their flying
prowess, how they perceive the relatively new sport and
where they anticipate taking their individual careers
when it comes to Red Bull Air Racing (RBAR).
(Author's Note: More of the pilot interviews will be
featured in the next installment.)
Practice began in Perth with all the pilots taking to the
air, for the purpose of testing the course and to qualify
for the race. The qualifying ultimately placed each pilot
in order of starting position for race day.
Each pilot was given two ‘runs’ through the
course during practice and then a qualifying time was
taken on the third run. The pilots departed from the
Langley Park runway and headed towards a specified area
in the sky to warm up and prepare for entry onto the
course. A Race Director then gave the "all
clear" for each pilot to enter the course with
"smoke on" and trailing from the aircraft. The
smoke not only helped the race officials to see the
aircraft, but also made it easier for the spectators to
follow the aircraft as they screamed through the air
gates to complete the course.
Upon completion of the course, the pilots were given
their timed run before they returned to their Langley
Park dispersal area. After all pilots had completed the
course, the second run commenced.
A slight pause occurred between the two ‘practice
runs’ before the entire cycle would begin again. The
course times for the practice sessions were approximately
1 minute 30 seconds in length, however the qualifying
session would see some of the times dramatically decrease
as the pilots worked harder to attain a better position
for the race.
Collectively speaking, the faster the Pilots were in
qualifying, the further back the pilots were when it came
to competing on the final day. Individually speaking, by
starting further back in the field, each competitor could
see what needed to be achieved once the majority of other
pilots had completed the course. In this way, individual
competitors were able to determine what times were
required to beat in order to gain the best position for
the race.
Saturday the 18th of November saw the two qualification
rounds to determine the standings of the pilots for the
following days race.
Qualification sessions:
Climbing back to the top of the ranking in
Saturday’s qualifying for the Sunday race was
American Kirby Chambliss with a total time of 02:41.72.
This put him in the best possible position for the race
and he still remained the favourite to become this
year’s Series champion.
Paul Bonhomme followed right behind Chambliss with a
total time of 02:43.10 which placed him slightly ahead of
Hungarian Peter Besenyei, who placed third with a total
time of 02:43.59. Although Besenyei finished in first
place for the second qualifying he ended up third overall
due to finishing third in his first round qualifying
session.
A hopeful Paul Bonhomme commented afterwards that “I
have a few ideas on how I can improve my time. An
honourable finish at the end of the season would be
great.”
Peter Besenyei described his performance, indicating that
“The first fly-through was not perfect, but the
fastest time in the second round gives me hope for
tomorrow. I’m getting better and better every day.
The course is extremely fast and cannot be
underestimated.”
As to his performance, Kirby Chambliss stated in
retrospect that “My problem during the entire Series
this year, and what I also notice in Perth, is that I
want to win at any cost. It would be smarter to simply
fly for points. I cannot afford to make a single mistake.
Besenyei flies very strongly, but he doesn’t have it
easy.”
As for the remaining pilots, Mike Mangold, the reigning
World Series champion, placed fourth in front of
Alejandro MacLean, the latter of whom was disqualified
during this round of qualifications due to deviating from
the course.
~~~~~
Alejandro MacLean
(ESP) disqualified from first round of qualifications
~~~~~
After
completion of the qualification rounds, there was still
plenty of action to be seen in the air. Royal Australian
Air Force (RAAF) aircraft took to the skies, including
the specially painted, 20th anniversary FA-18 Hornet,
which dazzled the crowds with a solo display over the
Swan River. The display included many of the favourite
passes, including the fast clean pass and a slow dirty
pass with the landing gear down and speed brakes on.
Below the aircraft performs a knife-edge pass over the
river.
Australian formula 1 driver, Mark Webber, who will be
joining the Red Bull formula 1 Racing Team for 2007, took
to the skies over Perth for a ride in an aerobatic
aircraft similar to those used by the Red Bull series
pilots. The aircraft was piloted by Hannes Arch and upon
returning to Langely Park Airport Webber was elated with
the experience and commented: “It was fascinating,
incredible, really daring. I often didn’t know where
we were and felt queasy at times.”
Austrian Tennis Star Barbara Schett, also took to the
skies in the same, two seater aircraft and even
controlled the aerobatic craft for a short time. Schett
said of her flight: “Compared to that, tennis is
extremely boring. I was even allowed to steer for a short
time and I’m pretty sure that I flew a loop. The
skill of the Air Racers cannot be described. I’ll be
watching the race on Sunday from the bank.”
Race day on Sunday the 19th of November, would see the
crowning of the World Champion and also the winner of the
first Red Bull air Race in Perth, Australia. The weather
was yet again picture perfect for flying, with a slight
breeze in the morning, that would increase a little
during the afternoon. However, the meager winds would not
cause any problems for the experienced pilots. In the
end, the breeze provided a welcome relief for the 300,000
spectators lining the river to see a great day of racing.
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